Young Guns Getting The Green Light This Winter

There are SEVERAL young guns coming into this Winter to keep an eye on across the state. In the article below we highlight some of those prospects, their abilities, and what they might be able to do with the green light this Winter with their respective program.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    I fully expect the youth of Waukee High School to lead the way this Winter for their season. They will have a few deep Classes and their Freshman Class coming in is just as good. The best player from this group right off the bat will be Lauren Harkins. Harkins is a crafty CG, that can lead your team in scoring while also being a better than average facilitator, rebounder, and defender as a whole. She comes in at average size but her skill speaks for itself. This is someone that is going to be in the conversation for the #1 prospect for the 2030 Class moving into the month of December. If she can be the player she has been on the travel floor the last couple of seasons, she will be someone we talk about several times throughout the Winter as we move towards the Playoffs.     We had the chance to see glimpses out of Ali Aguirre last Winter but this season it's going to be on a completely new level. Aguirre is going to be looked to as Producer #1 for the Hawks. She will be their life line on the offensive side of things with her ability to shoot, drive, and score at the bucket through/over contact. Last Winter we saw her more in a passive, off the ball type role because they had their star, Jayla Williams, but this season will be much different. Someone is going to need to step up in their new system wit their new coach and that player will be Aguirre. There is no question in my mind. If she can take things slowly and put the team on her back, they should be a tough group to beat but we will see. Their schedule usually isn't for the faint of heart so they need to worry about going 1-0 each game and everything else will play itself out.     It's always tough to play in the Dowling Catholic Varsity system right away as a Freshman. Anyone who can do that is the real deal. I'm not sure if Winnie Cowherd is at that level just yet but she is definitely going to be someone to know over her high school career. Cowherd is a gamer. She has demonstrated that she can control the pace of play of a game, no matter who their opponent is and she is the type that makes everyone else around her better because of her selflessness. Her ability to slow down or speed up the tempo of a contest is impressive for her age and I expect that skill to translate to the next level with DC sooner, rather than later throughout her career. As long as she steps onto the floor this month and plays confidently while picking up what her coaches are asking of her fairly quick then who knows. We could possibly see Cowherd this season at the Varsity level. We will just have to wait and see.     AR4 showed up and showed her worth last Winter as a Freshman at the Varsity level. She played the CG/SF spot coming in at 6'0 and she was tough to stop against most competition that she played. Offensively, she got to her spots, beat her matchups, and converted at a high rate. She rebounded and defended just as well, only getting better and better as the season moved throughout the year. I'm looking for a full take over by AR4 over the next twelve months at Spirit Lake. When she plays with confidence, she can be the best on the floor and I hope we see that first hand because she could be a next level prospect at the end of the day with the right guidance.     Another guard for the 2030 group coming into Waukee to note is Allie Stephenson. Stephenson is a Guard who can make it rain from three or she can get to other favorable spots on the hardwood for easy shot attempts. She seems to prefer to launch from distance compared to up close but when she is over-played, she knows when to make the right choice to put the rock on the ground and move positions. Defensively, she is sound. She isn't going to be a liability and she gets down the floor in quite the hurry. Her side to side movement is noteworthy and that stands out on both sides of the ball when she competes. Stephenson is going to be a good prospect throughout the next four years of high school ball if this last season has been any indiction. She knows what she is doing out there and she is only getting better with time + experience on the floor.     Rounding out this piece is someone that many might not know about because she competes for a smaller school out of Iowa and that is Sophie Bird. Bird is a 5'10 CG, that would start in most other places throughout the state. She wouldn't at those big 5A schools but she would see minutes on the floor for those programs because of her mixture of smarts, skill, and size. Bird was the main producer last Winter for her program, across the board. Her height combined with her natural ability to make plays on both ends stood out at everyone watching and thats why she is currently at Top 20 hooper out of the 2029 Class in the state. As long as Bird has been working this off-season, she should come back better and even more dominant moving into her Sophomore season. She is going to have the green light to go and make some plays. As long as she takes advantage of those opportunities, she is going to be just fine.     When you look at CCA's Varsity line up last season and who they are going to return this Winter, you notice that there is going to be a lot of opportunity to go around. Someone I expect to take over most of their responsibility to lead this group will be PG - Zella Evans. Evans saw spot minutes last season with their primarily Senior lineup. She played more of the SG or off-guard position and waited for her chances but this Winter is going to be a whole different ball game. Evans will be looked at as their main scoring threat, main distributor, and main on-ball defender. She is going to need to continue to grow in her individual game as she moves into the season but she is truly a natural in this game. You can't really explain it other than that so as long as she keeps working and learns how to lead, she is going to like the way her season plays out.

There are SEVERAL young guns coming into this Winter to keep an eye on across the state. In the article below we highlight some of those prospects, their abilities, and what they might be able to do with the green light this Winter with their respective program.