Prospects Deserving Their Flowers

In this article I am only going to be able to highlight a handful of prospects, who I really think deserve some credit for their efforts last season right before we tip off the new year, but that doesn't mean that others don't deserve their credit as well. Everyone who works their tail off and stays dedicated to that hard-work, deserves their flowers at the end of the day and I think that is something everyone can agree on.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    Coming off of the type of year that Bellevue West had and the Thunderbirds are going to be looking for their next big time producer over the next couple of weeks at practice before the season kicks off. One of their returning players, that made an important impact last season, is PG - Vanna Reitsma. Reitsma is going to step into her role with confidence this next six months as a Junior. If she can do that and stay focused on the goal at hand, she could put together a very impactful Winter. Reitsma will handle for her team, look to be a scorer on and off of the ball, and she will be needed to lead them defensively as well. A big key to her game is being aggressive and getting to the line. An ability that will shine through now and in the future, if she competes at the next level following high school.     Bridgeport High School put together a fantastic season a year ago, falling just short of a State title for their Class. This year, they are looking to build off of what they put in place last Winter, with the common goal in mind to bring home a state title at the end of the season. Someone for this group, that I think should get more credit than they usual receive is Sophomore, Elizabeth Velazquez. Velazquez brings a lot of positives to the floor. She is a prospect that I wouldn't say she is great at anything but more-so good at everything. When you look into this Bridgeport program, like any good team, you have your big dawg-type of producers and your role players. I would definitely consider Velazquez a mix of both. She has the ability to go off and have the best game on the floor on any given night, which is something you can't say about everyone.     [player_tooltip player_id='924488' first='Aryanna' last='Wagner'] is going to be a prospect that I credit moving into her Sophomore season at Norris for a few reasons. The biggest one being that she is making the switch to Norris High School, after being homeschooled her whole life up until this point. Wagner has competed with the [program_tooltip program_id='712711' first='Nebraska' last='Lasers'] the past couple of years on the AAU scene, so she is known around the state but this switch is going to do her wonders. First off, credit for Wagner for taking the challenge and this first step. Second, with the consistent work she will be getting in now with other solid prospects on the floor, she should make STRIDES on the hardwood as an overall prospect. Wagner is a player that comes in taller than most standing at 6'2-ish, she has a decently soft touch on the basketball, and she understands her best ability. Those three factors will take her a long way, as long as the coaching staff puts some solid guidance behind her.     The Overton Eagles only took one loss last season during their year but this Winter, it's going to be a little more challenging. The Eagles will lose their top producers from last season, making some room for a new leader to step up and show out. I think that leader is going to be SF - Daisy Ryan. Ryan will play the Forward position and be tasked with controlling that area of the floor. This is debatably the most important spot on the floor when it comes to controlling a game or how a game is going to be decided. Last season, Ryan was someone on their team that they could look too when their leading producers were locked up. That's going to be little different this time around and that's okay. Ryan was someone that made a lasting impact on their Championship run in 2023-2024 and I expect that role to become even bigger this time around.

In this article I am only going to be able to highlight a handful of prospects, who I really think deserve some credit for their efforts last season right before we tip off the new year, but that doesn't mean that others don't deserve their credit as well. Everyone who works their tail off and stays dedicated to that hard-work, deserves their flowers at the end of the day and I think that is something everyone can agree on.