Winter Roundabout: Five Leaders Moving Into The New Year

In this article we highlight five hoopers that have been leading their teams in multiple positive statistical categories moving into the New Year. Each of these individuals listed below have been key contributors to their team's success overall so far and now they are looking to keep it rolling.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    [player_tooltip player_id='1575746' first='Sydney' last='Zupke'] has been a standout leader for her Sumner-Fredericksburg High School program. Zupke is not only a Top 25 leader in PPG throughout the state so far this season. She is also leading her program in PPG (19), RPG (7), and APG (4) - demonstrating her worth each night she laces up her kicks. Throughout their first seven games this program has jumped out to a 3-4 record with some more work to do and Zupke is leaving it all on the floor in her efforts. She is playing the starting PG role while doing a little bit of everything. She displays a fundamental understanding of the game and that, combined with her athletic ability helps her standout against her competition. This might be the first we have heard about Zupke this season but it certainly won't be the last.     [player_tooltip player_id='342205' first='Jayla' last='Williams'] and Ankeny High School is slowly gaining momentum as we move into the New Year. This group has put together some impressive contests to start the Winter and they are putting themselves in a great position as we move into the thick of the season. Williams, the 5'9 CG and Creighton WBB commit, has been leading this crew per usual both literally and metaphorically. Williams is showing out as the top defender in the state per usual and she is paring that along with a whole lotta buckets on the offensive end. She is flying all over the court on both sides, showing up every evening in multiple positive statistical categories. When you have a prospect with this mixture of athletic ability, skill, and smarts - they are going to show up, no matter the circumstances. It's going to be interesting to see how 5A finished off the year as a whole. The Class is pretty wide open with everyone looking up to Johnston at the moment but who knows what might happen.     If you are looking at things from a straight statistical standpoint, Keaonaa Worley is doing a great job at assisting those around her while keeping her turnovers to a minimum. Anyone that has seen Worley compete knows that she is smooth with it. She works effortlessly down the floor with some shifty moves in her bag and those moves lead to a lot of opportunities for others. Worley is going to have to continue putting up these numbers of the next few years if Prairie wants to continue to see success. I think this will also be the key with her getting on the floor at UNI as well once she is at that age but we still have a few years before we are at that point.     [player_tooltip player_id='1575763' first='Haley' last='Engels'] has been producing for Bettendorf High School this Winter and that's going to help the Bulldogs make a run come Playoff time. Not only is Engels scoring the ball at a solid rate every game, she is also a top assister within her program. This team does have a D1 committed prospect so that Engels is stepping up at such a thorough rate is a big deal. It's going to help them beat some tough opponents this Winter, especially once we get into the Post-season. Now opponents won't be able to double or triple the main threat, they will have to adapt in real time if someone gets hot and that is tough to stop. Engels is being more of a player of opportunity right now and she is killing it so hopefully that continues out of break.     Everyone should be a big fan of [player_tooltip player_id='885073' first='Lydia' last='Keller'] of CCA High School. Keller has been nails to kick off her Freshman year so far. She is playing most of the contests and her team is undefeated up until this point at 7-0 with no close games in reality. Every time I watch the Clipper compete, Keller is putting off another crafty move that somewhat impresses me. She shows a ton of potential for her age and she is only going to get better with experience over her career. I think the reason that she stands out is because of how consistent she is in every aspect on the game. She makes open shots, she can handle and finish against weaker matchups, she can hit several shots from deep in a short amount of time off the catch, and she can defend her own position pretty well during crunch time. Keller will be a Top 25 ranked player in our 2029 Player Rankings Update next week. She just needs to keep working.

In this article we highlight five hoopers that have been leading their teams in multiple positive statistical categories moving into the New Year. Each of these individuals listed below have been key contributors to their team's success overall so far and now they are looking to keep it rolling.