Big 8’s Best 8: Class of 2024
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With the 2021-2022 season almost underway in the state of Wisconsin, the diaper-dandy freshmen of yesteryear are ready to show that the future is now. Here are the most talented players of the class of 2024 in the Big 8…
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Continue ReadingWith the 2021-2022 season almost underway in the state of Wisconsin, the diaper-dandy freshmen of yesteryear are ready to show that the future is now. Here are the most talented players of the class of 2024 in the Big 8 conference:
1. Taylor Stremlow Taylor Stremlow 5'8" | PG Verona | 2024 State WI — Verona — 5’9” — Guard — #3 overall #1 PG
When Stremlow is in the game, the game is played at her pace. If she wants to run a half-court set, she’ll elegantly manipulate a double ball screen and either get to the basket or find an open slasher, roller, or shooter. When the flow of the game dictates that Verona needs to push the ball, she breaks through the first level of defense and finds an outlet — usually the #2 on this list, Reagan Briggs Reagan Briggs 5'9" | SG Verona | 2024 State WI — for an electric lay-in. And when the Wildcats switch out of their 2-3 zone and opt for a traditional man defense, she’s shown the ability to lock down her matchup. She’s a quintessential lead guard and one who commands the top spot on this list.
2. Mya Nicholson Mya Nicholson 5'10" | SG Janesville Craig | 2024 State WI — Janesville Craig — 5’10” — Wing — #13 overall #2 CG
I go deeper into Nicholson’s talent here but suffice to say she’s the most refined scorer on this list. She doesn’t have the command of an offense or the suffocating on-ball defense as Stremlow, but Nicholson seems to have limitless ways to score the basketball. She has impeccable footwork in the low post, range that extends well beyond the three-point line (and a clean shooting motion to boot), and a delicate touch around the rim. Even as a freshman, she was one of the most dynamic weapons in the Janesville-Craig offense, a theme that promises to repeat itself throughout the 2021-2022 season.
3. Reagan Briggs Reagan Briggs 5'9" | SG Verona | 2024 State WI — Verona — 5’9” — Wing — #22 overall #8 CG
What makes Briggs so dangerous is that she doesn’t need to monopolize the ball to infuriate a defense. Her off ball movements and crafty slips keep defenses honest. Paired with her aggressiveness and acute understanding of angles at the rim, Briggs is one of the best finishers — bar none — in the conference. And all this before mentioning how terrorizing she is on the fastbreak. Briggs has a nose for when to leak out in transition and maximize a number’s advantages. She’s decisive and bullish, b-lining for the rim with impunity, knowing she’ll either get fouled or finish the play. And even her jumper, which can appear to be herky-jerky, extends beyond three-point range. She needs to improve as a help-side defender and find a way to translate her decisive mentality to both ends of the court, but her multifaceted offensive skillset is good for the #3 spot.
4. Maia Ellis — Verona — 5’10” — Forward — Unranked
Another Verona product makes this list for contrary reasons to the other two. When Ellis is matched up against a smaller guard on the perimeter, she absolutely smothers them. Before she even has the time to show off her quick feet, her length is swallowing up the ball-handler. Her activity and help side orientation in Verona’s 2-3 zone accentuates her defensive prowess. She’s not a flashy presence on the box score, but her high motor on defense and constant offensive movement simply make Verona better with her on the court than without her. She’ll have to develop confidence attacking the basket, and she’ll need to add a vertical element to her defense, but nonetheless, Ellis impressed in her frosh campaign.
5. Alexa Rose Worman — Madison Memorial — 5’8” — Guard — #73 overall #11 PG
Worman is lethal from the outside. Her three-point jumper makes her a threat the moment an offensive set is initiated. She has a smooth stroke that efficiently transfers energy from her legs through her release — a technical skill that will help her extend her range in the future. This killer outside shot sets up her attacks on the rim, where she can finish on either side. Her maneuverability around the rim and ability to get low and explode on drives makes her a perennial offensive threat. She’ll need to develop her handles and get stronger to maximize on her promising offensive foundation, but she’ll be a problem in the conference for years to come.
6. Kaitlin Bindley — Sun Prairie — 5’8” — Guard — #29 overall #3 SG
Bindley has one of the strongest foundations in the conference for the class of 2024. She’s a great off ball mover certainly, but some of her simpler movements really stand out. She’s demonstrated a confidence not only scoring with either hand, but with smoothly turning over either shoulder to set up a hook or floater off the roll. She creates a lot of her space this way, primarily focussing on creating havoc off the ball, but can drive to the rim as well — using raw physicality as her space-creating mechanism. To take her game to the next level she’ll have to improve her outside shot, and reinforce this skill with more diverse slashing and cutting. Moving with the intention of finding an outside shot can be just as valuable to her as her current scoring profile.
7. Lily Campbell — Janesville Craig — 5’7” — Wing — Unranked
Campbell got a ton of high-level experience during the 2021 season at the varsity level, primarily as a wing for the guard-studded JC Cougars. And she provided a ton of versatility during that stretch. Defensively, her timing in the passing lane was a consistent source of turnovers. Offensively, she stretched defenses out with her outside shooting and kept her assignment honest with movements and cuts. It’ll be difficult to find her offensive niche in this offensively loaded Janesville-Craig rotation, but her savvy defensive instincts and offensive versatility place her firmly as one of the top 2024 candidates in the conference.
8. Bella Vitaioli — Janesville Craig — 5’7” — Guard — Unranked
Bella Vitaioli is a lockdown defensive presence, plain and simple. With more 5+ steal games than the rest of this list put together, Vitaoili is on pace to wreak havoc on offenses this upcoming varsity season. The textbook definition of a ball hound, Vitaioli will get steals in the passing lane, on the ball, or off of the press. And this isn’t a matter of her being in the right place at the right time. Vitaoili has active hands, quick feet, and stays square. She’s a fundamentally good defender that opportunistically finds ways to muck up an opposition offense. She’ll have to add more than fastbreak layups to find her footing, but her defense will make her a necessity.