Top 250 Expo: Grant’s stock risers, part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A little bit better every day. That is a worthy goal for every young player who is pursuing the college basketball dream. When prospects string together enough good days to show some real improvement, and then replicate that enhanced level of play in front of scouts and college coaches, there's no question their stock will rise. Here are 5 players who did exactly that and are some of our top stock risers of the Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6347555e72beb","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["339121"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"During Saturday's proceedings I Tweeted about Josie's performance. I believe I used the word ‘intrigued' which accurately describes our thoughts about this emerging talent from Southern Minnesota. Caledonia has produced some impressive college players in recent years, from the outstanding King brothers to Upper Iowa leader u003cstrongu003eKatie Tornstromu003c/strongu003e and Top 40 senior [player_tooltip player_id='186117' first='Ava' last='Privet'], also headed for UI. We will soon be able to count Foster among them. Josie is long, lean and limber. About 5'10 and probably still growing, she has a great build for basketball that enables her to guard all five positions. Playing for coach Russ Speer's North Tartan Southeast squad, she has been a top scorer for the past two summers. Her skills have grown significantly to the point where Josie can cash in from pretty much anywhere, whether it's by posting up inside, beating a defender to score off the bounce, or knocking down shots. The lefty has improved her shooting a ton this year. She is also a terrific passer who was racking up the assists when we watched on Saturday. While there is still plenty of fine tuning to be done Josie is definitely trending in the right direction.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["396426"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"We love watching Vanessa do work. She is particularly fun viewing at showcase events like the Top 250. Her game, it seems, is just made for the kind of free-wheeling, free-flowing basketball we encourage in this type of setting. When players are not constrained by team structure and excessive expectations they are free to be whatever version of themselves they'd like. For Vanessa that meant being able to show off her ability to do everything at a high rate of speed. Jordan is explosive, loves to go downhill and she does it very well. One-on-one defenders frequently find themselves flat-footed against Vanessa, and the results can be embarrassing. She's smooth, she's skilled, and she plays the game with flair. She is also effective, with the ability to make her own space, get off a good shot, or blow past an opponent to score at the rim. It will not come as a surprise to anyone who has seen her play that Jordan is an All-State performer in track u0026amp; field.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["396443"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"It has been almost a year now since we watched one of the best sister-on-sister battles we've seen this side of the [player_tooltip player_id='220837' first='Maraya' last='Wiltrout'] vs [player_tooltip player_id='220838' first='Evelyn' last='Wiltrout'] driveway-level encounter a few months back. The bout in question was between gritty 2023 guard [player_tooltip player_id='148322' first='Emily' last='Crandall'] and her 2025 sister [player_tooltip player_id='396443' first='Greta' last='Crandall'] at the 2021 Fall Exclusive. To say they went at it hard would be an understatement, so much so that we took a commemorative photo of the occasion. Fast forward to Saturday at the Expo and Greta's fiery side showed up once again. In addition to her ample length and athletic abilities, we were impressed with how hard Crandall battled, how emotionally invested she was in these exhibition games, and the level of effort she exerted throughout. Greta is a talented prospect to be sure but it was this display of grit that really raised her stock. Talent and length will take you a long way in this game; grit will get you to the next level.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["453750"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"What Addi did last spring on behalf of her White Bear Lake high school team was nothing short of amazing as a series of heroic performances by Post in the season's stretch run carried the Bears all the way to an improbable appearance in the state tournament. We figured that level of performance would be impossible to sustain. We were wrong. Post has had an incredible six months. On Saturday – in spite of some funky rotations that kept her unintentionally glued to the bench for a long stint in one game – Post was very good once again. Addi just has a feel for the game, the know-how to execute effectively whether it is a structured offense running well-orchestrated sets or a freelance affair where anything goes – like the Expo. She's got handles, shoots it very well, is a great passer, and sees it all in real time or sooner.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["418240"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"We were engaged in a lot of conversation with college coaches throughout Saturday's play at Hopkins. That kind of networking is a great opportunity to gain input from their perspective, share information on prospects we know well, and debate the relative merits of one prospect vs another. One name that came up often in conversations at the Top 250 was [player_tooltip player_id='418240' first='Rebekah' last='Gendler']. For players who want to be recognized as a stock riser the formula is pretty simple: get in the gym and do work. Get a trainer. Listen and learn. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Need an example? Look no further than Rebekah, who has evolved into a legit college prospect by investing in herself. She has been dedicated to continuous improvement, and now that the physical maturity has kicked in the results speak for themselves. We'll have Minneapolis Southwest on our viewing calendar this winter. How about you?","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /-->