Class of 2024 Biggest Stock Risers: Guards, Pt. 1

It’s rankings season and the 2024 list has just dropped on PGH Wisconsin’s site. Here are the five biggest risers at the guard position this time around: <strong>1. [player_tooltip player_id="209618" first="Gracie" last="Gopalan"]: up 50 spots (#85 to #35)</strong> <strong>Biggest improvement: Decision-making</strong> Gopalan’s made a remarkable jump to the top-35 as a result of her dynamic play as a point guard. Though she’s always been a committed on-ball defender and a pass-first playmaker, Gopalan is now a bona fide floor general. Her decision-making in the half-court helps Waupun’s offense tick, manipulating ball screens, using her quickness to attack the paint and pick defenses apart with her pocket-passing, and demonstrating a lightning first step on her way to the cup. Her comfort initiating offense as an undersized guard is impressive but her IQ takes her game--and Waupun’s potential as a state champion--to the next level. Her much improved jump-shot mechanics are also noteworthy. She’s cleaned up her shooting pocket, her energy transfer from legs to her core to her release looks much more fluid, and she’s launching at a more consistent angle. Her jumper is smooth and repeatable, leading her shooting percentage from downtown to increase from 28.8% last season to a trustworthy 34.7%. Gopalan is now a threat on and off the ball, and another exciting element that defenses facing the Warriors must factor in going forward. <strong>2. [player_tooltip player_id="209591" first="Lindsey" last="Schadewalt"]: up 34 spots (#50 to #16)</strong> <strong>Biggest improvement: Handles</strong> Schadewalt has become one of the best three-level scorers in the 2024 class. She’s demonstrated incredible patience on the ball, knowing how to get to her spots without rushing or simply bulldozing the defense. Her improved strength--in tandem with her ever-present length--allows her to get her shot off over most all defenders. But her offensive game mainly blossomed because of her improved handle. She’s always been a daunting three-point threat, but her shot profile mainly consisted of catch-and-shoot and movement threes off screens. With her high-level handle and comfort initiating offense, she’s added the ability to face-up in a triple-threat and reliably get open jumpers, using jab steps, step-backs, and crossovers as her primary weapons. Scary hours indeed for those facing the New Glarus two-guard. Another aspect of her improved game worth noting is her improvements as a defender. Her positional awareness, timing, and strength have all taken steps forward. Though she may not possess the lateral quickness of truly elite wing defenders, she’s improved her game on that end to the point where teams can’t isolate her, and New Glarus can trust her. She’s a much more complete player than a season ago with one of the highest ceilings in the class. <strong>3. [player_tooltip player_id="337031" first="Nevaeh" last="Watson"]: up 28 spots (#86 to #58)</strong> <strong>Biggest Improvement: Lane Discipline/Patience in the paint</strong> In her freshman year, Watson had already established herself as a pass-first playmaker with a quick first step and a good handle. But she lacked consistency scoring and would at times look puzzled once she broke down the first level of defense. Now, in her sophomore campaign for Racine Case, Watson’s cleaned up her decision-making and become a dangerous point guard 17-feet and in. With her improved combination of wiggle and vision, Watson consistently makes the best play once breaking down her matchup. Her patience and touch allow her to evaluate her options in the paint and pick out the best one, whether that be a pass to the low block or taking it to the rim herself.  For a point guard with her talent, these obvious signs that the game has slowed down for her are greatly encouraging. It’s also important to note that she’s stepped up facing increased opportunity and responsibility. Rather than becoming overwhelmed by facing better defenders and gameplans structured around stopping her, Watson has become the engine for Racine Case’s offense. Her 11 points per game scoring jump has come as a result of this increased opportunity and skill level. Her potential last year was evident, but for Case, Watson’s degree of growth has been a revelation. <strong>4. Eliana Sheplee: up 26 spots (#37 to #11)</strong> <strong>Biggest improvement: Fluidity attacking the basket</strong> Sheplee’s 12 points per game scoring jump is one of the most impressive feats of the season. After averaging 5.5 points per contest last season, Sheplee went off for 37 in Rice Lake’s first game of the 2021-2022 season. Harder to make a much stronger statement than that. Her creativity, first step, and aggression attacking the basket are key sources of offense for her. The explosion that was so impactful in AAU play has translated clearly. But whereas sometimes during her freshman year she would stagnate or look stiff attacking the basket, she looks much looser and springier this time around. Her tight handle and concise dribble moves let her get to the cup seemingly at will, and her length and vertical explosiveness make contesting her shot a major challenge for opposing guards. Sheplee’s defensive prowess has also seen a major step up this year. All of her physical talent that makes her an offensive nightmare translate to the defensive end as well. Guards--even smaller and quicker--tend to struggle to find attacking lanes and finishing angles against Rice Lake’s stud. Her track and volleyball backgrounds shine clearly in her skillset. The next step for her is making her release point on jump shots more consistent. She gets a ton of lift on her jumpers, but at times it looks like she releases on the way down and not the apex of her jump. She’s shown flashes of shooting and some of her other mechanics--foot placement, elbow and shoulder alignment, and release-point--are sound, just another sign of optimism for one of 2024’s highest risers. <strong>5. [player_tooltip player_id="266984" first="Alexa" last="Kinas"]: up 25 spots (#38 to #13)</strong> <strong>Biggest Improvement: Comfort</strong> Kinas’ increased opportunity within the Kaukauna program has yielded great results for the sophomore. As a freshman, Kinas showed flashes of her slashing ability and outside shooting, but also looked mechanical. This year, Kinas is a free-flowing gunslinger whose off-ball movement, shooting prowess, and aggressiveness in getting to the cup have been on full display. Kinas’ handle and patience on the ball have also enabled her to get to the rim more consistently, where she initiates her own contact and demonstrates a lot more twitchy-quickness than was spotted yesteryear. In the best conference in Wisconsin girls prep hoops, Kinas’ development as a full-time offensive threat has kept Kaukauna afloat. A final note on Kinas: her creativity as a passer is wildly fun. Her live-ball passing is developed well beyond her years and shows her progression as a primary ball-handler. She generates a ton of flick and velocity distributing off the bounce. With the development of this ability, Kinas moves closer to being an all-around offensive hub. Her court vision still needs to improve and the game seems to move a little fast for her at times, but Kinas’ potential as a playmaker is obvious.