Brady’s Day One Nike TOC Notes

<span data-preserver-spaces="true">My first time attending the tournament of champions was honestly overwhelming, but it gave me a chance to see almost all of the best talent in Wisconsin in one building. Over the next few days, I’ll highlight the kids who played well until I head out to Minnesota for Meltdown.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="206574" first="MaKenzie" last="Drout"]</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Drout has one of the brightest basketball minds I know of, and she played well to start TOC. She played aggressively and routinely created advantages by beating her initial defender off the dribble. Everything she does has a purpose. There is no wasted movement in her game.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Maddie Anderson</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">When you knock down three 3s to start a game, you set a tone, and that’s what Anderson did. She is a dual threat forward who can attack mismatches every time down the floor. Anderson is also solid on the defensive end. She can defend multiple positions and fit into most defensive schemes. </span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="156081" first="Madilyn" last="Dogs"]</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">I’m a massive fan of what Dogs can do on both ends of the floor. She’s a legit six-foot wing/forward with elite athleticism. Dogs’ length and athleticism make her one of the most talented defensive prospects in the state. The 2023 prospect also was excellent at attacking and finishing around the basket.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="209594" first="Katelyn" last="Odem"]</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">One of my favorite types of players doesn’t take anything for granted, and that’s who Odem is as a player. Odem is always the first kid to dive on the floor for a loose ball and sacrifice her body to help her team. The Homestead rising junior created extra possessions and took advantage of the opportunities she got offensively.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Kenzie Deaton</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Wausau native looked extremley athletic defensively. On the offensive end, I got to see her find a rhythm. She looked comfortable and got to her spots whenever she wanted. After her team broke the full-court press, she constantly got opportunities to attack recovering defenses, and Deaton made them pay.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="347173" first="Violet" last="Morren"]</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Day one of TOC was the best I’ve ever seen Morren play. She dominated the area around the basket and punished pressing defenses by making herself available around the basket. Morren finished with both hands and was extremley effective.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="329575" first="Adrienne" last="Kirch"]</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">When Kirch gets going, she can be difficult for defenses to handle. On the first day of TOC, Kirch must’ve knocked down at least four 3s, but honestly, it was probably more. She doesn’t do anything she isn’t capable of and does a great job helping her teammates succeed by passing up good shots for great shots.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="209880" first="Gracie" last="Grzesk"]</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">I got to see the extremley talented 17u Purple Aces team for the first time in Chicago, and it definitely won’t be the last time I talk about these kids this month, but I want to start with [player_tooltip player_id="209880" first="Gracie" last="Grzesk"]. The Notre Dame Triton is a swiss army knife. She can play just about any role you can think of and excel. The main takeaway I had watching her with this group is how much she moves away from the ball. She made a lot of cuts that led to easy baskets for herself.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="209609" first="Mya" last="Nicholson"]</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">I honestly lost count of how many 3s Nicholson hit in the Purple Aces’ first game. She found pockets of space where she could get her shot off. The Janesville native looked at home with all the talent on the floor, and her gravity helped cutters find space around the basket for layups. Her presence alone is dangerous.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="209605" first="Claire" last="Bjorge"]</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The De Pere Redbird uses her change of speed incredibly well. Bjorge beat her initial defender off the dribble whenever she wanted, and she never needed any crazy dribble moves to accomplish that. She does all the simple things well. Bjorge is one of the most challenging guards to contain one-on-one.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="342359" first="Sam" last="Jacobsen"]</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Sometimes I wish that Jacobsen would shoot the ball more, but once I see her attack defenses, I realize why she doesn’t. She’s effective at getting to the basket from anywhere on the perimeter. I’ve yet to see a team consistently deny her the ability to get to the basket. She makes attacking look simple, and although shooting would help her, I understand the thinking of why change your game if it’s not broken.</span>