The Filmroom

After a healthy amount of responses with some highlights/film of players in 2023-24 seasons, let's talk about what I received. We'll get this wrapped up in a few days.   [player_tooltip player_id='347876' first='Kate' last='Scharf']   We'll start this off in South Dakota with Spearfish's [player_tooltip player_id='347876' first='Kate' last='Scharf']. Scharf is someone I've seen in person a handful of times over the past few summers with [program_tooltip program_id='712815' first='South' last='Dakota Network'], and her tape checks out with what I remember her being.    The first thing that jumps out is her ultra-quick release on her jumper. After that, you can see the different things that make her jumper effective. As more of an off-ball guard, you don't usually see kids who can set up their defenders for screens that well. They'll usually run off a curl or pin down and see if they get the ball. However, Scharf is adept at setting up her defenders before the screen, then attacking the screen to find open pockets to get her shot off. Players with quick releases almost always have excellent footwork, and Scharf is no different. From watching her in years past and in Spearfish's State Quarterfinal game against Brandon Valley, the speed she can get her feet where she wants them and her shot going toward the rim is incredible.    On the other end, Scharf is a physical wing. She may not have the lateral quickness of other guards or wings in the Midwest, but if she can stay connected physically with opposing ball handlers, they'll have a tough time getting around her because you can't move her backward due to her strength.   Kate will play with Mountain West Premier this summer.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17996539/65de669d23517d0e64df0d6a">Kate's Film</a>   [player_tooltip player_id='448247' first='Megan' last='Johnson']   The one thing to note about Johnson before diving deep into what she does is that she is the core of what West Salem does, full stop.   While I was in Iowa, I didn't expect much from West Salem, and once I saw the final score and what went down in Baraboo, I was in awe. The way Johnson scores the ball is as a hybrid post-player who can make shots and is agile enough to beat slower posts to the rim from the high post, which she made a killing doing against McFarland. However, one of the most underrated aspects of her game is her level passing. Johnson doesn't have tunnel vision with the ball, which forces defenses to stay true and keep connected to their assignment.    Last year at state, for multiple reasons, the Panthers weren't 100%, and Kewaskum had five kids in the paint when Johnson got in there, and there wasn't enough shooting to keep them honest. This season, Johnson has done a much better job finding easy baskets for her teammates in transition off rebounds or live ball turnovers and feeling where help comes from when she attacks the rim. Punishing defenses like that give teams pause when sending help too aggressively, which grants Johnson all the room she wants to score herself.   The focus she demands from defenses at this point is on par with some top hybrid wing/forwards in Wisconsin. Not many kids can move, pass, shoot, and score in the paint quite like her.    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J3nL9eBBmM">Megan's Film</a>   [player_tooltip player_id='338957' first='Marissa' last='Morgan']   The versatility on both ends of the floor that [player_tooltip player_id='338957' first='Marissa' last='Morgan'] has may be the thing that best encapsulates her game. Playing with kids like [player_tooltip player_id='209597' first='Savannah' last='James'] and [player_tooltip player_id='209592' first='Sarah' last='Aleknavicius'] means she may not have the ball as much, but she gets to show what she can do with and away from the ball offensively.   When the ball is in her hands, she makes the right reads more often than not, and even when she doesn't, it's not because she's misreading the play. It's because she's slightly too aggressive with where she wants to pass the ball. Honestly, I feel most coaches will like that she tries to fit passes in small windows because it means she can play a little off-script and make something happen on the fly that only she sees in real-time on the floor. I don't think she makes too many mistakes with those aggressive looks she'll have, but I love that she's not only making routine passes out there.   Off the ball, she did a lot of spotting up in the corners or slots to give Grafton the spacing for kids like herself or the other two I mentioned earlier to attack the basket. However, she shot much better than I expected this season, which can only help her going forward. She may not get as many open looks in her senior season, and people know that if she's left alone, she'll more than likely make defenses pay.   All that talk about her offense, but her defense might be the most appealing aspect of her game. For one, she's an athletic kid who moves laterally and keeps talented guards in front, but she's also a hard-nosed kid who'll create a few extra possessions per game.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17091111/65c27a3dc1242a13448e81d1">Marissa's Film</a>   [player_tooltip player_id='751272' first='Melanie' last='Morgan']   From when I first saw her at an open gym over a year ago, I've always felt that the younger Morgan sister has an abundance of poise. Even in eighth grade and playing against juniors and seniors, she never seemed overwhelmed by how fast the game was around her.   That poise shows itself on the offensive end of the floor. Morgan is an excellent decision-maker off the catch and the speed she digests what the defense is doing. She's quick enough to beat closeouts where she's comfortable taking floaters and a talented enough shooter to punish poor closeouts. Her ceiling on the offensive end of the floor is as high as anyone who's been in the program the last few years.   Defensively, I feel that she has room to grow. She's a gifted enough athlete who can cover ground in a hurry. She can stick with some of the more athletic guards in the conference. Since she was a 14 or 15-year-old playing against 17 and 18-year-olds, there were some physical hurdles that, over time, will phase out. She could be one of the better perimeter defenders, which would be valuable considering how guard-heavy the North Shore is.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/21069160/65c0f17e02b1240b0c3c20de">Melanie's Film</a>

After a healthy amount of responses with some highlights/film of players in 2023-24 seasons, let's talk about what I received. We'll get this wrapped up in a few days.