Claire King Claire King 5'4" | PG Wahlert Catholic | 2026 State IA might not be the biggest player on the floor at all times but she is very efficient in her actions. She is elite at creating off the dribble and hitting her open teammates for nifty assists. She is someone that can hit jumpers to no end when the ball is rotated back to her and most importantly – she doesn’t care about taking credit for any of this. She just wants to succeed with her teammates by her side and that going to help her in the long run. If things are drifting down on the shot clock and this group needs to get the ball into their best players hands, I trust King to do that with ease. She can control pace of play at an impressive rate and I don’t see that slowing down anytime soon. Wahlert Catholic is no joke. If you don’t prepare for them, it’s going to be a long time because of the strategic-play they compete with.

What King lacks by being on the shorter side for the sport she makes up with technical soundness, smarts and toughness. She was a main reason why the Golden Eagles almost upset Iowa City High on the road in mid-January. King was locked in on both ends of the court. She’s an especially strong on-ball defender, sliding her feet, staying in front of the opponent and pressuring the bounce. King is a pass-first point guard adept at getting the team into its set and keeping the floor balanced. It’s a keen handle with burst off of the dribble and sharp court vision.

Touch, a lighting quick first step, the ability to play off of two feet. These are just some of the skills you need to possess if you want to compete at the collegiate level while being a smaller individual. Claire King Claire King 5'4" | PG Wahlert Catholic | 2026 State IA does all of those things really well, along with always saying active and being a great teammate to those around her. King has been a life force for Wahlert Catholic at the varsity level for years now. She started things early on in her career mainly as a shooter and she has built on that each and every year since to become a respectable hooper. I’m not sure if that is going to be good enough to give her a chance at the next level but it should. I know a few programs that could use someone like this but at the end of the day, it all comes down to fit.

Last week at the 2025 Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament Claire King Claire King 5'4" | PG Wahlert Catholic | 2026 State IA and Wahlert Catholic competed as their usual selves, making some impressive statements throughout their contests. Individually, King showed off her seasoned play making ability as a PG, her next level feel for the game, and that she understands what it means to lead by example for that around her. If you are a smaller guard out on the floor, you have to do certain things well to play at the next level. Things like playing off of two feet, playing with balance off of those two feet, or having the ability to consistently make everyone else around you better. King does all of these things. She checks off a lot of boxes that recruiters at the next level have so it’ll be fun to see where her journey takes her from here.