Established Bill Larson, Program Director

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1 Established 1972 Bill Larson, Program Director th St. Suite 310B Oakdale, MN November 2010 NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT Today these players will sign their NLI Kelly Stewart Bri Williams Kayla Hirt Martha Alwal Katie Winge Mariah Clarin Ashley Olson Rachel Banham Liz Keena Morgan Van-Riper Rose Chelsey Frydenlund Megan Roerich Amber Paden University of South Dakota University of North Dakota University of Minnesota Mississippi State University Illinois State University South Dakota State University University of South Dakota University of Minnesota North Dakota State University University of Denver University of North Dakota University of North Dakota University of Sioux Falls Players who have Verbally Committed Jossie Dillon University of North Dakota 2012 Mikayla Bailey University of Minnesota 2012 Congratulations to the players, families, coaches and friends. North Tartan is excited for each of these players to excel at the next level of basketball. There have been now 363 scholarships provided to North Tartan players. Another great note every player on the 17U Nike Elite and the 16U team have verbally committed / signed, or have been offered a scholarship.

2 PAPERWORK and PAYMENTS Please make sure to follow through with all paperwork, forms, and requested information. The North Tartan staff would prefer to spend its time preparing for the upcoming season rather than track down miscellaneous information. Once a player is listed on a roster please take the time to thoroughly complete all the requested materials. You will be ed a payment schedule. Feel free to follow that over the next few months. Of course, if you would prefer to make one full payment you may do so. The initial deposit of $ was on November 1 st. The North Tartan staff would prefer if you would make payments using Paypal. If this is your first year in the program please send a picture to PAUL VOIGT [pcvoigt@q.com]. Obviously, the clearer the picture and higher megapixels the better. CLARITY North Tartan does not hold try-outs. North Tartan is an invite only club. However, since the process of players choosing teams is happening earlier and earlier there may need to be initial contact by a potential athlete s family. There are great players throughout the state and there is no-way everyone can be contacted in such a small time frame. Once North Tartan is contacted we will make sure to attend a game, fall event, or open gym. There is no initial cost to register with our club. Minnesota Signs Pair of Nationally Ranked Recruits PART I GREAT ARTICLE Two of the nation's top high school players who both hail from the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" have signed National Letters of Intent to play women's basketball next season at the University of Minnesota, Gopher head coach Pam Borton announced Wednesday. Rachel Banham of Lakeville, Minn. (Lakeville North HS), a 5-9 point guard who has been ranked as high as 18th nationally by various scouting services, and Kayla Hirt of Bemidji, Minn. (Bemidji HS), a 6-2 forward ranked as high as 25th nationally, will join Minnesota's program as freshmen for the season. As a junior in , Banham led her Lakeville North team to a perfect 32-0 record and the Minnesota State High School League's Class AAAA state championship. Banham scored 25 points in the state title game, and averaged 14.8 points per game during the Panthers' unblemished season.

3 Banham earned all-state honors from the Associated Press and the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association (MGBCA), and was named the 2010 Player of the Year by the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota Basketball News, and Breakdown Magazine. "I've always wanted to play for the Gophers," Banham said. "Seeing (former All-American) Lindsay Whalen play so well there makes me want to do the same. Playing for (a school) where I've grown up was also a big influence, and staying nice and close to home. I also love the atmosphere, and the awesome coaches and players. It's just an all-around good, and fun, place to be." "Rachel is one of those players that every program dreams of having," Borton said. "She is a playmaker, a winner, a competitor - one who makes everyone on the court better. Rachel has developed into one of the best point guards in the nation over the past year. There isn't anything that she can't do on the court, and we will be excited to have a player with Rachel's talents on the floor." Hirt is coming off a junior season in which she averaged 26.0 points and 14.1 rebounds per game to help her Bemidji team finish with a record of 25-2 and reach the Class AAA state quarterfinals. A two-time first-team all-state selection by the MGBCA, and also a standout on the volleyball court, Hirt becomes the first girls basketball player from Bemidji to sign with the Golden Gophers. "I'm most excited to go to Minnesota because my family can watch and support me, as I represent my home state," Hirt said. "I'm looking forward to being able to play with a great teammate in Rachel Banham. We work really well together, and I believe we will help Minnesota accomplish great things. I picked Minnesota because I foresee us getting back to the Final Four, and I have aspirations of Minnesota winning a national championship." "Kayla's work ethic and drive are amazing and the reason she is one of the best players in the nation," Borton said. "Her versatility, heart and passion will make her very successful at the next level. Kayla has a unique blend of size, speed, strength and skill that make her special. I am really looking forward to coaching her, and excited to see the impact she will have on our program." When not playing hoops for their respective prep programs, Banham and Hirt have been teammates for one of the top AAU programs in the nation - North Tartan Nike Elite. This past spring and summer, the two future Gophers made their mark by leading the team to impressive finishes at the prestigious Boo Williams Invitational and at the NIKE Nationals. Banham earned alltournament honors at both events, pushing her national recruiting ranking to No. 18 by BlueStar Basketball and No. 19 by ESPN's HoopGurlz. Hirt is listed at No. 25 by Dan Olson's Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. "I have a lot of kids in a lot of programs throughout the Big Ten, but with these two individuals, teams are going to have to figure out ways to keep the ball out of their hands," North Tartan director Bill Larson said. "And, by playing in our program, they've already played against kids who are going to the ACC or the SEC, and they've already played against kids who are Big Ten caliber players for the past couple summers." With the addition of Banham and Hirt to the Minnesota roster, the Gophers will have a total of six former North Tartan players. Larson proudly pointed out that, "The last time we had this many North Tartan players on the Gophers' roster, they went to the Final Four." "Our vision for this program is to return to the Final Four and contend for a national title," Borton said. "These two players share that vision and they are committed to becoming an integral part of this mission." For now, though, Banham is going to focus on making another run at a state title for her Lakeville North Panthers, coached by Andy Berkvam. "Rachel gets better every year, and she seems to take her game to a new level each time I see her play," Berkvam said. "The thing now is, she's physically strong. She's really matured into her body. She's almost 5-foot-10, and she's just amazing. She makes everybody around her better." Meanwhile, Hirt will look to help Bemidji get back to the state tournament, but she'll have new responsibilities this year. Over the summer, Hirt suffered a partial tear of her ACL, and she had surgery to repair the injury in early September. She'll miss her senior season, but will still serve as a team captain, as well as taking on some assistant coaching duties. "Kayla's meant the world to our program over the last three or four years, but not just with her play" Bemidji head coach Rick Kehoe said. "She's a tremendous athlete, and she's got tremendous skills, but her work ethic, just how she carries herself, what she does during the season, out of season, how she's a leader on the team. It's everything. There are a lot of good basketball players, but Kayla has so much more going for her other than just her basketball skills. The impact she's had on my youth teams and my kids is amazing." "Kayla and Rachel are both exciting players to watch, and we are thrilled that our fans will be able to see them play in 'The Barn'" Borton said. "The sky is the limit for them as student-athletes at Minnesota and years beyond that. They both played for great high school coaches and a very successful AAU program. They will be a big part of bringing the magic back to Minnesota basketball, and we are very excited about the future." PART II GREAT ARTICLE Bill Larson, director, North Tartan AAU Program On the dedication of Kayla Hirt to continue to improve:

4 "Plain and simple, if the Gophers have to pay for gym time, they're going to lose out on this deal big time. They're going to have to pay a lot of overtime to custodians to keep the gym open long enough for Kayla. She is not going to leave the gym. She's a kid who drove down from Bemidji for (North Tartan AAU) practices, her parents would rent a hotel room, and she'd be at practice on Saturday. And that was for three years straight, without missing a single practice. And she verballed so early (during her sophomore season, Oct. 1, 2008), that she could have very easily taken off certain games or practices, but she did not want to miss a thing, she wanted to continue to get better. And it was a great deal for our program that we made sure that our practices were not wasting anyone's time, including hers, which really raised the level of play in our own gym, as a program. She was making this commitment, driving four hours and 15 minutes, so we couldn't afford to waste her time and it was a big plus for our program. But, like I say, you're going to have to kick her out, because she's not going to leave (the gym). So, if shootaround is an hour before the game, you better open it up two hours before the game." On her drive to recover from her ACL injury: "She is so driven, she started working out even before the surgery happened. She is way ahead of schedule already. We just have to make sure that we don't push this thing too fast. But, at the same time, I think her parents are going to have to yell at her a little bit to keep her off the floor. The good thing is, there's no question in anyone's mind that she's not going to be ready to play (for the Gophers) when she comes to campus next June. She'll be ready to go, and that's the biggest thing. Coach Borton did a wonderful thing by honoring her commitment to Kayla, and that shows great dedication by the University, and by the (women's basketball) staff, and they won't regret it." On Kayla's skills on the basketball court: "Her speed and athleticism is incredible. Her drive to the basket is virtually unstoppable, and she's been working on her mid-range game, where she was making some floaters in the lane. I've seen her feel so good in games, that if she comes in (to the U of M) in anywhere near the shape she was in this past June, prior to the injury, she's going to be a big, big part of the program." Bill Larson, director, North Tartan AAU Program On Banham: "Plain and simple, and everyone across the country (who follows girls basketball) knows this, Rachel is one of the premier points guards in the nation. I've seen a lot of kids play, and a lot of kids come out of this state, and she is a national recruit. She's not just a Midwest recruit, or a Big Ten recruit, this is a national recruit, and she's staying close to home, where she wants to be...she is easily one of the top 10 point guards in the entire nation, and she's going to make her home here. She's already been through an awful lot of good battles, and made clutch shots, and she's a kid you want to start the game, as well as the kid who you want to have end the game. She's already proven herself by playing at that level through the Nike circuit, and competing against many of the nation's top players, just like Jackie Voigt and Kiara (Buford) did." On Banham's drive to become even better as a basketball player: "She is very driven, and she was playing very unselfish basketball for many years. At some point this summer, she started playing a little more selfishly -- in a good way -- and she wanted more and more, and there wasn't an obstacle that was going to stand in her way. And that's something hidden that not all kids have, but she has that driving force within herself to be the one to be called upon, and the one to make the last-second shot." On Banham making all-tournament teams at the Boo Williams Invitational and at NIKE Nationals: "Ten players made the all-tournament team at Boo Williams, and if you look at that list of players, seven of them played for the USA National Team in France this year. Rachel started making her mark this year in April. One she got to July, and she had gained some notoriety, by the time she hit NIKE Nationals she was the premier player. In fact, we were probably just one win short of her being named the Most Outstanding Player of the whole tournament. And, you just don't do that (enter the tournament unheralded, and earn MOP honors) at NIKE Nationals. That is the Mecca of girls basketball for the summer, and she was on the main stage, and lit it up. The other thing is that it's very rare to see a kid from the Midwest getting attention like that. It's usually the East Coast or West Coast kids, where the numbers are just the numbers. So, for a Midwest kid like Rachel to be able to earn the notoriety that she did is very impressive." On the level of national recruiting interest in Banham: "You can't say this about many players, but this kid, without a doubt, would have been recruited by any school she wanted to attend. As this process happened, and even after she had verbally commited to Minnesota, there were still teams that would check in and call either myself or her high school coach (Andy Berkvam), and the list is endless. This is a kid who could play in the ACC, the SEC, East Coast or West Coast, and it really doesn't make a difference. She's the type of player who will bring a lot of excitement from the first time she steps on the floor as a Gopher. I've coached a lot of kids, and we have a lot of kids who have come through our program and gone on to Big Ten schools to become successful, and there is no incling in my mind that she's not going to be the next in line to be a four-year starter for the University of Minnesota." PART III GREAT ARTICLE On the impact of Minnesota adding Rachel Banham and Kayla Hirt: "I have a lot of kids in a lot of programs throughout the Big Ten -- I think we have eight to 10 who are playing in the Big Ten right now -- but, with these two individuals, teams are going to have to figure out ways to keep the ball out of their hands. And, by playing in our program, they've already played against kids who are going to the ACC or the SEC, and they've already played against kids who are Big Ten caliber players for the past couple summers. So, they're just going to have to adapt to what Coach Borton wants, and what her staff asks them to do, and I think they'll be able to make an immediate impact to help the Gophers win Big Ten games. The last time we had this many (there will be six with the addition of Hirt and Banham) North Tartan players on the Gophers' roster, they went to the Final Four."

5 GO MARTHA I love the first three lines! PREP BASKETBALL: Worthington standout inks with Mississippi State WORTHINGTON When Martha Alwal went to an AAU girls basketball tournament this summer, she was relatively unknown. Alwal signs Brian Korthals/Daily Globe Worthington High School senior Martha Alwal (center) signs her letter of intent to play basketball with Mississippi State Wednesday afternoon in the media center at the school. Alwal was joined by WHS coach Pat Williams (back left), her father Opothy Omot (front left), her mother Abella Omot (front right) and WHS coach Eric Lindner. WORTHINGTON When Martha Alwal went to an AAU girls basketball tournament this summer, she was relatively unknown. Months later, she s heading to one of the nation s top programs. The Worthington High School basketball standout signed a letter of intent to play at Mississippi State on Wednesday afternoon. I m so happy it s over with, Alwal said from the high school s media center. I m glad I m going to Mississippi State. They were the perfect fit for me. I loved the school when I went down there. During her junior year, Alwal averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks per game. Then it was time for the 6-3 center began her AAU season this summer. No one knew who I was, Alwal said. When I went to tournaments, they were like, Who is she? Where did she come from? Where is Worthington? Nobody knew where I was from. It was during a tournament in Chicago where teams really began to take notice. I guess I played really good, Alwal said. That was one of my better tournaments. From there, the Bulldogs started recruiting Alwal. When we were in Chicago they called right after that, Alwal said. (MSU coach Sharon Fanning-Otis) talked to Pat (Williams) first, but when she talked to me, she said, We want to recruit you. It s so weird. I didn t expect that. I thought I d get offers, but not that big, not like Mississippi State. So it was huge, it was a big deal. I was pretty happy. After ruling out other schools like Notre Dame, Michigan State, Tulsa and Colorado, Alwal decided on MSU, which was in the Sweet 16 a year ago. She s committed herself this year more than ever, Worthington head coach Eric Lindner said. It s been a long time since I saw this little stick figure and they called her Martha. She s come a long ways. You think about where she started and where she s come, and the positive thing is that her best basketball is probably yet to come. But she has made great strides since she first started playing basketball. When I was younger, I wasn t really that tall, Alwal said. Then I started growing when I was in fifth or sixth grade. I didn t think anything of it, I really didn t. Until I played basketball at the middle school. That s when everyone was like, She s huge. I realized that I was really tall. Other than that, I didn t think anything of it. Lindner said he saw the potential almost immediately. When she was in seventh and eighth grade, she was real awkward, but you could see that she could jump, the coach said. She had some ability to trace the ball and you re thinking right now, There s your shot blocker. She s developed in her shot blocking, but she s actually developed into a pretty good rebounder and she s a pretty good shooter. She doesn t show it that much in a game, but now I m pretty confident in her

6 from 10 to 12 feet. Alwal is one of the tallest players in the area. That will change once she starts playing in the Southeastern Conference. I saw some of the girls on the team when I went to visit, she said. They are like 6-5, huge and muscular. I was like, Oh my gosh, I m going to be playing against girls like this. I dealt with that in AAU a lot. I got shoved around pretty bad. But I handled it well. A standout on the volleyball court as well, Alwal decided during last basketball season that it was the sport for her. It all started at the Pipestone game last year when we were playing there, she said. I don t know what about it, but after we won that game, I was like, Wow, I really like basketball. It s an aggressive sport, so I like that about it a lot more. She ll need to be even more aggressive this season as opposing teams will try to stop her inside. Sure, she can score one-on-one, but now you re double teamed, what can you do? Lindner said. One thing that you don t notice is that Martha is a great passer. She is able to see kids and make the good pass. We re hoping they double, we re going to do a lot of back-cut stuff this year. So when she does get the ball, we can back-cut the defender. They are going to double her and sometimes even triple her. If we can t prove that we can shoot from the outside, we re going to see a lot of zones. Now that Alwal has her college decision made, she s ready to begin her senior year on the court. I want to prove a lot of people wrong, she said. Because of all the seniors we lost last year, everyone is like, You guys are not going to be good. I just want to prove everyone wrong and get a lot of wins this year. I want to go to state. That s my goal, I want to go to state. That, and dunk during a game. I m so close, Alwal said. When I jump with the ball in my hand, it hits the rim. I m going to dunk it. I know it am. I got this. One last note From Director Bill Larson One of the busiest but happiest days of the year comes on NLI (National Letter of Intent) when seniors are able to sign to their selected Universities. I have dozens of stories that repetitively come to mind and many more that develop throughout the years. Each situation has its own unique twist and each family has their own story. I am personally blessed to be part of the decision making process of families that choose and ask for help in the recruitment process. This year has been no different. All of the University web sites and the small town papers offer just a little touch of the insight into the dedication that the athletes and families have given over the years. As I finally, very late as usual, sat on my couch last night, another text came in that I am still smiling about today simply put the kid is happy! WISH EVERYONE THE BEST ON MONDAY! START STRONG PLAY HARD COMPETE And BECOME A BETTER PLAYER EVERYTIME YOU STEP ON THE FLOOR! With a bounce, Bill Larson North Tartan WE SUPPLY THE NAME, YOU SUPPLY THE GAME!