Freshmen with flair — first-year players making their mark

It's not an easy to task to come in as a freshman and make an immediate impact on a varsity team. There can be a big learning curve between playing against competition your own age, to now taking on players up to three years older. The game can be faster and more physical, and in some instances more is expected of young players on high school squads than on their AAU teams. These five freshman have lived up to the task so far — from scoring, to playmaking to hitting the boards — these players have not skipped a beat since starting their young careers. Their maturity and performance is showing early on that they are adaptable, recruitable players that can meet challenges head on and help you win basketball games.    Bryndall Paterson started her varsity career in a big way and is starting to turn heads. The 5'7" combo guard is the highest scoring freshman in the state regardless of class, scoring 20.5 points per game for MVAOUCOU (class 2A). She's a threat at every level and makes an impact across the stat line — she even began her career with a triple-double (with points, rebounds, and steals) in her very first game. Paterson is a quick, confident shooter from beyond the arc and an active, disruptive first line in the Rams' pesky press. She doesn't shy away from using either hand to finish at the rim is an unselfish passer. One of my favorite attributes is Paterson's ability to draw a crowd and make the right play, regardless of who gets the shot that possession. She's averaging 6.2RPG and 4.8APG while shooting 63% from the floor and 39% from three — Paterson is simply a freshman force.     Reinke is another freshman that is not only impressing with her stats, but is doing so while winning games. Her Spirit Lake squad (class 3A) is currently second in the Lakes Conference and Reinke's contribution has attributed to some of that success. Reinke is scoring 18.4PPG, which is good for second-highest output as a freshman. She's a 6'0" forward with a lot to like — she's mobile, has a nose for the ball, and has quick hands that leads her to lots of transition buckets. Hauling in 11 boards per game and shooting at a high clip as well (50%FG), Reinke is more than capable pushing the floor in transition (in fact, she thrives there), and doesn't shy from contact at the rim. She also has the patience to fake you out if she doesn't have a clear path to the bucket.     One of the players I'm most excited about in the 2029 class right now is [player_tooltip player_id='920715' first='Emily' last='Tanny'] out of Wahlert Catholic. Listed as a 6'1" guard, Tanny is the third-highest scoring freshman in the state at 18PPG. She's scoring at an efficient rate so far this season at 43.5% from the floor, and is reliable at the free-throw line too (82%). In the open court, Emily is a pace-setter that wants to beat you down the floor for open lay-ins. In the half court she looks confident off the bounce with either hand and will let it fly with a super quick release if you don't contest well enough. Tanny is also a willing passer — her height lets her see above her defenders and she's more than ready to share the rock to an open cutter. What I really love from Tanny is her ability to attack downhill — her first step and length get her to the rim with ease and she has solid footwork around the rim if the to make counter-moves if needed. Keep your eyes on [player_tooltip player_id='920715' first='Emily' last='Tanny']!     Sophie Bird is another big guard who is making a mark in her premier season. Starting for Grand View Christian in class 2A, the 5'10" freshman point guard has racked up the most assists in her class so far this season (5.8APG). Bird is showing lots of poise and maturity as an underclassman while keeping her turnovers to a minimum where she's flaunting an eye-catching 2.56 assist to turnover ratio. When she's not dishing to open teammates, Bird loves to let it fly (pun intended) and makes an impact across the stat sheet with rebounding and scoring — she's averaging 11.5PPG on a solid Thunder squad. On her balanced, high-scoring team, Bird knows how to run the show and where to get the ball to help her team succeed.     [player_tooltip player_id='1226071' first='Eden' last='Horn'] is has put herself on the map this season in a big way. She is not only leading the freshman class in rebounding, but she is leading the entire state of Iowa in rebounds per game (14.5RPG). The 6'3" power forward does lots of things well — she rebounds like it's her job, she's scoring at an efficient rate, and she is a menace in the paint on defense. If you give Horn the ball, there's a good chance she's going to convert. She's shooting 60% from the field and is consistent at the line as well 75%. On the defensive end she protects the paint with discipline and high hands — Horn is averaging 5 blocks per game in class 1A. Horn also gets up and down the floor with ease and has proven her ability to finish at speed with either hand. Already flashing a 20-20 game in her early career, there are lots of points and boards in this fabulous freshman's future.

It's not an easy to task to come in as a freshman and make an immediate impact on a varsity team. There can be a big learning curve between playing against competition your own age, to now taking on players up to three years older. The game can be faster and more physical, and in some instances more is expected of young players on high school squads than on their AAU teams. These five freshman have lived up to the task so far — from scoring, to playmaking to hitting the boards — these players have not skipped a beat since starting their young careers. Their maturity and performance is showing early on that they are adaptable, recruitable players that can meet challenges head on and help you win basketball games.