North Tartan Meltdown Standouts: Day 1

Mason Asher

July 21, 2021 @ 02:06 AM

Tuesday was the first day of North Tartan’s annual Meltdown in Minneapolis. I was out at Hopkins High School all day taking in the majority of the top divisions. The first round of pool play games got underway and there were quite a few players who played really well. Below I share my five standouts from the first day of action.

Alison Sprangers - 6’2 W - 2022 - Kimberly HS (WI) - Wisconsin Legends 2022 Sprangers was really impressive today as she did a very good job on both ends of the floor. She has very intriguing length and knows how to use it well to her advantage. Sprangers finished well at the rim and was able to clean up the boards for her team. She’s a dynamic player who helps her team in many different ways. Kennedy Sanders Kennedy Sanders 5'8" | CG Chaska | 2023 State MN - 5’8 PG - 2023 - Chaska HS (MN) - Minnesota Fury UAA 2023 Sanders always plays so well and today was no different. I thought that she took over the game they played today at times and was able to lead her team to a dominant win. She’s such a smooth operator with the ball and never gets too sped up with it in her hands. Always makes the right decisions and is just a complete winner. Avery Koenen Avery Koenen 6'3" | SF Montevideo | 2023 State MN - 6’1 W - 2023 - Montevideo HS (MN) - Pentagon Schoolers This was the first time I had seen Koenen and I came away very impressed. She’s an athletic wing who can play both forward spots with ease. Koenen handles the ball well for her size and showed me the ability to take it up the floor and score. She also has some pretty soft touch around the rim. She’s a prospect who is very under-the-radar right now. Braelyn Torres Braelyn Torres 5'7" | CG Kettle Moraine | 2023 State WI - 5’8 G - 2023 - Kettle Moraine HS (WI) - WI Impact 2022 Witt Torres has become one of my favorite players to watch over the past year or so as she always just seems to play well. She isn’t going to jump off the court at you but will always make winning plays. She’s a very good passer who always makes the extra pass. She can shoot the ball, get to the rim, and her length causes trouble on both ends of the floor. Olivia Olson Olivia Olson 6'1" | CG Benilde-SM | 2024 State MN - 6’1 G - 2024 - Benilde St. Margaret’s HS (MN) - Minnesota Fury UAA 2024 I remember watching Olson last year in Des Moines and came away very impressed. Fast forward to now, and she’s a completely different player - in a great way. She’s improved almost every facet of her game as well as has become stronger and quicker. She showed the ability to make shots from anywhere on the floor and was active at all times on the floor. I think she’s well on her way to becoming one of the most sought after players in the 2024 class -- nationally.