AAU Weekly Recap #8: PGH Circuit Legacy Region Finals
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Competition. Exposure. Opportunity. That’s what the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit is all about. This past weekend at Wayzata was the first event I have attended – The Legacy Region Finals – and the last in a series of 15 tournaments…
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Continue ReadingCompetition. Exposure. Opportunity. That’s what the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit is all about. This past weekend at Wayzata was the first event I have attended – The Legacy Region Finals – and the last in a series of 15 tournaments featuring more than 2,000 teams competing in three regions across the country. It’s also the subject of our AAU Weekly Recap #8.
A unique grassroots opportunity
The Prep Girls Hoops Circuit represents a unique opportunity for AAU programs that are not affiliated with one of the big three shoe companies to provide their players with maximum visibility and recruitment opportunities, along with a level of media and scouting exposure that is unprecedented in girls basketball. With Prep Girls Hoops now covering more than 30 states, players have raised their profile across the country like never before.
After the hugely successful 2019 launch of the Prep Hoops Circuit for boys – the largest independent league in grassroots basketball – the girls tour made its debut in 2021 and has been an overwhelming success. The events were cost-effective, convenient and competitive, which is exactly what teams are looking for. The Legacy Region (basically the Upper Midwest) was heavy on Wisconsin and Iowa entries, but there were three Minnesota clubs represented at Wayzata: Air Minnesota from Rochester, The City from Minneapolis-St. Paul, and West Central United out of Alexandria. Here’s what we saw from all three.
The City 2025
The Prep Girls Hoops Circuit is all about opportunity. Let’s just say the girls from The City 2025 Black took full advantage of their inaugural road trip across the countryside. Led by diminutive point guard Aneisha Scott Aneisha Scott 5'6" | PG DeLaSalle | 2025 State MN of DeLaSalle, The City ran the tables on the PGH Circuit, going 14-0 and taking home one final title on Sunday. The team has been very impressive since landing in our consciousness last year, but their performance this weekend with a depleted bench and a plethora of injuries was arguably their best yet.
The City opened with a pair of three-point wins over the Wisconsin Shooters and Let It Rain before rolling through three more opponents to take home the hardware. We have written at length about Alaya Carter Alaya Carter 5'8" | CG Prior Lake | 2025 State MN of Prior Lake (currently injured) along with London Harris London Harris 5'9" | CG Hopkins | 2025 State MN of DeLaSalle and Maliyah White of Maranatha. But there is plenty more talent on this team, including Erianna Moeschter, Kalli McGrane, Mya McNeil, Addie Dolan and Jordyn Cooke. Forgive me if I have forgotten anyone. The City had two more teams in the 2025 division. We suspect a number of those players will emerge as 2025 and 2026 prospects, as well, including Scarlett Mayer, Naomi Whitaker-Hill, Lyric Singleton, Madison Mahto and Ella Hardwick.
West Central United 2023
WCU is no stranger to the winner’s circle, and the club has produced a number of high-quality collegiate players over the years. Point guard Ellie Colbeck Ellie Colbeck 5'9" | PG Fergus Falls | 2022 State MN of Fergus Falls, a South Dakota State commit from the class of 2022, comes to mind, as do a long string of terrific players from the Alexandria area. This version of West Central United boasts two excellent prospects and a strong supporting cast of kids who have a shot at the next level.
Point guard Mya Morris Mya Morris 5'7" | PG Perham | 2023 State MN of Perham is a dynamic floor general with terrific handles, nice court vision, a strong understanding of pacing and spacing, and the ability to knock down shots from long distance. She had 5 triples in WCU’s final game on Sunday. Morris has had an outstanding spring on the PGH Circuit, averaging nearly a dozen points per game and raining threes at every opportunity. She is ranked in the Prep Girls Hoops 2023 Top 125, but the 5’6 junior-to-be made a strong case in recent weeks to be moved up.
Morris has terrific chemistry with her Perham teammate, 5’11 forward Willow Thiel Willow Thiel 5'11" | PF Perham | 2024 State MN . Willow is a solid top-40 prospect in the Class of 2024 with a big frame, nice touch and a size-large motor. Thiel was outstanding again this weekend. Her game has progressed nicely over the past two years. She can post up successfully against much bigger players, has quality footwork inside and can finish with either hand, both from the paint and on the run. She is also an excellent rebounder. Willow has become so much smoother of late while steadily adding more pieces to her game. She is unquestionably a scholarship-level prospect.
West Central United made it into the top 10 of the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit Power Rankings, thanks in no small part to a roster of sizable competitors with solid fundamentals and that small-town work ethic that college coaches covet. It seems like a different two or three players stepped up in every game, and we saw good stuff from Abby Larson and Jacee Hauser of Detroit Lakes, Kinsley Duppong and Katelyn Vesledahl of Fosston, Kenzie Skogen of Barnesville, and others.
Air Minnesota 2023
The third Minnesota club represented on the PGH Circuit was Air Minnesota out of Rochester, which brought teams to the party at all four levels. Last week we told you about the 2022 squad, which includes the likes of Reaanna Schmitt of Austin, Adit Koth of Rochester Mayo, and River Landers and Sydney Cotten of Grand Meadow. My assignment this weekend was to scout the 16U Division, which gave us the opportunity to check out Air’s 2023 squad coached by Ryan Carpenter of Rochester Mayo. Among the Air 2023s worthy of note are these three:
- Ruby Kvam is a 5’6 guard from Austin who can bomb it from long distance. She leads the team in scoring at about 15 ppg and had 13 when we watched on the weekend. Ruby rebounds the ball really well for her size, and her handles are improving.
- Anna Kivimagi is a 5’8 guard from Chatfield. She comes from the ‘pass-first’ school of running an offense. Anna is not the most athletic player on the court, and she’s not at all flashy, but she knows how to use her body well to get the rim and she can make shots from the perimeter.
- Mya Walters is a 5’9 forward from Austin. While that may be a tad undersized for the position, Walters is a strong rebounder who competes very well with bigger opponents. Perhaps Mya’s greatest attribute is her passing as she excels at locating and hitting cutters.
Coming up
It has been a whirlwind these past couple of weeks with the AAU State Championships and PGH Circuit now in the history books. We’ll have a ton of coverage from the PGH event all week before returning to the gym Saturday and Sunday for two more events: The Minnesota Stars Summer Kickoff in Bloomington and Crossfire’s Battle on the Hardwood at Osseo and Maple Grove.
Top photo: Mya Morris Mya Morris 5'7" | PG Perham | 2023 State MN (left) and Willow Thiel Willow Thiel 5'11" | PF Perham | 2024 State MN (right) of West Central United were standouts at the Legacy Region Finals.