Week 1 Big 8 Upperclass Watchlist
In the first week of the season rosters and roles are all being solidified. This provides an incredible opportunity for ranked and unranked prospects alike to showcase new skills and put themselves on the map. Here are some Big 8…
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Continue ReadingIn the first week of the season rosters and roles are all being solidified. This provides an incredible opportunity for ranked and unranked prospects alike to showcase new skills and put themselves on the map. Here are some Big 8 upperclass names you should know and keep an eye on based on what we saw in week 1.
Rachel Rademaker — Guard — Class of 2022 — Unranked — Sun Prairie
No Antionique Auston Antionique Auston 5'8" | CG Sun Prarie | 2023 State WI meant a starting role and increased playtime for the wily senior. Though limited in the first half due to foul trouble, her impact throughout the game was evident. When she was on the court, she’s the piece that makes everything work. Her numbers won’t jump out of the box score, but she does all the things you would want out of a starting point guard and is a hound defensively.
Before the year started one of the biggest questions surrounding Rademacher’s player profile was her role offensively. But if the first week of the season is any indication, Rademacher has become a type of floor general for this Sun Prairie squad. She was the one often coordinating the offense, directing traffic, and making the simple-yet-effective plays that a team with this much talent needs. The unranked senior has always been an impact player defensively, but if this really is a new layer of her game, she becomes un-benchable.
Sawyer Sullivan — Wing — Class of 2022 — Unranked — Madison West
Sullivan led the charge for a Madison West defense that racked up 31 steals against Milwaukee Hamilton. Her ability to read offenses two or three passes ahead made her an absolute nuisance in the passing lanes. And while her 6 swipes may be a bit extreme to expect on a nightly basis, the senior wing has legit length and defensive instincts, two things that are just simply hard to teach.
A majority of Sullivan’s 14 points in this one came off of West’s ability to create turnovers and get out in transition. And while Sullivan showed the ability to create baskets for herself and others on the fastbreak, it’ll be curious to see how she adjusts to a slower tempo as we get closer and closer to conference play. With her 5’10” frame, she has the potential to finish over the top of smaller guards and be a potent source of offense for West.
Kiara Lewis — Guard — Class of 2023 — Unranked — Madison West
What pops out of the screen when watching Lewis play is her toughness, speed, and shooting. All of which were on display in West’s aforementioned beatdown of Hamilton. When finding herself facing a bigger opponent, she fronted the post and created a mess down low. When pressing in the opposition’s backcourt, she quickly jumps passing lanes and got open baskets at the rim.
And then comes the shooting. A sweet lefty stroke was a major tool in Lewis’s arsenal in the first week of the season. That’ll be something to look for throughout her junior campaign. A reliable outside shot with her speed is a dangerous weapon to have for the West offense.
Liz Pierson — Guard — Class of 2023 — Unranked — Janesville Craig
Pierson looks to be the definition of a stock riser despite Craig’s loss to Stoughton to open the season. Super active defensively, Pierson appears to be way more comfortable on the floor than she was a season ago. She’s also seemingly added some speed and strength to her game. The off-ball movement that she showed flashes of last year seems sharper already.
She just has to put it all together at the rim. Though she found herself at the cup often against Stoughton, she struggled with her touch. She could’ve easily added six points to her final stat line if she had simply converted layups that she got for herself. This could be early-season rust, and as long as she shakes it off, she can be an X-factor for a highly talented JC team.