Who Excelled at NIKE TOC

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're a day out from my final day covering AAU basketball in 2024, but there are still some kids I'd like to highlight before we do a more macro version of an AAU recap. So, let's talk some more about what happened in Chicago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='338955' first='Lola' last='Bond']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Kettle Moraine guard looked promising each time I saw her in Chicago. She scored from all three levels and ran in transition. A handful of coaches were there watching her play, and she gave them something to think about. Bond is a kid who could make an impact at the small-school level if she wants to play at a school in the WIAC and make a difference there. I'm curious to see what kind of options Bond ends up with after how she played in Chicago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='877544' first='Lyndia' last='Kalumbula']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defensive tools are there for Kalumbula to excel at the next level. She's athletic, long, and defends multiple positions. Defensively, she has everything that a coach could want, and from the outside looking in, she has the work ethic that coaches would look for at any level because she seems to love the grind of improving. She's constantly improving on the offensive end of the floor, but the defense will draw eyes from coaches at the next level immediately.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='764918' first='Anna' last='Miller']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a gnarly injury in Minnesota that left Miller with a hole in her face that needed stitches, Miller battled through it every day in Chicago. Watching her play with stitches in her lip made me cringe every time she drove and tool contact or dove on the floor at a loose ball. She had no fear, and it was something to behold. That kid is an absolute warrior and wants to play basketball. I learned about her competitiveness and edge as I learned about the youngest Ketterhagen this weekend. Not many kids would play through the things they had going on health-wise, but they didn't just play. Those two were aggressive every second they were on the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kasey Stepflug</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whenever I see a kid who is 6'4 with any skill, I expect scholarship programs to be around every corner, and they may be there, but Stepflug hasn't posted anything publicly. However, I thought she did a solid job finding ways to be productive in a guard-heavy offense that Playground Elite runs. She made some mid-range jumpers and didn't block every shot, but she was an obvious deterrent from kids trying to get downhill and attack the basket. There should be plenty of schools that inquire about what she's looking for if she's interested in playing at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->