Class of 2027: The Next Ten
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The top ten article is out. However, like always, the initial freshmen rankings come with the top 20 in the class. That means we have ten more kids to highlight today. Let’s talk about the next ten in the initial…
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Continue ReadingThe top ten article is out. However, like always, the initial freshmen rankings come with the top 20 in the class. That means we have ten more kids to highlight today. Let’s talk about the next ten in the initial 2027 rankings.
I’ve talked to people about Sweeney, and some are concerned about her athleticism translating at the next level, but I don’t know if anyone’s as good at creating space off the dribble than Sweeney. Watching her operate with the ball in her hands is one of the most entertaining experiences I’ve had this season. I’m willing to bet she puts in a ton of ball handling work on her own time because no matter how athletic the girl defending her is, she manages to get to their hip, and that point they’re at her mercy. She has a solid step back game, makes floaters, finishes at the rim with either hand, and isn’t afraid of firing passes cross court to punish help-side defenders. She seems to have this innate ability to react to anything on the fly, and that’ll help her as she gets older and FVA defenses focus more defensive resources on her.
The Stevens Point native is yet another member of the talented Flight 2027 group that was called up to play 15U EYBL last season, and to say I was impressed by Seubert would be putting it lightly. The lefty has a smooth style to her game, and she’s one of the best perimeter shooters in the class. Seubert does an excellent job playing on the perimeter and using her shooting to get to other aspects of her offensive game. She can run off screens and curl to the basket when defenders chase her around the screen, utilize flare screens to get open looks, pump fake to get to her pull up game or to the basket, and she’s smart enough to read defenses before catching the ball. None of that even describes what she can do on the defensive end. The Stevens Point wing is an intelligent kid that understands where she should funnel defenders to allow her team to make a play on the ball. She’s got enough length to bother shooters or get her hands into passing lanes. She’ll be one of the best players in that conference quickly.
What I love about Krull is how well she can dissect defenses while playing fast. Playing for Playmakers/Thrive has almost made her look faster at Xavier than anyone else on the floor because of how well she can figure out where the weaknesses in defenses are while sprinting at the defense. It also helps that Krull is one of the best all-around athletes in this class as well. The best part about her playing fast is that she’s never out of control. No matter what’s going on around her, Krull doesn’t force anything. She won’t drive into a crowded paint to throw up a floater that had little chance of dropping, take shots that are heavily contested, or turn the ball over much. In addition to that, she can score it at a high level from anywhere on the court, and she’s athletic enough to guard the other teams best guard and do a solid job in them regardless of how talented they are.
I’m excited about Nommensen’s potential. I feel time may prove that I was wrong to put her here, but I love when I’m proven wrong. Wisconsin Lutheran is about to have an influx of talent over the next few seasons that could turn the Vikings into a D2 powerhouse if things break right for them, and Nommensen’s a significant part of that. The 5-11 wing is as versatile as anyone in this class, and she can put the ball in the basket against anyone. Watching her handle the pure chaos that Germantown brings to the floor gave me confidence that Nommensen could become one of these lengthy wings who can shoot it over any defender and rebound the ball at a high level. As she matures physically, I believe we may see a kid who’ll be among the best in the Woodland-West.
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone have a quicker first step than Cooper. From when I first saw her two years ago when she was a seventh grader in Appleton, I was always impressed by how well Cooper handled pressure and got her teammates involved. When I saw her two summers ago with Team Wisconsin , her 14U team was missing some pieces and the North Tartan 2026 group, who’s among the best in the region, tried to hound her full court, and after about ten minutes of trying, they gave up. There was no point, they couldn’t get the ball off her. What’s crazy is I don’t think she’s found her stride offensively yet. She’s played up for a while and been playing against older kids for forever, and her goal has always seemed to be to create for others, which has yielded some extraordinary results. However, if she ever becomes an offensive, which she may not even have to, there won’t be anyone who can keep her from dominating games at any small-school in the state.
I talked about Piurkowski recently, and those points all stand. I didn’t think she was ready to be the focal point of a team heading into her first year at Brookfield Central, but I’ve been impressed with how well she’d done to get the most out of a season that seemed lost before it started due to injuries to two of the most productive players the Lancers have had the last few years. Piurkowski was thrusted into a ball-dominant role, and has proven to be a kid who can make things happen against some of the best and aggressive defenses in the state. Have things been ideal for her to be the best version of herself this year, no. However, the way she’s taken everything in stride and managed to figure things out have shown her resolve, and as they get healthy next season, the Lancers will be a sneaky team to move up into the top group of the GMC because they’ll have multiple kids who can hurt defenses in a variety of ways, including Piurkowski.
Werfal is the most surprising kid in the 2027 class to me. That’s not to say I didn’t think she was talented, because that’s not the case. I’m stunned that a kid has walked into a team like Appleton North as a freshman in the best conference in the state and been able to help elevate the Lightning to levels they haven’t reached for some time. I never saw her over the summer due to a significant leg injury from what I was told. However, after watching some of the film she’s put together this season, it’s impossible to be unimpressed by what she’s been able to do. At this point, teams know what Werfal can do, and it doesn’t matter. She’s got a natural ability to put the ball in the basket off the dribble, which has been missing even with someone like K. Smith who’s playing well at the D2 level. The ability to handle pressure is a theme among the 2027 Wisconsin Flight Elite group, and Werfal has that trait like her fellow Flight teammates.
I’m unsure if we’ll get to see Zehner at her best before senior season because of the extreme talent Arrowhead has in their backcourt. However, that doesn’t mean Zehner doesn’t show flashes of brilliance on the floor. She’s as creative off the dribble as any guard in this class and she may be one of the strongest around the basket. She can finish through contact as well as anyone in her class. Although she may not take many shots, she’s more than capable of making perimeter shots and creating her own shot off the dribble. Zehner’s a happy-go-lucky kind of kid, but she’s one of the most competitive people you’ll find when she’s on the floor, and is willing to do whatever it takes to win, which makes her one of the most valuable pieces that come off the bench in the state.
Harden’s ability to create off the bounce is as good, if not better, than anyone in the state. She’s got one of the quickest first steps you’ll see, and at any given time, Harden can break games open by scoring and creating open shots for her teammates. I feel her skills would be magnified in a state with a shot clock, solely because she can create something out of nothing. You can give Harden the ball with ten seconds on the clock and trust that you’ll get a good look at the basket from Harden or from her creating a shot for teammate by drawing the defense towards her. I love her confidence and willingness to force the issue when things get stale. Having her on the floor forces her teammates to pay attention to her when she has the ball, because she can fire passes anywhere in unorthodox manners.
After watching Counsell’s Impact team at TOC in July, I didn’t know what to expect from her. However, I didn’t realize that Whitefish Bay would play in such a similar way as her Impact team did. The Blue Dukes are guard heavy and allow their guards the freedom to make plays whenever they see fit, and Counsell’s looked at home within the Blue Dukes offense, and has thrived in the controlled chaos that playing three or four lead guards can create. She’s a skilled scorer and a willing passer on the offensive end of the floor, which has contributed to the free-flowing look they have. I believe she’s also led Whitefish Bay in scoring, which I didn’t expect in her first season of high school basketball. Her poise and joy she brings to the floor is impossible not to appreciate, and she’s been as productive as any underclassman in the North Shore, so the results back up the joy she plays with.