Intriguing Shooters: Class of 2023
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Shooting is a skill that’s useful at any level of basketball. If a player can shoot at a high level, they’re a massive threat to defenses while being 30 feet away from the ball. I want to highlight some of…
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Continue ReadingShooting is a skill that’s useful at any level of basketball. If a player can shoot at a high level, they’re a massive threat to defenses while being 30 feet away from the ball. I want to highlight some of the shooters I’ve noticed from the junior class this season that can help a team at the next level. These are the four kids I want to highlight for their shooting, and by no means is this a ranking of these players.
City Figlinski City Figlinski 5'9" Appleton West | 2023 WI -5’9 G-Appleton West: Figlinski is a very well-rounded guard. The junior doesn’t shy away from contact on either end of the floor and tends to find the ball more times than not. Figlinski is more of a lead guard, and she has the instincts to be the focal point. Since the Terrors play in the best conference in the state, there isn’t an “easy” game on the schedule, so some of the players guarding her are Division 1 level players. That said, on over four attempts per game, and is shooting a respectable 38% from the 3-point line. The reason Figlinski doesn’t take more 3’s is that she does a good job using ball fakes to get through defenses to get layups off of her threat to shoot. The natural playmaking ability she shows is good, and in the FVA, Figlinksi’s quality usually shines.
Karissa Smith Karissa Smith 5'9" | SG Appleton North | 2023 State WI -5’8 G-Appleton North: Smith is in the highest tier of shooters in Wisconsin, and she has been since her freshman season. There are games where there isn’t much a team can do to stop her. An example of this is her game against Neenah, where she connected on eight 3’s that night. Zoning up Appleton North is asking for something like this to happen because Smith can be that deadly with space to shoot. Smith has some juice off the dribble, and she can create at a respectable level. However, the mere presence of Smith in the gym should deter teams from playing a zone unless they want Smith to have a smile from ear to ear.
Camryn Nies Camryn Nies 5'8" | SG Platteville | 2023 State WI -5’10 G-Platteville: I want to state the obvious with Nies, there is a fair bit of streakiness in her shooting. I think that issue has to do with her release point sometimes moving at the top of her shot, but that’s something I think could be cleaned up. Even with that issue, she’s shooting 36% on almost seven 3’s per game. That shows me there are building blocks to get her to a high-level shooting the ball. When I saw Nies play against Columbus, she had a good night shooting the ball that put her on my radar, to begin with, then shot two of 14 from the 3-point line the next two games. I will be curious to see how she finishes the season and if she figures out the consistency of her shot.
Reagan Pahl Reagan Pahl 5'6" | CG Cedarburg | 2023 State WI -5’6 G-Cedarburg: Pahl has improved a ton since her freshman season. In Pahl’s freshman season, she shot 29% behind the 3-point line. Halfway through this season, Pahl’s shooting 41%. Her jumper looks fundamentally perfect. Like Figlinski, she isn’t afraid of using her jumper as a weapon to get into the paint and score or create. Pahl’s ability to be a couple of steps ahead of defenses constantly has defenses reacting to her and getting defenses out of sorts. It also doesn’t hurt that a six-foot-tall girl can be in her jersey, and Pahl can still get a shot up.