More newcomers who have started the season off right

Our definition for ‘newcomers' is pretty loose depending on the situation. It might mean a player is new to varsity competition. It could mean they are relatively young and just making their way into high-level basketball. Or, as is often the case, the athlete has been around for awhile but we haven't evaluated or written about them before. That would be the case for [player_tooltip player_id='567375' first='Maddy' last='Frecking'] of Anoka, who leads the way in this look at more newcomers who have started the season off right.   [player_tooltip player_id='567375' first='Maddy' last='Frecking'] – 2025 forward, Anoka   Frecking might be just working her way into the conversation in girls basketball but she's no stranger to the limelight. You might remember Maddy from 2019 when she became the first girl to play in the Little League World Series since Mone Davis, also a hooper of some renown. Today she's a 5'10 forward who is putting up big numbers for the Tornado. We watched her at the Twin Cities Thanksgiving Tipoff and again last week against Spring Lake Park and she has impressed. Against the Panthers Maddy was 11-for-15 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, for 32 points. She's averaging about 19 and 9, a nice jump from last year's 13 and 6 which earned her an All-Conference nod. Anoka Coach Nick Novak says Maddy is strong with the basketball and very creative in finding ways to get to the rim. He describes her has a hard worker and very coachable. We like her length, which is a big asset at both ends of the floor.   Here are four more relative newcomers who have looked good in the early going.   [player_tooltip player_id='567388' first='Lyvia' last='Misegades'] – 2024 forward, Henning   In our Week That Was #2 recap we told you about Lyvia's outstanding performance against Perham – a 34-point, 17-rebound outburst that certainly caught our attention. Turns out that wasn't even a career-high for the 5'11 junior who averaged 17 and 7 last year for the Hornets. We watched her last week against Menagha and Lyvia looked really good. She's got long arms and looks like an athlete. She runs the floor well and is pretty mobile on the whole, at one point executing a sweet spin move past her defender to finish at the rim. She's also not afraid to mix it up inside, posts up well and can execute a solid drop step and finish with either hand. Misegades is a responsible defender who walled up nicely and showed good defensive understanding. We'd love to see what she can do against higher competition.   [player_tooltip player_id='567377' first='Sadie' last='Hall'] – 2026 guard, Shakopee   Sadie was super impressive at Holy Angels last week showing a high skill level and poise beyond her years. The 5'7 point guard is solidly built, mobile and athletic, handles the ball very well, and sees the floor. Her passing was very good. Not only was she making the right passes but she was making the difficult ones look easy. We loved her confidence and calm demeanor. On the defensive side of the equation she was quite aggressive and effective. On two occasions Hall forced a turnover, snatched up the loose ball and fired a perfect pass down court to an open teammate for an easy bucket. Hall is definitely going to be a factor among this year's freshmen.   [player_tooltip player_id='567387' first='Mira' last='Wismer'] – 2026 forward, Benilde-St. Margaret's   Speaking of freshmen, Mira has very quickly and quietly established herself as a varsity presence on a talent-laden Benilde-St. Margaret's squad. While most of the attention surrounding the Red Knights is centered on the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='177728' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='296523' first='Kendall' last='McGee'], the lanky 9th grader has been playing about 20 minutes a game because she understands her role, fulfills her assignments and gives coach Tim Ellefsen more than one can expect from a freshman. At over 6 feet tall, Wismer has a ton of length and seems to get a hand on everything. She is constantly tipping away rebounds for others to grab, getting a hand on the ball in the passing lanes and just rebounding well above her weight class. She can also guard the perimeter. Wismer runs well, has good mobility and is beginning to finish better through contact.   [player_tooltip player_id='567389' first='Sydney' last='Friedly'] – 2027 guard, Benilde-St. Margaret's   Wismer isn't the only youngster in the Benilde rotation. The 8th grader Friedly has impressed with her consistency under pressure. The 2027 guard is averaging about 13 minutes a game, which is a ton for such a young player on such a loaded team. Sydney handles the ball very well in the heat of the battle, she has nice length, and is a super-aggressive on-ball defender with a knack for forcing turnovers. She also has terrific instincts, sees the floor well and has exceptional quickness. It's a nice package that is only going to get better. We think she's capable of scoring a lot more than she has so far but that will come with experience.

Our definition for ‘newcomers' is pretty loose depending on the situation. It might mean a player is new to varsity competition. It could mean they are relatively young and just making their way into high-level basketball. Or, as is often the case, the athlete has been around for awhile but we haven't evaluated or written about them before. That would be the case for Maddy Freking Maddy Freking 5'10" | PF Anoka | 2025 State MN of Anoka, who leads the way in this look at more newcomers who have started the season off right.