Iowa Top 250-Expo: Team 4 Evaluations
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The PGH Iowa Top 250-Expo brought together some of the best athletes in the state to come compete under one roof in Grimes, Iowa on Sunday. There were 45+ players, split up into 5 teams, that went out and gave…
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Continue ReadingThe PGH Iowa Top 250-Expo brought together some of the best athletes in the state to come compete under one roof in Grimes, Iowa on Sunday. There were 45+ players, split up into 5 teams, that went out and gave it everything they had competing in 3-4 contests throughout the day . Below I am going to give my evaluation of each player on Team 4 and how they look going into the high school season.
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#494 – Ainsley Roberts Ainsley Roberts 5'8" | PG Underwood | 2027 IA – 2027 – 5’8 – PG – Underwood High School
Ainsley Roberts Ainsley Roberts 5'8" | PG Underwood | 2027 IA is a multi-sport athlete that seems to be pretty good at everything she does. Wether it be on a field, a basketball court, or a volleyball court. When it comes to basketball, she is someone that I think is going to have a career at Underwood high school over the next 4 years. She plays with on a solid Nebraska Attack team and is ahead of a decent amount of players her age, skill wise. We will have to see how it turns out but if I were to assume, we will hear the name Ainsley Roberts Ainsley Roberts 5'8" | PG Underwood | 2027 IA again this winter.
#501 – Malaina Hackley Malaina Hackley 4'9" | PG Roosevelt | 2026 State IA – 2026 – 4’9 – PG – Ankeny High School
Malaina Hackley Malaina Hackley 4'9" | PG Roosevelt | 2026 State IA was a point guard this weekend that displayed tremendous ability of attacking her opponents of the dribble and dishing out a nice assist to follow. Hackley was flying all over the court in her contests. There was not one player on Sunday that could stay in front of her in the open court and that was very apparent. As time goes on, she will need to develop a more consist jump-shot from deep but for now, she has a solid foundation to work with moving forward.
#507 – Sacha Alesch Sacha Alesch 5'6" | SG Bishop Garrigan | 2026 State IA – 2026 – 5’6 – SG – Bishop Garrigan High School
Sacha Alesch Sacha Alesch 5'6" | SG Bishop Garrigan | 2026 State IA was a Top 5 player of this Top 250 Expo on Sunday. Alesch was scoring from all three levels at a high rate, she was mixing up her opponents off of the dribble in transition, she was finding open teammates when the opportunities presented themselves for an assist, and she was scrappy as ever on defense. Alesch is going to put up some massive numbers this winter at BG if she plays freely but with intent. Something she did very well at on Sunday.
#508 – Samantha Becker Samantha Becker 5'8" Cedar Rapids Washington | 2026 State IA – 2026 – 5’7 – PG – Cedar Rapids Washington High School
Another player that was a Top 5 performer on the day was Samantha Becker Samantha Becker 5'8" Cedar Rapids Washington | 2026 State IA . Becker is a 5’7 point guard that controls the game and its tempo. She understands what her coach wants and makes things happen when the original play doesn’t seem to work out. On Sunday, Becker showed a little bit of everything. She created, she scored, she assisted, she defended, and she always made the extra pass. Looking forward, she has a bright future on the court for this upcoming season at CR – Washington.
#514 – Mya Contreras Mya Contreras 5'8" | SG Bettendorf | 2027 IA – 2027 – 5’8 – SG/CG – Bettendorf High School
The 2027 class throughout Iowa is a promising one. Another player to know out of this class, that will be playing at Bettendorf High School this winter is Mya Contreras Mya Contreras 5'8" | SG Bettendorf | 2027 IA . Contreras’ actual position is still kind of foggy but I think this high school season will clear it on up. She does a handful of good things throughout a contest, while also trying to help the teammates around her. Her mixture of size and speed is a good combination. It helps her dominate a lot of 1V1 matchups she came across on Sunday. Now we will just have to see where she can take it from here.
#519 – Deni Katcher Deni Katcher 5'9" | SG Center Point-Urbana | 2026 IA – 2026 – 5’10 – SF – Center Point Urbana High School
One of the more interesting players on these rosters is Deni Katcher Deni Katcher 5'9" | SG Center Point-Urbana | 2026 IA . Katcher is a long and athletic forward that moves really well up and down the floor. She can impact games on both sides of the ball when she is out there competing. Not to mention, that she has a decently high motor with a lot of heart. This winter at CPU, Katcher is going to be a big piece to their puzzle moving forward. If she can step up early in the season, that group could get things going come Playoff time.
#521 – Amelia Porisch Amelia Porisch 5'10" | SG St Ansgar | 2025 IA – 2025 – 5’10 – CG – St. Ansgar High School
Amelia Porisch Amelia Porisch 5'10" | SG St Ansgar | 2025 IA stands at 5’10 but also displays a nice ability to shoot the ball from all over the court. When she is in the game, she is very good at getting to the area’s she wants to work from on the court. A lot of times, players will have certain area’s they like to get to, to be effective over their opponents. You see glimpses of that with Porisch. If she can tighten up her game a little bit more and keep up her hard-work, she is going to put up some numbers this season at St. Ansgar.
#531 – Grace Linder Grace Linder 5'11" | SF West Des Moines Valley | 2025 State IA – 2025 – 5’10 – CG/SF – Valley High School
Grace Linder Grace Linder 5'11" | SF West Des Moines Valley | 2025 State IA ‘s progression on the basketball court over the past few years has been quite impressive. She is a lengthy and athletic combo guard/small forward. As you can tell, her game is diverse. She can dominate the inside over smaller players or she can bring the ball out and let it go from deep. Defensively, she is just as good. Someone who can get a steal on smaller guard or a block on a bigger post presence. I hope she see’s the floor this year at Valley. If she can make her way into the regular rotation, I think they will have a hard time pulling her off the court at that point.