Players to Watch: Northeast Iowa Confernce

Brady Peterson September 15, 2022 @ 02:15 PM

Last season, Decorah and Waverly-Shell Rock shared the conference title, each finishing with 9-1 records in the Northeast Iowa Conference. The conference had plenty of young talent, so there will be a lot of similar faces at each school this season. Let's meet some of the prominent players this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='63021' first='Bryar' last='Duwe']   The Decorah guard was the second-leading scorer in the conference a year ago. Duwe handles the ball incredibly well and understands how to move her defender without touching them. She beats her initial defender whenever she wants, which creates advantages for herself and her Viking team. The guard also does well at getting to the free-throw line. Duwe isn't driving to score all the time. She does an excellent job keeping her head up and finding open after putting pressure on opposing defenses. The rising senior is a valuable offensive weapon that will help her team attempt to make a deeper run in the postseason.   Katelyn Eggena   The 6-foot-1 forward played a prominent role in the Go-Hawks' conference title win. Eggena played big and dominated the area around the basket by leading her team in scoring, rebounding, and free-throw attempts. The forward runs the floor well in transition and earns easy points on fast breaks. She also rebounds the ball how every coach wants. She catches the ball high and keeps it high. Eggena recorded a handful of double-doubles last season, and I expect her to do that more this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='160556' first='Maggie' last='Criswell']   The Waukon point guard led the conference in assists last year with 4.7 per game. Criswell sees the floor and makes the right passes. She had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio last season, and in my opinion, that's what tells me if someone is a good playmaker or not. Criswell makes winning plays on both ends and looks to get her teammates involved whenever possible.   [player_tooltip player_id='314100' first='Yazmeen' last='Whitsitt']   Whitsitt is the backcourt mate of [player_tooltip player_id='63021' first='Bryar' last='Duwe'], and they are both quick guards who can excel in half-court offense or transition. However, what Whitsitt does well for the Vikings is provide space for her teammates to attack. The junior shot over 40% from behind the 3-point line with confidence to make any shot she takes. The great thing about Whitsitt's game is that the junior doesn't stand behind the 3-point line and shoot. She also led her team in assists last season. Whitsitt is a valuable tool in the Vikings' offense.

Last season, Decorah and Waverly-Shell Rock shared the conference title, each finishing with 9-1 records in the Northeast Iowa Conference. The conference had plenty of young talent, so there will be a lot of similar faces at each school this season. Let's meet some of the prominent players this season.