Talented 8th graders making an impact on varsity, part 1
‘Precocious’ doesn’t even begin to describe the way Olivia Olson has been this season. The lanky guard from Benilde-St. Margaret’s has turned in some dominant performances, including a 40-point game in December in a stunning 31-point upset of DeLaSalle. She…
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Continue Reading‘Precocious’ doesn’t even begin to describe the way Olivia Olson has been this season. The lanky guard from Benilde-St. Margaret’s has turned in some dominant performances, including a 40-point game in December in a stunning 31-point upset of DeLaSalle. She has been over the 20-point mark on multiple occasions this year and is the leading scorer on a team that includes top-20 senior Patience Williams. The most amazing thing about Olson is the fact that she is only in the 8th grade. The thing is, Olivia is not the only player still attending junior high school who is making their mark this winter in varsity basketball.
We have written a lot lately about 7th grader Addison Mack of Blake. You want to talk about precocious?! Mack has done as good a job running the point for the Bears as anyone, of any age, the program has had in recent years. Night after night she brings poise, production and – yes – precociousness to the floor.
With all of that as background we offer you the top-performing 8th graders of the 2019-20 high school basketball season to date.
Olivia Olson of Benilde-St.Margaret’s (Photo courtesy of Hometown Source)Olivia Olson – 6’1 wing, Benilde-St. Margaret’s (Fury 2024 UAA)
Olson is long, has elite-level athleticism and is already very, very skilled. She has terrific touch and a well-developed skill set that belies her age. The thing I love about her game is just how natural Olson looks. She runs with ease, sprinting the floor confidently at full speed with the basketball, which gives her the ability to blow by bewildered defenders with high frequency to finish at the rim. Remarkably, she is also the Red Knights leading scorer at 16 points per game. Olivia is the real deal.
Laura Hauge – 5’9 guard, St. Croix Lutheran (North Tartan 2023 Milan)
Laura was last year’s Addie Mack. She first came to our attention when word got out about her prodigious 3-point shooting. When we tell you this kid has unlimited range, we’re talking about shoot-it-from-the-logo unlimited. She is a natural athlete with a solid build and excellent quickness. Hauge has fast hands and fast feet, which make her a very good perimeter defender. Laura can also handle the basketball. Along with junior Juel Skrein, Hauge leads St. Croix Lutheran in scoring at 14 points per game, and has been in double figures in all but three games. Laura is definitely one of the top handful of 2024s in Minnesota.
Emma Dasovich – 6’1 forward, Minnetonka (North Tartan 2023 Milan)
Dasovich proved this summer that she was equal to the task of facing older, more-experienced athletes when she played two grade levels up with North Tartan. The transition to varsity basketball for the big forward has been just as convincing this winter. She scored 17 points on opening night and has managed to produce offensively on a consistent basis, averaging nearly 10 ppg with a sharp rise over the past few games. Minnetonka plays a 4A schedule that is among the toughest in the state. As a result, Dasovich has gone toe-to-toe with the best of them. She is mobile, has terrific footwork and knows how to finish in the paint. She can also shoot it from distance, is a relentless rebounder and has a very high basketball IQ, not surprising given that she is the offspring of not one but two coaches. We believe there are very big things ahead for Emma.
Rhyan Holmgren – 5’8 guard, St. Peter (Minnesota Rise)
We first discovered Holmgren at the Big South Showcase in Jackson. We saw her again more recently at the Breakdown event in Rochester. We were super-impressed on both occasions by the highly-skilled, very athletic guard. She plays with poise and maturity, confidently directs traffic on the court, and has the kind of natural instincts that have allowed her to fit in and so much more on a team that is 12-4. Rhyan has excellent court vision, moves the ball with authority and can score it off the bounce with the kind of wow-did-you-see-that athleticism that only the best players possess. Holmgren will make her AAU debut this summer with the Minnesota Rise and we are pumped to see it.
Angel Hill – 5’8 guard, Minneapolis South (Tayler Hill Elite)
Angel Hill is another high-end talent who had already proved herself entering the season after a very good debut in varsity basketball last year. This winter Angel picked right up where she left off. Hill can handle the basketball, is an excellent shooter and a quality playmaker. She is the latest in a long line of talented Hills, including 2021 point guard Jade Hill, Tennessee-Chattanooga sophomore Morgan Hill and, of course, WNBA star Tayler Hill of the Dallas Wings, one of the greatest players in the history of Minnesota girls basketball. Angel is averaging 13.5 points per game and has been in double figures in 15 of 18 contests for the 16-2 Tigers.
Ava Holman – 5’5 guard, Osseo (North Tartan Ohnstad)
After seeing her play varsity basketball for the first time we profiled Holman in our recap, the Week That Was #8. I’m confident we’ll be writing plenty more about Ava over the next four years. She made a terrific first impression in Rogers, demonstrating talent, athleticism and energy on the Orioles’ behalf. The scrappy, aggressive Holman played 27 minutes and put up 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Ava is already averaging 11 points per game for Osseo, with a season-high 19 against both Moorhead and Spring Lake Park. She has been in double figures in more than half of her games and is as important to the Orioles as any other player in the lineup. She’ll play AAU ball again this summer for Angie Ohnstad’s 2024 North Tartan squad.
Part 2 of our rundown on top 8th graders will run tomorrow.
Top photo: 2024 power forward Emma Dasovich of Minnetonka is thriving as a varsity starter. (Photo courtesy of Breakdown Sports)