2025 Watchlist Debut: Wings Breakdown

Just 16 of the 50 players in the 2025 Watchlist are wings as of right now. That will surely change as these players start to find their niche on the floor. Some will likely mold their way into forwards while some could become much more athletic and able to play on the ball or as an off-ball guard. When I classify someone as a wing, generally it is because they have the ability to play all over the floor. Positionally at the college level a lot of it is who you can defend so some of these players I am just not confident on yet if they will develop into being able to keep up with a quick guard or if they are going to grow into someone who can defend the post. <hr /> Analysis wouldn't start out correctly if the first mention isn't isn't 5'10 wing [player_tooltip player_id="311365" first="Journey" last="Houston"] of Davenport North who was the first 2025 to receive an offer in Iowa. She was offered by Iowa on July 14th and shortly thereafter picked up an offer from Iowa State. Houston is a very dynamic guard with tons of upside with the ball in her hands. I really like her versatility which is why I label her as a wing right now. I think she has the ability to play the 1-3 on the floor and she has already shown that. She's one of the top players in what looks to be a really solid top end of the 2025 class. Ankeny Centennial just seems to keep reloading every year as they have three very good wings coming in. [player_tooltip player_id="311359" first="Maddison" last="Balashaitis"], [player_tooltip player_id="311361" first="Finley" last="Blackmore"], and [player_tooltip player_id="311360" first="Jaeden" last="Pratt"] all impressed during the summer and will bring some high level competition to the floor. I can't say for sure whether they will or will not get varsity time this year but I won't be surprised to see them making an impact soon in their high school careers. Balashaitis is a really smart player who can play a multitude of spots on the floor. I really like her ability to impact the game on the defensive end as well. Blackmore is a silent assassin as she prowls the perimeter looking for her shot. She has a clean release and can knock down shots. She also has a burst to get to the rim to score the ball. Pratt is one of the most athletic players in the 2025 class and has the ability to get to the rim and shoot the ball. She uses her athleticism well on the defensive end to really hamper the opposing player. Pratt also plays volleyball so time will only tell if she wants to pursue volleyball or basketball at the next level. [program_tooltip program_id='715980' first='Team' last='Iowa'] also has a really solid 2025 group and after viewing them the one that stood out to me the most was [player_tooltip player_id="311363" first="Libby" last="Fandel"] from Cedar Rapids Xavier. The 5'11 wing is a long and lengthy player who has the potential to really be a major kid near the top of the future 2025 rankings. She's a smooth wing who I think is best in transition right now as she sees the floor extremely well for her size and shows the ability to get the ball up the floor quickly. I also thought that when watching her she made really good decisions with the ball in her hands. She's just one of the talented players for this [program_tooltip program_id='715980' first='Team' last='Iowa'] group this year.