Intriguing Performers from Milwaukee

Brady Peterson April 26, 2024 @ 11:25 AM

Throughout this week, I've gone back and checked out some of the games from last weekend with Wisconsin teams in them. Today, I want to talk about a few of the standouts in the games I've gone back and skimmed through.   [player_tooltip player_id='598735' first='Natalie' last='Backhaus']   I loved Backhaus last year because of her versatility, and that hasn't changed. She's one of the best passers in her class but also a well-rounded scorer. She can score with her back to the basket in the low post, mid-post, or space the floor beyond the three-point line. Backhaus is among the most well-rounded offensive forwards in her class, and you can tell by watching her play five minutes up with the 17U [program_tooltip program_id='713205' first='Wisconsin' last='Playmakers'] group. She's a kid who may not pop to people immediately because she's not the most athletic, but if you give her a few minutes, you'll understand how much value she adds to her team.   [player_tooltip player_id='338947' first='Lauren' last='Strifling']   I talked about Strifling recently, but she's continued to impress. She drew the attention of high-level D2s last summer with her shot-making, but I thought she played with a ton of IQ. She rotated well defensively, read what the other team wanted to do when playing help-side defense, and stepped in and took a charge in the few minutes I watched. Over the years, she's more physical and added more grit to her game, and she's developed mentally as a player as much as she has skill-wise, which I feel I haven't talked enough about.   [player_tooltip player_id='448244' first='Ameerah' last='Grant']   Grant has always been one of the quickest players on the floor, and I feel that makes up for some of the size she lacks compared to what coaches normally look for in guards. She lives with two feet in the paint unless she's doubled and she's gotten smarter about what she wants to do in the paint. She used to want to score every time she got down there, but she's been smarter about reading defenses and taking what they give her. In turn, it's made her Playground Elite group better than I remember it being in years past. She's a scholarship-level player and continues to prove it whenever I watch her play.   [player_tooltip player_id='751245' first='Avery' last='Glenz']   The 5-11 Eleva-Strum guard/wing is among the most intriguing prospects in the 2027 class. She has the size and skill that are interesting and she did a solid job taking care of the ball when it got to her. I also thought she defended well and moved well laterally when asked to defend perimeter-oriented players. There's room for her to grow as a player, but with size and skill, she can make some plays that others in her class can't. She has plenty of potential and I'm excited to see her play in person at some point later this summer.

Throughout this week, I've gone back and checked out some of the games from last weekend with Wisconsin teams in them. Today, I want to talk about a few of the standouts in the games I've gone back and skimmed through.