Best Uncommitted Upperclassmen: Capitol South and North

Continuing my look into some of the best uncommitted upperclass players in the state, I dove into both divisions of the Capitol conference. Let’s check out some of the names to know: <strong>Mickey Stampfl | Belleville | Class of 2022 | Point Guard</strong> Stampfl is a prototypical floor-raising point guard who finds teammates in prime scoring opportunities. Her in-season growth has been remarkable, developing into a lead guard who can manipulate defenses with her passes on top of simply finding the open player. Part of this growth is the introduction and implementation of live-ball passing into your bag. Though still a work in progress, Stampfl sprinkles this into her half-court game. For example, Stampfl is adept at driving one way to open up a passing lane and slinging the ball across her body to an open player in the opposite direction, all in one fluid motion. While she still needs to develop her self-creation, Stampfl has proven to be a "plus" offensive player when running the offense for Belleville this season. And on the opposite end of the floor, Stampfl’s physicality and intensity complement her length. Stampfl’s rangier than most lead guards and uses this advantage to apply on-ball pressure, especially in pressing and trapping situations. Stampfl’s length and energy also express themselves when playing the helper, getting to sloppy passes quicker than her opposition. Finally, I want to shed light on her patience. When zoning the weakside or playing 2-vs-1 in transition defense, Stampfl takes account of the most threatening option and defends accordingly. She attacks the ball aggressively in transition defense and shows on the help, positioning herself a pass away and throwing off the timing of shooters. Though she doesn’t post the flashiest box score numbers, Stampfl simply raises your chances of winning with her two-way play. <strong>Bella Pitta | Lake Mills | Class of 2023 | Center</strong> Pitta is much more than just height in the heart of the paint. The 6’3" post-presence has demonstrated a ton of improvement to her footwork and continuity on the offensive end. She can create a shot for herself 15-feet-and-in off an entry pass, and while she still needs to work on her off-hand finishing, has drastically improved her touch in the paint. Her speed and flexibility will need to improve to maximize the potency of these post moves, but the patience and methodical nature with which she uses them is encouraging to say the least. She just looks so much more fluid with the ball in her hands than she did months ago. Defensively, though she has some limitations, she has the potential to be an elite rim protector. On switches and when generally guarding the perimeter, Pitta struggles mightily. But she rovers well within the paint and strikes a balance between contesting shots and negating drive attempts. Again, her footwork and methodical approach, this time to paint defense, pay significant dividends. Pitta has proven to be instrumental in closing out defensive possessions as well. Another point to her being more than just a tall center, Pitta works relentless hard on the boards. She attacks her matchup on the box-out and constantly shifts her stance to throw her opposition off-balance. Pitta refuses to stand still and let boards come to her. Her constantly growing skill level should make her a prime recruiting candidate. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="347168" first="Ava" last="Foley"] | Belleville | Class of 2022 | Guard</strong> Foley’s offensive game is predicated on her ability to adjust. Adjusting her drives to the basket, alternating the rhythm and movements of her cuts, and constantly moving along the perimeter to become a more lethal threat off the catch. Playing alongside a pass-efficient point guard like Stampfl, Foley’s skills are amplified. Foley reacts well to Stampfl’s attacks on the ball and uses her quickness to get in prime scoring positions. When those two are in sync, they are a very touch combo to guard. Foley’s shooting absolutely needs to improve and her mechanics need to be more consistent, but she’s still a key Foley’s background as a three-sport athlete is interesting when you consider her style of play on the defensive end. She demonstrates a ton of one-step burst and recovers strongly from the help side. This kind of explosiveness lets her cheat up on passing lanes and attack the pass more aggressively, knowing that she can stop on a dime and get in position to contest a three-point attempt, should the possession come to that. Foley’s an athletic two-way prospect that flows well on both ends, but it’s imperative that she improves her shooting. <strong>Allie Rateike | Marshall | Class of 2023 | Guard</strong> Rateike is a high-volume and streaky scorer, but when she catches a rhythm she’s as lethal a shooter as the conference has to offer. She moves mercurially, diving to the paint before shifting along the perimeter. When given the time to anchor her pivot foot and build strength from the hip, she becomes an exponentially better shooter. In her most recent game against Belleville, Rateike’s movement inside the perimeter unlocked the Wildcats interior defense and set Marshall up for a big run after starting slowly. Pardon the slang, but once she gets to the heart of the paint she has a knack for saucing out passes to the open player, playing a free-flowing, tiki-taka style of on-the-ball-off-the-ball offense. Even with her up-and-down shooting, there’s a certain zip when she moves sharply with and without the ball. &nbsp; &nbsp;