Gophers vs. Lehigh will be a Minnesota women's basketball showcase

The last time Minnesota fans saw Mallory Heyer and Kaylee Van Eps together on a basketball court was in the closing seconds of the 2021 Class 4A girls' championship game at Target Center.

Chaska was tied with Rosemount. Out of a timeout, Chaska ran a play it had practiced during the season but not yet used. Heyer got the ball at the free-throw line, then made a pass to Van Eps on a backdoor cut for the winning layup.

"Mallory hit me in the perfect spot,'' Van Eps said.

They'll be together again Sunday at Williams Arena. But not in the same uniform. A young Gophers team coming off a season-opening victory over Western Illinois will face a veteran Lehigh team playing for the second time in three days; the Mountain Hawks played at South Dakota State on Friday.

It will be a reunion. One of many.

Van Eps is one of six Minnesotans on Lehigh's roster, the result of that Pennsylvania school's determination to mine the deep talent of girls' basketball in Minnesota. The Gophers, led by freshmen Heyer, Maura Braun, Amaya Battle and Katie Borowicz, have 10 Minnesotans on their roster.

When the teams tip off at 3 p.m., more than half of the 10 starters will be from Minnesota.

"It's really good basketball; you guys know that," said Lehigh's fourth-year coach Addie Micir , who was promoted after longtime coach Sue Troyan moved up to a senior position in the athletic department. "Glen Rigney, our associate head coach, and Sue were always watching the Minnesota teams in AAU.''

The pipeline to Lehigh got going a few years ago. With previous Gophers coaches not recruiting Minnesota ardently, there was an opportunity. It really began when Troyan successfully recruited guard Hannah Hedstrom after she had helped lead Minnetonka to a state title in 2016.

Now? Seniors Frannie Hottinger (Cretin-Derham Hall) and Anna Harvey (Lakeville South) and junior Mackenzie Kramer (St. Michael-Albertville) start for the Mountain Hawks; Kramer (15.9) and Hottinger (11.0) were first and third on the team in scoring, as the team went 19-11 last season.

Mahtomedi's Emma Grothaus was second on that team in scoring before transferring to Washington. Van Eps, Lily Fandre (Eagan) and Katie Hurt (Rochester) are also on the roster. Hurt's two brothers, Matthew and Michael, played at Duke and Minnesota, respectively.

Meanwhile, Gophers coach Lindsay Whalen has assembled a team filled with in-state players. Heyer, Braun, Battle and Nia Holloway were part of a highly ranked 2022 recruiting class. They join Borowicz, Maggie Czinano, Destinee Oberg, Alexa Ratzlaff, Angelina Hammond and Marcia Counts as Minnesotans on the roster.

Heyer and Van Eps were high school teammates. Hurt and Heyer played AAU ball together and are friends.

"I feel like we all know each other or know of each other,'' Hottinger said. "I think it's cool for us six to play in front of friends and family, who have watched from afar.''

Whalen said a desire to let that happen was a big reason the game was scheduled.

"You probably can't do it for every team that has a Minnesota kid,'' she said. "But when you can, when it's such a high number, you try to make it happen. Because it's special. And they're at an age where it really means something.''

Fans will likely see that Sunday.

"We're friends,'' said Heyer, who led the Gophers in minutes (29:06) vs. Western Illinois, with eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal. "But when we get on the court it's all business. Time to win. But it will be fun. This shows how great Minnesota is at producing great players. It will be a showcase of Minnesota talent.''

Chaska is sending a bunch of people to the game. Two buses full of fans, as well as high school and youth players. The group will likely be bigger than 100.

Who will they be rooting for?

"Both of us, I guess,'' Heyer said. "But I hope Minnesota.''

Said Van Eps: "That's up to them. But I hope they cheer for me, at least.''