Rating the 2024s: Ten newbies who have our attention, part 1
In a normal year – does anyone remember what that’s like!? – we have a pretty good handle on the incoming freshman class by now. AAU would be in the sunset stages and there would have been plenty of opportunities…
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Continue ReadingIn a normal year – does anyone remember what that’s like!? – we have a pretty good handle on the incoming freshman class by now. AAU would be in the sunset stages and there would have been plenty of opportunities to scout the newcomers prior to ranking the top 50 players in the class for the first time. The year 2020 has been nothing near normal, and I feel like we have barely begun to figure out who’s who among the 2024s.
Fortunately we started the process with a leg up. As we have done with previous classes we have a primary evaluator for the 2024s, a person who is intimately familiar with the class because he has coached a quality team in the age group forever. The gentleman, who shall remain anonymous like all of our evaluators do, provided a list in the spring of his preliminary top 60 players in the class. Talk about a jump start!
Since workouts began in June we have been diligently working our way through the list watching some of these kids. Last weekend in Ames was our first actual AAU tournament of the year and we saw a handful of 2024 teams play. We have attended practices of 2024 squads from the Suns, Stars, Fury, North Tartan, Crossfire, Rise and Metro Stars. And we have seen some 2024s at individual and group training sessions. In other words, the evaluations process is well underway.
Beyond the 20 names we gave you last month on our 2024 Watch List (you can find that in the rankings tab above), today we bring you a brief look at 10 more incoming freshmen who have left us with a solid first impression.
Arianna Comfort – guard, Minnesota Heat 2024 (St. Francis)
Standing only 5’5, and just entering her freshman year, Arianna Comfort is already one of the best on-ball defenders we have seen in the state regardless of age. We have been watching her in sessions and scrimmages with trainer Damien Lolar of Verve Basketball, who pushes his kids harder than anyone. Day after day Comfort goes up against elite talent, male and female, high school and college, large and small, and locks them down one after another. It’s remarkable. Comfort’s understanding of the mental side of the game is very advanced. She’s reading books and watching film while putting in the hours to be the best she can be. Ari’s offensive game is a work in progress. She needs to improve her shooting, and she needs to develop as much confidence with the basketball as without. That will come. Ari is expected to be the starting point guard at St. Francis this year, a program that hit rock bottom and is now in the midst of a complete culture rebuild. Ari is just the right person to be the catalyst for positive improvement.
Ava Cossette – guard, Fury 2024 UAA (Maple Grove)
It doesn’t take long to figure out that Ava Cossette is a player to be reckoned with. She is just so smooth, with light feet and an ease of movement that most natural athletes possess. At 5’9, Ava has plenty of length. She handles the ball well, has a well-honed overall skill set and no shortage of self-assurance. Given that she is at Maple Grove, where coach Mark Cook very seldom moves youngsters up early, it’s not surprising that we have yet to see Cossette on the varsity level, although she would have been more than capable of performing to that standard at the vast majority of programs in the state. He’ll have a hard time keeping her off the floor next season because Cossette is an elite prospect. In the meantime we’ll enjoy what she brings to the table for the top Fury 2024s secure in the knowledge that she is pretty much a lock for our first 50 this fall.
Evyn Eppinga – guard, Crossfire 2024 Robertson (Anoka)
I have yet to see Evyn Eppinga in an actual game but based on her performance this week in Crossfire Robertson’s scrimmages against the club’s top older teams at Heritage Christian Academy I am certainly looking forward to it. The 5’4 guard is extremely athletic and very, very quick. She’s tenacious and hungry for the basketball. She is a solid outside shooter but loves to drive hard to the basket and is a difficult stop when she does. The biggest challenge for Eppinga right now is adjusting to a more more-talent rich environment where she isn’t required to do everything by herself if her team is going to win. Truth be told, that’s kind of where she was at in Anoka travel ball and that can hinder the development of quality prospects. With Crossfire Evyn is learning to move the ball more efficiently, find the open player and make smart decisions. Her tenacity, positive attitude and team-first orientation combine to make her a solid prospect.
Marisa Frost – guard, Fury 2024 UAA (Centennial)
There’s a ton of talent on the Fury’s premier team of incoming freshmen. When you watch them play or practice it is difficult to take your eyes off Olivia Olson Olivia Olson 6'1" | CG Benilde-SM | 2024 State MN (Benilde-St. Margaret’s) and Katie Vasecka Katie Vasecka 6'1" | CG South Dakota | 2024 MN (New Prague), a pair of super-talented performers who tend to monopolize the spotlight and rightly so. They are already two of the top players in the state. In reality, however, this Fury squad is loaded from top to bottom, and even the lower-profile athletes are among the best in the class. Case in point: Marisa Frost. She’s not the biggest or tallest or longest or most athletic among them but Frost is incredibly effective. At 5’7, the Centennial freshman-to-be is a quality all-around player with great handles, deceptive speed and quickness, and nice court vision. She is a terrific passer who has the ability to spot the open player, even when she is under significant defensive pressure. The way she employs a change of speed is exceptional. The lefty is also a quality shooter with no shortage of range. Frost isn’t going to be the biggest headline grabber but she’s going to win you a lot of basketball games.
Makadyn Gust – guard, North Tartan 2022 SE (St. Charles)
As we wrote a few days ago, the new North Tartan South East 22-23-24 group showed us a lot of really good stuff last weekend at the Great 8 Showcase in Ames. The performance of Caledonia’s Paige Klug and Alexis Schroeder Alexis Schroeder 5'5" | CG Caledonia | 2023 State MN , as well as Kennedy Speer of Rochester Century, was particularly impressive but one player who definitely grabbed our attention was Makadyn Gust of St. Charles. The 5’7 guard is strong and feisty and has a motor that simply does not have an off switch. Gust’s biggest asset right now is her pure athleticism, which enables her to successfully guard (and frustrate) the opponent’s most skilled players. It’s also obvious that she likes playing defense, and we all know how much college coaches covet those kids. Makadyn is aggressive and mentally tough. Yes, she makes the kind of mistakes 8th graders tend to make but when she does Gust seems to just shake it off and move on to the next play. That’s a huge asset for a young player. Gust averaged 6 points per game as an 8th grader.