Top 2023 Players From The Nebraska State Tournament Part II

A few days ago, we had the first half of the dynamic freshmen from the 2020 state tournament; today, we take a look at another batch of young players that had a big impact on their squads run to Lincoln this March. <strong>Ashlyn Kingsbury (5’11", Ponca): </strong>Kingsbury is one of the best young shooters in the state.  She has a very quick release on her outside shot.  She has the ability to drive right and score some, but is a little bit one dimensional right now. For Kingsbury to move up from prospective Division II player, her ballhandling skills and free throw shooting need to get better. She has good but not great athleticism, so if she can work on her ball handling and explosiveness, Kingsbury, who average 11 points a game this year, has a chance to really make her mark over the next few years. <strong>Gracie Woods (5’11", Grand Island Central Catholic):</strong>  Woods has good size and strength. She has excellent range and is a threat to score all over the floor including the three point line. She contributed six points and 3.5 rebounds a night while being surrounded by some outstanding teammates, but she will need to improve her ball handling and her ability to get to the basket as her skill set continues to grow.  Regardless, a player with her work ethic will be an outstanding player for the Crusaders for the three years. <strong>Lucy Ghaifan 6’0", (Grand Island Central Catholic): </strong>Ghaifan came on at the end of the year to contribute to the Crusaders run to the state tournament, so look for her contribute greatly from the opening tip next season. She averaged three points a game and 2 rebounds in limited minutes, but she has great size and strength, and she has a chance to become an elite rebounder. A high energy player, will need to improve her range and ability with the ball but with experience she could be one of the best around. <strong>Sadie Nelson (5’7", Oakland-Craig):</strong>  Nelson was an integral part of an Oakland-Craig team that spent most of the season ranked #1 in Class C2.  An athletic guard who handles the ball well, she loves to get out in transition with fellow freshman running mates Chaney Nelson and Syd Guzinski. She attacks the rim well off the dribble and finishes well with good Euro step. Nelson has a really good looking jump shot, and her range should continue to get better.   After averaging around six points and 2.5 steals a night, look for her contributions to leap both with age and the graduation of all-stater [player_tooltip player_id="94324" first="Kennedy" last="Benne"]. <strong>Ashlin Broz (5’5", Maywood-Hayes Center): </strong>Broz was a tremendously valuable player for the Wolves, averaging 10.5 points a night, along with three steals and three assists a game.  She was very poised for a freshman and makes good decisions against pressure.  A heady player who doesn’t force alot on the offensive end, but look for her to increase her scoring output as she gets older.  Broz could be limited by her lack of heigth, but let’s see what the next three years have to say about her game and her prospects.