As the highly touted 2024 class is counting down the days they have left as High School players and Students, there is one more event to spotlight this exciting and talented class. Starting tonight and then tomorrow will be the Minnesota Girls Basketball All-Star Series Banquet and two all-star games on Saturday. At the banquet tonight, the 2024 Miss Minnesota Basketball Award with the six finalists being named will be handed out. In those names, you see State Champs as well as players who could become huge names at the next level in college. Here we highlight the six finalists and explain why they could walk away with the award.
Olivia Olson- BSM- University of Michigan
The future Wolverine has truly done each and everything she put her mind to when it came to her high school career. She is a McDonalds All-American and nationally ranked in the country but in the state of MN, she is leaving a legacy that very few players have been able to do or a level of play that very few players have reached. She finished with back-to-back AAA championships and as a senior, played with an unstoppable ability to score the ball and an unmatched ability to be the unquestioned leader on and off the court. Olivia embodies never being satisfied with just being a good player. She worked on being a great player as well as a great teammate and that will be her lasting legacy as her high school career comes to a close.
Liv McGill- Hopkins- University of Florida
If there was a player whose energy and intensity could completely take over a game at a moment’s notice, that would be McGill. Throughout her career at both Park Center and Hopkins, you knew the determination and athleticism that McGill brought to the court could impact any game. She was a nightmare for opponents when she was locked in on defending them and on offense, her wizardry with the ball to create and her next-level speed made it impossible to try and slow her down or stop her from getting where she wanted to on the court. Throughout her career, you could see the relentless work Liv put into her game both in terms of the physical aspect as well as the mental aspect as a leader for her group. Liv was always the hardest worker on the court and was going to give you 110% when she stepped on to the hardwood. She led by example and finished her career as one of the most electric and accomplished players in the state.
Alyssa Sand- Albany- St. Thomas University
Alyssa may come off as soft-spoken off the court but once she laces up the sneakers and steps between the hoops, there is nothing quiet about her dominance at basketball. She is as versatile and elite from the post position as anybody in the state of Minnesota has seen in years. She is a player who is a walking double-double when it comes to points and rebounds as well as an imposing force at sending shots packing with emphatic blocks. Then to add to the difficulty in stopping her, she can create off the bounce as well as step out and at 6’3 drill a perimeter jumper with a silky-smooth jumper. She has been one of the most difficult matchups for any opponent in her high school years and she seems to just be scratching the surface of her potential that could make her superstar at the D1 college basketball level.
Elisabeth Gadient- Goodhue- Minnesota State-Mankato
The defending D2 WBB Champion MSU Mavericks soon will be adding another champion and player with superstar potential in Gadient. You would be hard-pressed to find a lead guard who did almost every aspect of the game at a high level as Gadient does. She seems to have the pulse on what is going on during a game almost for both teams and that allows her to know the right moment when to strike for her shot or where the weakness in the defense is to get the ball to her teammates. On defense, she seems to lull defenders into a false sense of security and then will quickly leap in the passing lanes or use her quick hands to swipe the ball away from the opponent before they even know what is happening. During her senior season, she was locked in each and every game and was the straw that stirred the drink as her team secured a state title in the swan song of her high school career.
Tori McKinney- Minnetonka- University of Minnesota
When a player returns from an injury, it can take a while to get back to their pre-injury level. However, when it comes to Tori, she showed that she not only returned to that level but that she seemed to reach a whole new level. Tori was simply outstanding throughout her senior season. Her trademark lockdown and intense defense were on display all season and put her right at the top of the list of the best defenders in the state and in the country for the class of 2024. However, she showed that she could be elite and effective on both sides of the ball when an offensive skillset that included scoring from anywhere on the court. When her team got to the state tournament and throughout their run to the AAAA championship, Tori provided not only production but leadership and a calming presence that helped carry her team to the crown and allowed her to end her high school career on top of the AAAA basketball world.
Jordan Zubich- MIB- University of North Carolina
If you are looking for one of the most lethal deep-range shooters in all of MN and around the country in the class of 2024, then look no further than Zubich. Throughout her decorated career, it seems like Jordan has added more and more range to her shot and added the ability to get it off quicker coming off screens or creating the space herself off the dribble. During her high school career, she showed that she could score at will with very little defenders could do to slow her down. She led her team to multiple state tournaments in a row and filled up areas up and down the state to see her put on a show on the basketball court. Now she will be taking her talents down to the Tar Heels and leave her legacy as one of not the best shooters but best players to have graced the Minnesota High School scene.
