Dakotas Top 250 Expo – 1st Team Standouts
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The Top 250 Expo held in Sioux Falls, SD was loaded with talent and left me feeling great about the quality of basketball to be played this season in both North and South Dakota. Here are my 1st Team Standouts…
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Continue ReadingThe Top 250 Expo held in Sioux Falls, SD was loaded with talent and left me feeling great about the quality of basketball to be played this season in both North and South Dakota. Here are my 1st Team Standouts who played well enough to stand out from the crowd on Saturday.
Caylin Kelly Caylin Kelly 6'0" | SF Florence/Henry | 2024 State SD – Florence-Henry – 6’0″ – Class of 2024
Caylin showed out in the Top 250 expo and really looked strong all day long. When I say strong I mean both literally and figuratively. This was another contest where the talented Falcons forward showed that she can get to the rim basically whenever she wants to. She beat her 1 on 1 matchup all day long and finished the majority of her shots. Fantastic vision and footwork allow her to score at will and she didn’t try to do too much but rather just took the game in stride, playing with great tempo, hitting shots whenever her team needed it, snagging boards, and getting stops on defense. Stock remains up on Caylin and she looks to be one of the most effective attackers to the rim the state of South Dakota has right now.
Mya Kochuten Mya Kochuten 5'6" | PG Spearfish | 2025 State SD – Spearfish – 5’6″ – Class of 2025
Kochuten absolutely STOOD OUT in the Top 250 Expo. She was my biggest surprise on the day as I hadn’t seen a lot of her prior to Saturday. Let me tell you she did not disappoint and I would put her in my top 3 easily on the day. She was lights out from beyond the arc and showed great shot selection all day. She had the most effective stepback of any player at the expo and showed it off in the mid-range and from three. Great competitive nature, cool composure, and really solid fundamental skill make this young lady a player to watch this season. STOCK IS UP on Mya Kochuten Mya Kochuten 5'6" | PG Spearfish | 2025 State SD !
Reese Terwilliger Reese Terwilliger 5'11" | PF Pierre | 2024 State SD – Pierre – 5’11” – Class of 2024
Terwilliger is another stock-is-up player after dominating the paint all day on Saturday. If stats had been kept I would not be surprised if she had an easy double-double each game and had a couple of games with +15 points. She is a very physical rebounder and limits teams to one possession on the defensive end. She finished well off of offensive rebounds and kept possessions alive often for her squad. Very impressive footwork, the ability to “feel” the post defender, and a very high FG% make Reese one of the better options in the paint. She was the best player around the paint at the expo.
Ashton Safranski Ashton Safranski 5'7" | PG Fargo Davies | 2024 State ND – Davies – 5’6″ – Class of 2024
Safranski is another lock in my top 3 for the day. This North Dakota stud showed up possession after possession all day long and her team was on the winning side of things a lot. She was one of the more consistent shooters from downtown on the day and showed off her impressive range from deep. A coach’s kid she was the highest IQ player on the day for me as I don’t remember her committing a turnover or making a mistake all day. Instead, she made positive play after positive play whether it be knocking down a big shot to end an opponent’s run, coming in clutch with a timely steal, or using her great vision to set up a teammate for an open look.
Hannah Leverson Hannah Leverson 5'4" | PG Sisseton | 2024 State SD – Sisseton – 5’4″ – Class of 2024
Hannah was the most impressive deep-range shooter on the day. She showed great confidence in taking open shots all day long and knocking down the majority of them. We knew she could hit three’s but what stood out was her ability to create shots for others and handle the ball effectively for her squad as well. In these types of events it’s easy for a shooter like Hannah to get open looks but what really stood out was how she moved off of high ball screens as well as away screens to find open shots and knock them down. A superb competitor she got after it on defense as well and showed off her 1 on 1 guarding ability.
Melina Snoozy Melina Snoozy 5'10" Dakota Valley | 2026 SD – Dakota Valley – 5’10” – Class of 2026
Snoozy is a fantastic young prospect who looks to garner D1 attention from a ton of places. She showed up for the expo knocking down shots, playing great defense on the perimeter, finding open teammates with spot-on passes, and rebounding well from the perimeter. She looks to be one of the most exciting prospects to keep your eye on and I expect her role to be hugely expanded for the Panthers this season. Stock is up on Melina Snoozy Melina Snoozy 5'10" Dakota Valley | 2026 SD and looking for big things to come from this 2026 stud.
Whitney Welk Whitney Welk 5'7" | PG Bismarck Legacy | 2025 State ND – Legacy – 5’6″ – Class of 2025
Whitney was the best perimeter defender I saw on the day. She was constantly up in the face of opposing guards and defending the full court. She picked her opponent up early in possessions and made it a nightmare for point guards to set up an offense. She came up with multiple steals and showed off her foot speed all day long on the defensive end. On offense, she ran the floor well and looked to have one of the top speeds in the building. She knocked down some threes and was an efficient scorer on offense, but her high-level defensive play is what put her on my 1st-Team list.
Ziah GreyBull Ziah GreyBull 5'8" | CG Mandan | 2025 State ND – Century Bismarck – 5’7″ – Class of 2025
GreyBull is a transfer to the Century Bismarck squad and let me tell you…they got a GOOD ONE. She might have been the top prospect of the day and is a lock for my top 3 of the day. Impressive competitive nature showed up for this young lady as she played with a chip on her shoulder all day. Defending other top prospects from the Dakotas was no problem and she almost always picked up the best player on the opposing squad. Shutting down top prospects was one part of her game, and scoring was the other. She can hit the three, has great moves off the dribble to get to the rim and score, and her ability to operate a motion offense is very high. GreyBull is a name to keep your eye on and look for her to be in the player of the year contention in North Dakota.