WIAA/WBCA Summer Slam: Thursday Notes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First of all, I want to reiterate what I tweeted last night. The WIAA, WBCA, and Champions Center did an outstanding job with Summer Slam this weekend. It was top-class all around, and there was nothing but rave reviews from the coaches section. Any state not taking advantage of the scholastic-live period is doing their student-athletes a disservice. I've had plenty of disagreements with decisions from the WIAA, but I can't speak highly enough of this event. Now, I'd like to talk about some players that caught my eye this past weekend, so let's get to that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='889686' first='Sophia' last='Remiker']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ashwaubenon was one of the first teams I watched in Appleton due to Remiker. I thought she was one of the more intriguing underclassmen at the event because she's got room to grow. She's a 6'0 wing who can handle the ball and create off the dribble. Having kids with size who can attack the basket from the perimeter generates mismatches that most teams can't handle due to their personnel. I thought Remiker looked promising when I saw her play and will generate some attention from college coaches over the next three years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maddi DeSmet</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I wanted to see Belleville play last season, but the timing was never right. However, I watched the Wildcats right as the games started on Thursday. I thought DeSmet was among the most fundamentally sound post-kids in Appleton. The Belleville forward was comfortable finishing around the basket with both hands and fought for possession whenever the defense collapsed, which helped her battle through fouls that went uncalled in some of those games. DeSmet never complained and kept getting after it on both ends of the floor, and small schools should take a look at her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='491719' first='Jasmin' last='Heuer']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Fall Creek W/F has always been a tweener. She's a 5'10, three or four, but the issue had been that she didn't have much of a threat on the perimeter. I'm sure teams had played off her at the high school level to pack the paint and try to keep her from hurting them from around the basket, which she still did. However, she made a handful of threes in a couple of games. The threat of a consistent perimeter jumper from Heuer will open doors she doesn't even know weren't open. If defenses respect her shooting, they'll slowly have to come out and guard her on the perimeter, which results in more open lanes for her to attack if she wants to get to the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='914983' first='Beanie' last='Thompson']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have a soft spot for kids who play with reckless abandon, and if that doesn't describe Thompson, I don't know what would. That kid makes plays on effort alone, and it almost doesn't make sense. I described her this weekend as having a similar style to Sydney Cherney. She flies around the floor, dives after everything, is tough as nails, and finds ways to put the ball in the basket when needed. Thompson may not play the most aesthetically pleasing style of basketball because she's a grinder kind of kid, but every coach in the state would take her on their team in a heartbeat. Her passion, motor, and grit are hard to find, and you can't teach it. Yesterday, she smacked her face on the floor and had blood streaming down the side of her face. All she did was walk to the sideline, find the trainer, stop the bleeding, put a bandage on it, and play the rest of the game like nothing happened. She's crazy in the best way possible.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->