PGH Circuit Team Profile: Chapman Elite (U16 & U17)

Today we turn our attention to southeast Wisconsin and look at Chapman Elite. We’ll be looking at their U17, coached by Marian University assistant coach Russ Golomski, and their U16 team, coached by club director, former college coach, and former Bradley University women’s basketball player Kelly Frings.

U17

Cadence Xiong Cadence Xiong 5'1" | PG West Bend East | 2023 State WI -5’1 G-’23-West Bend East I love the way that Xiong runs an offense. I got to see her at the Top 250 Expo in September, and she’s comfortable when defenses are uncomfortable. Xiong has shown an ability to score in the Northshore Conference over the last three seasons, and that conference has quietly become one of the most competitive in the state. Although Xiong’s high school team wasn’t near the top of the Northshore this year, her game will speak for itself this summer. Kailey Wozniak Kailey Wozniak 5'9" | CG Pius Xi Catholic | 2023 State WI -5’9 G/F-’23-Pius XI Every time I see Wozniak play, it feels like she’s doing something different. The only thing that the Pius junior is focused on is winning, and she’ll do whatever she needs to accomplish that. You may find her scoring 25 points and looking like a world-beater on the offensive end. Another night she may defend a talented wing and win most battles against them. Whatever her team needs to get a win, she’ll do at a high level. The more you watch her, the more you’ll like her. Payton Rechlicz Payton Rechlicz 5'8" | CG Menomonee Falls | 2023 WI -5’11 G/F-’23-Menomonee Falls The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee commit is an inside-out forward. Her versatility is her best asset, and this group will need it because they only have one other kid who’s comfortable playing on the block. Gracie McNabb Gracie McNabb 5'7" | SG Grafton | 2023 State WI -5’7 G-’23-Grafton McNabb is an example of how talented the Northshore is at the moment. The junior doesn’t get a lot of opportunities, but she brings a lot of things to the table. McNabb didn’t shoot a notable percentage from the 3-point line in the high school season, but I think she’s better than she’s shown. McNabb is also an instinctual defender. She reads opposing offenses well and creates a lot of turnovers, which will be easy to see over the summer. Mia Sallinen Mia Sallinen 5'6" | PG West Bend West | 2023 WI -5’6 G-’23-West Bend West When you watch Sallinen, you’re going to have some fun. The West Bend native is a guard who likes to make things happen. For instance, when she sees a zone, don’t be surprised to see her attack the middle of it instead of passing the ball around the perimeter. She’s a solid shooter and an aggressive passer. Once you observe what she does best, you’ll never unsee it. Watch her. Melanie Meinert-5’5 G-’23-Kettle Moraine Lutheran I got to see Meinert play once against Homestead back in December. Meinert was one of the few sources of spacing that the Kettle Moraine Lutheran team possessed. Meinert will also get her hands dirty on the defensive end and take away the space from the ball handler. Zoe Mueller-5’6 G-’23-Homestead Oddly as a junior, Mueller was one of the veteran leaders on a Homestead team with six freshmen. What you will see from the Highlander junior is some in-your-face defense. Mueller was a crucial piece in Homestead’s full-court press last year, and that trait will shine incredibly bright in a summer setting. I’d like to see her offense pick up a little. I’m not sure if it was a lack of opportunity within a talented team, but I think she’s better offensively than her numbers showed. Ella Rollison-5’9 G-’23-Cedarburg Yet another Northshore conference player who had a decent season. Rollison chipped in everywhere for a Cedarburg team that won a regional title this season. She scores, rebounds well for a guard, creates for her teammates, and creates turnovers. I don’t know if she is elite at any one thing, but she is good enough to contribute to every aspect of the game. Rhianon Ashley-5’7 G-’23-Cedarburg Ashley was a bit-part player for a talented Cedarburg team. I am genuinely curious to see what she can do because I couldn’t find anything on her. Since she’s on this team, I fully believe that she can help herself this season, and I want to see her play. More to come this summer on her. Alicia Burgos Alicia Burgos 6'2" | PF Dominican | 2023 State WI -6’2 F-’23-Domincan The first time I saw Burgos play was at the state tournament in Green Bay. In that game, Dominican got overpowered by eventual Division 3 Waupun. However, Burgos belonged on the floor with Waupun. She ended up with a double-double and did a great job getting her work done early and earning a good position on the Warrior defenders. I like her as a prospect, and she’s a uber-skilled 6-foot-2 forward. I would not be surprised to see her get plenty of looks from schools this summer. Annmarie Murphy-5’9 G-’23-Whitefish Bay I still remember the first time I saw Whitefish Bay play Whitnall at the Kettle Moraine Classic. In that game, Murphy was good. She scored 14 points and played well in the Blue Dukes’ 2-3 zone. Murphy’s presence will make everyone else on this team better.

U16

Eva Brandenburg Eva Brandenburg 5'7" | SG Homestead | 2024 WI -5’7 G-’24-Homestead Brandenburg is a player who makes her team better by doing what she does best. The sophomore doesn’t need to score or defend on the ball to make winning plays. She is a good communicator on switches, she is capable of guarding multiple positions, and is quick laterally. I’d like to see her offensive game this summer because it’s not something she does during the high school season, but schools will notice her. Sarah Aleknavicius Sarah Aleknavicius 5'11" | CG Grafton | 2024 State WI -5’10 G/F-’24-Grafton If you were to ask me who the most versatile player in Wisconsin is, Aleknavicius would be one of the first names I’d blurt out. The sophomore can quite literally do it all. She can be a taller initiator, spot up behind the 3-point line, play in the post, and because I’m a nerd, I’m interested in seeing what she can do as a screener this summer if that’s something she does. Defensively she can guard one through five, and she has the pride to win her matchups. She currently holds an NCAA Division 2 offer from Northwest Missouri State. Lauren Strifling Lauren Strifling 5'11" | PF Homestead | 2025 State WI -5’11 F-’25-Homestead At the game against Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Strifling was the Homestead freshman I was intrigued by most. The Highlander looked like she had the skill to do more. I have been waiting for months to see her play for this Chapman Elite team. I think she’s going to be excellent. Lucy Leininger-5’10 F-’24-Germantown Leininger was the biggest surprise of the season, and if I voted for the best newcomer, who wasn’t a freshman, she would have my vote. Leininger is a rangy forward who can defend one through five. I’m sure she’s guarded KK Arnold in practices, and she likely won’t have to defend anyone like that anywhere else. She got better skill-wise as the season went on. I can’t wait for college coaches to take notice of her game. Katelyn Odem Katelyn Odem 5'8" | SG Homestead | 2024 State WI -5’8 G-’24-Homestead Every team needs a connector. What I mean by that is someone a coach can plug and play at almost any role. That’s Odem. The sophomore can defend one through four and doesn’t allow her assignment to have any space. Her role is crucial for Homestead to succeed, and even though they lost in the regional title game, the future is bright. Odem is also one of the most aggressive drivers I know. When she attacks the rim, she makes the defense decide if they want to get in the way, and they usually let her go. The crazy part about Odem’s drives is that Odem always keeps her head up. She’ll whips passes out to the perimeter when defenses crash on her. Madisonn Fitzgibbonn Madisonn Fitzgibbonn 5'6" | SG Homestead | 2025 WI -5’6 G-’25-Homestead I’ve talked about how talented the Northshore Conference is already, and Fitzgibbon won the player of the year in that conference. The freshman is a gifted scorer and scored with an assassin-like efficiency. If Fitzgibbon finds any space, she’ll make defenses pay, and that’s demoralizing for teams she plays. Fitzgibbon currently holds an NCAA Division 1 offer from the Unversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Taylor Schwalenberg-5’6 G-’24-Kettle Moraine Lutheran I love how many on-ball turnovers Schwalenberg forces. Point of attack defense is a part of the game that people don’t discuss enough. Her hand-eye coordination is second to none, and she utilizes that to earn steals in both half-court and full-court defenses. Natalie Mueller Natalie Mueller 5'6" | SG Homestead | 2025 State WI -5’7 G-’25-Homestead The first time I saw Mueller, she pulled up from about 30 feet and drilled a shot at the Top250 Expo. After seeing that, I kept up with her season at Homestead. She was an outstanding shooter and showed an ability to attack off the dribble. Mueller has potential, and this summer, she will turn some heads. Mimi Hart Mimi Hart 5'8" | CG Cedarburg | 2025 WI -5’10 G/F-’25-Cedarburg The best game of Hart’s season came in Cedarburg’s season-ending loss to Beaver Dam. She scored 24 points and knocked down four 3’s, with most if not all of them coming in the first half. Although they lost, Hart showed what she was capable of against one of the best teams in Division 2, and hopefully, that momentum carries over into the summer.