Rankings update: Who are the best available 2022s?
The past 12 months have been anything but normal when it comes to the recruitment of college basketball players. With the NCAA granting seniors an extra season, and athletes having the unprecedented opportunity to transfer without sitting out a year,…
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Continue ReadingThe past 12 months have been anything but normal when it comes to the recruitment of college basketball players. With the NCAA granting seniors an extra season, and athletes having the unprecedented opportunity to transfer without sitting out a year, things are very, very different for incoming seniors in Minnesota’s Class of 2022. It is becoming clear that there will be far fewer spots available this year at the Division 1 level than there have been in previous seasons – perhaps 19 or 20 versus more than 30 in the class of 2021. The situation has amplified the urgency to make college decisions sooner rather than later, and that’s exactly what the 2022s have been doing.
A recent flurry of announcements has raised the number of Division 1 commitments to 17 – 7 at the high-major level and 10 at mid-major. Among those making their choice public in recent days is #3 Amaya Battle Amaya Battle 5'10" | PG Hopkins | 2022 State #29 Nation MN of Hopkins (Minnesota), #8 Kiani Lockett Kiani Lockett 5'9" | PG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN of Minnetonka (Creighton), #14 Lily Fandre Lily Fandre 6'2" | SF Eagan | 2022 State MN of Eagan (Lehigh), #19 Amber Scalia Amber Scalia 5'9" | CG Stillwater | 2022 State MN of Stillwater (St. Thomas), and #20 Mikayla Aumer Mikayla Aumer 5'9" | CG Cambridge-Isanti | 2022 State MN of Cambridge-Isanti (North Dakota). As of this week a total of 18 players have made public verbal commitments at the D2 level. Recent announcements include #26 Ally Schultz Ally Schultz 6'0" | CG Lakeville South | 2022 State MN of Lakeville South (Concordia-St. Paul), #27 Maddie James Maddie James 6'0" | SG Princeton | 2022 State MN of Princeton (Mary), and #29 Natalie Bremer Natalie Bremer 5'11" | CG Lake City | 2022 State MN of Lake City (MSU-Mankato).
With all of these great prospects now off the board, who are the top 2022s still available? Here are some to consider. For ease of scouting we have organized them by AAU team.
FBC Real 2022
If you are looking for top-shelf talent FBC Real might be a good place to start. The team boasts the most-recruited player in Minnesota in this class, #1-ranked Maya Nnaji Maya Nnaji 6'4" | PF Hopkins | 2022 State #7 Nation MN . Now that she has announced her commitment to Arizona, the team still has four top-25 prospects still available, which is more than any other AAU club in the state. The list includes lengthy guard #13 Savannah White Savannah White 6'1" | SG DeLaSalle | 2022 State MN and sharpshooter #25 Sydney Runsewe Sydney Runsewe 5'8" | CG DeLaSalle | 2022 State MN of DeLaSalle along with a pair of talented guards from St. Paul Como Park in #17 Ronnie Porter Ronnie Porter 5'2" | CG Como Park | 2022 State MN and #23 Kaylynn Asberry Kaylynn Asberry 5'5" | PG Como Park | 2022 State MN . Also available is forward London Salberg-Thornton London Salberg-Thornton 5'11" | PF Maranatha | 2022 State MN , a top-100 prospect from Hopkins. London has always played on very deep teams, both in AAU and in high school, so her assets have often been overshadowed, but the big forward is strong, skilled and experienced. FBC is no stranger to producing top talent. Their 2021 team had Nebraska commit Kendall Coley Kendall Coley 6'2" | SF St. Louis Park | 2021 State #94 Nation MN , Wisconsin recruit Sacia Vanderpool Sacia Vanderpool 6'4" | C Byron | 2021 State MN and NIACC commit Takara Mason Takara Mason 5'6" | CG Cretin-Derham Hall | 2021 State MN .
Metro Stars 2022 3SSB
The 2020 AAU state champions are loaded, although many of their top players aren’t part of the 2022 class, including 2023s Taylor Woodson Taylor Woodson 6'0" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #28 Nation MN , Nunu Agara Nunu Agara 6'1" | PF Hopkins | 2023 State #32 Nation MN , and Kelly Boyle Kelly Boyle 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2023 State MN of Hopkins, plus Savanna Jones Savanna Jones 6'2" | PF Eden Prairie | 2023 State MN of Eden Prairie. 2024 guard Liv McGill Liv McGill 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2024 State MN and 2025 forward/wing Aaliyah Crump Aaliyah Crump 6'1" | SF Minnetonka | 2025 State MN are also from Hopkins. Battle and Aumer are both Metro Stars, as well, but with them off the board that leaves #21 Alayna Contreras Alayna Contreras 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2022 State MN of Hopkins as the best available prospect along with #38 Ari Gordon Ari Gordon 5'10" | SF Maple Grove | 2022 State MN of Maple Grove.
Minnesota Fury 2022 UAA
Six players from the Fury have already made Division 1 commitments: #4 Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN (Minnesota), #6 Lilly Meister Lilly Meister 6'2" | PF Rochester John Marshall | 2022 State #55 Nation MN (Indiana), #7 Callin Hake Callin Hake 5'8" | PG Chanhassen | 2022 State #64 Nation MN (Nebraska), #11 Ellie Buzzelle Ellie Buzzelle 5'9" | SG Rogers | 2022 State #60 Nation MN (Grand Canyon), #18 Katie Hurt Katie Hurt 6'0" | SF Roch. John Marshall | 2022 State MN (Lehigh) and #19 Amber Scalia Amber Scalia 5'9" | CG Stillwater | 2022 State MN (St. Thomas). The four remaining players also deserve serious scholarship consideration. #16 Lizzie Holder Lizzie Holder 6'1" | PF Stillwater | 2022 State MN of Stillwater offers length and athleticism, #31 Emma Miller Emma Miller 5'1" | PG STMA | 2022 State MN of St. Michael-Albertville is one of the quickest players in the state, #34 Champ Danso Champ Danso 6'0" | PF Simley | 2022 State MN delivers a big presence on the inside, and #47 Nicole Bowlin Nicole Bowlin 5'6" | PG Holy Family | 2022 State MN is one of the state’s premier passers. These Fury players are battle-tested, with a long history of winning under pressure and a solid commitment to playing team basketball.
North Tartan EYBL
North Tartan’s top juniors captured an AAU State Championship, which is not surprising given the strength of their roster. Every Minnesota senior-to-be on the squad has already made a college commitment. That would include #2 Mara Braun Mara Braun 5'11" | CG Wayzata | 2022 State #21 Nation MN and #5 Nia Holloway Nia Holloway 6'0" | PF Eden Prairie | 2022 State #45 Nation MN to Minnesota, #8 Kiani Lockett Kiani Lockett 5'9" | PG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN to Creighton, #9 Ellie Colbeck Ellie Colbeck 5'9" | PG Fergus Falls | 2022 State MN and #12 Madison Mathiowetz Madison Mathiowetz 5'10" | CG Sleepy Eye St. Mary's | 2022 State MN to South Dakota State, #14 Lily Fandre Lily Fandre 6'2" | SF Eagan | 2022 State MN to Lehigh, and #36 Lilly Nuytten Lilly Nuytten 6'1" | PF Hastings | 2022 State MN to MSU-Mankato. #22 Britt Carlson Britt Carlson 6'4" | PF East Ridge | 2022 State MN committed to Texas Tech for volleyball.
Minnesota Stars Nilsen
The Stars have had six college commitments to date: Division 1 signee #10 Desiree Ware Desiree Ware 5'8" | CG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN of Minnetonka (Alabama-Birmington) along with D2 commits #24 Mackenzie Schweim Mackenzie Schweim 5'10" | PG Mankato East | 2022 State MN (MSU-Mankato), #26 Ally Schultz Ally Schultz 6'0" | CG Lakeville South | 2022 State MN (Concordia-St. Paul), #27 Maddie James Maddie James 6'0" | SG Princeton | 2022 State MN (Mary), #30 Adeline Kent Adeline Kent 5'8" | CG Becker | 2022 State MN (Tampa) and #35 Ella Campbell Ella Campbell 5'10" | CG Edina | 2022 State MN (Concordia-St. Paul). That leaves #15 Lexi Karge Lexi Karge 6'2" | PF Mankato East | 2022 State MN (Mankato East), #28 Tayah Leenderts Tayah Leenderts 6'0" | PF Rosemount | 2022 State MN (Rosemount), #41 Hannah Herzig Hannah Herzig 6'0" | CG Totino Grace | 2022 State MN (Totino-Grace) and #52 Jocelyn Plonski Jocelyn Plonski 6'0" | PF Eagan | 2022 State MN (Eagan), who is still recovering from a torn ACL. (*6/26 update Tayah Leenderts Tayah Leenderts 6'0" | PF Rosemount | 2022 State MN committed to Sioux Falls.)
North Tartan Elite
North Tartan’s so-called “second team” has a history of graduating quality players – former Minnesota Miss Basketball and current Bradley standout Gabi Haack, for example – and this year’s group has very good prospects, too. The only player to commit so far is #33 CJ Adamson CJ Adamson 5'9" | CG Rochester Lourdes | 2022 State MN of Rochester Lourdes, who verballed to Augustana. Two of the best prospects returned this past weekend at the Summer Jam after being out since last summer with ACL injuries. #32 Myra Moorjani Myra Moorjani 5'8" | CG Eden Prairie | 2022 State MN of Eden Prairie and #40 Charita Lewis Charita Lewis 5'4" | CG Minnehaha Academy | 2022 State MN of Minnehaha Academy. Others to consider would include forward #55 Mya Shones Mya Shones 6'1" | PF Lake City | 2022 State MN of Lake City, forward #60 Telia Graham Telia Graham 5'10" | SF Minnehaha | 2022 State MN of Minnehaha Academy, and guard Lauren Feddema Lauren Feddema 5'9" | CG Buffalo | 2022 State MN of Buffalo, ranked #69 and holding D2 offers.
Minnesota Fury Premier
This edition of the Fury has had two commitments to date: #39 Kassie Caron Kassie Caron 6'0" | SF Holy Angels | 2022 State MN of Holy Angels has verballed to Missouri Western while #58 Zoie Centers Zoie Centers 5'5" | PG Mahtomedi | 2022 State MN of Mahtomedi has signed on with Southwest Minnesota State. Both #71 Kyla Overskei Kyla Overskei 5'11" | SG Maple Grove | 2022 State MN of Maple Grove and #73 Rose Wille Rose Wille 5'8" | SG Farmington | 2022 State MN of Farmington are drawing plenty of interest. We think Greta Krieger Greta Krieger 5'9" | CG Forest Lake | 2022 State MN of Forest Lake is a player to be seen, along with 6’6 center Jessica Heir Jessica Heir 6'6" | PF Chaska | 2022 State MN of Chaska, who could be a classic late blooming big.
Minnesota Stars Bjorgaard
Three players from Chris Bjorgaard’s squad have already signed on the dotted line, a group that includes #37 Audrey Swanson Audrey Swanson 5'11" | SF Waconia | 2022 State MN of Waconia (Southwest Minnesota State), #42 Ava Stier Ava Stier 5'10" | PF Waconia | 2022 State MN of Waconia (MSU-Mankato) and #51 Kaila Youngs Kaila Youngs 6'0" | SF Orono | 2022 State MN of Orono (MSU-Moorhead). A pair of scholarship-level prospects are still available in #45 Leah Dengerud Leah Dengerud 5'9" | SF Totino Grace | 2022 State MN of Totino-Grace and #64 Jenny Ntambwe Jenny Ntambwe 6'1" | PF Coon Rapids | 2022 State MN of Coon Rapids. Two more quality players still on the table are #84 Taryn Frazer Taryn Frazer 5'4" | PG Cass Lake-Bena | 2022 State MN of Cass Lake-Bena and #86 Camille Cummings Camille Cummings 5'8" | CG Centennial | 2022 State MN of Centennial.
43 Hoops Elite
Forward Nevaeh Hughes Nevaeh Hughes 6'1" | SF White Bear Lake | 2022 State MN of White Bear Lake, ranked #61, recently made a Division 1 commitment to Canisius College in Buffalo NY while guard Mikaela Counce (#57) of Champlin Park verballed to Livingstone College in North Carolina. Coach Liv Antilla’s team has some really nice college prospects still available. That would include top-50 prospect Dorothy Stotts Dorothy Stotts 5'8" | CG Edina | 2022 State MN (#46), a tough-as-nails point guard from Edina, along with high-motor forward Cloey Dmytruk Cloey Dmytruk 5'10" | PF Como Park | 2022 State MN (#65) of St. Paul Como Park, crafty guard Alicia Bates Alicia Bates 5'6" | CG Champlin Park | 2022 State MN (#79) of Champlin Park, and giant post Lily Niebuhr Lily Niebuhr 6'3" | PF Chaska | 2022 State MN (#95) of Chaska.
Other available AAU players to ponder
- #44 Paige Peaslee Paige Peaslee 6'0" | PF North Branch | 2022 State MN – forward, Minnesota Heat (North Branch)
- #49 Amelia Valentino Amelia Valentino 5'10" | CG Champlin Park | 2022 State MN – guard, Metro Stars Voight (Champlin Park)
- #50 Selam Maher Selam Maher 5'7" | CG St. Louis Park | 2022 State MN – guard, Suns Blue Star (Hopkins)
- #54 Lilly Meincke Lilly Meincke 5'10" | CG Lake City | 2022 State MN – guard, Wisconsin Playmakers (Lake City)
- #59 Taya Jeffrey Taya Jeffrey 5'10" | CG Albert Lea | 2022 State MN – guard, Southern Minn. Fury (Albert Lea)
- #62 Tori Ratz Tori Ratz 5'7" | CG Fergus Falls | 2022 State MN – guard, Minnesota Rise (Fergus Falls)
- #63 Grace Massaquoi Grace Massaquoi 6'0" | PF Holy Angels | 2022 State MN – forward, MN Diamond Elite (Holy Angels)
- #70 Maria Counts Maria Counts 5'11" | PF Providence | 2022 State MN – forward, Metro Stars Voight (Providence Academy)
- #72 Kora Forsline Kora Forsline 6'1" | SF Mesabi East | 2022 State MN – forward, Playmakers (Mesabi East)