Five Returning Defensive Leaders From The 5A Class

Here we have five defensive leaders from the 5A Class returning from last season to make their mark once again in anyway that they can out on the Varsity floor. If you are looking for some hoopers that EAT on defense, while being really solid overall competitors, this is a group to know!   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    Victoria Williams was only 4 Steals away from leading the state in the 5A Class in total Steals last Winter as a Junior. She finished things off with 93 total Steals, while the leader, who happened to be a Senior last season, finished off with 96. Williams is the only prospect in the Top Five for total Steals, who wasn't a Senior last year, which is notable in itself. Williams recorded several of these steals because of her mixture of quick decision making combined with her sneaky athletic ability. She is a hooper that is VERY active on both ends of the floor. She is always trying to cause chaos defensively and she surely accomplished that last season whenever she took the floor. I'm looking for Williams to contend for the #1 spot in total Steals once again this Winter within this Class. She likes to lead her group with action and this is just another example of that on the defensive side of the ball.     243 in 24 games. That's the amount of Rebounds Frankie Long grabbed as a whole last Winter, averaging out to just over 10 RPG in total. These numbers don't shock anyone when you know the type of game Long competes with. She mainly sticks in the middle and handles any/all action that comes into the lane. She stands at a true 6'2 and she is extremely disciplined next to the hoop. If any team comes into the lane with the ball, they MUST account for Long. If they don't, it won't end well for them. The possession will finish in the form of a block, tip, or alteration for Marshalltown in one way or another and that's just the reality. I'm not sure if Long is going to end up as a college Basketball player or if she will commit in another sport. If she wants to stick with basketball, I'm sure she will have some options though.     Vore sneaks into the article because of her BPG and Total Block numbers. Vore, the 5'11 CG, recorded over 50 Blocks on the season as a whole while competing at the 3 and 4 positions. People under estimate what Vore can bring to a program. She is a good option to have on the offensive side with better than average size. She is coordinated for that size and she can defend at a steady rate against other Guards or Forwards. All in all, we have spoke about Vore for 3/4 years now. She is going to be on a talented Cedar Falls team this Winter once again so as long as she contributes per usual - they should continue to have success as a whole and that's more success than they have had over the last couple of years.     Ottumwa made easy work of their competition for the most part last Winter. Whenever they were in games they should have won, they did just that and won them. They started to have issues during the Playoffs once they played a better level of competition compared to usual. Last season they were young but this Winter will be a lot different. The Sophomores will know what to expect and they will prepare a little better when it comes down to it. Someone who shouldn't do anything different this season for this group is Hayden Keith. Keith was #6 in the 5A Class last Winter in total Steals with 86 within 22 contests. One of the reasons Keith had so much success is because of the relationship between her skill level and the competition. The gap between those two factors is gigantic and that can be said for a few of the players on the Ottumwa team. We should expect more of the same dominance this Winter out of Keith. They have to play most of the same teams they blew out last year so there is going to be several chances to post eye-opening stat lines while helping prepare the team for the Post season.     Branaya Jarmon of Council Bluffs Jefferson High School registered 42 Blocks in 21 games as a Sophomore. That averages to 2 BPG, while also doing everything else she could near the rim on both offense and defense. We always say whenever you have a player averaging more than 1 BPG, it's something to note. It's not easy to accomplish that feat so that Jarmon is doing it at double that pace is good to know. Whenever Jarmon takes the court, most have to look up to her size and stature so you can expect that she also shows up rebounding the ball as well. We will watch CB Jefferson this Winter and see what Jarmon can do with fans in the stands. Looking at her history, she always seems to show up so no matter what - I'll be looking for more big numbers for her Junior campaign.

Here we have five defensive leaders from the 5A Class returning from last season to make their mark once again in anyway that they can out on the Varsity floor. If you are looking for some hoopers that EAT on defense, while being really solid overall competitors, this is a group to know!