Week 8 Scouting Notes: Part One
In this article:
This week’s scouting notebook is out a little later than I had intended, but I was able to catch several games after their completion thanks to the schools who stream their games on Youtube.
Games Watched
1/19/21
Grand Island Northwest 41 @ North Platte 42
1/21/21
Mercy 31 @ Duchesne 46
1/23/21
Omaha Westside 49 @ Omaha Northwest 46
Millard West 37 @ Bellevue West 52
Gretna 45 @ Papillion La Vista South 41
North Platte
Clancy Brown
The freshman point guard was impressive in North Platte’s tight victory over Grand Island NW last week. She is an intuitive player, most evident in her cutting away from the ball. My impression is that cutting and moving without the basketball is mostly seen as the result of effort, which is in some ways true. I find it to be a great indicator of feel and court-mapping, which are certainly higher-level skills than just effort. She cuts at the right times and at the right speeds, which suggests she can accurately judge the positions of the other nine players and how those variables change. Ball-handling is another crucial skill, and Brown uses hers well to get in the lane and make things happen. She is an aggressive defender, which has its pros and cons. Her gambles don’t always pay off, but as she matures and logs more time on the court, she will learn to pick her spots better.
Bellevue West
Taryn Wharton Taryn Wharton 5'6" | PG Bellevue West | 2022 State NE
Wharton is the best lead guard I have watched in the 2022 Nebraska class. She is a true scorer from all three levels. She scored 32 last week in a one-point loss to Bellevue East last week, and 16 against Millard West. Pull-up shooting is becoming increasingly necessary in today’s game, and Taryn can rise up from anywhere and hit. She is springy, and covers so much ground on her dribble moves and stepbacks that she is virtually unguardable in isolation scenarios. When the inevitable help comes, she rarely forces her own offense and creates for others instead.
Dani Peterson
Dani
Peterson
5'10" | PF
Bellevue West | 2022
State
NE
Compared to most true centers at the high school level, Peterson moves exceptionally well with the basketball. She can twist the hips and adjust on the fly, while maintaining control of the basketball and keeping her head up. A play that stuck with me from their game against Millard West, was when she found herself alone to defend to the 2v1 fast break. She effectively guarded both players, never committing to either and maintaining equal spacing between the two, ready to pounce. When the shot went up, she flipped her hips quickly and rose up to force a miss.
Millard West
Laney Schipper Laney Schipper 5'11" | PF Millard West | 2021 State NE
Schipper is very comfortable driving and finishing to her left, and the extension she gets on her rim finishes makes it difficult to bother her shot without fouling. When she found herself guarded by a smaller player, she demanded the ball. Many players, if they do not receive the post entry feed soon after posting, will give up or find something else to do. She maintained her position until the ball found her, and she wasted no time in exploiting the mismatch. I mentioned Peterson’s ability to move her feet well above, but Schipper was able to attack her off the dribble a few times and earn trips to the charity stripe.
