2027 Player Rankings Update: Five “Up Next” Prospects

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For a Freshman player to see the Varsity floor early on in their career, they have to be talented but sometimes even the most talented ones don't get a chance until later on because of just how good their returning Varsity roster may be. In the article below, we cover 5 prospects that are "Up Next" in their perspective programs. These prospects are a mixture of players that are seeing the varsity floor at this time and some that aren't just yet. Either way, every player on this list can produce at a high rate in some form/facet of the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["686901"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='686901' first='Tessa' last='Jones'] is going to have her chances over the next 3-4 years to be a standout player among her Mustangs team if she continues to get better this off-season. Prior to the year kicking off, I watched Jones compete a handful of times in summer competition and she was making things happen. She was playing her natural shooting guard position, scoring at high rates and getting others involved whenever she could. The key to Jones's game is based on her confidence. When she is confident in everything she does, she makes things happen at a much higher rate compared to when she hesitates. Defensively, she didn't do anything crazy but played efficient defense throughout the duration of an entire contest. This DCG Mustangs is coming off of a State Championship and they are looking in tip-top shape at this point in their season. It makes sense that they only have one Freshman consistently seeing the floor right now in close ball games. On a team that is currently the 4A State favorites once again, that is nothing to be ashamed of.  The way I see it, Jones is going to get a lot of opportunities over the next few seasons.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["835415"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"The best way to describe [player_tooltip player_id='835415' first='Presley' last='Zeutenhorst']'s play-style would be as an off-guard, who can score in bunches. Zeutenhorst isn't the tallest player on the floor but she makes up for it with her athleticism and physical demeanor. Not to mention that she understands situations on both sides of the ball extremely well, leading her and her team to have a lot of success. Offensively, she demonstrates a coordinated shot from deep, while being able to take her opponent off of the dribble at any given moment. Defensively, like I mentioned, she is a physical player. She does a good job at beating her matchup to their spot on a regular basis and her active hands create a high amount of tips/deflections in the open court . Something else that I love about her game is that she doesn't take attitude from anyone. She isn't the type of competitor to be pushed around. If you bump her, she is going to bump you back and let you know about it, showing her competitive nature. I'm not sure if Zeutenhorst is going to see the Varsity floor this winter but whenever she is called upon, she is going to be ready to go.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["644546"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"I am a firm believer that by the time she becomes a Senior, [player_tooltip player_id='644546' first='Addyson' last='Luvan'] of CR - Jefferson High School is going to be one of the best shooters throughout the entire state of Iowa. Luvan is a small guard listed a 5'1 but she demonstrates a superior ability to handle, pass, and shoot compared to most her age. As you would imagine, her game is FAST. She moves with a great pace coming down the floor, trying to use every advantage she can get in her personal matchups. Her offensive game is comparable to her play-style in general, fast. She lets the ball go quickly on shots, has a nice handle attacking the paint, and she isn't afraid to mix it up with bigger players. Luvan has only seen the Varsity floor for three games so far this season but she is using that as motivation. When she does get into the game, she displays to everyone watching that she is going to be someone to know over these next few seasons out of the Cedar Rapids area.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["832216"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"If you don't know too much about Dunkerton High School, that's alright. What you do need to know is that they have a few Freshman starting to shine this season on the basketball court, one of them being [player_tooltip player_id='832216' first='Kylee' last='Pexa']. Pexa is a Guard that does everything from that position for her team. Literally, you name it and she has done it or is doing it right now for the Raiders. Throughout her teams first 11 games, they sit with a 7-4 record. In those contests, Pexa is averaging 15.5 PPG on 46% shooting, 5.4 RPG, and 4.5 APG. In general, Pexa has been this teams leader all season long up until this point and that's not going to change anytime soon from the looks of it. This rosters production comes mainly from their underclassmen group or at least it has to begin this season. Which makes you think. If they can end their 2023-2024 year off on some more positive notes, think about what their future might hold. As for Pexa individually, her numbers are great, her team is winning, and she is looking like a coordinated ball player out there. To start off your high school career, there isn't much more you could ask for.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["766454"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"When you are playing for a very good team like Dowling Catholic, to see the floor at a young age is a rarity. In a program that houses multiple collegiate level players, [player_tooltip player_id='766454' first='Loralai' last='Gilmore'] may turn out to be one of the best but she is still woking on putting it all together. Right before the kick off of this high school season, I had a chance to see Gilmore compete against some of the best young talent in the state and she did really well. She was a fierce player on the boards, she boxed out at a high rate, she demonstrated coordinated footwork, and she displayed good touch on the basketball. When you account for all of this ability and the fact that she stands at 6'1, it's eye-opening. Like I said above, on a roster that contains high level players at the Forward position, I don't imagine that Gilmore will see the varsity floor this season but the next. Giving her one more year to continue to expand and grow her game.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a585ae8fa5a"} /-->