This week capped off the high school career of Cora Widel Cora Widel 6'1" | SF Maquoketa | 2026 State IA . Widel is going to be a hooper that looks back and is proud of what she accomplished throughout the past four years. She has gotten better each season as she has grown up and that has translated on the court. The lefty was the team’s MVP when it comes to bringing home the State Title last week. Widel was big in each contest she played, leading up to the 3A Championship and she was the MVP of that game as well for anyone who was watching that actually knows about Basketball. She was hitting shots from deep off the catch from the top of the key, she was killing her individual matchup near the hoop with her back the basket, and she did all of the others little things pretty well. Things like rebounding, defending, and distributing. All in all, it’s been fun to watch Widel with Maquoketa and it’ll be fun to watch her with Upper Iowa moving forward.

Cora Widel Cora Widel 6'1" | SF Maquoketa | 2026 State IA and Maquoketa High School has been playing well out of the SF position up until this point in the season. Widel, the D2 Upper Iowa commit, has length, athletic ability, and some real skill in this game. Three things that show every night when she is out there competing. Maquoketa is one of the best teams in the state in their respective Class and Widel is the one that is leading the way. Her versatility as a three level scoring threat, while also being a mismatch nightmare on defense leads to notable production for her Class level and I don’t expect that to slow down anytime soon. She can move all over the court and draw attention, along with a lot of success. We have seen it time and time again and I’m sure that will be the case all the way until she finishes out her high school career.

CW and her Maquoketa High School program are holding at 8-2 record throughout their first 10 games of the season. Widel, the D2 – Upper Iowa Commit, has been competing out of the Forward spot and smashing her assignments at a high rate. She is showing her force with her back to the basket out of the post whenever she can, she is stepping out to hit three pointers all the time, and she is defending like her life depends on it. In general this group is HIGHLY rated as a team that will be making the upcoming State Tournament within the Playoffs and that’s hard to debate against in all honesty. They are clearly one of the most talented teams, top-to-bottom, and they should have a chance of winning out their regular season so they will have a good seed coming into the Post-season. They just need to not get ahead of themselves. 

Cora Widel Cora Widel 6'1" | SF Maquoketa | 2026 State IA is yet another small forward boasting an impressive resume this season. She’s is a multifaceted player that can put the ball on the floor in the open court, hit deep threes, and defend at a high level with lots of energy. Widel has proven her reliability at the free-throw line this season where she is shooting 82% for the year. She gets fouled at a high level (going to the line around six times per game), and has been consistently making defenses pay for putting her on the line. With her ability to shoot over high hands, shooting prowess and length on defense, I think this Maquoketa product has a huge upside.

Last week Cora Widel Cora Widel 6'1" | SF Maquoketa | 2026 State IA of Maquoketa High School committed to HC Justin Maas and the Upper Iowa Peacocks for her collegiate future. Widel is a lengthy Forward with some guard like ability on and off of the basketball. Offensively she is strong with her back to the basket near the hoop on either block. She can also attack from the midrange or three point land off the dribble, depending on where the defense is trying to play. Defensively this is someone that can get multiple stops in a row with her mixture of reach, athletic ability, coordination, and discipline. She can even wall up against bigger or stick with small guards on a switch if need be. Widel should be put some numbers over the rest of her career. She should be a mismatch nightmare for the Peacocks at times so as long as she can capitalize on that, it’ll be smooth sailing.

Cora Widel Cora Widel 6'1" | SF Maquoketa | 2026 State IA ended her AAU career this past weekend with her Missouri Phenom 17U Iowa Hub team. Widel is a lefty with some skill on both sides of the ball. She is athletic, she can produce on or off of the ball, and she be someone that leads all the others around her at a steady rate. She can at her opponent and finish through contact or she can step outside the three point line and make it rain off the catch. This is a SF with a number of offers to compete at the next level so she is going to have to take some time and really figure out where her best fit is. She has the type of game that can play in a few different systems so it’s really whenever feels like home.

Cora Widel Cora Widel 6'1" | SF Maquoketa | 2026 State IA is the most recent player out of the state of Iowa to receive an offer and that was from D2- Upper Iowa University. Widel, a 6’1 Forward, has been a promising talent for a few years now. She originally jumped on the scene as a freshman with a very impressive and thorough campaign for that season. Ever since, she has been gaining momentum in her own game and ultimately, in the recruiting process. Widel is your definition of a dawg. She loves to work with her back to the basket but she can also spread the floor. She can finish up and over anyone that is smaller but she can also hit her defender with multiple moves if they so happen to be bigger. When she catches on the block, she has a quick first step and a soft touch. Those two things lead to a lot of success on both sides of the basket offensively. When it comes to defense, you could say that Widel is just as important. She rovers around the paint, creating havoc for anyone trying to come into the lane for a shot attempt. All in all, this was a great offer from the Peacocks. Widel is definitely someone at the D2 level that could make an instant impact within the right system.

Cora Widel Cora Widel 6'1" | SF Maquoketa | 2026 State IA of Maquoketa High School is prepped to have a big Junior season a head with her Cardinal team. Widel, a 6’1 Forward, is an agile playmaker with length, athletic ability, and a tenacity that you have to see to believe. In their contest against CCA, Widel recorded 15 Points on 33.3% shooting from the floor. She also impacted things on defense with her reach and quick thinking while coming over from the help-side on several occasions. Ever since Widel was a young age she has been receiving interest from collegiate level recruiters and I expect that to pick up even more this Winter. She is truly a next level player and this Rivalry Saturday was a great start to the season for her and most importantly – her team.

During Quincy’s Elite camp a few weeks ago, Cora Widel Cora Widel 6'1" | SF Maquoketa | 2026 State IA of Maquoketa High School received an offer from the Hawks to compete after her high school career comes to a close. This is a big deal as it is Widel’s first D1 offer and really her first offer in general. Obviously, Widel is someone that could compete in almost any D3 program but as it pertains to D1’s and D2’s, this is only the beginning. The best way to describe her style as a player is that she is a lengthy lefty, that EATS near the basket with her mixture of size and skill. Over the years, she has demonstrated that she is a three level scorer, a defensive nightmare to any opposing team that is trying to get to the bucket, and that she can move between the 3, 4, or 5 spot depending on the lineup around her. Prior to this, Widel was getting interest from a bunch of different programs so it’s nice to see someone finally pull the trigger. I’m sure this should start the “avalanche effect” of her recruitment, where others from that conference or area start to recruit her as well but who knows. This may be the first offer but it certainly won’t be the last.

It’s hard at times for me to say that Cora Widel Cora Widel 6'1" | SF Maquoketa | 2026 State IA is a Post prospect because of her guard-like tendencies but she does work really hard to get open with her back to the basket in the post a good amount of the time when she is on offense. Over the years, she has demonstrated that she is a lethal lefty with a ton of skill in her bag. Her only knock has been that she really favors her strong hand in all of her movements with the ball but this weekend was different. This weekend she kept more of a balance attack on both sides of the rim and it helped her average around 10 PPG by the end of it. This upcoming Winter season at Maquoketa High School, Widel will return with everyone from last year once again. Looking for a shot at a successful season and a State appearance. With her ability and the depth of their roster, that’s something that is not out of the question at this point.