More Kids Who Impressed in Appleton

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yesterday, I talked about some of the standouts of the Champions Challenge. Today, I'd like to highlight some kids in the 17U and 16U divisions that surprised me most.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='879668' first='Adaleah' last='Nest']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'd seen Nest a few times in the past few seasons when Stevens Point would come down for the Kettle Moraine Thanksgiving Classic. I don't remember Nest from those games a few years ago, but she was excellent in Appleton. Her Blizzard team had five kids and were playing more talented teams when I watched them, and Nest was as poised as anyone in the gym. I thought she looked solid with the ball in her hands, made sound decisions with the ball, and was a significant reason why Nest outperformed what I expected them to with their schedule. Nest is a name for small schools to keep tabs on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='609545' first='Kennedy' last='Hermsen']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='715980' first='Team' last='Iowa'] always has fundamentally sound groups. Their 16U group is no different. Hermsen was an excellent off-ball option for them. The Monticello native made a few perimeter jumpers, used the threat of her jumper to attack the basket, and didn't shy away from contact and got to the free-throw line. Hermsen played plenty of productive minutes when I watched, and I'm sure she'll be a kid who'll have plenty of standout performances the rest of the AAU season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='667016' first='Kamryn' last='Lecce']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The highlight this weekend was a [player_tooltip player_id='667016' first='Kamryn' last='Lecce'] half-court buzzer-beater to earn her team a tie with a talented 16U group on Sunday to close a wild first half. She's always been an intriguing kid to follow. Lecce has always been good at getting to the rim and scoring while attacking the rim. However, she's continued to improve her perimeter game, which looks much better than it did a year ago. She's a kid who small schools should be all over next summer. Her physical traits will help a small-school program at the next level, and she appears to have a drive to improve, which coaches should love.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='736760' first='Melia' last='Lemorande']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After nine months on the sidelines, Lemorande returned for her first game action since her knee injury. I didn't expect much from her because of the amount of time she spent recovering. I was more excited to see her on the floor again than anything else. After the first day of seemingly getting her footing again, she was good on Sunday in a manner I didn't expect. Her shooting and scoring were what set her apart last summer. On Sunday, it was her passing and IQ that stood out most. Lemorande was more than the explosive scorer we saw a year ago. You could tell she had been a student of the game this past year and mentally worked on things while rehabbing. She's nowhere near where she'll get to when Lemorande has more time under her belt, but she's a kid coaches will want to see this summer. She's one of the most talented kids in Wisconsin's 2026 class most haven't gotten to see yet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->