Class of 2022: Top Centers to Watch

Kristin Kramer

April 8, 2021 @ 02:15 PM

As our Class of 2022 standouts conclude their final AAU and high school season, here is a look at a few of our top centers to watch, and to see why they provide such an elite presence on the inside.   1. [player_tooltip player_id="63572" first="Brooklynn" last="Smith"], 6’3, C, Waterloo West, 2022--Brooklynn is a dominant inside player, and has tremendous upside. She will be playing her final season of AAU ball this year with the elite Team Iowa team. She has the potential to be a high level post player at the college level. This was very evident to identify after watching her play only a few minutes on the court. Her presence on both the offensive and defensive end is incredible, and she has the talent to make things happen every possession. Her size, length, and athleticism are superb; and she can create a lot of damage as a center. Not only can she score, but she can also rack up the rebounds and block shots. Brooklynn displays the ability to get her hands on a lot of passes, and can produce steals as well. Her confident and relaxed demanour is easy to see every game. This Waterloo West HS player put up some solid numbers this high school season with a little under 10 PPG, 7 RPG, 1 BPG, while also shooting 50% from the floor on a team with several offensive weapons. This 6’2 big is a player for college coaches to watch as we head into the season starting here this April.   2. [player_tooltip player_id="129003" first="Natalie" last="Neilsen"], 6’3, C, Akron-Westfield, 2022--Natalie is a powerful center, and can develop into an outstanding overall player as years go on. She just finished her junior season, and will be a player that will surely end off her high school career next season with a bang. She has the potential to be another high level post player at the college level. She brings a lot of energy to the table as a big, and can create so much havoc for defenses. She has a ton of post moves, and can finish with both hands. She displays the ability to run the floor effectively, and can finish in transition really well. Her size and strength are tremendous, which allows her to get a lot of AND 1’s. Natalie has a high basketball IQ, and makes some good passes to her teammates in the lane. Her effort and tenacity on the defensive end is very noticeable, and she can get an extreme amount of rebounds and blocks throughout the course of a game. She also has a good stroke and shot. In addition, she is a talented multi-sport athlete. This Akron-Westfield HS player put up some solid numbers this high school season with a little under 17 PPG, 9 RPG, 2 APG, 2 SPG, and 3 BPG. She will be taking her talents to South Dakota State University in 2022, where she verbally committed to a couple of weeks ago in March after her junior season. This center has the potential to be a great player in the Summit League at the NCAA DI level.   3. [player_tooltip player_id="63616" first="Ellie" last="Hilbrands"], 6’0, C, MMRCU, 2022--Ellie is an efficient post player, and has the potential to be a tremendous overall player in coming years. She just finished her junior season, and will be another player that will definitely end off her high school career next season on a successful note. She, once again, has the capability to be a high level inside player at the college level. She utilizes a variety of post moves, can finish with both hands, and can draw fouls instantly. She’s also very smooth, and has natural athleticism that is very evident. She has a good shot, and can hit many outside shots with consistency. Ellie displays the ability to cause a lot of havoc on the defensive end, and can rack up the rebounds and blocks. She can get her hands on passes with her length, so she can also tally up the steals. This MMRCU HS player put up some solid numbers this high school season with 12 PPG, 7 RPG, 2 APG, 2 SPG, while also shooting 66% from the floor. This center is a player for college coaches to watch next season as she will be capping off her tremendous high school career.   4. [player_tooltip player_id="129053" first="Morgan" last="Etscheidt"], 6’1, C, Clear-Creek Amana, 2022--Morgan is an effective center, and has a good overall game. She will be playing her final season of AAU ball this year with the elite Lady Martin Brothers team, a team that is filled with a lot of talent. She’s very knowledgeable of the game, and has a ton of experience playing against top notch competition. She has the capability to develop into a tremendous overall player, and has the skill to do a lot of damage on both ends of the floor at the college level. She just finished her junior season, and will be a player that will also end off her high school career next season tremendously. She has great post moves, and can finish with both hands. Morgan displays the ability to be a serious disruption on the defense end, as she is a pivotal presence on the inside. With her length, she can block many shots; and will continue to develop into a great shot blocker. Morgan also can get many boards, and can cause havoc by getting hands on passes. She is also a good passer for her size. It’s very evident that she is very confident, and seems like a very poised player while watching her. This CCA HS player put up some solid numbers this high school season with 6 PPG, 3 RPG, 1 APG, while also shooting 46% from the floor. This 6’1 big is another player for college coaches to watch as we head into the season starting here this April.   5. [player_tooltip player_id="163328" first="Chloe" last="Walters"], 5’10, C, BCLUW, 2022--Chloe is a tremendous inside player, and has a great skillset. She just finished her junior season, and will surely be ending off her high school career next season in a terrific way. She has the capability to evolve her overall game, and become a high level post player at the college level. She has good post moves, and utilizes many of them on a consistent basis. She can also finish with both hands. She might lack some size at 5’10 on the inside as a big at the college level, but makes up for it with talent and aggression. Chloe displays the ability to be an elite rebounder both offensively and defensively, with the offensive end having the edge. Her passion for the game is very evident, and she is a great teammate. This BCLUW HS player put up some solid numbers this high school season with 14 PPG, 7 RPG, 1 SPG, 1 BPG, while also shooting 58% from the floor. This center is a player for college coaches to watch next season as she will be concluding her outstanding high school career.