The AAU Week That Was: Minnesota State Tournament

#4 posting 6.8.2007
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THE AAU WEEK THAT WAS #10: MINNESOTA STATE AAU TOURNAMENT

The Minnesota State Tournament wrapped up on Sunday and NC Heat got their revenge over North Tartan Larson. Other champs included at the 15s Metro Stars in a 43-42 nail biter over Minnesota Stars. At the 14s North Tartan continued to hold that age level with a 65-53 win over Metro Stars.Some key differences I noticed, along with a reliable source, was more movement and patterned offense found at the 15s. It had more of a high school game feel. Post play was emphasized more. More passing and moving on offense happened. At the 16s, individual talent takes over. The 16s also have the more power packed individuals. But my reliable source much more enjoyed the 15s and 14s from the pure team sense of it.

This brings up the question how to pick the team. And the debate usually centers around do you pick the best athlete or the best player. With the NBA draft coming up Henry Abbott of True Hoop looks at the issue.
All these numbers that I crunch and digest try to show without the hype, and hype there is, who can get the job done. These are the players that should be seriously considered. I am not much of one for the potential trap. Now bigger kids may be an exception. But trumpets sound for certain players and the results are never quite what the trumpets announce. I let the numbers do the talking. I don’t believe in getting “an athlete” and then trying to change/modify/improve the player. It is a waste of time. If you want to be a missionary get into that kind of work. I don't believe in "saving/transforming" players. Pick players that have some skills and that you can tweak. Pick players that are hungry, ravenous, and competitive. Pick winners.

NUMBERS: The Average pp100 for the spring season is 79.2 and floor % is .382. Strangely enough the High School season averaged 78.6 and .383. That was across all classes. If we look at AAAA they still lead with 83.7 and .408.

Looking at the top teams: St. Paul Central checked in with 97.7 and .473. Right now the top AAU team (that I have charted) is #3 All Iowa Attack with a 105.4 and .488. I saw them in three games.

Photos: #1 A North Tartan 14u player drives by as Brooke Brown attempts to block.

#2: Sari Noga, North Tartan 14u goes up for a jumper.

#3: Alyssa Marschner, Metro Stars 15u is ready to put on the breaks as she goes in for a lay up.

10 YEARS AGO
In 1997, a team I coached won the Minnesota State AAU title in the 15u division. I hung up my summer coaching duties after that year. One of the players on the team was Tanisha Gilbert (seen with her dad Andre) who attended some of the action this past weekend.

Now many of you were babies back in '97 but Tanisha was a high flyer able to touch the rim and an electrifying performer. She was the heart of the team (by the way the team was called Power Play--I don’t know why a hockey term, but that was the program’s name). We were the #1 seed. She hurt her knee on Friday night. It turned out to be an ACL type injury. She didn’t play on Saturday, but on Sunday in the semis she limped on the floor when we were flat. That lifted the team's emotions and we ran Forest Lake off the floor. Tanisha didn’t really score but her presence was huge. We then beat Blizzard in the finals. At nationals a month later Tanisha played on one leg. In our first game against New York City with the USA Today coach of the year and all this and all that players we came back from 17 down and won in overtime 69-67. The key play was Tanisha’s block with seconds left in regulation on a kid driving down the lane for a lay up. On one leg she got up and swatted that ball into the fourth row. College coaches were drooling after that performance. Truly a trench player.

Power Play 15s 1997 state tournament results (which was June 13-15 so this year’s wasn’t very late at all)
Lady Slippers 75-23 game 1
Lakers Blue 70-46 game 2
South Metro Green 90-51 quarters
Forest Lake 79-48 semis
Blizzard 77-67 finals
Members of the 1997 team
Tanisha Gilbert--Champlin Park, Minnesota and Winona State
Savanna Martens, Mpls North, AAA State Champ 1998, 1999

Kate Townley, Cretin-Derham Hall, Binghamton, AAAA State champ 1999
Jenny Johnson, St. Louis Park, AC at Winona State
Becky Moen, Morris, North Dakota, All American D2
Jill Kalvik, Mpls North, Concordia St. Paul AAA State Champ 1998, 1999
Angie Grabowski, Maple Grove, Carleton
Hana Peljto, Osseo, AC Harvard, playing pro ball in France AAAA State champ 2000
Channel Thomas, Minnehaha, MD Eastern Shore
Katie Doerr, LeSueur-Henderson, AC MSU Moorhead. Her sister plays with MN Stars Borowicz
We later added Katie Alsdurf, Forest Lake, Minnesota

TEAM OF THE WEEK
For the second week in a row we have a team that has already claimed the honor. NC Heat won in week five and now again in week 10. They didn’t crack when other teams easily could have when their big lead melted against MN Stars Hested in the semis, and they found themselves down with four with under a minute to go. They found a way to tie the game. Again they could have crumbled when down by three in overtime, but their focus and resilience pulled them through. They play their roles well. They don’t allow easy shots. Their defense is underrated. But they are the state champs for the fifth time as their age bracket has moved up the ladder.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tayler Hill continues to add to her list of accomplishments. She is the first player this spring/summer season to claim the Player of the Week honor twice. With jaw dropping shooting and bravo performances throughout the Minnesota State AAU Tournament the choice was pretty easy. 38 points in the gritty semifinal win over power packed MN Stars Hested and 34 more in a veteran and tough North Tartan Larson bunch in the finals. Neither team was letting her score. But she finds away. Hill also had plenty of assists to go around in the three games I watched. She also put a stamp on the defensive side of things. An all around stellar performance.

For those of you that don’t know---#1 I have to see the player during the week to pick them. #2 The player has to have a minimum of 7 possessions. #3 I am interested in results 100 pp100 and .500 floor % is the gold standard. The higher the numbers, the more interest I have. #3 if the player has played more than one time the numbers are averaged.

In order above
FIRST TEAM
Tayler Hill, NC Heat (Mpls South)
Kelsey Jacobson, MN Stars Hested (Moorhead)
Brianna Mastey, MN Stars Hested (Becker)
Megan Nipe, NC Heat (Centennial)
Jackie Voigt, North Tartan Larson (Park-Cottage Grove)
SECOND TEAM
Leah Dietel, MN Stars Borowicz (Jordan)
Hannah Draxten, North Tartan Larson (Fergus Falls)
Molly Geske, North Tartan Crosby (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Hannah Linz, North Tartan Larson (Eden Valley-Watkins)
Theairra Taylor, MN Stars Hested (St. Paul Central)
THIRD TEAM
Paige Beck, ‘Stangs (Sioux Falls Roosevelt)
Emily Becken, MN Stars Hested (Centennial)
Carolyn Dienhart, Metro Stars Black (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Alex Montgomery, MN Stars Hested (Cannon Falls)
Brandy Solomon, Total Package (Cooper)

DEFENSIVE TEAM
Leah Dietel, MN Stars Borowicz (Jordan)
Rachelle Eckmann, MN Stars Antl (St. James)
Tayler Hill, NC Heat (Mpls South) captain
Georgie Jones, MN Stars Hested (St. Paul Central)
Megan Nipe, NC Heat (Centennial)

PAST WEEKLY WINNERS

Team...Player of the Week/D player
9: Team WI Select 17.…Val Schuster (Wausau Newman) Team WI Select 17/Nicole Griffin (Milwaukee Vincent) Team WI Select 15

8: MN Stars Borowicz.....Kiara Buford (St. Paul Central) North Tartan/Katya Leick (Park-Cottage Grove) NC Heat

7: MN Metro Stars Black....Courtney Boylan (Chaska) MN Metro Stars Black/Kayla Hirt (Bemidji) Gym Rats 14

6: MN Stars Hested.....Theairra Taylor (St. Paul Central) MN Stars Hested/Cassie Rochel (Lakeville North) Lakeville North 15

5: NC Heat....Tayler Hill (Mpls South) NC Heat/Katya Leick (Park-Cottage Grove) NC Heat

4: MN AAAA All Stars....Angel Robinson (St. Paul Central) AAAA/Janessa Wolf (Park Rapids) AAA

3: Team WI Select 17....Katie Bushman (Phillips) Team WI Select 17/same

2: Mpls Lady Cats..... Sarina Baker (DeLaSalle) Mpls Lady Cats/Aubrey Davis (Blm Kennedy) Mpls Lady Cats

1: IBCA Select I.....Indy Uhlenhopp (North Butler) IBCA Select I/same

POLLS

19

1. Metro Stars

2. Gym Rats

3. Southern Minne Magic

16/17-Junior Girls

1. IBCA Select I

2. NC Heat

3. All Iowa Attack

4. MN Stars Hested

5. North Tartan Larson

6. Team WI Select 17

7. MN Stars Borowicz

8. MN Metro Stars Black

9. Iowa Elite I

10. Quest

11. Randolph
12. Total Package
13. MN Suns
14. North Tartan Crosby
15. ‘Stangs

15

1. MN Metro Stars
2. MN Stars

3. North Tartan 15

4. Team WI Select 15

5. Lakeville North

6. WI Heat

7. Southern Stars

8. 43 Hoops

9. MN Fury

10. MSB

14

1. North Tartan 14

2. MN Metro Stars

3. 43 Hoops Williams

4. MN Suns Gold

5. MN Suns White

5. MN Fury

7. MN Stars Blue

8. Gym Rats
9. MN Stars Red

13

1. Mpls Lady Cats

2. Midtown Lady Monarchs

3. St. Paul Central

4. MN Suns

5. Olympic Ice

6. Metro Stars

Next up: tomorrow morning