2023 rankings update: 5 newcomers you need to know
Looks can be deceiving. That’s true of a lot of things in life, but it is especially veracious in the game of basketball. Observers of the sport, us included, are often guilty of being enamored with length and height and…
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Continue ReadingLooks can be deceiving. That’s true of a lot of things in life, but it is especially veracious in the game of basketball. Observers of the sport, us included, are often guilty of being enamored with length and height and obvious athleticism, and it’s not difficult to see why. Those are all important ingredients for success in basketball. But sometimes excellence comes in a different package and you have to set your preconceptions aside and take a closer look. Exhibit A: Alexis Schroeder Alexis Schroeder 5'5" | CG Caledonia | 2023 State MN of Caledonia.
Alexis is one of 25 players who made her debut this week in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2023 rankings. She isn’t the highest-ranked newcomer or the highest-scoring or the most athletic, and she isn’t going to make opponents nervous when she strolls onto the court for warmups. When the game begins, however, the 5’5 guard transforms into a titanic tornado of energy and speed and aggressiveness. To watch her is to love her, and three years from now the combo guard from Caledonia and North Tartan SE is going to make some college basketball coach really, really happy. Schroeder enters the rankings for the first time at #88.
Among the other top newcomers are three players we wrote about last week following their strong performances at the Great 8 Showcase in Ames, Iowa – guard Ava Privet Ava Privet 5'10" | CG Caledonia | 2023 State MN of Caledonia (Wisconsin Playmakers) who enters the list at #80, shutdown defender Ayla Brown Ayla Brown 5'6" | SG Becker | 2023 State MN of Becker (Comets 2023 Elite) at #82 and versatile guard Cassidy Shute Cassidy Shute 5'8" | CG Austin | 2023 State MN of Austin (Air Minnesota), who made the rankings for the first time at #95.
Here’s more on Schroeder plus four more fresh prospects to watch in the class of 2023, among them the highest ranked newcomer at #56, Ashlynne Guenther Ashlynne Guenther 5'11" | SF Duluth East | 2023 State MN of Duluth East.
#88 Alexis Schroeder Alexis Schroeder 5'5" | CG Caledonia | 2023 State MN – Caledonia (North Tartan SE)
Alexis entered our consciousness on the biggest stage of all at the 2019 state high school tournament. Caledonia didn’t win its 2A championship game against Minnehaha Academy, and most of the attention for the Warriors was on the great Katie Tornstrom Katie Tornstrom 5'9" | PG Caledonia | 2019 State MN (Upper Iowa), but Schroeder definitely left an impression. She played 15 minutes a game off the bench as an 8th grader, including an excellent performance against Katie Borowicz Katie Borowicz 5'6" | PG Roseau | 2021 State MN and the Roseau Rams. Alexis is one of the quickest point guards in the class and she is tough as nails. She led Caledonia in scoring this past winter as a freshman. Last weekend in Ames she averaged about 13 points per game. I don’t think she missed a free throw. She’s got a huge motor, is a great shooter, loves to take charges, and is afraid of exactly nothing. Now she is a ranked prospect with a very bright future.
#56 Ashlynne Guenther Ashlynne Guenther 5'11" | SF Duluth East | 2023 State MN – Duluth East (Starks Elite)
Duluth East hasn’t had a lot to get excited about over the past few years but they’re darn sure excited about Ashlynne. And so they should be. The first time we saw Guenther was at the Breakdown Christmas tournament in St. Cloud where the 5’9 combo guard put up 23 points in a dominant performance. She led the Greyhounds in scoring all season and topped pretty much every positive statistical category. She has a nice frame, is more athletic than she appears, has quality skills and pretty good footwork. She can score inside and out and in transition. “I think her ceiling is D1 for sure,” said Chibuzo ‘CJ” Osuchukwu, Guenther’s AAU coach and the head coach at Duluth Marshall. “She uses her strength well to create space to finish at the rim. She can guard 2 through 5. She has a solid 15-to-18 foot pullup. She is super raw offensively but with her size and length on the defensive end she can be a problem. She is the best overall player on our 17U Starks Elite team.”
#66 Aalayah Wilson Aalayah Wilson 5'8" | CG Osseo | 2023 State MN – Osseo (Metro Stars 2023 Ruffin)
I loved Aalayah from the first time I saw her play last season in a game at Rogers. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who liked Wilson’s game upon initial inspection. “This kid impressed me so much when I saw her this winter,” wrote one of our scouts in his evaluation of the 5’8 guard from Osseo. “She was outstanding both times.” As we wrote in our video evaluation of Wilson back in April, she is a bulldog, a downhill driver who pounds her way to the basket through traffic with superior strength and the ability to finish through contact. With a thicker build, and plenty of power, Wilson isn’t shy about taking on defenders one-on-one in tight quarters, but she also has range and can step outside and knock down shots with some regularity. Wilson is a disruptive perimeter defender who frequently creates opposition turnovers that lead to easy transition baskets. She averaged over 10 ppg this year as a freshmen. We’re excited to see her again this weekend as her summer kicks off with Rudy Ruffin’s 2023 Metro Stars.
#76 Keeley Steele Keeley Steele 5'8" | CG Stewartville | 2023 State MN – Stewartville (Southern Minnesota Fury 2023)
More subtle than sensational, more team-focused than me-oriented, Keeley is an excellent prospect who established herself this winter on a strong Stewartville squad. We first saw her play at the HVL-TRC Showdown in Rochester last December. Let’s just say she left a good first impression. While her teammate Haylie Strum Haylie Strum 5'6" | CG Stewartville | 2023 State MN (ranked #68 In the 2023 class) drew most of the attention, including a terrific story by Pat Ruff in the Rochester Post-Bulletin the following day, Steele’s contributions in a supporting role were no less important. Steele is bigger than Strum – about 5’5 with a thicker build and more advanced physical development. Her all-around skills are very good, and Steele plays with confidence. I love how she fires hard passes with precision and exudes poise beyond her years. Keeley was among the Tigers’ top 5 scorers but the numbers don’t tell the real story about this all-around contributor.
#94 Natalie Dykes Natalie Dykes 6'1" | PF Zumbrota-Mazeppa | 2023 State MN – Zumbrota-Mazeppa
Southeastern Minnesota produces a ton of terrific players, from North Carolina-bound Alyssa Ustby Alyssa Ustby 6'2" | CG Rochester Lourdes | 2020 State MN of Rochester to her high school teammate CJ Adamson CJ Adamson 5'9" | CG Rochester Lourdes | 2022 State MN and crosstown rival Anna Miller Anna Miller 6'2" | C Rochester Mayo | 2021 State MN and Bryon post Sacia Vanderpool Sacia Vanderpool 6'4" | C Byron | 2021 State MN and… well you get the idea. It wasn’t our intent to profile three kids from the region here – it just worked out that way – but I felt it was important to make note of an under-the-radar prospect we believe is going to make a name for herself before it’s all over. Listed at 6’1, Natalie has a big frame and no shortage of strength and power. She knows how to score, is a terrific rebounder, and is not likely to back down in a physical battle from anyone. Dykes, who averaged about 8 points and 7 rebounds as a freshman, has had an opportunity to learn from a good one, too, in 2020 Zumbrota-Mazeppa graduate Ali Hunstad Ali Hunstad 6'0" | PF Zumbrota-Mazeppa | 2020 State MN , who is on her way to MSU-Mankato next season. Natalie is still raw but Z-M coach Andy Bromelling tells us she is putting in the work to get better. With her size and physical gifts Dykes is going to be good.