Week One: Standout Forwards

The High School season is now a week in and after the long lay-off I came out of the gates strong and tuned into over 30 games to watch as many players as possible. I certainly won’t be able to keep that pace up, but wanted to get some early impressions out of the way to get the season started. I will be posting multiple articles similar to this every week with players who stood out to me during the games I <strong><em>watched </em></strong>live. Here are some Forwards who stood out in Week One: <strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="161014" first="Tessa" last="Towers"], 6’4" Forward, Batavia </strong> Towers is a strong and physical Post who is nearly impossible to match up against. She has a great collection of post moves and terrific touch around the basket. Tessa is a dominant rebounder on both ends of the floor and uses her height and long arms to block or alter shots on the low block. <strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="124853" first="Tatiana" last="Thomas"], 5’11" Forward, Bolingbrook</strong> Thomas is off to a terrific start during her first season at Bolingbrook. She is an athletic Small Forward with the length and skill to successfully play and defend multiple positions. Tatiana can get open looks at the rim with ease and uses her strength to finish through contact. <strong>2021 [player_tooltip player_id="201107" first="Isabella" last="Ogliore"], 5’10" Forward, Loyola Academy </strong> A smooth and hardworking Forward who can stretch the floor a bit with her ball-handling and passing abilities, Ogliore gives her team good versatility as a Post. The DePauw commit is crafty with the ball on the block and uses good footwork to get clean looks at the basket. Isabella has good touch and finishing abilities in the paint and can knock down jump shots from the mid-range consistently. <strong>2022 Charlotte Trunk, 5’10” Forward, Sandburg</strong> Trunk is an athletic Forward who runs the floor well in the transition game and finishes at a high rate around the rim. She uses her athleticism in the half court to get herself open in the lane so her teammates can get her the ball. Charlotte is a smart player who uses a variation of post moves to create open looks on the block. <strong>2022 Zikora Okonkwo, 5’10” Forward, Marian Catholic</strong> A Small Forward who provides great versatility with her skillset, Okonkwo had multiple good performances during the first week. She is a tough athlete who can handle the ball well and knock down shots from the outside. Zikora attacks the lane with a purpose and uses her strength to finish around the rim. <strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="158264" first="Thaya" last="Luse"], 5’8" Forward, Aurora Christian </strong> A double-double machine so far this season (and last season as well), Luse is a savvy Forward with terrific scoring ability from anywhere on the court. She has tremendous ball skills and footwork in the post to create easy opportunities at the rim. Thaya can shoot the ball well from outside and the mid-range and dominates the glass on both ends of the floor. <strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="124894" first="Morgan" last="Demos"], 6’2" Forward, Benet Academy </strong> Demos is a strong Post with good height and length to control the paint on offense and defense. She uses a good variation of post moves and ball-fakes on the low block to create open shots and finishes strong through contact. Defensively, Morgan uses her high IQ to control the lane and understands how to best limit opposing Posts from getting easy buckets. <strong>2024 Olivia Austin, 6’0" Forward, Nazareth Academy </strong> An athletic Forward with an impressive start to her high school career, Austin is one to keep a close eye on in the Freshman class. She can stretch the floor with a solid jump shot and good ball-handling skills, while also knowing how to use her strength and athleticism to create looks for herself in the post. <strong>2024 Lauren Miller, 5’10" Forward, Trinity </strong> Miller is an athletic Small Forward who has already made great contributions through the first week of her Freshman season. She provides good versatility with her ball-handling skills and willingness to attack the lane from the wing. Lauren can defend multiple positions effectively and crashes the boards hard on both ends of the court.