Girls basketball: Cary-Grove’s Ellie Mjaanes commits to Lehigh

Even as a freshman, Cary-Grove’s Ellie Mjaanes knew she wanted to continue playing basketball after high school.

Mjaanes, who transferred to C-G as a sophomore, wasn’t sure what level she could reach.

After a breakthrough junior year with the Trojans and a successful spring and summer with her AAU team M14 Hoops, the 6-foot-2 forward got her answer.

Last week, Mjaanes announced her commitment to NCAA Division I Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. After being in contact with coaches in May, she visited the Patriot League school for the first time during the last week of June and was hooked.

“Right when I stepped on campus, I knew it was a special place,” Mjaanes said. “Meeting with coaches and players and seeing the facilities and the campus, it went right to the top of my list.

“Being committed right now is a crazy feeling, but I’m so grateful for it.”

Mjaanes joined M14 Hoops this summer and plays on the same team as Huntley senior guard Anna Campanelli, who committed to Kent State on July 8.

She enters her last year at C-G after her family moved to Illinois from Vermont when she was a sophomore. Mjaanes also had offers from Harvard, Purdue Fort Wayne, Vermont, Buffalo, Princeton and American.

“My coach in Vermont got me inspired for this track,” Mjaanes said. “Even at the start of this AAU season I was kind of timid to join M14, because I didn’t know if I was good enough.

“But they saw potential in me. When I got my first offer, I was kind of shocked.”

Mjaanes was a Northwest Herald All-Area second-team selection last season and led the Trojans at 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds a game. She also was one of the area’s best free-throw shooters at 70.3% (90-128).

Cary-Grove finished 20-12 and placed fourth in the Fox Valley Conference, behind Huntley, Hampshire and Crystal Lake Central. It was an eight-game improvement for the Trojans after going 12-18 the year before.

Cary-Grove won its first regional title since 2018, beating Lake Forest 47-33 in a Class 3A Lakes Regional final.

Mjaanes showed lots of growth from her sophomore year, when she averaged 7.1 points and 5.6 rebounds a game. The talented forward became a much bigger scoring threat and took games over at times. One of those special performances was a 27-point game against Burlington Central where she made 11 of 13 shots.

Cary-Grove coach Tony Moretti said Mjaanes didn’t let the recruitment process get in her way of being a model teammate. He said she’s one of the best players he has coached at C-G, along with 2022 graduate Emily Lukowski, who ended her career as the 10th player in program history with 1,000 career points.

“I think her biggest growth was in the area of leadership,” Moretti said. “She’s just an unbelievable leader. She had fun throughout the entire process, and she always had a smile on her face. She didn’t let it hinder her ability to lead the other players on the team.

“She’s gotten so much better at running the floor. Her first year, we used her a lot as a back-to-the-basket player. But last year she got to face up more. She really worked on that skill aspect of her game and became an offensive threat.”

The Trojans only graduated one starter from last season, Emily Larry, and return two All-Fox Valley Conference players – Mjaanes and guard Kennedy Manning, a rising junior.

Mjaanes believes the Trojans will be tougher to beat this winter.

“I feel like we have a really good group this year,” Mjaanes said. “I just want to go out on a really high note. Moretti and I have been talking, we’re trying to get to sectionals again and win it. I’m just looking forward to getting after it with my team. I know we’re all like-minded with what we want to accomplish, and I’m just excited to see what we’re able to do.”