Opening Weekend High School Evaluations: Part I

With the Iowa High School season kicking off on Friday night I was able to catch a game on Friday night and Saturday online. I was out-of-town but am excited to get back in the gym this week. I caught Dallas Center-Grimes at Ballard and Bishop Heelan at Unity Christian and saw four very talented teams. Below is Part I of our evaluations from the two games. <hr /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="314114" first="Alliyah" last="Thompson"] – 6’0 PF – 2024 – Ballard HS</strong> Thompson is a really intriguing forward who gives Ballard some versatility. She can hold her own on the inside but she can also pop out and knock down shots. This was her first real varsity experience and she processes the game well already. She’s a thin forward who will continue to grow and get stronger. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63582" first="Meg" last="Rietz"] – 6’0 SF – 2022 – Ballard HS</strong> Rietz played solidly and was the leading scorer for Ballard in the game. She was able to knock down some 3-pointers and looked really good doing that around the perimeter. Rietz cut to the rim well and got herself into good spots to score the ball. She is an athletic and lengthy wing who uses her athleticism well on the floor. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="314115" first="Brooklyn" last="Baumgardner"] – 6’2 C – 2024 – Ballard HS</strong> Baumgardner was in the game for a bit of action against DCG and her aggression with the ball in her hands stood out to me quickly. I thought that she looked to score when she got the ball and was able to create a few scoring opportunities. Rebounded the ball well and had the ability to clear out space. As she develops over the next few years she could turn into a really solid weapon.<b></b> <strong>Samantha York – 5’8 SF – 2022 – Dallas Center-Grimes HS</strong> I was impressed with York as she is a very well built wing who has some athleticism to her game. Moves well on the floor and did not seem to be out of place on the floor. I thought that she gave really solid effort throughout the game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="129052" first="Ella" last="Lampe"] – 5’8 PG – 2022 – Dallas Center-Grimes HS</strong> Lampe is one of the best defenders in the state and was a big reason that Ballard’s guards were not able to get going. She moves her feet really well and never seems to be in a bad defensive position. She’s going to be a big reason for DCG’s success as she takes care of the ball and plays tremendous defense. <strong>Avery Korsching – 5’5 PG – 2022 – Dallas Center-Grimes HS</strong> I thought that Korsching played really well and exactly how DCG needed her to play. She pushed the tempo at times and made great decisions with the ball. She played really solid defense and showed the ability to rebound from the guard spot. Showed a solid burst with the ball in her hands and will be a key player for them this year.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <strong>Tyra Schuiteman – 6’0 SF – 2023 – Unity Christian HS</strong> Schuiteman is a very intriguing player due to her length on the floor. She moves well into space adn can handle the basketball. She has the ability to play all over the floor with her versatility. Good defender who uses her length well to block shots. Schuiteman has a soft touch around the rim which allows her to score the ball with ease. <strong>Jenna Bouma – 5’11 SF – 2022 – Unity Christian HS</strong> Bouma is a really solid wing who plays the game very smart. Has good hands and always seems to be doing the dirty work for her team. Really efficient scorer from the inside and rebounds the ball really well. I was impressed with how opportunistic she was. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="246115" first="Maddie" last="Demke"] – 5’3 PG – 2024 – Bishop Heelan HS</strong> Demke was excellent handling the ball in this game. With Stanley out, she did a really nice job as the primary ball-handler. I thought that her ability to create disruption defensively and guard the ball well allowed Bishop Heelan to open it up defensively. She’s a leader on the court and always does a really nice job in her role. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160563" first="Kenley" last="Meis"] – 5’9 SF – 2023 – Bishop Heelan HS</strong> Meis has blossomed into a really nice wing who can score at multiple levels on the floor. She did a really nice job of knifing to the rim to score and looked really strong with the basketball. Meis did a good job of creating contact and then getting it done at the free throw line when she needed.