Small Town Prospects, Big Responsibilities

This article highlights five prospects that come from a small town, compared to the bigger area's that run throughout the state like DSM, Iowa City, The Quad Cities, or Sioux City.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    [player_tooltip player_id='595154' first='Brenna' last='Johnson'] has helped Westwood High School to an undefeated record so far this season at 15-0. This makes the Rebels the last undefeated program throughout the 2A Class at this point with an average margin of victory of 25.6 PPG. Which is impressive considering the size of their town is only 1,100 people in total. What opposing teams can't handle is Johnson's presence in the paint. She has natural size over most that come in her way at 6'0, a soft touch on the ball, and adequate coordination all over the floor. This makes her a nightmare for opposing teams. If you put someone smaller on her, she is going to go over the top of them with a simple finish. If you put someone bigger on her, she is mobile enough to move right on by them whenever they attempt to wall up under the bucket. This is someone that I expect to play her Freshman year at the college level if she can work on her weaknesses come this off-season. That's something she shouldn't be worried about at this time as we are still in season but it's definitely something to think about down the road.     If you new or haven't been paying attention for the past 3.5 years, [player_tooltip player_id='510277' first='Izzy' last='Eisbach'] is the soul that get's things going for Nodaway Valley. We usually mention Eisbach whenever she has a scoring performance over 40 within a game. That might seem like a ton and it is but that's easy work for Eisbach in reality. As she has grown up, she has learned how to score the rock in every way imaginable and that is going to translate to the next level at Northwest Missouri State this Fall. Nodaway Valley is located in Greenfield, Iowa. A town with a population of right around 2,000 people. This might be a smaller town within the State but Eisbach causes big problems for anyone she is hooping against. She has shown that for years at this Varsity level and on the road on a National level as well so now it's all about finishing her Senior year out on a high note.     Another amazing feat that we are seeing unravel in front of our eyes is the season that Exira-EHK has put together so far throughout the first half of their Winter season. The Spartans are 15-1 at this time, only falling to Riverside by 5 to start their year. A major reason for this success is because of the guard play they have on hand. Someone that specifically comes to mind is their overall leader, [player_tooltip player_id='832210' first='Taryn' last='Petersen']. If you take a look at the stat book for this group, TP's name pops up in every category as a positive producer. She is currently averaging the most PPG (20.5) and the most APG (4.8) from the SG position for the Spartans. Not to mention, she is averaging these numbers while being an overall efficient prospect. She is currently shooting the rock at a 43% clip and getting to the free throw line at Will when it's needed. If you look at this team as a whole, their record, and what the future might hold - it's interesting. Especially considering that the town in which this group comes from, Elk Horn, only has 650 people in it. That fact gives you a whole different perspective of everything when you break it down. Now they just need to keep things rolling.     [player_tooltip player_id='839371' first='Grace' last='Holsteen'] isn't the tallest player on the court for Mediapolis but she is definitely in the consideration for being the most impactful as a whole throughout the duration of a contest. Holsteen would be considered a smaller CG, that moves all around the outside of the perimeter mainly. She loves to catch and shoot the ball from distance but she isn't afraid to create for others around her when she can make those opportunities happen. She is one of her team's leaders in SPG, APG, and she even shows up in the rebounding department as someone you have to put on a body on or else she will end up crashing the glass for easy rebounds on missed shot attempts. Mediapolis might not be ranked #1 in 3A at this time but they are the only undefeated team at 16-0 moving into our last week of January. This team is located in a town that possesses right around 1,800 people so that they are at the top of the pack and looking down is noteworthy to say the least.     We have seen Ava Mundt compete a few times this Winter and every time she looks better than the previous time. Mundt is a PF at 5'11 with some eye-opening skill. She has helped Grundy Center to a 13-1 overall beginning to their season while averaging a double-double in points-rebounds (10.7-11.4). Mundt is very good at running lane lines in transition, she can defend multiple positions, and she is a top-notch communicator on and off of the basketball. In their earlier lost this Winter, it was to another small-town powerhouse and it was only by two points, 46-48. As a coach, that's a loss you are willing to take if it came down to it and your players learn something from it. Grundy Center is a town that holds 2,800 people on average. It's not the smallest but it's also not the biggest so these results you see from the Spartans are impressive to say the least but I'm sure they won't be satisfied until they are holding up a State Title or at least competing for one at the end of the day.

This article highlights five prospects that come from a small town, compared to the bigger area's that run throughout the state like DSM, Iowa City, The Quad Cities, or Sioux City.