Six sophomores who raised their stock at the Top 250 Expo

Two weeks have passed since the second annual Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo in Hopkins and we’re not done yet with our player evaluations. The 2021 and 2022 prospects have been waiting patiently for their evaluations to be published and our colleague Mason Asher, who has been running around the country covering multiple events, has promised those will be published shortly. In the meantime, we have more thoughts of the 2023s, a deep group of prospects that is exceptionally strong at the guard position. Over the past couple of weeks we have highlighted the performance of about 30 of those sophomore guards. Today we bring you six more talented prospects whose Top 250 performances made it clear that their stock is still rising. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209116 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/23_Jasmine-Dupree_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="108333" first="Jasmine" last="Dupree"] – We love Jasmine’s game. What’s not to like? The 5’7 guard is skilled and athletic and physical. She can handle the basketball, beats defenders one-on-one on a regular basis and knows how to use her strength to get to the rim, even against bigger opponents. Dupree is ranked #37 in the class, so you know how we feel about her potential. There’s just one problem: she plays at Hopkins. Not that there’s anything wrong with Hopkins, one of the premier programs in the nation, but the Royals’ roster is just so talented and so deep that the world has yet to discover just how good Jasmine can be. <img class="alignnone wp-image-208580 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/84_Elliana-Lenzen_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="108341" first="Anna" last="Lenzen"] – The 5’9 guard from Chaska, ranked 47th in her class, was one of the first kids in the door Oct. 3 where she immediately learned that her team for the day included the great [player_tooltip player_id="2098" first="Katie" last="Borowicz"] of Roseau, a top 5 player in the class of 2021 and a University of Minnesota commit. They posed for the photo above to commemorate the moment and then went to work. Borowicz is one of the easiest players there is to team up with and Anna is one of the most athletic, hardest-working, most physical players among the 2023s. The combination was a joy to watch and Anna has never looked better. Her summation at day’s end said it all: “Wow!” she said. “That was fun.” <img class="alignnone wp-image-209154 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/74_Lilah-Bergan_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="148317" first="Lilah" last="Bergen"] – The combo guard from Columbia Heights, who measures up in the neighborhood of 5’8 or 5’9, is one of the least-known, high-quality prospects in the class. That’s pretty much a function of where she plays – on a low-profile high school team that recorded just one victory last winter, and on a Minnesota Heat team that has tended to fly under the radar. Regardless, Bergen has a big frame and a big game. She’s strong and skilled and relentless and averaged 13 points and 7 rebounds while shooting nearly 50 percent last winter. It might take time but college recruiters will eventually figure out why Lilah is ranked #50 in the state. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209134 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/51_Cassidy-Shute_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> [player_tooltip player_id="186139" first="Cassidy" last="Shute"] – The 5’7 guard from Austin is a scrappy, gritty competitor currently ranked #97 in the class of 2023. She plays the game with a ton of energy and a high degree of effort, fighting for every inch at both ends of the floor. She can score off the dribble and knock down shots from the outside. Cassidy isn’t a big points producer but her contributions run deep in many different aspects of the game. We especially love the way she defends. This fall Shute moves to the Southern Minnesota Fury and will make her debut with the club Oct. 24 in the second fall AAU event. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209137 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/54_Sonya-Potthoff_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> Sonya Potthoff – When we last updated the class of 2023 rankings in June the 5’8 guard from Mahtomedi was one spot away from making the list which included 100 players at the time. Guess who’s going to be added to the list this month. Sonya has earned the right to be called a top prospect through sheer hard work. She lives in the weight room and it shows. Her skills have advanced significantly as Potthoff has worked hard at her craft, gotten stronger and more skilled, and gained confidence and experience. Sonya is a next-level prospect who is likely to have a breakout high school season. <img class="alignnone wp-image-209109 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/7_Saniah-Howard-Reynolds_1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> Saniah Howard-Reynolds – The 5’5 guard from Columbia Heights first came to our attention one year ago at the Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo. We said then that Saniah was a player on the rise and she has continued to prove the prediction right. Howard-Reynolds had a fine summer with Ryan Martin’s 43 Hoops squad. Saniah has quality handles and decent speed and she is athletic. Her overall skill development and decision making has improved over time and she has proven that she can score at the high school and AAU levels. It’s all heading in the right direction. Top photo: [player_tooltip player_id="108341" first="Anna" last="Lenzen"] of Chaska (left) and [player_tooltip player_id="2098" first="Katie" last="Borowicz"] of Roseau (right) were teammates at the Top 250 Expo.