Top 250 Expo Report: 7 Impressive Names I Didn’t Know
Following the Minnesota Top 250 Expo this past weekend, Grant and I are putting out a ton of coverage this week and into next week. All of the kids were highly talented and coaches, parents, players, and evaluators were raving…
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Continue ReadingFollowing the Minnesota Top 250 Expo this past weekend, Grant and I are putting out a ton of coverage this week and into next week. All of the kids were highly talented and coaches, parents, players, and evaluators were raving about the event. This past summer I frequented Minnesota AAU events because a lot of Iowa teams would travel to the Twin Cities to play in great tournaments. That gave me the opportunity to see quite a few Minnesota kids over the summer, but obviously I was not able to see all of them. To follow is a list of seven ladies who impressed me at the Expo that I had not seen before.
Adalia McKenzie – 5’8 SG – 2021 – Park Center HS
McKenzie is a known player throughout the state of Minnesota as the top ranked player in the 2021 class. I was not able to catch her this summer and I certainly wish I had. McKenzie played with a calm aura this past weekend each time I was able to see her. She was scoring the ball at all three levels and she was also playing defense at a high level. McKenzie’s ability to move with fluidity and gracefulness is something that others don’t have the ability to match. She is a treat to watch play basketball and she showed myself and others exactly why she is the top ranked player in the state.
Camille Cummings – 5’8 SG – 2022 – Centennial HS
I first noticed Cummings on Saturday when I was actually watching a different game. During a break in action I generally let my eyes wander to other courts and I caught her make a couple 3-pointers. I was able to catch a full game of her later on and Cummings was so impressive with her arsenal scoring the ball. Yes, she has the ability to shoot it at a high level often, but I was also impressed with the ability she holds to get to the rim and score. She showed me a pure release and when she’s hot I think she can score on pretty much anyone. Saturday at the Top 250 Expo was a great showing for her.
Kaylynn Asberry – 5’7 PG – 2021 – Como Park HS
A point guard needs to be quick and fast to take her game to the next level, especially for those who are under 5’10 or so. Asberry proved to me this weekend that she is both quick and fast, and then some. She was a blur on the court at the Expo and showed why she is a pain to stop with the ball in her hands. She has good handles and holds the ability to stop on a dime and change direction. Her ability to get the ball in the basket in various ways also cannot be undersold. At one point she spun in the lane around two defenders and laid it in. Asberry was a true threat on the floor in all three games.
Erika Lane – 5’9 SG – 2021 – Brainerd HS
There are times when you see someone and you just know that she is going to make a school very happy. That is what I sense from Lane as all day she was doing the little things to help her team win. She had touch with the ball when scoring through traffic, her court vision was solid as she consistently put passes on the money, and she showed a ton of aggression. Lane also shot the ball well and proved to me that she is a versatile scorer in her own right. She stood out this weekend because of the entire package of her game that was display.
Takara Mason – 5’7 CG – 2021 – Cretin HS
Mason was so impressive this past weekend that I want to continue to watch her even more. She’s a heady combo guard with the ability to play both on the perimeter and in the post if need be. It seemed to me that Mason plays with a little swagger to her game and showed a ton of aggression. You always like to see kids play with aggression, but you like to see it even more when that player knows they are going to score the ball. She has really solid vision with the ball in her hands and she also brings a level of toughness that many can’t match.
Nia Holloway – 6′ PF – 2021 – Eden Prairie HS
Much like McKenzie above, I had heard numerous things about Holloway but just hadn’t gotten eyes on her. She was outstanding on Saturday as she blocked shot after shot on the defensive end of the floor. While her offensive output wasn’t nearly as impressive as her defense you can tell that the potential is there. She is a positionless player with her ability to guard on the perimeter as well as get to the basket from the post. Holloway is going to be a true threat at the next level on both ends of the floor and in my first viewing of her I thought she was very impressive.
Ally Schultz – 5’11 SF – 2022 – Lakeville South
Schultz is a player who stuck out immediately when I was able to watch her. She can play both the guard spot and on the wing. She’s an ultra versatile player who plays with a really good motor and simply competes on both ends of the floor. She showed a ton of different dribble moves that really caught my eye for her age. Schultz is smooth with the ball and had no issue competing, and beating, the older players that she was up against. Her game was among the best in the building on Saturday and I am excited to see what she brings to the Expo the next two years.