PGH Freshman Showcase Team Two Breakdown (Part One)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last weekend, in Appleton, we had our third PGH Freshman Showcase. I enjoy seeing the new faces of high school basketball before the season, and plenty of players at the event will make their mark on the high school season this winter. Today, we're discussing all the players from Team Two of the 5v5 portion of the event and highlighting what they brought to the floor. We'll keep this up until we wrap up all ten 5v5 teams that played at the Freshman Showcase.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1223839' first='Eastyn' last='Mau']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mau was a solid team player when I watched her play in the 5v5 portion of the event. She was patient when she got around the basket and let the defense dictate what she should do with the ball. Her willingness to pass the ball led to open looks for her teammates. I also thought she rebounded the ball at a high level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1230851' first='Makayla' last='Gehrke']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gehrke showed some quickness and was able to accelerate well. I thought she kept her head up with the ball and got her teammates the ball when they came open. She turned the corner on the offensive end and got downhill toward the basket. I also liked her ability to defend on the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1229383' first='Natalie' last='Rudnick']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I highlighted Rudnick a few days ago because she was among the most impressive players at the event. The Seymour guard shot the ball well and created enough space to get her shot off. Rudnick also showed some physicality on both ends of the floor, which signals that she's ready for high-end high school ball. She also never seemed to be rushed or forced into anything that made her uncomfortable. She will be a player who causes problems in the Bay Conference. She's one to know heading into the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1308138' first='Emersen' last='Butts']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Butts is a player who sees the floor well and can make the correct reads with the ball in her hands. Her ability to digest what's going on around her will help her get onto the floor at the high school level. She also showed some physicality and made plays through contact, and she seemed to welcome that contact. She also has some solid skill that shows in her footwork around the basket. She will be a player who can adapt to different roles and find ways to make plays that will help her team win games during her four years in high school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->