Players I’ve Enjoyed Watching This Grassroots Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Most programs, if not all, have one tournament left in the 2026 grassroots season. Whether teams end up in Chicago, Hamilton, Rock Hill, Louisville, or elsewhere, the 2026 grassroots season has allowed players from Wisconsin to flourish at events around the country. Today, we will look at a few players I've enjoyed watching at events I've attended around the country over these past few months and discuss what they bring to the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["931985"],"_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-6a584b75248fe"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Every year, some smaller guards make plays at every level of basketball. Ehlke is a player who stood out to me over the past few days in Louisville at Run 4 Roses because she was all over the place. She's not a kid who will win rebounding battles around the basket, but she crashes the glass, and immediately pressures post players who corral rebounds and attempts to earn jump balls. She's a fearless kid who's willing to put her body on the line to help her team gain extra possessions. She plays with heart and flies around the floor; she's a joy to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["874389"],"_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-6a584b752499b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">There's a joy to seeing everything come together for a kid, and that's happened for Thompson this grassroots season. She's always been a physical kid who plays hard when she's on the floor. However, she's in the best shape I've seen her in, is comfortable finishing with both hands, can attack off the dribble, and is a player who can set a physical tone on both ends of the floor. She's a kid who plays with a chip on her shoulder, and she's been one of the most improved players I've seen from her sophomore season to her grassroots season with [program_tooltip program_id='713127' first='Wisconsin' last='Legends'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["732637"],"_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-6a584b7524a26"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Whenever you see a kid who can put the ball in the basket in bunches and find a groove, they make it seem like the basket is the size of Antarctica. The Neenah native was among the most impressive 16U players I saw at 3SSB down in Bryan, Texas. The lefty shot the leather off the ball, and every time she took a shot from beyond the arc, it felt like it was going in. Michalkiewicz can take a significant step forward this winter for the Rockets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1241386"],"_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-6a584b7524aad"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 5-11 Neillsville forward, in my eyes, was the most outstanding player in the Division 4 State Championship this past March. She has excellent footwork around the basket, with the touch to finish with either hand around the rim. However, I feel I learned about how competitive she was when I saw her at Summer Jam in June. She got hit in the face early in that game, and noticeably bled from her mouth. However, she still came back in a few minutes later, still bleeding inside her mouth, and continued to compete. Not many kids would've come back how she did, and that's something I won't forget.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->