Players to Watch: 2022-23 Season

<span data-preserver-spaces="true">Following up on yesterday’s piece about some teams to watch for next season, I want to talk about a few players I believe will have an impressive 22-23 season. The five players listed are in no particular order.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="329537" first="Julia" last="Kennedy"]-5’6 PG-’23-South Milwaukee</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Rockets graduate seven seniors this season. Almost all of them took up every available minute last season. So South Milwaukee will need to redistribute those minutes to players who hardly saw the floor last season. Jenna Tierney and Kennedy were the only non-seniors to see significant game time last season. Kennedy will assume almost all of the ball-handling duties next season, and I believe she’s ready. She’s a talented lead guard who hasn’t gotten the opportunity to show what she can do at the high school level. If the Rockets are to achieve anywhere near what they did last season, it mainly is on Kennedy’s shoulders. </span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="338941" first="Tess" last="Wiczek"]-5’7 G-’25-Pius XI</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Pius freshman had an impressive first season. Team-wise, they came up just short of their ultimate goal. That said, Pius had an excellent season. I loved watching the backcourt of Wiczek and [player_tooltip player_id="171811" first="Tori" last="Kostuck"], the issue next season is that there is no Kostuck as she will be playing at the next level. Because of that, Wiczek will have more to do next season. The Woodland-West is losing a ton of senior talent, and Pius will be looking to compete for a conference title again next season. If Pius were to thrive again, Wiczek is the key.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="209598" first="Brynn" last="Kirch"]-5’6 PG-’24-McFarland</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Unfortunately, this season was cut short due to injury for Kirch, but she showed flashes of being a high-end high school point guard. The Spartans needed another ball-handler with Kirch out, and star forward [player_tooltip player_id="209586" first="Teagan" last="Mallegni"] was overburdened with Kirch on the sidelines. However, most of the McFarland group were sophomores and will be getting a few talented ’26 players next season who can help with their depth issues. Kirch’s presence next season will help Mallegni get more time off the ball, and Kirch will be able to get her teammates open looks, helping their offense flow better.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="209907" first="Nevaeh" last="Thompson"]-5’11 F-’24-Waukesha West</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The way Thompson closed the season was outstanding. Starting with the Wolverines’ upset win over D1 state champions, Kettle Moraine Thompson went crazy. That night in Wales, Thompson looked like the best player on the floor. After that, it felt like Waukesha West figured out how to optimize Thompson’s game to help the team thrive. Going into her junior season, I expect to see Thompson’s growth continue, and honestly, I’m not sure what her ceiling is right now.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="374233" first="Lydia" last="Aalsma"]-5’10 G/F-’25-Waupun</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Division 3 champions will be losing three starters next season. Aalsma will have an opportunity to earn a lot of playing time with a talented core of Gopalan and Petersen. The current freshman looked like she was ready for the biggest stage at the Resch Center. The youngest of the Aalsma’s is a versatile two-way prospect who has the athleticism to defend at a high level. Her shooting ability and juice off the dribble make her a unique player to watch over the next few seasons.</span>