Young Guns Playing At Varsity Levels This Summer

Here are a group of young guns who have been playing at Varsity levels this Summer on the road with their AAU squad!   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    Landry Petrie's athletic ability as a Guard this Summer has been noteworthy on the hardwood. Petrie isn't just showing off that she is skilled while competing but that she is more athletic than most at her position and the mental awareness she brings to the game is impressive. She is the type that has great reactionary skills on both sides of the floor making her abilities seem really natural and that helps her stand out. I'm not sure of Cedar Falls roster this Winter but I would be shocked if Petrie didn't see the Varsity floor for long periods of time moving into the near future. She has been fantastic on the road this AAU season and I'm sure that's not going to slow down this Fall/Winter.     I think what needs to be said about [player_tooltip player_id='1866905' first='Gentry' last='Thummel'] is the fact that at the Varsity level this Winter, she might be one of the most productive players at the Center position. Thummel currently plays for AIA EYBL during AAU season and how they run their systems doesn't necessarily work for Thummel's play-style. From what I've witnessed she is told to stand under the hoop, box out and rebound, and if any missed shots happen to fall to her offensively than she can put it back in for a simple basket. There really isn't an offense where she works with her back to the basket or anything like that, which is shocking when you know that she stands between 6'2 and 6'3 but that's how this program plays and they have a lot of success because of it so to each their own. As for Thummel, we will be hearing her name multiple times this Winter. She might even help her team to another State appearance in the end but we will see.     If you watch Jenna Krantz compete for just five minutes on the AAU floor this last weekend, you saw that she is a mismatch nightmare as a SG but not necessarily in the ways that you would expect. Krantz only stands at 5'9 for her position but she is usually tasked with defending the biggest opponent whenever their team competes. This matchup makes it really tough for the opponent as Krantz can bring them out to the perimeter and then attack going downhill for a simple scoop finish on either side of the basket. Defensively, she can hold her own in between the blocks. She does have moments of guarding other Guard's but she also seems like their enforcer in more way than one when called upon. We haven't done our deep dive into the upcoming high school season just yet but when we do, we will be highlighting Cedar Falls because with these types of prospects on roster, they should make some waves over the next few seasons.     Kelbi Hodges is one of the state's best prospects out of the 2031 Class at this point in her journey and we should be able to see her this Winter at the Varsity level now that 8th graders can compete in Varsity sports beginning this Winter. Hodges has put together a very impressive AAU season so far and she is looking to finish it with a bang throughout the rest of July. This Spring/Summer she has been a handful for every opponent that has stepped in her way. Her quick handles, her natural responses on both offense and defense, combined with her athletic ability and killer instincts make for an extremely tough guard for anyone at her age level right now and that's been really obvious. I'm not sure where Kelbi is going to end up for high school ball but wherever it is, is getting a baller who could change their program over the next five years.     Meyer will have a chance to be one of the most dominant 1A players throughout the state of Iowa this Winter at the Varsity level. Meyer, the 6'0 CG, is a mismatch nightmare for everyone at her grade level. She is an elite force, that can control the tempo and pace of play under the bucket for the most part. On this AAU team and within this program they love to shoot 3 pointers so we have seen a lot of that out of Meyer this Spring/Summer but I don't expect that to hold up when high school season begins. I think she needs to remember that she is a Forward first and a Guard second. If she can start to understand that, then she is going to have a chance to be really good over her high school career. If she resorts to settling it'll be a much different story though and that could be said for almost anyone at this level as they try to round-out their play-style as they grow up. With that being said, Meyer is a handful and we will see that first hand this Winter if she takes care of business per usual.

Here are a group of young guns who have been playing at Varsity levels this Summer on the road with their AAU squad!