Brady’s Takeaways: Wings
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After taking in over 20 games in the first month of the season, I’ve come across many players. I’ve taken notes on every game I’ve attended. Today I’m using those notes to talk about some of the best wing players…
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Continue ReadingAfter taking in over 20 games in the first month of the season, I’ve come across many players. I’ve taken notes on every game I’ve attended. Today I’m using those notes to talk about some of the best wing players I’ve seen play. Wing players come with many different roles. Some are more offensive-oriented, some are defensive-oriented, and some are two-way players who excel on both ends of the floor. These four players are my personal favorites that I’ve seen.
Lili Hartel Lili Hartel 5'9" | CG Mukwonago | 2023 State WI -5’9 G-’23-Mukwonago: Hartel is a defensive guard who can grow offensively. The Mukwonago junior is one of the few players who isn’t afraid to play physical defense. The physicality she plays with shows a potential to guard up a few positions, which is uncommon among guards. Hartel will take on the opposition’s best offensive player. Offensively, the junior drives against recovering defenses off of swing passes or by shooting when her nearest defender strays too far from her. Hartel is a complimentary piece to players who want to be on the ball more, which Mukwonago has. Once her offense picks up slightly, Hartel will be an excellent two-way guard in the Classic Eight.
Tess Wiczek Tess Wiczek 5'7" | PG Pius XI Catholic | 2025 State WI -5’7 G-’25-Pius XI: Wiczek has become one of my favorite players to watch this season. The freshman guard is one of the toughest players I’ve seen. Offensively, Wiczek has been a ball mover, breaks the press well, passes well, and is excellent at handling the ball. Once she figures out where she can get easy looks from, her offense will come around, I’m sure of it. I was most impressed by Wiczek on the defensive end. In the Lady Popes game against Milwaukee Academy of Science, Wiczek took the toughest guard matchup defensively. Wiczek did an excellent job slowing down the Lady Nova guard until Wiczek took an accidental knee to the back of her head. The Lady Nova’s then got back into the game until Wiczek came back in late and closed the game out herself. In the second game, I watched Wiczek take a shot to the face on an inbound play, I believe. The guard then came back in a close game, where she closed it out. My takeaway is if Wiczek gets hurt, she’s going to make sure she wins the game.
Bella Oestreicher-5’9 G-’23-Beaver Dam: Oestriecher is an intriguing wing prospect, mainly for her shooting ability. The lefty is currently the second-leading scorer on a talented Beaver Dam team. Her main issue thus far has been her consistency. The junior has had games where she scores at a high level and is consistent. Other times her scoring punch isn’t there, and it’s clear that it gets to her a little bit. I’ve gathered from watching her play that she holds herself to an incredibly high standard. From the outside looking in, she seems like a perfectionist.
Braelyn Torres Braelyn Torres 5'7" | CG Kettle Moraine | 2023 State WI -5’8 G-’23-Kettle Moraine: The start of the season for Torres has shown a lot of improvement in her offensive game. Torres, defensively I’ve thought of as one of the best at applying pressure both in the half-court and full-court. I got to see from the junior against Stevens Point is her all-around offensive game. Torres can score at all three levels, and against Stevens Point was surgically precise. With Torres playing as well as she is to start the season, she takes the Lasers to another level of D1 contender.