Champions Challenge: More Young Talent to Know

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='915003' first='Maren' last='Johnson']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've probably seen Johnson on last year's 2027 Let it Rain group, but I hadn't sat down to watch her play and focused on her. Johnson was one of the more physical kids I saw in her age group and got to the rim whenever she wanted. I thought she rebounded the ball well when she was on the floor and made a three-pointer or two in her minutes on the floor. She has the physical tools to become a load to handle for opposing defenses and has a solid motor to help her team win the 50/50 balls.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='892088' first='Lucy' last='Norville']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first thing that stood out with Norville was her length. She blocked a few shots when I watched her play and never jumped to block shots. Norville does an excellent job staying vertical and making her assignments life as challenging as possible. I also saw her knock down a few shots when I watched her for a few minutes later in the weekend. There is plenty of talent in the Norville genes, so it's not shocking to see another one coming through the ranks with plenty of talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='874380' first='Olivia' last='Williams']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was watching a game next to the one Williams was playing to open the event for a bit, but every time I turned my head over to her game, it felt like she was involved in a play in one way or another. She made a three from the wing, rebounded well for her size, and switched fluidly. From watching her for a few possessions, I thought Williams made the most of her minutes, and it felt like they won the minutes with her on the floor. I loved how engaged she was on both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='750262' first='Kendall' last='Schmitz']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Schmitz is cut from the same mold as other guards from the past few years who play like their hair is on fire, like T. Mocadlo, who's at Lynn University in Florida these days, and&nbsp;G. Zortman down at Homestead, among others. Schmitz is the next kid like that coming up the ranks. People who love kids that make extra effort plays will love what Schmitz does in her time on the floor. She sprints everywhere and dives after every loose ball and has improved skill-wise since I saw her before her first high school season at Manitowoc Lincoln.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->