Checking In On The 2029 Class: Guard Edition

It has now been a few weeks since we have ranked the 2029 Class for our first time in Iowa. Whenever you have a first draft of rankings for any Class, there is going to be some debate. The sample sizes are so small for prospects competing at the Varsity level and playing JV doesn't really give you a feel for who a player actually is so things can get tricky. With that being said, this 2029 Class in Iowa is loaded with talent and truthfully, there will constant movement with players moving spots throughout their next four years as individuals grow as hoopers.   In this article we check in on some of our 2029's and how they are looking moving into the tail end of their Freshman season.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    [player_tooltip player_id='885073' first='Lydia' last='Keller'] has been rock solid this Winter stepping up for CCA when they need her the most. Coming into this season we knew that this CCA crew had two elite producers on and off of the ball but they needed a third to really push them over the top and that third individual in this situation is Keller. Keller is your CG, that keeps it simple. She has a steady dribble that can handle pressure, she moves really well off of the ball, she has a smart head on her shoulders, and she is very good at hitting mid-range jumpers off of any screening action or even off of the dribble. Keller didn't fall within out Top 25 rankings the first time around because we didn't know how consistent she would be on the Varsity floor but after seeing her competing the past few months, there is no doubt that she will jump into the Top 25 during our next Update this Spring.     Efficient. Calculated. Crafty. Play-maker. These are all terms you could use to describe [player_tooltip player_id='1201510' first='Grace' last='McCann'] and what she brings to the floor. Sometimes you have a prospect that just makes things happen. They aren't the most athletic. They aren't the biggest and baddest but they make all the right choices and they seem to always come out successful. That's [player_tooltip player_id='1201510' first='Grace' last='McCann'] in a nutshell this Winter so far. We have seen this for years now on the National AAU floor but it's nice to know that it also translates to the Varsity level as well. I'm expecting McCann to finish off this season on a high note leading in the travel season this Spring. If she continues to consistently grow within her own game, she is going to continue to be a killer moving into her Sophomore year down the road.     The future is a bright on on the hardwood for [player_tooltip player_id='1440552' first='Yasanna' last='Love Smith'] of SE Polk. Love Smith is still very early in her career but she shows great amounts of promise. She isn't the tallest hooper but she makes up for that with her athleticism, speed, and aggressive nature. She understands how to attack an opponents hips off the dribble, making that opponent open up to the floor while getting past them into the teeth of the defense. Defensively, she causes a lot of trouble for some of her opponents with how determined she is with getting her hands on the basketball. She is relentless in her pursuit of chaos on the defensive side of things and that stands out to anyone that might be watching.     [player_tooltip player_id='880919' first='Faith' last='Perpich'] is another name to know out of the CIML moving into this Spring. Perpich has stepped up to play consistent minutes at the Varsity level for her Ankeny High School team. This team is one that lost a lot coming into this Winter from year's past so the biggest question was always going to be, who will consistently step up? Well, Perpich is doing that as we speak. She has shown over her first few Varsity games that she understands what it means to be a leader and she is only going to get better with the more experience that she has under her belt. She already knows how to handle, how to get others open, and how to compete while leaving everything out on line for her fellow teammates. Now she just needs to continue to work on building off of those abilities. This Jaguars team is very young. By the time they get down the road in a year or so, they could be very dangerous within the CIML if they play their cards right but we will just have to wait and see.     [player_tooltip player_id='957838' first='Presley' last='Prill'] is going to be the leader of West Burlington over the next 3.5 years. She is clearly the most gifted individual that their program has at this point and she is only a Freshman, which really speaks to what she is bringing to the floor. Prill is a CG, that compete as a scoring guard more than anything else. She knows how to beat her defenders in multiple ways, always getting a clean look at the bucket on offense. She is also someone that is not afraid to light the nets on fire from deep off the catch or dribble. She has a lightning quick trigger and she is not afraid to use it. The biggest question about Prill's game will be her overall offensive efficiency over-time but right now, she is in a great spot as we move into the Post season in a few weeks. She is putting up convincing numbers for her age group at the Varsity level and that's noteworthy.

It has now been a few weeks since we have ranked the 2029 Class for our first time in Iowa. Whenever you have a first draft of rankings for any Class, there is going to be some debate. The sample sizes are so small for prospects competing at the Varsity level and playing JV doesn't really give you a feel for who a player actually is so things can get tricky. With that being said, this 2029 Class in Iowa is loaded with talent and truthfully, there will constant movement with players moving spots throughout their next four years as individuals grow as hoopers.