Millard South Preview: Player Evaluations from Practice

On the opening day of the 2019-2020 Nebraska High School season, I visited Millard South to catch a glimpse of their talented girl’s basketball team. This year’s roster has an exciting mix of experience and youth that will be interesting to watch develop as the season unfolds. These are the players that caught my attention at the first practice of the season. The much talked about senior duo of Jayme Horan and Maddie Krull came ready for the first day of the season, as expected. <strong>Jayme Horan – 5’11 Forward –Creighton University Commit Class of 2020</strong> Early in the season opening practice, Horan wasn’t going to let teammates forget about the details. The senior Creighton Commit held teammates accountable during a defensive drill by forcing them to extend their close outs further and pressure the ball. Beyond her leadership, Jayme showed off her well-rounded game. Horan makes it tough for offenses by communicating, closing out on balance, and beating her opponent to spots. Offensively, she’s a lights out shooter that can put the ball on the floor and make plays. Jayme impressed me with her vision, throwing two spot on one-handed bullet-passes off the dribble to open shooters in the corner. <strong>Maddie Krull - 5’10 Guard –South Dakota Commit Class of 2020</strong> Krull leads by example, never taking her foot off the pedal during practice. The shifty guard was able to get to the rim whenever she wanted. At times, Krull had to force herself to make a kick-out pass or keep her dribble for the sake of a drill. Maddie has great patience and footwork around the rim. Often driving in deep, staying on balance and finishing past lunging defenders. Her combination of speed and length at the guard position should be a mismatch for anyone in the metro. Krull has a skillset and mentality that will lead her to be a top scorer this year in Nebraska. At their first ever high school basketball practice, freshman guards Kora Olsen and Chloe Lemon were impressive. This freshman duo may be just what Millard South needs to take the next step this season. <strong>Cora Olsen – 5’8 Guard – Class of 2023</strong> As a freshman, Cora’s athleticism and feel for the game stands out even around older, more experienced players. The lightening quick guard plays on balance, never lunging or leaning, but always staying in front of her matchup. During a ball denial drill that some players were struggling with, Olsen suffocated teammates and denied multiple entry passes. Offensively, Cora takes care of the ball and uses her quickness to blow by defenders. Olsen already looks very comfortable in her position and should be able to make an impact for Millard South this season. <strong style="font-size: 1rem">Khloe Lemon – 5’7 Guard – Class of 2023</strong> Chloe Lemon is a good athlete that plays at one speed, 100 miles per hour. When she is driving to the hoop, the ball sounds a little different hitting the floor because of the intensity she pounds it with. She moves well off the ball and attacks the rim with ferocity. Lemon can drive the ball in deep and if she continues to improve at finishing around the rim and adding scoring moves to her game, she will very difficult to defend. Defensively, Lemon works hard to stay in front of defenders and has good instinct for getting her hands on the ball. If she learns to slow down at times and becomes more comfortable in her role, she has a chance to be a key player on this team as a freshman. Between the sets of talented seniors and freshman, under the radar prospects Haylee McLanithan and Chloe Carr may be the important role players this team needs to fill gaps. <strong>Haylee McLanithan – 5’11 Forward – Class of 2020</strong> McLanithan is a long athlete that could fill a lot of spots on this team. The senior wing is quick and agile enough to guard on the wing and tall enough to defend in the post, contest shots and rebounds. Haylee also does a good job of attacking the rim off closeouts and should be able to take advantage of some of her bigger, slower matchups during the season. If she continues to bring consistent effort on defense, she can be a contributor for this team. <strong>Chloe Carr – 5’11 Forward – Class of 2020</strong> Carr is a tough and gritty hard worker that does all the little things that this teams needs. She competes on defense, can defend multiple positions, and rebounds well, despite being undersized at the forward position. Chloe works to get deep position and find space on the court. Because of her good positioning, she creates seconds chances for her team and is available for dump off passes around the rim.