Who is number 1 in Minnesota’s Class of 2026?
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Tori or Maddyn? That is the question we have been asking ourselves for more than six months now. Who is the #1 prospect in the Class of 2026? Is it Tori Oehrlein Tori Oehrlein 5'10" | CG Crosby-Ironton | 2026…
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Continue ReadingTori or Maddyn? That is the question we have been asking ourselves for more than six months now. Who is the #1 prospect in the Class of 2026? Is it Tori Oehrlein Tori Oehrlein 5'10" | CG Crosby-Ironton | 2026 State MN , the cerebral guard from Crosby-Ironton? Or is it Maddyn Greenway Maddyn Greenway 5'8" | PG Providence Academy | 2026 State MN , the uber-athletic, ultra-explosive guard from Providence Academy by way of Wayzata? Now that the time has come to release the Prep Girls Hoops Freshmen 50 – our first official ranking of the 2026s – it remains a dilemma.
If you had asked me back in the spring I would have said it’s Oehrlein. The biggest differentiator at that time was size. With her bigger frame and superior length – she’s an inch or two under 6 feet tall – you’d expect Tori to be a better defender at the next level and more able to handle the physicality of college ball. For many coaches that is still the thing. But Maddyn’s not small anymore. Over the course of this year she has grown to about 5’8 and her body has filled out to the point where she is plenty big enough to compete in Division 1 basketball. Especially with her other attributes. Greenway has had a phenomenal year on the court. As recently as the PGH Freshman Showcase two weeks ago, and again last Sunday at the opening of the Breakdown Fall League, she was outstanding. Of course Tori was every bit as good at the Showcase as Maddyn was. Aaaarrrggghhh!!! It’s a tough one.
So, on the eve of decision day, we decided to make one last-ditch effort to solve the riddle. On Wednesday we reached out to more than a dozen Division 1 college coaches to ask their opinion one more time. Obviously their voice matters. They’re the ones with the scholarship dollars to hand out. They’re the ones whose career hangs in the balance when it comes to making the right recruiting choices. Most of them have already made a scholarship offer to one or the other or both. So what did the coaches have to say? The same stuff everyone else has been saying.
“That’s a tough one,” said a D1 head coach, who has worked at both the mid-major and high-major level over the past few years. “I’m going to go with Oehrlein. I think Greenway is quick and flashy so people get caught up in that. But Oehrlein has better collegiate size and a better feel for the game. I think Oehrlein has a higher ceiling.”
For many college coaches that is still the difference-maker. D1 players are generally pretty big. And when two players are relatively equal in our view the default position is to go with the one with more size. “I think they are similar,” said another coach who has watched both players closely for several years. “If Tori gets to be 6 feet then I’d say Tori. If she stays about 5’10 I’d probably go with Maddyn.”
But size isn’t everything. Oehrlein might have a bigger frame and more height but does any player have a bigger motor or play with more heart than Greenway? If so we haven’t seen her. Many observers say that Greenway has the “It Factor” and the extra grit that changes the equation when evaluating many prospects. They love her speed and quickness, too. But then there is Tori’s basketball IQ and elite court vision and innate feel for the game. This is so hard!
“Ooh, that’s a tough one,” said a high-major head coach when asked to compare the two. “I’d say Greenway. She has something different competitively that I haven’t seen in many players. She just competes at a different level.” What about defensively, we inquired. “Still Greenway. She’s tenacious.” It’s a tough decision, we replied. “Very!” she texted. “I had a response written for you that said it was Tori. But there’s just something about Maddyn and her competitiveness that is different. It’s that close.”
Another D1 assistant, who has been watching both players for the past two summers, concurred. “That’s tough but I’d maybe give the edge to Greenway,” he said. Asked what the separator would be, the coach gave a similar response. “Competitive edge. It seems like Maddyn has that a little more than Tori. I think that can make a difference when it comes to the next level.” When informed that our little poll was turning out to be a dead heat he said, “That’s not surprising.”
Normally in these kinds of debates coaches will take one side or the other. They like what they like. They know what they are looking for. Certain types of players grab their attention and hold it. When you watch quality college teams play it’s not difficult to see who likes what. But in this case that’s simply not the case. Both Oehrlein and Greenway have earned respect across the board.
So in that spirit we offer up one final nugget of wisdom from a mid-major head coach that puts a big fancy bow on this gift of greatness we are currently watching: “I would take them both!” she said. “Oehrlein has such size and strength but Greenway is such a skilled player. Her mid-range game. Her basketball IQ. It’s very difficult to compare them because they both play the game so differently.”
And that – bottom line – is the crux of the matter. So we did the only logical thing we could do: We chose not to choose. I know, it seems like a copout. Maybe it’s little wimpy. But for the time being at least, it seems like right thing to do.