Five Upperclassmen Gaining Recruiting Steam

This time of the year is crazy for prospects and recruiters. With AAU season upon us, all sorts of players are out in full-force to show they're worthy to compete at the collegiate level following their high school careers.   In this piece we highlight five players that are gaining some, recruiting steam, from the next level on a pretty consistent basis.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    [player_tooltip player_id='435773' first='Cora' last='Widel'] is the most recent player out of the state of Iowa to receive an offer and that was from D2- Upper Iowa University. Widel, a 6'1 Forward, has been a promising talent for a few years now. She originally jumped on the scene as a freshman with a very impressive and thorough campaign for that season. Ever since, she has been gaining momentum in her own game and ultimately, in the recruiting process. Widel is your definition of a dawg. She loves to work with her back to the basket but she can also spread the floor. She can finish up and over anyone that is smaller but she can also hit her defender with multiple moves if they so happen to be bigger. When she catches on the block, she has a quick first step and a soft touch. Those two things lead to a lot of success on both sides of the basket offensively. When it comes to defense, you could say that Widel is just as important. She rovers around the paint, creating havoc for anyone trying to come into the lane for a shot attempt. All in all, this was a great offer from the Peacocks. Widel is definitely someone at the D2 level that could make an instant impact within the right system.     Grand View (NAIA) out of Des Moines hosted a type of showcase last week that brought in talent from all over the Country. Someone that did a great job at making the moment their own was SG - [player_tooltip player_id='835415' first='Presley' last='Zeutenhorst'] of Southeast Polk. This AAU season Zeutenhorst decided not to play and to just train in her off-time. Well the training must be working out because she was knocking down deep shots in this one, playing stingy defense, and being the ultimate teammate as a communicator and effort player. When you break down PZ's game, you see that she is more of an off-the-ball prospect, that can make a lot happen with a little amout of time or space. She produces without having to have the ball in her possession for the most part and that's more important than people think. That's something that will translate to the next level, once she finally gets there in a couple of years.     When you evaluate [player_tooltip player_id='777225' first='Katie' last='Muller'] of Dowling Catholic and All iowa Attack EYBL, it does not take you long to understand that she brings a D1 talent level to the floor. Muller stands between 6'1 and 6'2, she is a knockdown shooter from anywhere over half-court on the hardwood, and she has the ability to match up with almost anyone that might be lining up across from her cause of her natural size. We always say that you can't teach height and this is a perfect example. The one thing I will say she needs to work on is her over-all movement. Down the line she will be tasked with defending some high level players at the guard position, who can really move. If she wants to stick with them, that is one thing in her game that will need improvement. Generally though, this is someone with 10+ D1 offers for a reason and I don't expect that to slowdown in AZ this upcoming weekend.     Another individual that was invited to the Grand View Showcase was [player_tooltip player_id='865480' first='Addison' last='Bratt'] of Elkhorn North. Bratt is a 5'11 SG, that has been a Varsity player for a handful of seasons now ever since she was a freshman. Bratt is the definition of a shooter and that was on full display in-front of the Grand View staff in this one. When I mean shooter, I really mean someone that you can create your offense around because of how quick, smooth, and efficient her jumper really is. Other than that, Bratt does possess the ability to put the ball on the floor for a simple look herself in the midrange or she can take it closer to the bucket and find an open teammate for a nifty assist. She can also move around and screen or work off her cutting motion to get simple looks when the defense falls asleep or just isn't paying attention. This is someone that might not have any official offers yet but that all changes this Spring/Summer on the road.     [player_tooltip player_id='560333' first='Kendra' last='Boatman'] was recently mentioned by myself a week or so ago because of the offer she received from the college level to kick off her AAU season. Since then, Boatman has been on two more visits and she has received two more offers as well, adding to her stockpile at the moment. KB is a competitor. Someone at the guard position that wants to win no matter what it takes. When it comes to what she can really do, Boatman is an aggressive but calculated attacker with the basketball. She can produce at all three levels using her body angles and physicality to make good lean-way while getting down hill. She can also move off the ball and catch-to-kill her defender in a number of ways. She is an able and willing passer with better than average vision. All while she never takes breaks on defense. She just keeps it moving. Like we said above, Boatman possesses a good amount of interest and offers. If she stays uncommitted the rest of this AAU season, she might hit 20/30 offers in totality by the time she commits.

This time of the year is crazy for prospects and recruiters. With AAU season upon us, all sorts of players are out in full-force to show they're worthy to compete at the collegiate level following their high school careers.