2021-22 Regular Season Stock Risers
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With the regular season coming to an end tonight, I want to highlight some players I noticed raise their stock this season. With hundreds of schools in Wisconsin, I can’t name every player I want to today. However, there are…
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Continue ReadingWith the regular season coming to an end tonight, I want to highlight some players I noticed raise their stock this season. With hundreds of schools in Wisconsin, I can’t name every player I want to today. However, there are a few names that stand out in mind. These four players are some of the most improved in the state this season.
Ayianna Johnson Ayianna Johnson 6'3" | C Jefferson | 2023 State WI -6’3 F/C-’23-Jefferson
Regardless of the individual stat, you look at Johnson improved it this season. When I first came to know Johnson as a player, I knew she had incredible talent. Johnson’s size and athleticism are things you can’t teach and her numbers, before this season, made it seem like she didn’t understand how to utilize her physical tools to dominate. I became confident that she was heading in the right direction after a home game against McFarland. Johnson scored 36 points that night and pulled down 16 rebounds to help Jefferson take a narrow 64-61 win. In the second matchup, the junior scored 26 and pulled down 15 rebounds. The scary thing about the forward is she’s only scratching the surface of who she can be as a player.
Molly Janke Molly Janke 5'10" | SG Ellsworth | 2024 State WI -5’11 G/F-’24-Ellsworth
The level of consistency Janke found this season was outstanding. Janke scored in double figures in all but two games this season. Her scoring was the aspect that needed to improve to get to the next level as a prospect. Now that she shoots around 40% from the 3-point line, she can be a dangerous 3&D wing, with the potential to be much more. There is also a ton of versatility in Janke’s game. I know that Janke can guard all five positions because of her physical tools at this level.
Eliana Sheplee Eliana Sheplee 5'10" | SG Rice Lake | 2024 State WI -5’10 G-’24-Rice Lake
If you’re looking for a pure athlete, Sheplee is the kid you’re looking for. After a freshman season where she scored around five points per game, she increased her scoring output to near 15 per game as a sophomore. I recently went back and watched how the Warrior scored. Sheplee’s scoring tends to come from her in-between game in the halfcourt, scoring with floaters or mid-range jumpers. Most of the time, I’d say the shots she takes aren’t good shots. However, because of her leaping ability, Sheplee jumps so high that no player can get to the ball to contest. Even in a jump ball to start the game against Altoona, Sheplee jumped with 6-foot-5 A. Wirth and nearly won possession. The other way she scores is in transition. Against Medford, the sophomore read passing lanes incredibly well and created easy offense. There are a lot of great basketball players in Wisconsin, but she may be the best pure athlete of them all.
Alexa Kinas Alexa Kinas 5'8" | CG Kaukauna | 2024 State WI -5’8 G-’24-Kaukauna
Kinas is a player that people forget about when thinking of elite talent in the FVA, but she belongs in that conversation. Her two highest-scoring games this year came against Appleton East and Neenah. Games like that make me think she can be a game-changer in big games this postseason. The aspect of Kinas’ game that impresses me the most is that she consistently finds ways to score. Kinas’s Galloping Ghosts could faceoff with Germantown, where that skill will be indispensable. The sophomore season Kinas had made me believe in her long-term, as a prospect and Kaukauna this postseason and next season.