Brandon Preview: Building on the Progress

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brandon enters the 2026-27 season looking to continue building after taking a step forward a year ago. The Blackhawks finished 6-16 last season, an improvement from a two-win season the year before, and they return plenty of varsity experience as they look to keep that progress moving forward. Having a group of players back who gained valuable experience last season should give Brandon a stronger foundation heading into the winter. The next step will be turning that experience into more consistency and finding ways to finish more games on the winning side. After showing improvement a season ago, the Blackhawks will look to continue that upward trend and take another step forward during the 2026-27 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1941035,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/10/Brandon-Girls-Basketball-2026-2027-Schedule.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1941035" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Projected Roster:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='927438' first='Ella' last='Rizzo'] 2027 - PG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1303662' first='Avery' last='Odinga'] 2029 - PG/SG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Charlize Burns 2029 - SG/SF</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1941036' first='Maddie' last='Heverly'] 2028 - SF/PF</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emma Menzies 2027 - C</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elin Austin 2029 - SG/SF</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1829989' first='Addi' last='Stamper'] 2029 - SG/SF</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lina Biela 2029 - PG/SG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1613534' first='Sisilia' last='Swanson'] 2029 - SG/SF</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brooke Martin 2027 - SF</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://www.mhsaa.com/schools/ortonvillebrandon/girls/varsity/basketball/2026-27" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brandon HS Varsity Girls Basketball | Michigan High School Athletic Association</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["927438"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6adcca3a41389"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">"[player_tooltip player_id='927438' first='Ella' last='Rizzo'] will be our unquestioned leader, and coming off back to back All State Seasons is looking to lead our team to a successful season" - Coach Rivers</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1303662"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6adcca3a413be"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">"[player_tooltip player_id='1303662' first='Avery' last='Odinga'] had a good freshman year, and a solid summer and fall, I look forward to a breakout season from her, she is playing with high confidence, and a better understanding of the game" - Coach Rivers</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1858863"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6adcca3a413e0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">"[player_tooltip player_id='1829989' first='Addi' last='Stamper'] is another 2029 who had a solid off season, and her development from last year to this year gives us another dynamic player on the roster" - Coach Rivers</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1941036"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6adcca3a413fe"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">"[player_tooltip player_id='1941036' first='Maddie' last='Heverly'] has led our team in rebounding in her first two seasons, looks more athletic, and her IQ has improved a ton, adding to our core" - Coach Rivers</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1613534"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6adcca3a4141b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">"[player_tooltip player_id='1613534' first='Sisilia' last='Swanson'] has done a ton of work in the off season to be a productive member of our team and will definitely be a sleeper for us" - Coach Rivers</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"2029 Liz Burns, 2029 Elin Austin, and 2027 Emma Menzies all look to play important roles and contribute to our success." - Coach Rivers</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Coach's quote:</strong> Success is not an accident, we are taking an approach to win each play, and win enough plays, those wins will stack into bigger things. We want to be locked in from Day 1. We are returning lots of varsity experience.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->