Individuals Returning To Lead The "Charge"

This article highlights hoopers that will be returning this Winter, who averaged impressive numbers on the defensive side of the floor in the "charge" department last season.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    There is a lot to like about the play we have seen from [player_tooltip player_id='752778' first='Lena' last='Kennedy'] of Omaha Westside over the past two years. Not only is Kennedy someone that you have to mark as a scorer on offense, she is scrappy on defense and she is also willing to cause chaos on that side of the ball. Kennedy took a few Charges last Winter as a Sophomore but she also averaged 15.5 PPG, 1.5 APG, & 4.5 RPG - demonstrating that she is always down to dive into the action. This is not a prospect that will stand there and watch things unfold. Instead, she makes things unfold. She plays some effortless Basketball while always being a viable option to make a play on either side of the floor so I can't wait to see what she puts together for her Junior year.     Norris High School put together a rememberable season last Winter overall. They won most of their games, their team chemistry looked on point, and they all seemed to be very dedicated at the task at hand all Winter long. During this run, a younger guard for the group that stepped up as a main prospect to note was [player_tooltip player_id='909425' first='Marlee' last='Emerson'] and she is someone to keep an eye on once again for her Junior campaign this season. Emerson was not only a scoring threat for the Titans, she was also a solid rebounder, a sound defender, and someone who liked to take Charges in some key moments. Emerson ended up averaging .40 CPG last season, ranking her within the Top 25 within the State. This number might not seem like much but almost averaging half a Charge for your year is a high number. Most others are lucky to take 3/4 Charges throughout this season as a whole so doing that every other game, in a 23-26 game season is definitely something. I'm hoping that Emerson can replicate what she set in place as a Sophomore last year. If they play their cards right, the success should follow.     [player_tooltip player_id='1452301' first='Lily' last='Gubbels'] is another name that stood out last season in the Charge department. Gubbels, a PF for Wayne High School, registered .5 CPG as a Sophomore. This means that throughout her team's 23 games on the Winter, Gubbels stepped up to take a Charge in half of those, which is noteworthy. There are not many others that did this last season. To take a Charge takes smarts, it takes some pain, and it takes timing - all things which Gubbels' possess. Wayne might be a smaller school throughout the state but that doesn't change the fact that several factors need to line up to consistently take Charges in a fast paced environment and Gubbels makes that happen.     [player_tooltip player_id='881227' first='Kalaya' last='Catron'] showed her willingness to sacrifice her body for the good of her team last season when she took 13 Charges throughout her program's 26 games. Catron is a PG/CG at 5'4, she is smart, elusive, and someone that likes to lead by action. She knows what her goals are on both sides of the ball and she never seems to run out of energy as she competes throughout an entire contest. This Winter Catron will return once again to the starting lineup for Westview. Opponents will have to be carful when scouting Catron because if they are out of control, it's going to end up in a Charge and some foul trouble. Catron understands when to look for her moments when opponents get downhill. If she stays mentally engaged, that should be the case once again this season.     Whenever you sit down to watch [player_tooltip player_id='882865' first='Jo' last='Metoyer'] compete, you know that she is going to bring the fire and energy to the highest degree. Metoyer might have moved high school's this offseason but she is sure to bring the aggressive edge wherever she goes. As a Freshman, Jo lead her old program to the State Tournament with her swift guard play-making ability. She demonstrated that all season long that she was an elite scorer, creator, and disruptor. It's going to be really fun to see how this goes at Omaha North with Jo and company going the roster. When looking at their overall individual talent level, they are going to be stacked but will they be able to play as a single unit? We will see.

This article highlights hoopers that will be returning this Winter, who averaged impressive numbers on the defensive side of the floor in the "charge" department last season.