Forwards I Like Heading into 2023-24

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're under a month away from the first games of the season tipping off in Wisconsin. Today, I want to highlight some guards and forwards who could be better than people may expect this season. We'll start with guards and end with forwards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='338953' first='Maya' last='Edmond']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a significant knee injury this past May, from the sounds of Edmond will play a sizable role for Brookfield Central this season. Last season, Edmond broke the single-season rebounding record for the Lancers with some games to spare. I thought she improved her confidence and was willing to try things outside her comfort zone. She expanded her offensive game, took some jumpers when appropriate, and attacked off the dribble. There are only so many aspects of the game, and Edmond may be the best rebounder in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='338947' first='Lauren' last='Strifling']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before this summer, I'd always liked Strifling's game. She's versatile, shoots it at 5-11, moved well, played hard, and has done a little of everything this past season. Strifling popped this past summer because of her ability to let it fly from beyond the three-point line. I believe there's a prominent role for her at Homestead this season. She brings qualities that others can't for the Highlanders. Strifling can defend more physical post players in D1, protect the rim, switch on ball screens, and bring some optionality for their high-ball screen actions. She may not be the flashiest name for Homestead this season, but she'll be someone who will give opposing coaches fits.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='425371' first='Mimi' last='Hart']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season was Hart's breakout season. In her freshman season, results were mixed. Inherently, that's normal because it's new setting, playing against girls a few years older, and it takes a little bit to get used to everything. However, the most intriguing part of Hart's jump was how drastic it was. Nearly doubling her scoring output, going from a 28% to 41% three-point shooter, and every other statistic was better than her freshman season. I don't expect her numbers to jump like that again, but if she can maintain what she did in a more prominent role, there's plenty to get excited about in her last 18 months before she gets to the next level.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='534426' first='Dea' last='Crist']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's nobody in a weirder spot than Crist around the state. At Cuba City, she plays as a traditional back-to-the-basket five, usually on the blocks or setting high ball screens to roll off. Whenever I see her with [program_tooltip program_id='712636' first='Let' last='It Rain'], she's encouraged to be versatile and take shots when she's open. Crist is good enough to play either role, but I'm not 100% sure which one she's most productive playing. Regardless, Crist is a 6-0 talented kid whose schools will be all over this coming summer.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->