AAU awards: 2022 All Star selections & MVP Amaya Battle
No surprises. No upsets. No darkhorses. And (presumably) no arguments! If you’ve been paying attention over the past few weeks to what has transpired in Minnesota girls basketball then it will come as no surprise whatsoever that Hopkins junior-to-be Amaya…
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Continue ReadingNo surprises. No upsets. No darkhorses. And (presumably) no arguments! If you’ve been paying attention over the past few weeks to what has transpired in Minnesota girls basketball then it will come as no surprise whatsoever that Hopkins junior-to-be Amaya Battle Amaya Battle 5'10" | PG Hopkins | 2022 State #29 Nation MN of Metro Stars Starks is the Prep Girls Hoops 2022 AAU Most Valuable Player. We are pleased to honor Amaya and her fellow selections to the 2022 AAU All Star team.
The story of the Metro Stars’ improbable three-week run has been chronicled ad infinitum here already. After sitting out most of the summer due to pandemic-related concerns, Tara Starks’ Hopkins-heavy Metro Stars landed on the scene in late July just in time to capture a state championship and a national title. The team may be loaded with talent but there’s no question that Battle is the leader. She proved it with multiple jaw-dropping performances over the three tournaments, including in the Meltdown/AAU National Championship final game when she knocked down a mid-range jumper to win it in the fourth overtime.
Playing in the shadow of the incomparable Paige Bueckers Paige Bueckers 5'11" | CG Hopkins | 2020 State MN , Battle hasn’t drawn nearly as much notice regionally and nationally as her once-in-a-generation teammate nor as much as she probably deserves. That’s understandable, but what Amaya showed clearly in this abbreviated summer season is that she is about to take over Bueckers’ role as the undisputed leader in Hopkins.
Other shining stars
Of course Battle wasn’t the only player from the Class of 2022 who impressed us in June, July and August. Far from it. North Tartan standouts Nia Holloway Nia Holloway 6'0" | PF Eden Prairie | 2022 State #45 Nation MN (Eden Prairie) and Mara Braun Mara Braun 5'11" | CG Wayzata | 2022 State #21 Nation MN (Wayzata) were excellent as were Minnesota Fury 2022 UAA forwards Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN (Chaska) and Lilly Meister Lilly Meister 6'2" | PF Rochester John Marshall | 2022 State #55 Nation MN (Rochester John Marshall). This was to be expected, of course. Braun is the #2-rated prospect in the 2022 class while Battle is #3, Heyer is #4, Holloway is rated 5th and Meister is #6. That would be a heckuva lineup for a college basketball team, wouldn’t it?
The 2022 class is deep and so is the second team of AAU All Stars. Last week, Lizzie Holder Lizzie Holder 6'1" | PF Stillwater | 2022 State MN of North Tartan Elite (Stillwater) was named the Prep Girls Hoops AAU Breakout Player of the Year and Mackenzie Schweim Mackenzie Schweim 5'10" | PG Mankato East | 2022 State MN of Minnesota Stars Nilsen (Mankato East) was our runner-up. Both are represented on the second team. Kiani Lockett Kiani Lockett 5'9" | PG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN of FBC North 2021 has long held a reputation as one of the most talented point guards in the class. She led DeLaSalle to a class 3A state title and will now shoot for 4A success at Minnetonka where she’ll join Desiree Ware Desiree Ware 5'8" | CG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN of Stars Nilsen, the Alabama-Birmingham commit who was also selected for the second team. Madison Mathiowetz Madison Mathiowetz 5'10" | CG Sleepy Eye St. Mary's | 2022 State MN of the Minnesota Rise (Sleepy Eye-St. Mary’s) has emerged as a slam-dunk D1 prospect and she completes the second-team lineup.
2022 ALL STAR TEAMS
This year we have selected first, second and third all-star teams plus a fourth unit of honorable mentions. The choices are based on the player’s graduation year, not the level they played at in 2020. That leaves many of the Metro Stars top performers – Taylor Woodson Taylor Woodson 6'0" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #28 Nation MN (Hopkins), Kelly Boyle Kelly Boyle 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2023 State MN (Hopkins), Savanna Jones Savanna Jones 6'2" | PF Eden Prairie | 2023 State MN (Eden Prairie) and Liv McGill Liv McGill 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2024 State MN (Park Center) – out of the equation. Minnesota athletes who play for Wisconsin-based teams are eligible, however, including ranked prospects such as Wisconsin Playmakers guard Natalie Bremer Natalie Bremer 5'11" | CG Lake City | 2022 State MN who earned third-team honors.
Congrats to all of the selections!
FIRST TEAM
- Amaya Battle Amaya Battle 5'10" | PG Hopkins | 2022 State #29 Nation MN – Metro Stars 2022 Starks (Hopkins)
- Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN – Fury 2022 UAA (Chaska)
- Lilly Meister Lilly Meister 6'2" | PF Rochester John Marshall | 2022 State #55 Nation MN – Fury 2022 UAA (Rochester John Marshall)
- Mara Braun Mara Braun 5'11" | CG Wayzata | 2022 State #21 Nation MN – North Tartan 2021 (Wayzata)
- Nia Holloway Nia Holloway 6'0" | PF Eden Prairie | 2022 State #45 Nation MN – North Tartan 2022 (Eden Prairie)
SECOND TEAM
- Kiani Lockett Kiani Lockett 5'9" | PG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN – FBC North 2021 (Minnetonka)
- Lizzie Holder Lizzie Holder 6'1" | PF Stillwater | 2022 State MN – North Tartan 2022 Elite (Stillwater)
- Desiree Ware Desiree Ware 5'8" | CG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN – Stars 2022 Nilsen (Minnetonka) (Alabama-Birmingham)
- Mackenzie Schweim Mackenzie Schweim 5'10" | PG Mankato East | 2022 State MN – Stars 2022 Nilsen (Mankato East)
- Madison Mathiowetz Madison Mathiowetz 5'10" | CG Sleepy Eye St. Mary's | 2022 State MN – Rise 2021 Wolfe (Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s)
THIRD TEAM
- Alayna Contreras Alayna Contreras 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2022 State MN – Metro Stars Starks (Hopkins)
- Myra Moorjani Myra Moorjani 5'8" | CG Eden Prairie | 2022 State MN – North Tartan 2022 (Eden Prairie)
- Callin Hake Callin Hake 5'8" | PG Chanhassen | 2022 State #64 Nation MN – Fury 2022 UAA (Chanhassen) (Nebraska)
- Lily Fandre Lily Fandre 6'2" | SF Eagan | 2022 State MN – Stars 2022 Nilsen (Eagan)
- Natalie Bremer Natalie Bremer 5'11" | CG Lake City | 2022 State MN – Wisconsin Playmakers (Lake City)
HONORABLE MENTION
- Audrey Swanson Audrey Swanson 5'11" | SF Waconia | 2022 State MN – Crossfire 2022 Bluestar (Waconia)
- Savannah White Savannah White 6'1" | SG DeLaSalle | 2022 State MN – FBC North 2021 (DeLaSalle)
- Lexi Karge Lexi Karge 6'2" | PF Mankato East | 2022 State MN – Stars 2022 Nilsen (Mankato East)
- Ari Gordon Ari Gordon 5'10" | SF Maple Grove | 2022 State MN – Metro Stars Starks (Maple Grove)
- Sophie Stork Sophie Stork 5'9" | CG NRHEG | 2022 State MN – Stars 2022 Fleming (NRHEG)
Top photo: Amaya Battle Amaya Battle 5'10" | PG Hopkins | 2022 State #29 Nation MN of Metro Stars Starks is the Prep Girls Hoops 2022 AAU Player of the Year. (Photo courtesy of Crissha Walton)