Nike TOC Day 4: 2025’s to Keep an Eye On

Mia Laube

July 14, 2020 @ 12:00 PM

Although it's much too early to offer 2025's, I want to put a few names out there of 2025 players who could develop into good college prospects, whether that be for a DIII or DI team.   I spent the first half of day four in Des Moines watching younger players. Here are nine girls who will be great assets to their high school teams; I'll be sure to watch them again over the next few years.   All-Iowa Attack Standouts   On day four, two Attack players stood out to me. Standing at 5'8” already, point guard Ava Zediker out of Des Moines is scrappy and impressive. She racked up rebounds on both ends and got steals all game. She's confident with her handles, and she scores in a variety of ways. I saw a floater, a three pointer and a very smooth euro step. The second player who I really enjoyed watching is Journey Houston. At small forward, she's very strong and a pure hustler. She made both tough finishes and nice moves to the basket, and she was on the floor for loose balls all game. Honorable mention are Emilie Sorensen, who showed a lot of promise, and Reagan Pagniano, who was aggressive and hit some nice threes.   Team Iowa Xavier High School Trio   Cedar Rapids Xavier has a good group in its future, and they could be pieces in a very successful squad if they make a jump before high school. 2025s Sydney Huber, Libby Fandel and Taylor Rexroth are a trio of long guards who have chemistry and find each other on the court. Huber handles the ball well under pressure. Fandel has good instincts as a slasher guard, and though it's inconsistent, she has a nice shot. Both will need to gain strength before they can be successful in the high school game, but they're young. Rexroth operates as a small forward in the high post area. I'm excited to see how these three develop in the next five years.   Two Small Guards Playing Up   [program_tooltip program_id='715882' first='Wisconsin' last='Flight Elite']'s Addison Verhagen, a future Wisconsin Lutheran point guard, has yet to develop quick decision-making with the ball, but then again, I saw her play against a loaded 2024 Minnesota Fury group. I liked what I saw from her. She was one of the hardest workers on the court and sprinted to make saves. She had a few good moves, including a quick spin. I would like to see how she progresses as a leader because she has the tools to get there. A similar player is Wisconsin Impact point guard Tess Wiczek. She isn't flashy, but she focuses on sharp passes to set up her teammates and help the offense flow. Both are scrappers who make their teams better.