2022 and 2023 Creators Who Impress Regardless of Position

Mia Laube

July 7, 2020 @ 10:00 AM

Although I spend a lot of time analyzing players’ scoring ability, creating for others is just as important, if not more important, and it doesn’t just come from point guards.   These five prospects finished top 100 in multiple categories of the state leaderboards for assists, rebounds and steals in 2020, which isn’t easy considering how impressive and athletic the class of 2020 was.   I chose to isolate 2022’s and 2023’s because their talent is more raw than that of the seniors and juniors on the leaderboards. College coaches should definitely keep an eye on these five.   [player_tooltip player_id="127622" first="Halli" last="Poock"] — 2023 — Waterloo West High School — Team Iowa   Poock stood out in the assists standings (ranked No. 71) and the steals standings (ranked No. 44), but let’s talk about how smooth and confident she is as a young point guard. One-handed passes up the court and crafty post entries are in her arsenal as a creator, but she can also create for herself, making her one of the most impressive prospects I’ve watched film of so far. She has a go-to hesitation move that she often finishes with a baby double clutch finish at the rim. She also pulls from behind the arc without hesitation, and it’s a nice shot. She deserves her spot in the top 10 of our 2023 rankings.   [player_tooltip player_id="129032" first="Lauren" last="Donlea"] — 2022 — East Buchanan High School   I love Donlea’s energy on the court, whether that be moving without the ball, jumping into the press or celebrating a nice play. For her small size, she has shown both athletic and power finishes inside. She’s quick, and with a nice overall skill set, she’s arguably the most successful “creator” on this list. Her stat line goes as follows: 5.0 steals per game (ranked No.3), 4.8 assists per game (ranked No. 26), and 3.7 rebounds per game. Teams in need of a point guard should keep her on their radar.   [player_tooltip player_id="129006" first="Macy" last="Sievers"] — 2022 — Newell-Fonda High School — Play4Him Academy   Sievers got on the high school leaderboard last season with 122 assists (ranked No. 22) and 89 steals (ranked No. 50). On top of that, she averaged 14.6 points per game, but that isn’t why she made this list. From what I’ve seen of her 2020 postseason performances, I can tell that Sievers creates for her teammates. She racks up steals by being ball-conscious and aggressive, and that leads to points for her teammates. She’s good for a dish or a wrap pass under the hoop. She also gets almost four rebounds per game. If she gains the change of speed and calming presence that many players develop as upperclassmen, or even freshmen in college, she will get a lot of attention in the next few years.   [player_tooltip player_id="63613" first="Lauren" last="Wilson"] — 2022 — Springville High School — Team Iowa   At forward for a small school, Wilson doesn’t limit herself to an inside game. She’s already made her mark in the scoring column, but she averaged almost 10 rebounds as a sophomore (ranked No. 32) and got on the assists board at No. 65. A few things I’m impressed by when it comes to Wilson are her court vision and blocking ability. In the high school game, you see a lot of girls swat down at the ball, but Wilson’s 87 blocks last year were clean and calculated. She can also execute full court passes up to teammates in the fast break, which is unsurprising given the fast pace that Springville teams are used to. She’s definitely one to keep an eye on in upcoming Team Iowa showings.   Kelly DeMeulenaere — 2023 — Grand View Christian High School   Unrefined but tough, DeMeulenaere is another ball-conscious guard. She creates in many ways, including 5.4 rebounds per game (ranked No. 23), 5.3 assists per game and 3.4 steals per game (ranked No. 83). When she gets going, she gets going, and she pushes tempo up the court after a signature steal.