Before you go to bed…Let’s talk 1A 2025 Bigs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I mentioned in my 2A 2025 bigs article that the lower classifications of high school basketball are limited when it comes to post players. Finding someone who is around 6'0" is rare at this level, so most centers are undersized. Most teams are also lucky to have multiple players who can play in the post. For this article, these players are miles under the radar, but they are set to have instant impacts for their teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1051644' first='Layla' last='Tell']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12120","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Emerson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67074b6f900a7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1051644' first='Layla' last='Tell'] is one of the best rebounders in the 1A-8 conference...Wait a second...that's wrong. My bad. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1051644' first='Layla' last='Tell'] is one of the best rebounders in the 1A classification...Dang it that's not right either. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Correction: [player_tooltip player_id='1051644' first='Layla' last='Tell'] is one of the best rebounders in the state of Arkansas. That's not wrong, but not totally right. One more time!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1051644' first='Layla' last='Tell'] is one of the best rebounders in Arkansas high school girls basketball history, and I am not even close to joking. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season with Emerson High School, Tell recorded the second-most rebounds in a season by a high school girls basketball player in Arkansas with 480 boards. For obvious reasons, Tell is an amazing rebounder, and statistically, the best in the entire state last year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tell is also one of Emerson's top offensive weapons. She can create second-chance opportunities with her offensive rebounding and fastbreak opportunities with her defensive rebounding. In the 1A state tournament last season, Emerson faced off against Sacred Heart, who has some solid players. In the third quarter of that game, Tell outscored the entire Sacred Heart team, which was also all of Emerson's points for that quarter. Emerson would go on to win by five in large part from Tell's offensive success in the second half. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1051644' first='Layla' last='Tell'] is the best rebounder in the state, and rebounding wins games. Every coach at every level of basketball recognizes the importance of rebounding, and any college coach would love to have a rebounding record-breaker in [player_tooltip player_id='1051644' first='Layla' last='Tell']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Clara Alford","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'7u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12120","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Omaha","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67074b6f9017d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Clara Alford can play both the power forward and center positions for Omaha, even the small forward position. Her versatility mainly stems from her ability to defend multiple positions. She may be a role player for Omaha High School, but if she made improvements to her game, this team might be interesting to watch this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alford can steal the ball extremely well. The moment a pass is in the air, there is a good chance Alford is taking it away. She is not the strongest ball-handler, but she can still push the pace on the fastbreak and open up opportunities for her team to score. She also takes advantage of sloppy ball-handling and will poke the ball out, even from guards. Alford blocks shots well too, as she does a great job standing straight up and holding her ground. She has a tall standing reach and it makes opposing guards think twice about going up against her. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alford's offense is intriguing. She has the ability to knock down threes and mid-range jumpers with a fundamentally-sound shooting form. However, most of her makes are due to a shooter's roll or they bank off the backboard. I mean, a make is a make, but she could use more arch on her shot to guarantee more made shots. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On top of all that, Alford is a solid rebounder. She fights for every board and will wrestle with bigger opponents to try to rip the ball from their grasp. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If Clara Alford can get more minutes in 2024/25, expect her and her team's performance to improve. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Rhonnie Jetton","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12120","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Alpena","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67074b6f901fd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Rhonnie Jetton can be a really good small-ball center. She plays a lot at the power forward position, but her versatility allows her to play the 3, 4, and 5. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Part of what makes Jetton so versatile is her ability to stretch the floor with her 3-point shooting. The lefty has nice arch on her shot and a fairly quick release. She does make sure she gets set on her shot and can hit these long shots even in a fastbreak scenario. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On defense, Jetton rebounds well and causes a lot of turnovers. She can block shots, but she records more steals than blocks. Jetton gets most of her steals from stealing passes into the post. She can also poke the ball away from an opponent on their drive to the basket. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alpena can use Jetton in a variety of ways, and her versatility makes her a valuable asset to that team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1049453' first='Nevaeh' last='McKee']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12120","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Mount Ida","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67074b6f9026e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1049453' first='Nevaeh' last='McKee'] is truly underrated, and she has some serious skill that would be impactful on a team in a higher classification. McKee is another player who can play small-ball center and be a dynamic forward. Mount Ida should look to make McKee their number one option on offense if they have not already.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McKee makes her largest impact on offense, and mostly with her ability to move without the ball. She cuts extremely well and she roams freely around the paint, causing her opponent to lose her and opening McKee up to a lot of wide-open buckets. She can also stretch her game out to the 3-point line where she has a solid form and cashes in on wide-open jumpers. McKee does finish off a lot of open layups, but sometimes, these layups are not always open, and she has to finish through contact. McKee is able to, but she hit numerous shots last season that were nearly impossible to make. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Regardless of the contact and if she was even looking at the basket, McKee was finishing plays in the paint. It did not matter if she was shooting a backwards layup or tossing the ball to the sky, it was somehow finding its way to the bottom of the net. She probably wins a lot of games of HORSE. McKee has also shown she can handle the ball, and can use a deadly crossover to freeze the defense on her way to the hoop. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On defense, McKee is a solid all-around defender. She can steal the ball off a pass or from sloppy ball-handling, but she mainly plays steady, sound on-ball defense. She is also a really solid rebounder, and has the ability to start the fastbreak when she takes off down the court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1049453' first='Nevaeh' last='McKee'] would be talked about a lot more if she was at a school in a higher classification. Despite that, people should still be talking about Mount Ida's most versatile player. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Kaylee Million","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12120","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Magazine","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67074b6f902d9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Kaylee Million is another role player that could benefit from a role increase in 2024/25. Million is a stretch-5 with solid defensive skills, and could be the best role player on this Magazine team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Million can hit some triples from the corner, and with plenty of confidence. She releases just above and to the side of her right shoulder, but she puts plenty of power and arch behind it for it to be cash money. Million clearly feels like a million bucks once she makes those threes because she will keep her wrist high up in the air as she is running back on defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Million can finish on the interior as well, along with being a solid offensive and defensive rebounder. On the flip side, she can defend very well. She has quick reflexes and intercepts a lot of passes. If there is a loose ball or an errant pass, Million is the first to dive on it, and she usually ends up with it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kaylee Million can make plays for her team, and she could definitely be more than a role player for Magazine High School.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Well that will do it for the 2025 preseason preview articles. Of course, the job's not finished, because we are going back to 6A! This time around, we are talking about 2026 players in every classification of Arkansas high school girls basketball from the three main position groups. Keep an eye out for my next article covering some impactful 6A 2026 guards...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->