Six of the Best Defenders at the AAU State Tournament
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From time to time, we hear folks say that AAU basketball is “not as good” because “nobody plays any defense.” And while we can’t speak to the validity of that assertion in other states, you can go forth confidently that…
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Continue ReadingFrom time to time, we hear folks say that AAU basketball is “not as good” because “nobody plays any defense.” And while we can’t speak to the validity of that assertion in other states, you can go forth confidently that it most definitely is NOT true in Minnesota.
There were a number of fantastic defensive performances at the Minnesota AAU State Tournament. Here are six of the best defenders that we saw over the weekend:
Shantell Harden – 2023 – Minnesota Suns Bluestar (Burnsville) – As was the case for many 2023’s heading into the weekend, we were relatively unfamiliar with Harden prior to the State Tournament. We caught her first game when the Suns battled against Minnesota Crossfire Vaughn. And while the Suns were a bit sloppy at times, Shantell stood out as being the defensive stopper that the team needed to pull out the win.
Harden has great length for an 8th grader, probably standing around 5’10” with a wingspan at least that long. When playing on-ball defense, she did a really nice job of consistently staying between her girl and the basket. And when she was off-the-ball, she racked up a number of steals and tipped passes.
Nia Holloway – 2022 – DTA (Eden Prairie) – Holloway has rocketed up the PGH rankings for the class of 2022 as she’s continued to refine her game and maximize her insane athleticism. We’ve written articles in the past about how Holloway can dunk a tennis ball, and how she has a great feel for blocking shots and protecting the paint.
But what stood out about Nia this weekend in particular was her much-improved perimeter defense. DTA’s defensive game plans had her hedging hard, and even switching onto opponents’ point guards. And we must say, she looked right at home out past the three-point line. It’s scary to think that Holloway has already worked herself into being a premier defender in the state of Minnesota four months before she even starts her sophomore year of high school.
Jenna Johnson – 2021 – North Tartan EYBL (Wayzata) – Johnson probably could have made any one of our “best of” lists from the State Tournament. The #2 ranked player in PGH Minnesota’s class of 2021 is just so good at so many things. We chose to put her on the best defenders list mainly because of her effort in North Tartan’s first game of the tournament against MN Rise Wolfe. In a 1 vs. 16 match-up that many had penciled in as a blowout, Dan Wolfe’s group had other plans.
Johnson and her North Tartan teammates found themselves down by as many as 11 in the second half, before chipping away at their deficit and eventually pulling ahead for good with under a minute to play. Jenna made her defensive presence known throughout the comeback, as she had at least six second-half blocks on what would have otherwise been sure layups for the Rise. If Johnson would have fouled instead of cleanly breaking up the shot on any one of those attempts, the game very likely could have a different outcome. As is was, though, Jenna and her North Tartan teammates got the victory and went on to a second place tournament finish.
Nevaeh Moeschter – 2020 – Minnesota Suns Bluestar (Tartan) – Having watched teams play against Moeschter over the past couple of years, it’s clear that the pressure defense that she brings to the table is hard to prepare for. She spent most of this past weekend applying full-court pressure to opposing point guards, and creating havoc in the half-court.
Nevaeh is strong, instinctual, and tough as nails. One of the reasons why she is so effective that she does a good job of quickly identifying opponents tenancies, and then taking away the things that they like to do best. Moeschter and her Suns Bluestar teammates had a solid weekend, and ended up with a 4th place finish in the 2020 division.
Jayla Reliford – 2021 – 43 Hoops (Cooper) – Simply put, Jayla is the type of defender that players LOVE to play with and HATE to play against. She’s an energizer bunny who is dead set on making opposing point guards’ lives miserable. Reliford is scrappy, pesky, and a whole lot of fun to watch. At times this weekend, it seemed like she has no regard for her own well-being, diving on the floor, and sliding in the lane to take charges against bigger players.
We took in 43 Hoops’s game against the #2 ranked North Tartan Elite team in the opening round of the tournament. While they ultimately ran out of gas, 43 Hoops hung around for the majority of the game. Reliford showed flashed of her offensive potential as well, leading all scorers with 12 points.
Kjerstin Tharp – 2023 – North Tartan Wolkow (Centennial) – We wrote in an earlier piece about how impressive NT Wolkow point guard Abbey Nechanicky was in an upset victory over the Metro Stars in the 2023 tournament’s opening round. But from our perspective, the biggest difference-maker in that game may have been forward Kjerstin Tharp. And here’s the kicker: Tharp scored a grand total of 1 point in the game.
Kjerstin, or KJ as she’s known by her teammates, was magnificent on defense as well as rebounding the ball. She spent the evening rotating through her defensive assignments of 5’10” Kylie Blamlett, 5’11” Savanna Jones, and 6’0″ Julia Wagner. KJ’s height isn’t listed on North Tartan’s roster, but I can tell you she is well south of 6’0″. But despite her size disadvantage, her defensive intensity held the three Metro Stars bigs to a combined 9 points. Tharp showed grit, positioned herself well, and made the Stars take tough shots all game, leading to an 8-point North Tartan victory.
In-Article photo of Nia Holloway courtesy of SE News Media
Minnesota AAU State Tournament Series:
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