Top 5 breakout players at the Great 8 Showcase
It’s one thing to show us how much you have improved in practice. It’s quite another to bring one’s revamped skillset to a big stage and prove you can do it over the course of several games. Britt Carlson Britt Carlson 6'4" | PF East Ridge | 2022 State MN , we are pleased to report, has now done both. Following a standout debut with North Tartan 2022 EYBL at the Great 8 Showcase in Ames last weekend, the new golden girl of the 2022 class has blown up with college interest that is about to turn into some seriously impressive offers.
Carlson, a gigantic 6’4+ post from East Ridge, leads the way today as we offer up the Prep Girls Hoop top 5 breakout players at the Great 8 Showcase.
Britt Carlson Britt Carlson 6'4" | PF East Ridge | 2022 State MN , North Tartan 2022 EYBL
As we told you last week upon revealing the updated class of 2022 rankings, Carlson has primarily been a volleyball player. Basketball was something she did for fun, not a pursuit she was pouring a great deal of time and energy into. That changed this spring during the pandemic shutdown when her interest suddenly spiked. After a few weeks of intense instruction, Carlson returned to the court this weekend in fine style. She averaged just over 5 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting 53% from the field. She was reliable, she was physical, she was effective. Now ranked 21st in the class, Carlson has the size and strength and athletic ability to rise much, much higher and ultimately play at any level she wants. After four games in Ames, the word is getting out that big Britt is a player.
Ayla Brown Ayla Brown 5'6" | SG Becker | 2023 State MN , Minnesota Comets Elite 9
Becker is a loaded basketball team with talent that is stacked high and deep. It can be challenging when you aren’t among the starting five in a program like this. Sure you’ll get to celebrate a lot of victories but there’s not likely to be much in the way of personal notoriety. Let me be the first to say that Ayla Brown Ayla Brown 5'6" | SG Becker | 2023 State MN deserves a whole lot more credit for the success of the Becker Bulldogs than she has received to date. As Brown demonstrated in Iowa, she is a workhouse who loves to defend and does it as well as anyone could possibly expect from a freshman. Becker coach Dan Baird, who was an interested spectator this weekend at the All Iowa Attack Fieldhouse, knows that whatever assignment he gives Ayla will be executed to the best of her ability no questions asked. She’s quick yet quiet, tenacious yet subtle, a lion masquerading as a lamb and about to bite your head off. Every championship team seems to have one or two players like this who will do whatever it takes to win and will do it well. That’s Ayla.
Hannah Hanson Hannah Hanson 5'9" | CG Rochester Mayo | 2023 State MN , North Tartan 2023 Nike
Two years ago Hannah was basically an unknown commodity playing in a low-profile AAU program and just starting to get serious about basketball. Today, the 5’8 combo guard from Rochester Mayo is one of the rising stars of Minnesota basketball playing on the top North Tartan team in her age group. This weekend in Ames, Hanson showed very clearly what she is all about. She is athletic – really, really athletic – which has helped her become a terrific perimeter defender. She’s got great lateral movement, really quick feet, a great sense of anticipation and timing, and a pit bull mentality that makes life oh so difficult for her opponents. Hannah’s game is evolving rapidly on the offensive end of the floor, as well, and she is a prospect on the move. She, too, is a very nice volleyball player. Let’s hope Hannah doesn’t stray too far to the dark side.
Savannah McGowan Savannah McGowan 6'2" | PF Armstrong | 2023 State MN , Suns 2023 Bluestar
Being big in the game of basketball can open the door to a ton of great opportunities. It can also burden a young player under the weight of very heavy expectations. Watching Savannah over the past couple of years I sometimes got the feeling that her immense size and standout potential was a lot to live up to. Watching her last weekend in Ames it is obvious that the 6’2 post from Robbinsdale Armstrong has started to figure things out and that is very exciting. She’s appeared to be more focused, more driven, more determined. She’s now a varsity veteran with plenty of experience and a much better understanding of the game which bodes well for her future. Make no mistake, McGowan has all of the physical tools to play a high level of collegiate basketball and this weekend she showed us she is making great strides toward that end.
Ava Privet Ava Privet 5'10" | CG Caledonia | 2023 State MN , Wisconsin Playmakers
We watched Ava on video this spring and came away impressed. At the Great 8 Showcase in Iowa, we saw her play live for the first time. Now we’re really stoked because Ava’s got game. She’s long and thin and needs to gain strength to reach her full potential. She’s also 5’9 and lives in a household full of people much taller than her. That’s always a good sign! And she’s got skills, the foremost of which is the ability to knock down shots from anywhere and everywhere. In Ames, Privet showed us nice mobility, plenty of athleticism, and that certain ‘it factor’ that’s hard to put your finger on but makes you feel extra confident about a player’s potential. Caledonia is a serious basketball town full of talented basketball families, foremost of which are the Kings who just happen to be training Miss Privet in the required skills and subtleties of the game. Toss all of these attributes and ingredients into the pot and you’ve got the recipe for a really bright future.