2011 Minnesota Ms. Basketball Candidates Named

31 girls have been named candidates for the 2011 Ms. Basketball award. They're listed here in the order in which they're ranked by the 2 major, published rankings at gPrep and kjasr.

1. Rachel Banham, Lakeville North #1 gPrep #1 kjasr

2. Kayla Hirt, Bemidji #2 #2 out for the year with injury

3. Michelle Young, Woodbury #3 #4

4. Kahla Becken, Centennial #5 #8

5. Beth Doolittle, Hill Murray #7 #6

6. Ellen Edison, Maple Grove #11 #5

7. Mariah Clarin, Princeton #9 #11

8 tie. Morgan Van Riper-Rose, Eden Prairie #13 #10

8 tie. Megan Stuart, Roseville #10 #13

10. Martha Alwal, Worthington #18 #7

11. Tori Rule, Mpls. South #12 #14

12. Stephanie Davison, Maple Grove #17 #12

13 tie. Ann-Marie Brown, St. Peter #4 #27 out for the year with an ACL

13 tie. Katy Winge, Minnetonka #15 #16

15. Amber Sorenson, Caledonia #20 #19

16. Brianna Williams, Hopkins #8 x

17. Cara Lutes, New Life #14 x

18. Jamie Bresnahan, Edina x #15

19. Alex Beckman, Eastview #21 x

20. Elizabeth Keena, Hastings #27 x

Not in either top 30 (alpha order)

Jessi Corrick, Grand Rapids

Jenna Dockter, Eastview

Kaylani Edwards, Mpls. Roosevelt

Chelsey Frydenlund, East Grand Forks

Kayla Hulsebus, St. Croix Lutheran

Karlee Ilgen, Buffalo Lake-Stewart-Hector

Erin Januschka, St. Cloud Cathedral

Emily Lueck, Pequot Lakes

Karli Meyer, Adrian

Jessica Newman, Barnum

Charlotte Overbye, Mountain Iron-Buhl

The obvious missing names include:

Apiew Ojulu, Lakeville North #6 #3

Aubrey Davis, Eden Prairie #22 #9

Others in the top 30 at gPrep and/or kja but not Ms. Basketball include:

Ashley Olson, Blue Earth #24 #18

Anna Gerdes, Maple Grove #18 #25

Katelyn Adams, Minnehaha #16 x

Lisa Loeffler, North St. Paul #23 #24

Trish Benjamin, Owatonna x #17

Diamond Lane, Mpls. South x #20

Jaya Perkins, Lakeville North x #21

Hannah Hughes, Lakeville North x #22

Erica Trabing, Prior Lake #26 #28

Jordy Falk, St. Francis x #23

Anna Smith, Bloomington Jefferson #25 x

Megan Pold, Prior Lake x #26

Alyssa Kerkhoff, St. Peter #28 x

Sarina Baker, Minnehaha x #29

Laura Margarit, Holy Angels #29 x

Sierra Even, Windon #30 x

Sara Schoenthaler, White Bear Lake x #30

The breakdown by greater Minnesota vs. the metro:

Ms. Basketball 18 metro 13 greater MN

gPrep 22 metro 9 greater MN

kja 24 metro 7 greater MN

Whether this implies a greater Minnesota bias in the Ms. Basketball picks, or a metro bias by the rating services is in the eye of the beholder.

As to Ojulu and Aubrey Davis, one might say, well, they didn't want 2 candidates from any given team, but that's not it. Eastview and Maple Grove each have 2 candidates. Ojulu and Davis would have seemed to be easy picks over Eastview's and Maple Grove's #2.

The cases for Kayla Hirt and Ann Marie Brown, meanwhile, beg the question whether this is a career award or an award for play in the senior season. The criteria a vague to be sure--the winner is the girl who gets the most votes from a committee whose membership is not published and is not widely known. That is all. But, based on past awards, it's based mostly on the senior season, and Hirt and Brown are not going to be serious contenders.

Personally, my 5 finalists (from among the 31 candidates) would be:

Rachel Banham

Ellen Edison

Michelle Young

Kahla Becken

Beth Doolittle

And the winner is...? You gotta ask?