Players Who Showed Sky-High Potential in Appleton
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The Champions Challenge ended today, and it didn’t end quietly. There was a boatload of kids I thought did extraordinary things on the court today, and I want to talk about a few of them tonight. Tonight I want to…
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Continue ReadingThe Champions Challenge ended today, and it didn’t end quietly. There was a boatload of kids I thought did extraordinary things on the court today, and I want to talk about a few of them tonight. Tonight I want to highlight a few of those kids in two articles and continue highlighting other standouts throughout the week.
Adaline Sheplee Adaline Sheplee 6'2" | CG Rice Lake | 2026 State WI
Honestly, it didn’t matter how well Sheplee played today. She produced a moment that drew the most attention of the day during a dead ball. After a floater, Sheplee took got wedged between the rim and the backboard. The official nearest to the basket immediately looked at the bench to get a ball from the sideline to jar the ball free, but as the official looked to the sideline, Sheplee jumped up and knocked it out herself. That showed two things, how athletic she is and how hard it is to get shots off around her when she contests at the rim.
EllaMay Cooper
The lone 2027 graduate playing up on Team Wisconsin Magic’s 2026 group, Cooper has these moments that look nothing short of sorcery. To coaches who will play Cooper in the future, if you think you have her trapped, you don’t. I lost count of the number of times last summer, and this one, Cooper had multiple defenders go at her only for her to scamper away, leaving those defenders in the rearview mirror. What she does breaking teams full court pressure is a skill you won’t understand unless you sit and watch her.
Melia Lemorande Melia Lemorande 6'0" | SF Bay Port | 2026 State WI
I’d only seen Lemorande once before, and it was at Watertown in the Holiday Shootout that they host every year, and I thought she was solid. However, that Pirate team had its fair share of talent and roles carved out for upper-class kids. It’s not a bad thing. It just was what it was. I was stunned watching her in multiple games up close. Her off-ball movement frustrates defenders. I saw it in their body language. In their last matchup on Sunday, the opposing team sent one of their better perimeter defenders to chase her, and she did well staying on her hip but got stuck on a screen for a split second, and Lemorande ripped a three-pointer. Lemorande is a competitive kid who thrives on being pushed to be the best she can be, and she got after it. I could write a five-page essay, but I’ll end it here for now, but this won’t be the last time you see her name.
Kyrin Lile Kyrin Lile 6'0" | PF Elkhorn | 2026 State WI
A lot was on Lile’s plate based on the kids she went up against, and she answered the bell. No matter who it was, Lile did what she did best on the offensive end and did more than even I expected on the defensive end. She scored from everywhere on the floor, which is almost an understatement, and played some of the best interior defense of the weekend. Lile knows how to get the most out of herself and is an expert in her own game, which helps her excel on the floor. Once she lined up with some of the best kids in her class, she showed that she belonged on the top level of prospects in the 2026 class.