Players Games I Love Watching

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the past two-plus years, I've seen a lot of games played by players from all over the state in AAU and high school. Today, I want to work on a few articles highlighting some of my favorite kids to watch play during that time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='736760' first='Melia' last='Lemorande']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over last summer, I don't know anyone who exploded offensively like Lemorande. Before she got injured, she was one of the most explosive scorers I saw all summer, and that's not an overstatement. Lemorande got to whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Anyone who didn't see her firsthand missed out on some of the absurd performances she put up en route to winning her [program_tooltip program_id='712778' first='Purple' last='Aces'] team games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='533079' first='Brooklyn' last='Love']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not many kids have the first step Love has, and in AAU, that first step allows her to get downhill to score at the rim or kick out her open teammates so they can knock down threes. Her ability to get by her initial defender is a requirement for kids who want to play at a high level, and Love has been doing that since I first saw her as an eighth grader. Once you watch her play, you'll know what I'm talking about.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='448246' first='Addison' last='Baumgart']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the kids who helped themselves the most last summer, in my eyes, was [player_tooltip player_id='448246' first='Addison' last='Baumgart']. I'm unsure if she missed any three-pointers she took in April and May. That's an exaggeration, but that kid made any shot defenses gave her for the first two months of the AAU season. In June and July, she "cooled" off and was likely an upper 30s to low 40s% shooter, which is still excellent for a kid who projects to be a four at the college level. Her shooting can swing games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='337022' first='Natalie' last='Meaux']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sometimes, there are games where one kid refuses to lose. That feels like every game I watch Meaux play. She may not be the tallest, fastest, or strongest kid on the floor at times, but she's relentless, and when defenses give her an inch, she takes a mile. Meaux was integral in ending Oak Creek's near decade-long conference-winning streak, and in that game in Oak Creek, Meaux was the best player on the floor for a significant portion of that game. She's a 5-7 guard who'll crash the glass, compete every possession, score in bunches, pass well, and dictate the tempo of a game. She's been a pleasure to watch, and hopefully, she'll be back on the floor soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->