MN Top 250 First Impressions: Five Session I Standouts
There was plenty of action to watch during the first session of the Minnesota Top 250 Expo at the M1 facility Sunday morning. From the dynamic ball control warm-up, position work, and full court competitive play, this collection of Minnesota…
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Continue ReadingThere was plenty of action to watch during the first session of the Minnesota Top 250 Expo at the M1 facility Sunday morning. From the dynamic ball control warm-up, position work, and full court competitive play, this collection of Minnesota prospects got after it. Here are some notes regarding some of the standout performances from session one.
Tiara Diamond – 2022 | 5’8 | OH | Club: M1
Diamond is building off of a productive high school season with Eastview. Just a sophomore, her skill set is raw in some areas and will certainly be refined as she gains more experience with her platform work and defense. That is not to say that she won’t get some great attention over the club season for what she can do with her arm. She gets her feet to ball well, which allows her to elevate and create good torque in the air leading her to finish with great power and movement through her arm swing. She has the ability to play bigger than her 5’8 frame.
Braiziah Dixon – 2022 | 5’11 | MH | Club: M1
Dixon can bring heat in the middle. She left a very good impression with her footwork to the ball and spacing as a middle attacker. She displayed one of the more dyamic arm swings among all middles with her ability to swing through multiple zones with good power and pace. Just a sophomore, she has a lot of room to grow but has definitely developed a great foundation heading into the club season. There is no doubt that Dixon is primed to be a definitive stock-riser for the 2022 class over the next few months of the club season.
Sophia Kobienia – 2021 | 6’0 | RS | Club:
Kandi Elite
The junior opposite played well over the course of her high school season for Willmar and is poised to carry that into club playing for
Kandi Elite
. Among all the left-handed opposites on the day Kobienia showed good use of her length and athleticism in the air to match good balance and patience through her defensive opportunities.
Kandi Elite
continues to upgrade their rosters and are proving to be one of the more talented and competitive clubs outside the metro area. This will benefit an athlete like Kobienia given the club’s roster depth (which helps make training more competitive) and pursuit of high quality competition.
Madalyn Mavady – 2022 | 5’10 | OH | Club: M1
Mavady was a refreshing surprise with her all-around play that was highlighted by an impressive lift off the floor when attacking. She elevates well and showed good arm swing mechanics that produced some good pace on the ball. The range she is developing is impressive also as she can move the ball around, which involves maintaining good power through a cross-body swing. She complimented her approach work with good effort on the ball control side both passing and defensively. With potential to be an effective six-rotation athlete, the experience Mavady will gain with M1 this club season will help her stock rise and work her way into the class of 2022 athlete rankings.
Payton Rodberg – 2022 | 5’9 | OH | Club: MN North
Rodberg is another pin attacker in the class of 2022 that showed great promise with an aggressive approach to the ball that is capitalized by some good heat. Her display of arm strength matched a skill set and competitiveness around the floor that made her stand out. She has great potential to be a highly effective six-rotation athlete over the course of her prep career, which will most likely include some movement up the Prep Dig class of 2022 athlete rankings.
More athlete and position analysis will be forthcoming.