PGH Wisconsin Top 250 Expo: Top Ball Handlers
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The next stop on recapping the events of Appleton last weekend is shining some light on the best ball handlers. The way these players were ranked was by the creativity they had with the ball in their hands. I probably…
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Continue ReadingThe next stop on recapping the events of Appleton last weekend is shining some light on the best ball handlers. The way these players were ranked was by the creativity they had with the ball in their hands. I probably considered about ten names for this list so I took a day to re-watched these players to do my best to trim it down. So feel free to ask me personally about some of the tough cuts if interested. These are the four players I found to be the most creative with the ball in their hands. This list is in no particular order.
Jayla Rankin Jayla Rankin 5'4" | PG Wisconsin Lutheran | 2024 State WI -5’4 G-’24-Wisconsin Lutheran: Although this list is in no particular order I have no question that if there was an order Rankin would be at the top. Rankin had the ball on a string for her team in Appleton. Not only can she defenders off-balance with her dribble, but she has an ability to score multiple ways off of it. Rankin is an elite ball-handler and put on a show whenever the ball found her. Watching her attack off of the dribble is possibly the most aesthetically pleasing part of what went on in Appleton. I could only imagine how hard it is for defenders to stay with her.
Cadence Xiong Cadence Xiong 5'1" | PG West Bend East | 2023 State WI -5’1 G-’23-West Bend West: With her size, Xiong has to get creative with how she scores. Admittedly, watching Xiong play was very intriguing based on the fact that she isn’t playing the same game as most people there. Xiong has to have more space to get shots off and seeing the different ways she gets that space is unique, at least with the players who were there. With the ball in her hands, she creates really well. I just didn’t know, until I saw her in person, how much space she’s able to create off the dribble.
Julia Kennedy Julia Kennedy 5'6" | PG South Milwaukee | 2023 State WI -5’3 G-’23-South Milwaukee: Offensively Kennedy was solid, but as a creator, I was pleasantly surprised with her. The one thing I liked about her creation was that she played aggressively. She was aiming for direct passes that led to scores, and she turned it over some. However, she didn’t let turnovers get in her head. Kennedy always had her head up and was confident for the full extent of time I saw her play. Her teammates always have to have their head on a swivel or there’s a chance a pass might hit them in the side of the head. She has a bit of a way to go to get to where she can be as a player, but I’m confident she has enough passion to get to whatever the best version of Julia Kennedy Julia Kennedy 5'6" | PG South Milwaukee | 2023 State WI is.
Georgia Acompanado-5’6 G-’25-Greenfield: Acompanado has a great imagination when it comes to basketball. In a good way. One moment of hers made me say double take. She had the ball on the right-wing and when she drove right at the basket. However, there was a defender sticking to a shooter in the corner. So Acompando gave that defender a pass fake that got the defender to jump just a little bit to the corner shooter. This opened up enough room for her to easily lay the ball in for two points. It was a play I didn’t expect from the freshman and is one play that continues to stick out in mind. I’m very high on her ability with the ball in her hand to make good decisions and I am genuinely excited to see what this coming season has in store for her. Being able to improvise like that at her age is rare.