Minnesota has become a hotbed for girls basketball in recent years and Chloe Johnson could be the next big thing. In fact, she already is the next big thing.
Johnson is an eighth-grader who is putting up big numbers for Duluth Marshall this season. According to Minnesota Basketball Hub, Johnson is averaging 28.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game for the Hilltoppers.
Johnson is also coming off a strong summer where she played against high school competition as a member of the All Iowa Attack 17U team.
Johnson has six games with over 30 points this season and scored 28 points in a matchup with state power Albany on Dec. 2.
These performances have Johnson poised to be the next star coming in Minnesota’s girls’ basketball pipeline, which includes Crosby-Ironton sophomore Tori Oehrlein (averaging 37.1 points per game), Providence Academy sophomore Maddyn Greenway (averaging 33.6 points and 6.4 assists), five-star guard and Hopkins star Liv McGill, who recently committed to Florida, and 5-star Benilde-St. Margaret’s guard Olivia Olson, who is committed to Michigan.
Olson and McGill are ranked 15th and 16th, respectively, in ESPN’s HoopGurlz top 100. The national class of 2025 includes Minnetonka standout Aaliyah Crump, a 5-star recruit ranked sixth nationally, and Maple Grove guard Jordan Grove, who is headed to Michigan State.
While Paige Bueckers stars at UConn, more Minnesota standouts are choosing to stay home and play for the Gophers. Mara Braun is currently second in the Big Ten in scoring (19.7 ppg) behind Iowa phenom Caitlin Clark (30.9 ppg), and Amaya Battle and Mallory Heyer have helped Minnesota go 12-3 to start the first year under Dawn Plitzuweit.
Braun, Battle and Heyer were all recruited by Lindsay Whalen.
Johnson could be the next player to join the Gophers as she went on a visit back in June and has been offered a scholarship.
National Champions…2029? Thank you, MN! 🏀 @GopherWBB @MinnStarksGirls pic.twitter.com/yUF5lMTHER
— Chloe Johnson #5 (@ChloeJohnsonMN) June 9, 2023
There’s a long way to go, but Johnson is already making a name for herself as an eighth-grader and will very likely be one of the top players in the country by the time she graduates in 2028.
