2024 - 2024 High School Season Preview: Three & D

The term "Three & D" is in reference to prospects that are elite at shooting the basketball from a deep distance on the offensive end, while being solid defenders at the same time. In this article, we highlight players that can do both of these things at a higher rate than average on the high school floor and they will be called to use those abilities over these next few months. I think an important note when looking at all of this is that some players are fall into this categorization because of their high school system's as well. It's not always JUST because of their ability out on the court.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    At DCG, [player_tooltip player_id='923917' first='Samantha' last='Reis'] is her team's SG, that is not afraid to let it go in any given moment offensively. Reis comes from a family of shooters and she has always worked on this skill so this comes as no surprise really. Over her next three Varsity seasons, she will have to show that she can handle the ball under pressure, while being able to facilitate to other open teammates but a majority of the time, she is going to be looking for catch-and-shoot situations in the grand scheme of things. This Mustangs team is always legit so I'm sure Coach Jones is well aware of the situation and working to make Reis the best that she can be with the tools around her.     [player_tooltip player_id='777225' first='Katie' last='Muller'] of Dowling Catholic falls into an interesting but good situation this Winter. Muller is one of the state's premier SG's that Iowa has to offer. She possesses balance, coordination, awareness, and a quick stroke while letting it go from deep and that never seems to fail for her. In her DC team's system offensively, she is going to do just what we expect and that is shooting the basketball. Defensively, she will be playing out of her team's zone, doing what she can to help the cause. I will say, that's the one thing that I have not had a chance to see out of Muller just yet, that being Man2Man defense. I'm sure she can but in every system she has played in, in front of me, it's been 2-3 and 3-2 zones so it'll be intriguing to see how that works moving forward but either way, I'm sure this is someone that is going to kill it. She has height, a flamethrower from deep, and a several D1 offers already, so I think she is going to be just fine in the long run.     [player_tooltip player_id='908847' first='Marley' last='O']'Brien of Columbus Catholic continues to be a prospect with an open recruitment moving into the 2024 - 2025 high school season as a Senior and if she puts together a nice start to her year, she could have some interest come her way from surrounding programs out of the Dubuque area. O'Brien is a SG, but she does a little bit of everything. Personally to me, she stands out defensively as someone that can stick with skilled guards in both the half or full courts. That's her best ability. Other than that, she is tasked with shooting the ball at thorough rates and each season she has done that up until this point in her career. For her last season on the high school floor, I'm sure she is prepared to give it her all and end things off with a statement-type season.     Whenever I refer to [player_tooltip player_id='311369' first='Greta' last='Dillinger'], it's usually to some effect that if she were in an offense that gave her the "Kyle Korver treatment", she would thrive. That means every time she sets a screen in her offense, she gets 5/6 in return on that possession alone. Dillinger is a high volume shooter, who can get hot in a hurry off of the catch all over the perimeter. This AAU season, she lit it up enough to bring in some collegiate offers, ultimately taking her talents to D2 - Augustana after this Winter. Like I said, Dillinger can let it go in a hurry and she can fill up the bucket. That's the easiest way to put it. That along with her ability to stick in-front of intense dribblers makes her someone to watch this upcoming high school season.     If you have known about [player_tooltip player_id='311380' first='Sydney' last='Huber'] since she was a Freshman, you understand that she is D1 talent, a D1 commit, and one heck of a shooter of the basketball. When you combined that ability with her height at 6'0 and her mental awareness of the game, you see what she brings to the court every time she competes. Huber is a multiple sport athlete, that is actually making a huge run with her Mount Vernon team on the Volleyball court this week in attempts of bringing home a State Title. That just speaks to her athletic ability, not even referencing the sport of Basketball. At Evansville, Huber has the chance to be a staple over her career. She is going to be looked upon to let it go from deep at a high rate. If she can do that and stay in front of her matchup like she can on the high school floor defensively, it's going to be tough for the coaching staff to pull her off the court, once she see's it.     If the CR - Prairie High School team is going to want to put together a great season, [player_tooltip player_id='502095' first='Emily' last='Larsen'] is going to have to play out of her mind at some points and do a little bit of everything but in reality, Larsen looks to let it go from behind the three point line more than anything else when on the offensive end of the ball. The last time I saw Larsen compete, she was killing it at TOC Chicago with her Missouri Phenom 17U team. During this AAU season, I saw Larsen compete multiple times and each game, she favored the three ball over everything else, while being a super well rounded defender for her teammates. In the grand scheme of things for maximum success, Larsen will have to continue to be a complete prospect on the hardwood but this Winter, she will definitely looked upon to hit big jumpers, while defending some of the opposing team's best players.

The term "Three & D" is in reference to prospects that are elite at shooting the basketball from a deep distance on the offensive end, while being solid defenders at the same time. In this article, we highlight players that can do both of these things at a higher rate than average on the high school floor and they will be called to use those abilities over these next few months. I think an important note when looking at all of this is that some players are fall into this categorization because of their high school system's as well. It's not always JUST because of their ability out on the court.