2021-22 Season: Most Improved Players
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With playoff seeding out and only a week of games left, I want to talk about kids who improved this season. More kids improved than the four I’m going to mention, but these are the kids I want to highlight.…
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Continue ReadingWith playoff seeding out and only a week of games left, I want to talk about kids who improved this season. More kids improved than the four I’m going to mention, but these are the kids I want to highlight. I will revisit this topic in the future to highlight more players. These players are in no particular order.
Julianna Ouimette Julianna Ouimette 5'9" | CG Lakeland | 2023 State WI -5’10 G-’23-Lakeland
Not many players can go from being the leading scorer in the state one year then leading the state in assists the following year. This season, it seemed like Ouimette played more off the ball and drove to pass more than to score this season. Assists based on principle are weird because they are subjective, but going from close to five assists to eight assists is a noticeable improvement. The other aspect of Ouimette’s game has been her outside shooting. The junior shot under 30% last season and 44% from the 3-point line this season, on a similar volume. I believe her shooting this season more represents her ability as a shooter.
Tieryn Plasch Tieryn Plasch 5'7" | CG Northwestern | 2023 State WI -5’7 G-’23-Northwestern
If I wrote an article about the most improved players last season, Plasch would’ve likely been a part of that piece. The junior seems to get better all the time. If you thought it was impressive that the Tiger improved her 3-point shooting from 34% to 41% last season, she’s currently shooting near 46%. Plasch has also become one of the best scorers in Wisconsin. She averages 23.1 points per game, making her the No. 12 scorer in Wisconsin. I’ve only talked about her as a scorer, but she’s also gotten better as a rebounder. Her ball-handling is also some of the best I’ve seen as well.
Ayianna Johnson Ayianna Johnson 6'3" | C Jefferson | 2023 State WI -6’3 F-’23-Jefferson
It feels like Johnson is starting to figure out how she can excel at this level. The junior went from being an 11 point scorer to a 19 point scorer this season. She was also better at just getting the ball in the basket when the opportunity arose. The forward appeared as if she understood what she needed to do in games to help her team win. She can still drastically improve because you see her talent. That said, this season was crucial for her to start that process.
Abby Thompson Abby Thompson 5'6" | CG Blair- Taylor | 2023 WI -5’6 G-’23-Blair-Taylor
Thompson seems to have figured out how to be efficient at the high school level. The junior is nearly a 60/40/90 shooter. She’s an 89.5% free throw shooter but shoots 61% from the field and 42% from the 3-point line. The Blair-Taylor guard is also one of the best in the state in steals, with six and a half steals per game. Thompson seems like a player who isn’t satisfied with anything. Not many players look at a year where they shoot 50% as a guard and work to get that number to 61%. I’m a big fan of hers and am curious to see what schools express interest in her over the next 12 months.