Players You’d Want on Your Team at the KM Thanksgiving Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Today, we're back to recapping everything from this past weekend in Wales at Kettle Moraine High School, and tomorrow, I'll finish my month of writing recapping the KM Thanksgiving Classic by talking about some team takeaways from this past weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='814306' first='Devin' last='Larson']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'd never seen Larson playing for her Minnesota Fury group, with [player_tooltip player_id='751276' first='Olivia' last='LaBlanc'] playing with other highly regarded prospects from Minnesota. However, I learned who she was quickly last Saturday. The first thing I noticed was how fast she was. I talked to another high school and AAU coach through the game, and we chuckled over how nobody was catching that kid in transition. Once she gets going, there aren't many kids who can keep up with her. Outside of the final few possessions, I also thought she did an excellent job playing through pressure and being a positive presence in Hudson's offense. Was she perfect? No, but Larson did show that she's more than capable of leading a high-level offense at the varsity level, and in her third game, that's all that matters. She'll keep improving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='520310' first='Ella' last='Carstensen']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most intriguing seniors remaining uncommitted had herself an excellent Saturday afternoon at Kettle Moraine. Multiple schools want Carstensen on their roster, and she showed why that's the case. The senior scored from everywhere on the floor and looked like the most mature and composed kid for either team. She never seemed rushed and took what the defense gave her. Her size at the wing position allows her to be versatile positionally on both ends of the floor, and that showed in how she guarded the kind of spots the Raiders put her in to score. It was fun to see her play when I may not get to again until she's in college.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='338941' first='Tess' last='Wiczek']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Gamer" is a label that some people who aren't the most athletic or explosive get but excel in the heat of competition, and that last part describes Wiczek to a tee. There aren't many guards I'd rather have going into a must-win game than the Pius XI junior. Wiczek is a tough kid who loves playing with physicality and is as skilled as anyone in her class. While watching her on Saturday, I sat around people who've coached against her in AAU, a former college coach, and a current college coach and all of them couldn't be more clear about how much they loved her game, and with good reason. Everything Pius did ran through her, and she was the most poised kid on the floor, and it's hard not to have that takeaway watching her play. She's become a leader for this Popes group, and everyone in and around the program respects her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='209606' first='Aubrey' last='Smith']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whenever you see a kid with Smith's size and strength, the first thing you think about is how well she can play in the post, and she does that well, but she's a versatile post. On Saturday, she hit a few perimeter jumpers, moved her feet well because she had to guard some Pius guards at times, and still did a solid job being the physical presence that pushed her Monona Grove team past Pius XI. I firmly believe Stevens Point got a steal with her, and she adds lineup optionality the second she steps on campus.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->