My “Must Watch Players” in the 2025-26 Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the last double article day of the month, and I want to use it to highlight some players I plan to watch at some point during the high school season. These players may not be the best in the state, but they are the ones worth learning about and watching this coming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751247' first='Bailee' last='Parker']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vel Phillips Memorial guard is a talented floor-spacer who can knock down shots from the perimeter. Paker missed last season due to a knee injury, and the Spartans were missing a player like her in the 2024-25 season. She will have a role to play this season and probably earn plenty of open shots playing alongside plenty of talent in the backcourt. She could be a player who could knock down open shots from the perimeter and punish defenses for overhelping.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='914999' first='Destiny' last='Weaver']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Messmer guard has a knack for putting the ball in the basket anywhere on the floor. Weaver has been a high-volume scorer for her high school team in the past few seasons and has been reliable in that role. The Southeast Wisconsin native is a player who doesn't compete at a large high school and play against elite programs, but she is a player who's worth keeping tabs on throughout this coming season. Anytime she steps on the floor, she is a threat to score in bunches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992515' first='Sydney' last='Loerke']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Deerfield forward is a talented back-to-the-basket player who had a standout 2024-25 season for the Demons. Loerke is a physical player who can score around the basket and be a double-double threat whenever she steps on the floor. Loerke also has the skillset to step out and space the floor. Loerke has plenty of versatility that coaches can play with to get the most out of any group she plays with at any level of basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992495' first='Gabriella' last='Pritchard']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Franklin guard is a high-IQ player who can orchestrate an offense. She sees the floor well and communicates well with her teammates on both ends of the floor. She's a step ahead of any team she plays against and can help her teammates get into the right positions to make plays on both ends of the court. Pritchard is also a threat to knock down perimeter shots and use her threat to shoot the ball to beat closeouts off the dribble and make plays attacking the basket. She also led the Sabers to a Sectional Final last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->