Lanelle WrightSHAKOPEE, Minnesota – The North Tartan Summer Jam returned with a group of teams from across the Midwest as well as teams traveling from as far away as California and Florida to compete. More than the results of the event, the matchups were amplified as teams across sneaker sponsorships got a rare chance to compete.
All Iowa Attack EYBL won the top 17U bracket. Their path to a trophy started with a win against a non-shoe company team, Playmakers Showcase, a down to the wire win against adidas-sponsored Metro Stars and a semifinal win against fellow Nike-sponsored team Cal Stars EYBL before a 49-46 win over host North Tartan EYBL.
In the 16U division a battle between Cal Stars 16U EYBL and Wisconsin Flight Elite 10th GUAA culminated in a buzzer-beating, running 22 foot bank-in three by Antionique Auston that sent the fans in the gym into a frenzy.
Speaking of matchups, arguably the top individual matchup of the weekend was in the first round when Essence TipHayes Purple battled FBC Real 2022 UA. The game featured ample talent on both sides but having Essence’s Janiah Barker and FBC’s Maya Nnaji on the floor leading their teams through the countless runs was simply awesome to see. It elevated the play of their teammates as FBC Real got big contributions from Aniyah Reuben, Ronnie Porter and Savannah White too. On Essence’s side Erica Moon really helped turn the tide in the second half with her energy and defense while Fatima Diakhate protected the rim and her rebounding allowed Barker and Co. to get out in the open floor to complete the second half comeback.
It was also great to see some teams playing without a player or two and others getting a chance to take a leap into a bigger role against elite competition.
AROUND THE RIM
Cal Stars 16U EYBL wing Trinity Zamora had a fantastic weekend playing both the role of slashing scorer as well as going off beyond the arc, hitting five threes against Minnesota Fury 2023 UAA. She created a good duo with point guard Sofia Fidelus.
Without standout post Breya Cunningham, the Cal Stars 17U EYBL relied heavily on the play of point guard Talana Lepolo and wing Gabriela Jaquez. The Stars won Boo Williams in April and have their eyes set on Nike Nationals in July.
Kentucky Premier made the trip north and got fantastic contributions from a pair of 2022’s in point guard Haven Ford and wing Macie Feldman. But keep an eye on 2025 forward Zakiyah Johnson who is producing like an upperclassmen already.
Ella Johnson and her North Tartan 16U EYBL squad had a nice bounce back, winning three in a row after dropping an opening round game to Pure Prep Adidas. She got help form point guard Maren Westin, wing Reese Ross and strong inside play from Emma Dasovich.
North Tartan youngster Lanelle Wright is still a ways off from playing high school ball but her skill set and ability to create at a young age is something we saw last fall at CMO and she solidified that first evaluation here.
The Minnesota Fury 2024 UAA team has a nice following and for good reason. Olivia Olson is a 2024 on everyone’s radar but she has a squad around her with Katie Vasecka, Morgan Miller and Mikayla Thomas all making contributions this weekend. This squad was talented enough to run the table and win the top 15U bracket, going 4-0.
The Fury 2023 group feeds off the play of 2023 guard Kennedy Sanders who has a game as cool as the other side of the pillow. She got terrific help from fellow 2023 guard Aby Shubert.
For the Minnesota Stars Lexi Karge is a player we’re familiar with after her standout play last fall at Check Me Out Midwest. She was locked in at the high post making plays slashing and finding teammates. A new face from the program from the weekend is Madison James, a 5-11 wing who hit some tough shots.
Wolverinas out of Illinois has earned a following over the past few summers for their play. We saw strong play from a pair of 2023 guards here in Emily Fisher and Katy Eidle.
Wisconsin Flight Elite had good showings across all three divisions, 15U-17U. We know Emily La Chapelle can score it for the 11th grade squad but seeing Lily Krahn really come into her own and the team feed off the physical style of Makiah Hawk were fantastic things to see. The aforementioned playmaking of Auston for the 10th grade team was complemented by the play of Allie Ziebell, Macy Donarski and Julianna Ouimette. For the future, Kayl Petersen brings a unique style to the guard spot and is a 2024 to keep an eye on.
WATCH
LIST
College coaches are perpetually on the hunt for post players and Team Wisconsin Hebert post Alyssa Wirth had some fantastic moments. The 2024 post has the size schools covet and she has the base post game to build on over the next few years.
Another big to track is 2023 NE Attack post Lucy Schonlau. She finished in traffic and had a college ready frame now.
The South Dakota Attack does a terrific job year in and year out. The play of 2023’s Addison Klosterbuer and Madison Brouwer as well as 2024’s Claire Sheppard and Emilee Fox definitely cemented their teams on our list to watch in July.
Just hours before she committed to Minnesota, Amaya Battle of the Metro Stars 2022 3SSB showed why she had offers from Big Ten and SEC schools, among others. She is so disruptive defensively that she can spark a run at any time. Her play combined with that of Nunu Agara and Alayna Contreras had them in the mix with every opponent.
Cy Select Wolves forward Sydney Hurd got off to a good start on Friday. She was a mobile frontcourt option who did a great job of keeping the ball high in traffic to finish.
All Iowa Attack as a program had a fantastic weekend, winning the top brackets of the 17U and 16U divisions. The younger group was led by the play of Allie Tanke, Arianna Jackson and Journey Houston. The older group didn’t have Ndjakalenga Mwendentanda this weekend but that allowed Hannah Stuelke, Sahara Williams, Jayda Gyamfi and Kelsey Joens to take on even bigger roles than they normally do. The AIA Black 17U Red and Black teams both cruised to the championship in the second 17U division as well. Abigail Jones was a standout 2022 for the Black squad on the weekend.
Chris Hansen is managing editor of ProspectsNation.com and serves on the McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Trophy selection committees. He was a co-founder of and the national director of scouting for ESPN HoopGurlz from 2005 until 2012 and is the director of the Check Me Out Showcase and ELITE is EARNED events. He can be reached at chris@prospectsnation.com.
