Class 3A – Region 5: 2021’s Who Should be Valued by Colleges

As we look for other ways to cover prospects we thought it would be beneficial to cover players in a way that allows us to cover those we don’t write much about. We will be using the region’s from last season as they were constructed. Obviously, these regions will change into next season but for these stories it was the easiest way to divide players and teams as equally as possible. We will be writing a series of three stories for each region in the state and the categories are as follows: 2023’s to put on Your Radar, 2022’s who can Breakout, and 2021’s Who Should be Valued by Colleges. We will continue to go through each region and aim to hit as many players as we can that we haven’t talked about previously. Here are five 2021’s who should be valued by colleges. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="165071" first="Ali" last="Vesely"] - Waterloo Columbus</strong> Competing in the ultra-tough North Iowa Cedar Conference, Waterloo Columbus was tested night in and night out. That grind, though, should help prepare them for a big season behind several returning starters. [player_tooltip player_id="165071" first="Ali" last="Vesely"], a member of the Class of 2021, is one of those back after leading the Sailors in scoring, with 327 points, and rebounding with 204, last year. Vesely, a forward, averaged over 13 points a night on 45 percent shooting, and of her 8.5 rebounds per game, three came on the offensive glass. She also had 35 steals, 21 assists and 14 blocks. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="165003" first="Lucy" last="Howes-Vonstein"] - Vinton-Shellsburg</strong> Vinton-Shellsburg’s Class of 2021’s [player_tooltip player_id="165003" first="Lucy" last="Howes-Vonstein"] put together a nice junior season. Now, she’ll look to continue her growth as a senior for the Vikings. Howes-Vonstein scored a team-leading 315 points a year ago, adding 82 rebounds, 43 assists and 37 steals. She shot over 38 percent from the field and 33 percent from the three-point line, making 38 triples while also sinking 70 percent of her 81 free throw attempts. <strong>Tori McDonald - Monticello</strong> Following a productive regular season, Monticello reached the regional championship before falling to Dike-New Hartford. The Panthers will lean on returning starter Tori McDonald to keep the train moving forward. Last year, McDonald scored 141 points with 104 assists, 91 rebounds and 60 steals. She shot nearly 40 percent from the field and buried 16 three-pointers for Monticello. <strong>Reagan Lindsey - Waterloo Columbus</strong> An assist machine as a junior, Reagan Lindsey led Waterloo Columbus with over four dimes a night. Lindsey finished the year with 106 assists in all, adding 92 steals to go along with 169 points and 64 rebounds. She made 18 three-pointers, which ranked second on the team. <strong>Allie Driscol - Union</strong> It was a tough season for Union in 2019-20, and the task grows a little larger with leading scorer and rebounder Natalie Tecklenburg graduating. The Knights will lean on returning starter Allie Driscol this winter after she produced 182 points with 66 rebounds, 43 steals and 37 blocks a year ago. Driscol shot almost 30 percent from the field and made 21 three-pointers, also hitting 56 percent of her free throws.