Big South Showcase: Jackson’s Sadie Voss tops the Top 10
Sadie Voss is one of the most athletic players we have seen this year. Period. Full stop. End of story. OK, it’s not the end of the story, because I have plenty of say about Voss, her Jackson County Central…
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Continue ReadingSadie Voss is one of the most athletic players we have seen this year. Period. Full stop. End of story. OK, it’s not the end of the story, because I have plenty of say about Voss, her Jackson County Central team and the Big South Showcase that took place Saturday in Jackson. It was 12 hours of interesting basketball that concluded with an entertaining display of JCC’s new fun-and-gun approach to the game that has the conference buzzing.
JCC finished 3-9 in the Big South last season, 9-16 overall. Following a coaching change and subsequent implementation of the new system, the Huskies were 3-0 after Saturday’s 86-71 home court victory over New Ulm. The team is averaging a whopping 88 points per game, and the kids are clearly having a ton of fun.
Sadie Voss and her brother Rudy.Jackson’s approach to the game is constructed around the Grinnell System that relies on constant defensive pressure via the full-court press with hockey-style personnel swaps every couple of minutes. It’s a bit jarring to watch at first – ‘chaotic’ is the first adjective that springs to mind – but it’s a way of playing that is totally suited to Voss and her nearly-as-athletic cousin Alaina Wolff, a 5’6 dynamo who has committed to play volleyball next year at Wayne State in Nebraska.
Voss was flying around the court on Saturday, and was seemingly everywhere at once. You want smothering one-on-one defense? Someone who can force turnovers and fluster opponents? A player who knows what to do with the ball once it’s back in her possession? That’s Voss. The 5’8 sophomore is a great shooter, finishes through contact, has very quick feet and hands, and plays the game with intense passion. There are very few players who can run at maximum RPMs like that, which is why Voss stands out so much.
On Saturday that approach paid off as Voss scored 30 points in the win. According to stats guru Kevin Anderson, who charted the game against New Ulm, Sadie’s production was at a rate of 88 points per 36 minutes! Last season Voss averaged 13.6 points per game to go along with 3.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals. One can only imagine what those numbers might look like this year. If the scorekeeper can keep up.
We first saw Voss last year at this event and we wrote about the then-freshman’s potential. Plans to watch her later in the season went awry because Voss was injured during the only window in the schedule when it would have been possible to make the six-hour round trip to Jackson. She doesn’t play much summer basketball, either – club volleyball is the priority – so based on that single viewing we dropped Voss into the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2022 rankings mid-pack. She’s currently ranked in the 80s. That’s way too low. Voss belongs at least 40 spots higher, maybe more.
Sadie is not the only great athlete in the family. Brother Rudy arrived late for his sister’s game on Saturday because he was playing quarterback in the Minnesota Football Showcase all star game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Rudy holds football offers from North Dakota and South Dakota State, and is a standout basketball player, as well. He’s got options. So does Sadie. Our sister publication Prep Dig has Voss rated as the #22 volleyball player in the state.
The rest of Saturday’s Top 10
Gus Boyer – senior guard, Waseca (UM-Duluth). At #27 in the class of 2020, Boyer was the highest-ranked player in the Big South Showcase and it showed. The 5’10 guard does it all, with a huge motor, superior skill set and one of the finest shooting motions we’ve seen. She fills the stat sheet on a regular basis with averages last season of 11.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.5 steals. Boyer was cold from beyond the arc Saturday but she made up for it from two-point territory as Waseca dispatched Redwood Valley by a score of 52-25.
Zoe Velde – senior guard, Pipestone (Mary). Velde is a bulldog, a scrappy player who works hard every single minute and epitomizes the term ‘gym rat.’ She’s also quite skilled, which is why Division 2 Mary out of Bismarck, N.D., was willing to accept her signature on the dotted line to play point guard for the Marauders. Zoe was everywhere on Saturday in Pipestone’s 37-20 win over St. James, clearly demonstrating her athleticism, strength and versatility.
Olivia Hayenga – sophomore forward, Worthington. We have been excited about the 5’9 Hayenga’s potential for the past year, and it’s all starting to come together now for this lean and lengthy athlete who has big strides, nice elevation and a quick first step. Hayenga also has ball-handling skills, finishes at the rim in traffic and can run the floor. Olivia has a ways to go but may be a scholarship player in the making.
Brooklyn Scheitel-Taylor – sophomore guard, Worthingon. Brooklyn is an athlete who stood out at the Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo in October and showed us more of the same on Saturday. She runs track, plays volleyball and has excellent potential to play high-level basketball at the next level. Scheitel-Taylor has fast feet, nice elevation and a natural flair for the game. Brooklyn is putting in extra work on her skill development and the effort is paying off.
A few more standouts
Jordyn Hilgemann – junior forward, Marshall. Opponents regularly game plan around the 5’10 Hilgemann, who has strength and length, can shoot the basketball, and cashes in at the rim. Those game plans seldom work, however, as Hilgemann is a top-30 prospect who scored 25 points per game last winter for the Tigers.
Rachel Breck – senior forward, Waseca (Iowa Lakes). The 6’0 senior is a top 100 prospect who has put in a ton of extra work to grow her game. The effort has resulted in a versatile, experienced player who owns the paint, finishes at the rim and rebounds hard. Breck will compete in both basketball and volleyball at Iowa Lakes.
Nora Windschill, senior forward, New Ulm. The 5’10 Windschill might be better known as a volleyball player but she showed at the Big South Showcase that she knows her way around the basketball court, too. With the graduation of Joey Batt, the Eagles are in transition and players like Windschill have to step up. Nora certainly did, collecting a double-double with 22 points and 17 rebounds.
Jazlynn Prins – senior guard, Southwest Minnesota Christian. Prins has been a skilled, productive point guard at the varsity level seemingly forever. The 5’10 senior averaged 19 points per game last season for the Edgerton-based team that went 23-5. She’s smart, versatile, shoots the three and loves to drive to the hoop. Jazzlyn was very good on Saturday as per usual.
Maya Scheitel-Taylor – senior forward, Worthington. Maya doesn’t draw quite the attention that younger sister Brooklyn does but her contributions for the Trojans are no less important. She rebounds aggressively, defends hard and is a solid all-around contributor. Maya can also shoot the three and has some length. She showed us at the Top 250 Expo and again on Saturday that knows how to use it.
Haley Garman – junior forward, Redwood Valley. Haley is one of the biggest bodies in Minnesota girls basketball. At 6’2, with an enormous frame, Garman is a handful as she showed clearly in a stunning performance against Roseau at the state tournament last spring. Garman averaged 19 and 10 during the 2018-19 season. She’s currently carrying the load for Redwood Valley, which lost standout guard Sydney Sommers to a torn ACL and had six injured players on the bench in street clothes Saturday.