MINNEAPOLIS, MInn. – A month into the 2018 Rising Blue Star calendar and nearly 400 young ladies have joined Rising Blue Star in cities all over North America showcasing their ability while spending a day in the gym working on their game.

The curtain geographically closed on the month of September in the Midwest with events in Minneapolis and Indianapolis. It was a strong close to a great month of basketball.  Let’s take a look at a few of the standout performers from this past weekend.

MINNEAPOLIS

Sunaja Agara –2023 – 5-11 – Guard/Forward – Minnesota Metro Stars – Covers a lot of ground with long limbs…Smooth, compact lefty jumper…Big time quick ups…Can get to the rim…Lots of athletic rebounds…Knocked down the three off the jab…Bright future

Amaya Battle – 2022 – 5-9 – Guard – North Tartan – Nice player…College interest is there already…Great frame…Advanced ability and athletic tools on the wing…Smooth catch and shoot on the move…Long crossover…Elevates and glides to finish…Creativity scoring off the bounce…Plays with physicality on both sides

Ava Berg – 2022 – 5-7 – Guard – Minnesota Stars – Solid skill set…Won’t blow you away with quickness but knows how to play…Scores in different ways…Can go on some individual runs

Kelly Boyle – 2023 – 5-4 – Point Guard/Guard – MN Suns – Speedy young combo…Changes direction well…Shot on the move is effective…Crafty scorer…Pressures the ball defensively…Tough player

Alayna Contreras – 2022 – 5-7 – Point Guard – North Tartan – Fast…Smooth playmaker…Handles…Sees the floor…Delivers some nice passes…Physical finisher with ups for her position…Shot the step back

Abby Krzewinski – 2023 – 5-9 – Guard/Forward – MN Crossfire – Lanky prospect…Starting to show versatility…Likes the mid-range jumper off the catch…Good instincts…Some moves in the paint…Vocal defender

Selamawit Maher – 2022 –5-7 – Point Guard/Guard – North Tartan – Size and shooting ability to play the wing…Versatility to play the point as well…Shot is sound…15 footer is there

Lily Manning – 2023 – 5-3 – Guard – MN Suns – Shooter…Consistent three point threat…Lets it go with confidence…Understanding of spacing created open looks in team play

Kennedy Sanders – 2023 – 5-6 – Guard – Minnesota Fury – Showed off a nice shooting stroke…Hit from deep…Also put it on the floor to pull up or get all the way to the basket…One to watch

Taylor Woodson – 2023 – 5-11 – Guard/Forward – North Tartan – Strong and explosive…Loves to work in the mid range…Pull up is a legit weapon…Runs with some power…Good with the ball for size…Made some nice hammer throws off the baseline drives

INDIANAPOLIS (Blake DuDonis)

Gabrille Anderson – 2022 – 5-10 – Forward – Ohio Future- Strong player…Attacks basket well…Shooting form is a work in progress…Still knocks down the 18-footer…Holds her own on defense…Potential

Ashlynn Brooke – 2023 – 5-5 – Guard – Indiana’s Best- Can go…Nice stroke and range beyond the arc…Cool and calm presence about her…Makes good decisions…Unselfish…Displayed good vision and passing ability…Coachable…True standout

Olivia Brown – 2023 – 5-5 – Guard – Sky Digg Elite- Runs the floor…Works well in team setting… Knows where to be on the court at the right time…Talks…Hits the open shot

Taylor Charles – 2021 – 6-2 – Forward –The Truth- Long, lean body…Bit of a tweener at this point…Has the size to post up…Still needs to develop post moves to a degree…Has range…Able to step out and knock down the long ball…Quick with handles…Dangerous in the open court…Good teammate…Potential

Shelby Humphrey – 2023 – 5-11 – Forward –Lady Dream- Strong lefty…Finds a way to get to the rim…Strong…Can hit the three…Trail #4 type player…Body language isn’t always the best…Battles hard on the boards

Olivia Nickerson – 2024 – 5-4– Guard – IGB Hoover – Shooter…Quick release with consistent results…Nice step back jumper…Deploys it quickly…Works hard on defense…Quicker than first impression

Ayanna Patterson – 2022 – 6-4 – Forward – Always 100- Established elite player in her class…Athletically gifted player for age…Smooth…Glides to the rim…Still building to be consistent with her jumper…Capable of hitting any shot…Good teammate…Active on both sides…Sky is the limit

Annalise Pietrzyk – 2023 – 5-7 – Guard –Truth Basketball- Lockdown defender…Not intimidated by players bigger or more athletic…Battles…Vocal…Shot needs work…Does the little things

Bailie Stephens – 2022 – 5-7 – Guard –MBA Select- Exceptional passer…Prefers to create for teammates than looking for her own opportunities…Able to get into the paint and find the difficult passes…Tough…Not afraid of contact…Hits the three…Shot still needs form work…Competes…Makes her teammates better

Tanyuel Welch – 2022 – 5-8 – Guard –Indy Gym Rats- Improved across the day went along…Productive in 5-on-5 play…Competes…Wants to win…Long stride and covers ground…Handles the ball…Gets to the rim…Need more consistent effort…Performed well overall