The Fimroom Pt. 2
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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. Violet Otto Violet Otto 5'10" | SG Prescott | 2026 State…
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Continue ReadingAfter 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.
Violet Otto Violet Otto 5'10" | SG Prescott | 2026 State WI
The first time I saw Otto was last summer with Team Wisconsin , and for the first two or three months, she felt like a streaky shooter and an above-average defender with some tools to grow. However, ever since July, she’s been unbelievably good.
Her high school season with Prescott was excellent individually, and Otto showed what she could be on both ends of the floor. She proved to be a consistent volume shooter, and if you’ve seen her, you’ll know what I mean. Ever since her game against North Tartan’s 15U EYBL group last summer at Meltdown, she’s been one of the top shooters in Wisconsin. She’s 5-11, loves using flair screens, and has enough power in her lower half to make her shots look effortless. As she continues to work on her shot and gets elevated to a higher-usage role at Prescott, I’ll be curious if she continues to shoot at a 38% clip, taking over six threes per game.
Defensively, I feel she better understands her team’s defensive philosophy and how to use her body to make plays on the ball. I love how physical she is with switches. She’s powerful enough to redirect ball handlers toward the half-court line or keep connected at the hip and block shots around the basket. She may not be the most athletic wing in Wisconsin, but she’s resourceful and a plus defender at the high school level.
Quinn McGlocklin Lodes
For those who’ve played against Kettle Moraine the past two years, you probably recognize the Lodes name. Quinn’s older sister, Keegan, has already won as much as one could at the high school level, and Quinn is her younger sister.
Quinn is much different than her older sister. She’s not as tall and less athletic, but Quinn is a much better shooter and plays more under control. I’ve only seen her play once at halftime of the Wisconsin-Minnesota game at the Kohl Center. In that game, plus some of the clips you can find of her, you’ll notice a few things. One, she can shoot it at a high level, and two, Lodes does a solid job getting through traffic and finding ways to finish around the rim.
She’s coming off a rather severe setback with knee issues. However, the 8th grader is skilled enough she could find significant minutes as a newcomer at Kettle Moraine next season, even in an uber-talented backcourt of Lola Bond Lola Bond 5'6" | CG Kettle Moraine | 2025 State WI and Emily Gomez Emily Gomez 5'5" | PG Kettle Moraine | 2025 State WI as seniors next season.
Brooke Hallman Brooke Hallman 5'9" | SF Auburn | 2025 State AL
I came across Brooke Hallman Brooke Hallman 5'9" | SF Auburn | 2025 State AL in Nashville for the NXT Hoop Fest at Christ Presbyterian.
I thought she looked good down in Tennessee or up in Tennessee for the Auburn, Alabama native. I think she has some moxy and confidence in what she does on the floor, and she has the confidence to rise up and take any shot when defenders give her room.
The lefty does a solid job creating off-the-bounce and isn’t solely a straight-line driver. Hallman has an arsenal of head fakes and change of direction that create space when she attacks the rim. The Auburn native also has one of the quicker first steps I’ve seen this year, and she knows she is quick because she creates space for her shot in isolation in one dribble, which is unique among guards.
One of the things I admired most about Hallman’s game is her ability to improvise off the dribble. Some guards are talented but don’t do much outside of what’s asked of them, and that’s not necessarily a negative, but kids who can make something out of nothing, like Hallman, can swing games in a manner of two or three possessions. Most people from my neck of the woods would’ve never seen her play, but she is a joy to watch.
There aren’t many kids with a basketball IQ as high as Verhagen’s. It feels like whatever a defense throws at her, she has a counter to it.
The way Verhagen reads defenses is unlike anyone in Wisconsin. She’s as patient as anyone in the state and has a poise that reaches a level that few others have reached in the last few years. Verhagen simplifies the game in the best way possible. If a defender gets too close, she’ll go around her. Whenever a defender doesn’t close out far enough, Verhagen makes jumpers. Anytime a defender tries to help too early, she finds an open teammate. Whenever you watch her play, it feels like you’re watching a kid who’s played high-level basketball for longer than a 16 or 17-year-old.
She sees things before they happen as a passer. Kids who move away from the ball want a kid like Addy on their team. At her core, she’s a pass-first kid who can score. The junior cares about finding the best shot for her team, and if that’s her shot on any given possession, she’s ok with that.
Kids like her, who play at small schools, get looked over often for various reasons, but Verhagen will maximize any offense she plays for at the next level. She’s that talented of a lead guard.