Five Players Who Have Surprised Us So Far This Winter

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this article we highlight five players who have somewhat surprised us this Winter so far with their production on both sides of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["667953"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-695ec49a7ef10"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">It's unfair to say that [player_tooltip player_id='667953' first='Tessa' last='Driscoll'] has been a surprise this Winter because we knew what she was capable of walking into her Senior year. The surprising part of things is how Driscoll is leading by example and helping the City High program win some meaningful games against other ranked opponents. Driscoll won't compete at the D1 level to start her college career but she might be able to end there if she works hard enough and is put into the right situational early on, on the collegiate floor. For right now, IC City High is a team to watch out for moving into the Post season. If you don't prep correctly, they are going to be beat with strategy and experience. Like we've already seen a number of times this Winter season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1198780"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-695ec49a7ef93"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">We knew a little about [player_tooltip player_id='1198780' first='Ella' last='Jameson'] prior to this Winter high school season. We knew she was a taller prospect in middle school but we weren't sure how she was going to compete on the Varsity floor as a Freshman. Well, Jameson has been a shining light over the past few months, making her mark in the middle of the lane with her high-octane playmaking ability between the blocks. Jameson stands at 6'1 and it seems like she is continuing to grew every time I see her. When you pair that along with the fact that she has a solid base, soft touch, and smart head on her shoulders of situations - who knows how far she might be able to take things. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Evelyn Hitzhusen","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027 ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"West Fork ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-695ec49a7f04f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Evelyn Hitzhusen has been an intriguing prospect so far this Winter and I'm excited to see what she will be able to do come Playoff time. Hitzhusen competes out of the Post position at West Fork and she is the one who helps control the pace of play in the lane. Not only that on the defensive side but when Hitzhusen gets fouled, she knows how to convert. This is a player that currently leads the state in FT % moving into the second week on January. She might only be 16/16 so far but this is important. She converts while being hit and that's all that matters. When you have a Post that can do that, you can win a lot of close games so it'll be exciting to see how that continues to play out as we move into the Post season in a few short months. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["923933"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-695ec49a7f0a5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">When you think about Johnston and their personal, you think of their top producers in all categories but a player that has came into her own so far this season as a solid role player off the bench is [player_tooltip player_id='923933' first='Mariah' last='Dixon']. Dixon is someone that we didn't see getting a ton of time to start this Winter but she is slowly adding onto her opportunities whenever she has the chance. Dixon knows her role. She keeps it simple as a PG/CG, she makes the easy play, and from there - everyone looks pretty good at the end of the day. She has a solid handle with better than average vision in the half court but she never tries to over-do a situation. She takes what is given to her while working with those around her and that is something that will continue to play throughout the rest of her high school career from the looks of it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Grace Kissell ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Louisa-Muscatine ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-695ec49a7f13c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I am not sure who we expected to be leading the state in total steals at this point in the season this season but someone we did not see coming is Grace Kissell of Louisa-Muscatine High School. Kissell is the leader in total steals for a player in Iowa currently with 77 in 11 contests, putting her at just over 7.7 per game at this point. This number is an eye opening one when you think about the stat. Anyone who has numbers like this has some prowess on defense and they aren't afraid to show it. This means the player knows timing defensively, they can read tendencies, and they aren't afraid to act on instinct. Those three things could take Kissell to the next level in some form one day if she got a chance. I'm not sure how this season ends for Louisa-Muscatine but if Kissell keeps these numbers up, she should stay on top of the leaderboard following the end of this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->