Minnetonka, built on three standouts, aims high in girls basketball

St. Michael-Albertville coach Kent Hamre has seen plenty of girls basketball talent come and go in the Lake Conference. He coached some of it.

He sees something more this season in Lake Conference opponent Minnetonka: three players each among Minnesota's best in her class.

A senior, Tori McKinney, signed with the Gophers even though she didn't play last season.

A junior, Aaliyah Crump, who won a gold medal with Team USA and has the nation waiting for her college decision.

A sophomore, Lanelle Wright, already in her third season of heavy playing time.

"They have it all," Hamre said.

Hamre has a special interest. His team, the defending Class 4A state champion, is undefeated, 13-0, and will take on 11-0 Minnetonka at 7 p.m. Friday at Minnetonka High School. Minnesota Basketball News has Minnetonka ranked first in Class 4A and St. Michael-Albertville second.

For those who get there: Crump is the silky smooth one, Wright the quick one, McKinney the one making herself obvious with tenacious defense. They account for 77% of the Skippers' scoring; Crump averages 26.7 points per game, Wright 16.4 and McKinney 13.9.

"They are going to be tough to beat, with loads of talent," Hamre said.

Crump spent much of the summer playing for the U.S. under-16 team that won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas championship in Merida, Mexico. A 6-1 guard, she is Minnesota's top-rated college recruit in the Class of 2025 and stands sixth in the nation in ESPN's HoopGurlz rankings.

McKinney, also 6-1, missed last season because of a broken tibia in her left leg, but she showed during summer that she'd recovered. She committed to the Gophers in September and signed in November. Her absence showed in the Skippers' 17-11 record last season, coach Brian Cosgriff said.

"We weren't the same team without her last year," Cosgriff said. "She is absolutely critical to our team's success."

McKinney called sitting out "very difficult, hard mentally. I wanted to be out there playing with my teammates."

And now? "I'm so happy to be back out there playing with my best friends," McKinney said. "We've been playing together since we were young."

Wright, a 5-10 guard, played in 17 games as an eighth-grader and averaged 4.5 points. She pumped that up to 10.3 as a freshman, when she was named to the all-conference team.

"It's exciting to watch her play," Cosgriff said. "Lanelle is our coach on the floor. She is going to be a special, special player."

Senior guard Grace Hamdorf and junior guard Harley Wock round out the starting five. Four seniors, forwards CeCe Nesseth and Keira Keegan and guards Sydney Cummings and Anna McKinney, provide depth off the bench. Cosgriff hopes that group gets even deeper, depending on whether senior forward Sidney Reed and junior forward Delaney Egert can return from injuries.

"They don't get a lot of recognition, but they do the little things that help us out," McKinney said. "They all have grown into their roles."

Minnetonka is focused on returning to the state tournament for the first time since 2017. The Skippers also made state tournament appearances in 1999 and 2016, winning it in 2016.

The process is off to a good start. They already have annihilated one of the top teams in their section, beating Chaska 69-36. Chaska was the team that knocked Minnetonka out of the section tournament last season.

Now the Skippers are into the Lake Conference schedule, "the best part of our season," Crump said.

They held off Wayzata 64-60 Tuesday night to begin a difficult 16-game stretch that will end the regular season. They have 10 games remaining against teams ranked high in their classes: No. 2 St. Michael-Albertville (two), No. 3 Hopkins (two), No. 4 Eden Prairie (two), No. 5 Wayzata, No. 6 Maple Grove, Class 3A No. 1 DeLaSalle and Class 2A No. 1 and two-time reigning state champion Providence Academy.

"Those games will definitely test us," McKinney said. "Coach has always told us: 'Don't fear any team, but respect all of them.' It will be challenging. We will see how we react to pressure."

Cosgriff eased talk of pressure.

"Nobody wins a state championship in January," he said. "We want to keep getting better each day. We want to be playing our best in March."

The Skippers hadn't been tested before their meeting with Wayzata, their closest margin being 20 points over Centennial 56-36 in the season opener. They are averaging 74.1 points per game while yielding 38.4.

"The pressure has increased on us quite a bit," McKinney said. "I think it's more self-expectations."

One more key part of the program is Cosgriff, in his second season as coach. He is closing in on 600 career victories (597-78) and guided rival Hopkins to seven state championships before stepping down from that position in 2020.

"When he came in, it was definitely a wake-up call for all of us," McKinney said. "The intensity and practice style were a big change. Everybody had to step up to the challenge. It was a change for the better."

Now the Skippers, with three standouts, a sturdy supporting cast and a coach approaching legend status, march toward March.

"We want to make it to the state tournament, so we have a chance to take the next step," McKinney said. "It's going to take all of us working as one if we want to win a state championship."

Minnetonka's schedule and statistics