Brady's Notes: Race for the Legacy Day One

As the Race for the Legacy tipped off at Center Court, I got to view three games. All the games were U17 games played at Center Court, which left me plenty to discuss. [player_tooltip player_id="156077" first="Annika" last="Pluemer"]- Wisconsin Impact 2023 Witt After an excellent season that ended in a trip to the state tournament for Brookfield East, Pluemer excelled on Friday night. Her combination of creation and shot-making creates issues for defenses. Especially ones that don’t know her game as well. The Brookfield native is a two-way talent that is continuing to improve. The summer season will be massive for her. [player_tooltip player_id="206575" first="Lexi" last="Bugajski"]-Wisconsin Impact 2023 Witt Getting to watch Bugajski play with freedom is a sight to behold. The New Berlin native is as versatile of a forward as you’ll find, and that was on full display Friday night. Rarely, if ever, did I see Bugajski pull down a rebound and lead a fast break during the high school season. However, watching her do it for Impact makes her look like a guard. She shot the ball well and defended the perimeter. It was an excellent performance by the Eisenhower junior. [player_tooltip player_id="156097" first="Reagan" last="Pahl"]-Wisconsin Impact 2023 Witt The one thing that has always jumped out about Pahl was her shooting. When you see her shoot the ball, you immediately know she does that at a high level. However, I was impressed with how well she dealt with pressure and multiple bodies as a ball handler. Pahl found ways to wiggle out of what seemed to be easy turnovers for the defense. She just created something out of nothing more times than I could count. [player_tooltip player_id="329592" first="City" last="Figlinski"]-Wisconsin Impact Witt Although Figlinski was a late addition to Impact’s roster, she fits in like a glove. The ball-handling, shooting, and level of defense she brings brought the best out of her teammates and herself last night. She was an excellent shooter for an Appleton West team this past season and with more freedom and less pressure on this Impact team. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her have a standout summer. [player_tooltip player_id="329558" first="Kailey" last="Wozniak"]-Chapman Elite U17 What I love about Wozniak is how easily she fits into any lineup. The main knock I had on her early in the season was her shooting, and although her percentages at the end of the year were eye-watering, she did shoot over 40% from the 3-point line in her final ten games. Last night she was asked to guard talented PGC kids and did a good job. [player_tooltip player_id="156091" first="Alicia" last="Burgos"]-Chapman Elite U17 After seeing Burgos play at the Resch Center in March, I was excited to see what she could do up close. The Dominican forward has a clear understanding of what she wants in the post, a couple of times explaining to her guards what specific pass she needed to best exploit the matchup she had. Burgos was a good rim protector, blocking a handful of shots. The more I see her, the more I like her game. [player_tooltip player_id="206721" first="Trishena" last="Brown"]-Playground Club 2023 Brown’s quickness and burst helped her create one of the best individual moments, where she got loads of space on a stepback 3-pointer. Her athleticism is off the charts. Brown was even fronting Burgos in the paint and stealing the ball at its highest point on entry passes. Her leaping ability is absurd when you see it up close. [player_tooltip player_id="206728" first="Beautiful" last="Waheed"]-Playground Club 2023 There is something to be said about kids who may not be the best at any one thing but still excel at everything. What I like about Waheed is that no matter what situation you put her in, she’s going to find a way to make winning plays over and over. Her length, anticipation, and speed on the defensive end help her create a lot of turnovers. Offensively, she is a consistent finisher at the rim and a consistent shooter. Not much more you could want in a prospect. [player_tooltip player_id="206719" first="Lalani" last="Ellis"]-Playground Club 2023 You won’t have more fun watching anyone than when you watch Ellis. The Milwaukee native is an excellent ball-handler, and she is fully aware of that. She puts an extraordinary amount of pressure on defenses that aren’t fully ready for it. She has a knack for finding space to get her shot off around the basket when it seems like there isn’t room. Ellis has some turnover issues to clear up, like most guards. She’ll help a team at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="266987" first="Shae" last="Kelley"]-Wisconsin Impact 2024 Kelley There isn’t much more of a basketball nerd experience than watching Kelley play defense. Again, she did an incredible job forcing turnovers without fouling and wrecking the opposition gameplan at the point of attack. The Brookfield native also played well offensively. Kelley feels like she’s on the brink of leaping at a prospect sooner rather than later. The only thing that has been an issue was her scoring, and the more I see her play, the more confident I am that that aspect of her game will come along. If schools aren’t taking notice of that, it’s on them. She’s a winner. [player_tooltip player_id="209588" first="Gabby" last="Wilke"]-Wisconsin Impact 2024 Kelley The part of Wilke’s game that I love the most is her ability to do everything at a high level. As a 6-foot-2 forward, she can dominate on either block, put the ball on the floor, or take a 25-foot jumper and calmly nail it. The Beaver Dam native is one of the toughest kids around. If there’s a loose ball that someone goes after along with her, I fully expect Wilke to come away with the ball. She plays with a passion, visible to anyone who has seen her play. And I adore watching her play. [player_tooltip player_id="266999" first="Mary" last="Stroebel"]-Wisconsin Impact 2024 Kelley After seeing the Cedarburg sophomore play for the first time, I left with more questions than answers. Usually, this is a negative. However, my questions aren’t in a negative tone. The sky is the limit for her, especially on the offensive end. Stroebel understands where she can hurt defenses most. She looks like she instinctually floats to those areas. When I leave the gym questioning how good can she be, in Stroebel’s case, it’s a good thing. [player_tooltip player_id="206574" first="Makenzie" last="Drout"]-Let it Rain 2023 Black In a summer setting, the aspect of Drout’s game that makes her incredibly valuable is her IQ. She knows what defenses are trying to do to her before it happens. Although this group is very new to each other, the fact that the Kimberly native limits mistakes while playing with aggression will keep them competitive. Let it Rain felt like they got punched in the mouth early and often, but then you look at the score, and it’s a 10-point game. When you see her play, there is a just a natural calm aura that she brings. Her leadership qualities are evident off the court. Overall awesome kid, and where she goes, a team will get better by having her around. [player_tooltip player_id="156078" first="Caden" last="Krohn"]-Let it Rain 2023 Black The Waukesha native’s shooting was also crucial in keeping her team in the game last night. As a forward who can play outside-in or inside-out, you never know what you’re going to get from her on a night-to-night basis. I can only imagine how difficult of a time teams have game-planning for her. I think she has a chance to draw a lot of interest this summer because of the unpredictable nature of her game.