Small-School Players Who’ve Impressed Thus Far

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that we're past the Christmas breather, I got to look at some kids from around the state's first third of the 24-25 season. Today, we're highlighting a few kids from off-the-beaten-path.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='995788' first='Elsah' last='Rubis']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's not common to see 6'2 kids this late in the game that is still available, and to my knowledge, she hasn't committed anywhere. However, you don't find many kids with her physical tools and skillset available for small-school programs to go after. Rubis has been an excellent rebounder and roller in the Middle Border Conference the past few years and would be a kid who could help a program win some games at the next level. I wouldn't be stunned to see her end up at a WIAC school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='874373' first='Brooke' last='Wellnitz']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, the game that best summarized Wellnitz was the Argyle/Pecatonica State Semifinal game. She scored two points but grabbed 17 rebounds. If she never scored, Wellnitz was content with that. However, she's flipped a switch this season for A/P on the offensive end of the floor. She's consistently over 20 this season, and her ability to use her speed to get by her defender will be a challenge for any small-school post to handle her one-on-one. In my eyes, Wellnitz is the heartbeat of her team. When she does well, they're at their best.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='884543' first='Kiya' last='Brand']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Crivitz native plays the role of a talented small-school kid for decades, which means Brand is impacting the game in as many ways as humanly possible, and Brand has done that well. Brand has been able to make shots in bunches, score in the paint, create havoc in opposing passing lanes and rebound at a high level for her size. Players like Brand take small-town programs like Crivitz to another level, and she'll have some time to continue to improve and, hopefully, make a deep run or two in the years she has left.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1241336' first='Nora' last='Jensen']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The New Auburn junior has been excellent in the Trojans' undefeated start to the season. Her ability to score the ball consistently from anywhere on the floor has opened up the floor for New Auburn. The Trojans ran into a formidable Clear Lake team a season ago that stifled them on the defensive end of the floor. However, the offense has kept them ahead of the teams they've lined up against thus far, winning seven of their eight games in double figure. They could make a run to Green Bay this March. The tools are there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->