Be The Best: Ten Standouts
Continuing our coverage of the event this past weekend we are putting out the top ten standouts that we saw. These were the top performing players that we were able to see at least a full game of on either…
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Continue ReadingContinuing our coverage of the event this past weekend we are putting out the top ten standouts that we saw. These were the top performing players that we were able to see at least a full game of on either Saturday or Sunday. A couple players we were able to see multiple times and they kept performing well. This list is in alphabetical order, not by performance.
Abby Backes — 2021 5’6 PG — Missouri Columbia Phenom
Backes was really solid this weekend in the two games that I watched her play. She’s a small lead guard, but makes up for her size with toughness and quickness. There was more than one occasion where she drove and finished at the rim over players six inches taller than her. Backes can shoot the ball from the outside and was consistently knocking down jumpers.
Audi Crooks — 2023 6’2 C — CY Select Alpha
Crooks might be the top player in the 2023 class. She’s such a big presence on the inside that teams are forced to fly to her on the touch. Crooks is a really good passer and can throw the ball out relatively easily for an open look from the perimeter. She has insane touch around the rim and advanced footwork for her age already. Expect big things out of Crooks throughout the summer.
Avery Fried — 2021 5’11 W — All Iowa Attack Mauro
Fried was a player who I really wanted to play well. It had seemed she was on the cusp of breaking out and in this tournament I think that she showed glimpses of a very high ceiling. She runs the floor well and can shoot it from the perimeter. She was doing it all for her team. Unfortunately, she suffered an injury this weekend that puts her on the shelf until November. Look for her to come back stronger next year.
Emerson Green — 2020 5’11 SG — Lady Martin Brothers
Green was playing like a high level scorer this weekend. While I hadn’t seen her take over a game before this weekend, I knew the capability was there. She was scoring at all three levels this weekend and looked dominant at times. She does a really good job of picking her spots and wasn’t forcing her shot. I really liked what I saw from her this weekend and thought that she looked like a future stud at Northern Iowa.
Emma Ronsiek — 2020 6’1 W — SD Attack
There’s not much more you can say about Ronsiek other than she was one of the top players at this event. She’s so fluid with the ball for her size and has touch at all three levels. She showed me a lot defensively this past weekend defending both guards and forwards. I think that Creighton got a steal with her and she’s going to be really good at the next level. There’s not much she can’t do on the floor.
Emree Zars — 2022 5’10 PG — KS Elite
Zars was a really nice surprise. She really, really impressed me this weekend with the fluidness and skill of her game. She’s a very developed guard who I think has the ability to stay on the ball going forward. Zars was finishing through length really well and was shooting the capability to play lock down defense. Her performance on both ends of the floor were surprising given her age, but I think she’s going to be highly touted.
Grace Boffeli — 2020 6’2 PF — Lady Martin Brothers
At this point you should kind of know what Boffeli is going to bring. She’s never really going to have an off game and she’s just going to play really well in each game. She’s so strong and mobile that a lot of bigs can’t defend her. Boffeli has the range out to about 15′ consistently and that is going to be a huge part of her game going forward. High motor player who simply gets it done every game. A future steal for a program.
Grace Cave — 2021 5’7 PG — Nebraska Lasers Gold
I hadn’t seen Cave before this weekend and quickly she blew me away. Save a couple of the top players in the nation I had never seen someone as quick with the ball. She gets the ball up the floor so quick and sets up the offense. Cave plays with a chip on her shoulder and has a pretty high ceiling as far as talent goes. Tough and gritty defender she was good in every aspect of her game this weekend.
Hannah Ronsiek — 2022 5’10 G — SD Attack
Ronsiek was instrumental in leading SD Attack to the 15U championship. Like her sister, she played a big role this weekend. Ronsiek is one of the top 2022’s in South Dakota and she certainly played like it this weekend. I love her unselfishness with the ball while being a player who can take over the game. If she keeps up this developmental track, and grows a touch more like the frame alludes to, she’s going to be highly sought after.
Lindsey Kelderman — 2021 5’5 G — All Iowa Attack Mauro
Kelderman was brilliant in the first game of the weekend that I saw. She was shooting the lights out and seemed like every shot she took was going in. I really liked the effort that she showed on the defensive end as an undersized guard as well. Kelderman is a player who’s going to have a much bigger role this upcoming season and with how she played today I don’t see a reason she can’t lead the team in scoring next year.