Bash Favs: Worcester Academy

I spent Thursday evening at Worcester Academy's open gym. There were some new faces on the roster for Worcester Academy, consisting of premier New England talent in the '24 and '25 classes. Let's look at some key returning players and newcomers to Worcester Academy.     Okananwa is the best player in New England and played up to that standard all summer. Any time you have a player of her caliber on your roster, you can expect that your team will be in a position to win day in and day out. Okananwa is more confident in her jump shot; she is the best rebounding guard and is a nightmare to defend in transition. She will finish plays at the rim, stop and pull up or get to the free throw line in those situations. Okananwa can beat you in various ways, and I expect her to have a monster senior season.     Rust has been playing out of her mind the last few months, and this open gym was no different. She looked very engaged and sprinted to spots the whole practice. You could see her high-level impact on a game, whether it be defensively, on the glass, or in transition. Rust's power and explosion around the basket were scary. I am not sure there will be many players this season who can withstand that level of strength throughout a full 32-minute game. Other observations included solid screen-setting, high post playmaking, and passing on the block.     Nichols gives Worcester Academy one of the most dynamic two-way point guards in the '25 class. You can't deny the athleticism and foot speed on defense, but her playmaking was eye-popping Thursday night. Nichols made great pick and roll reads and threaded the needle several times to Rust. She also was active off the ball. I like Nichols' aggressive face cuts and relocation on the perimeter.    I saw McDonald about a month ago at the Bryant University Elite Camp; she was one of the best players who attended. I picked up on her physicality on defense and lateral quickness right away. McDonald is one of the few who sits in her stance, slides her feet for an entire possession, and does so without fouling. In open gym, she was sniping threes consistently, leaking out in transition, getting behind the defense, and scoring efficiently. She is another Worcester Academy guard who is extremely dynamic on both sides of the ball.    Youngberg quietly gets the job done. I have always been high on her game because she is a workhorse who is effective on offense and defense. Her biggest strength might be her transition playmaking. I always trust Youngberg to make the right play when pushing the ball up the court because her eyes are always up, and she doesn't let herself get sped up.     Eldredge is a physical scorer who uses her upper body strength to take advantage of mismatches on the perimeter. She had a few strong takes to the basket powering through contact on Thursday night. Eldredge is good at drawing fouls and is also a reliable spot-up shooter. With so many slashing playmakers on Worcester Academy, Eldredge should see a lot of open looks.     Thursday night's open gym was the first time I have seen Hjerpe play, and she had a solid practice. The lefty forward stretched the floor with a smooth lefty jump shot which she can hit frequently. I like her size and length, too. She gives the team another player who can use her height and wingspan to be impactful on the glass and be a potential disruptor on defense.

I spent Thursday evening at Worcester Academy's open gym. There were some new faces on the roster for Worcester Academy, consisting of premier New England talent in the '24 and '25 classes. Let's look at some key returning players and newcomers to Worcester Academy.