Posts to put on your radar — bigs with must-have skills

As the first half of the high school season rolls to a close in Iowa, I thought I would highlight a few post players across the state who are bringing the "recruitables" to their respective teams. Though my list of must-haves for prospects might differ from other scouts and college coaches, I'm confident that the skills these players are bringing to the table are ones that every post players should work on help them get noticed.   Want to stand out next time you hit the floor? Want to find players to learn from? Check out five skills on my must-have list for post players, and five players that are nailing those skills this season.   Skill #1 — Keep the ball high on the catch.    One of my favorite aspects of [player_tooltip player_id='1143194' first='Sira' last='Doumbia']'s game is her efficiency with her movements in the paint and her ability to score straight off the catch. As I have mentioned in a previous article I can tell that Doumbia has been putting work into her offseason, and this improvement has extended into her touch and soft hands. You can count on Doumbia to catch the ball high and keep it there — a skill that is much-needed for today's centers. While some post players need lots of dribbles and counter-moves to finish in the paint, Doumbia does her work early by sealing hard and relying on a feathery-touch for finishes over the front of the rim. When she does put the dribble down, she does so tactfully and only when necessary (like splitting double teams).    Skill #2 — Finish at the rim with efficiency.    Efficiency is the name of [player_tooltip player_id='832196' first='Graclyn' last='Eastman']'s game and her junior season has sure been one to watch. Leading the way for Bishop Garrigan High School, Eastman is leading her team in points, blocks, rebounds, and shooting percentage. In fact Eastman is shooting 62.4% from the floor while averaging just under 20 points per game. While the small forward's bread and butter is finishing with a strong drop step or through contact, she also runs the floor well and can smoothly finish on the move with a nice euro step or two-foot finish. Regardless of the move she makes at the rim, you can count on Eastman to get the bucket to go.    Skill #3 — Crash the boards.    [player_tooltip player_id='1325841' first='Libby' last='Winters'] is dazzling on the floor this season through her work rate, skillset, and discipline on the defensive end. As the cliche goes, you can't teach effort, and Winters has shown this effort on the offensive glass night in and night out for the Mustangs. The small forward is one of the top offensive rebounders in the state this season — she's averaging 5 boards per game in a solid 3A conference (Heart of Iowa). The shining sophomore is scoring at a solid rate too at 13 points per game. Winters' rebounding rate combined with her offensive production, ability to finish with both hands makes, and skillset to get to the basket make for one solid small forward.    Skill #4 — Defend with discipline (don't get into foul trouble)!    [player_tooltip player_id='1262585' first='Taylor' last='Evans'] is a great example of a kid who lets her height do the talking and doesn't overcomplicate the game. At 6'3", Evans does an excellent job staying upright to contest shots and tallies up blocks at a blistering pace. Evans is leading the state in blocks this season by a long shot — she has 66 on the season thus far (which is 24 more blocks than the next player on the list). That's good for 7.3 blocks per game! She also only averages 2.7 fouls per outing, showing that she can play big minutes without coaches having to worry about her getting into foul trouble. While also averaging 14.1 boards per night, Evans is nothing less than a defensive dynamo for Prince of Peace this season.    Skill #5 — Be reliable from the free-throw line.    [player_tooltip player_id='435773' first='Cora' last='Widel'] is yet another small forward boasting an impressive resume this season. She's is a multifaceted player that can put the ball on the floor in the open court, hit deep threes, and defend at a high level with lots of energy. Widel has proven her reliability at the free-throw line this season where she is shooting 82% for the year. She gets fouled at a high level (going to the line around six times per game), and has been consistently making defenses pay for putting her on the line. With her ability to shoot over high hands, shooting prowess and length on defense, I think this Maquoketa product has a huge upside.

As the first half of the high school season rolls to a close in Iowa, I thought I would highlight a few post players across the state who are bringing the "recruitables" to their respective teams. Though my list of must-haves for prospects might differ from other scouts and college coaches, I'm confident that the skills these players are bringing to the table are ones that every post players should work on help them get noticed.