Behind The Scenes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On every team, no matter the age or competition level of everyone of the floor, there is always going to be one or two players that stand out above the rest because of their natural ability. If those players end up not having a good game, there needs to be other players behind the scenes that make plays to keep their team in that contest. In the article below, we are going to highlight a group of players that may not be considered the first option of their own team, but trust me, they are mighty skilled and capable of producing in a plethora of different ways when given the opportunities. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Ella Johnson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12122","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Norris ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Ella Johnson of Norris High School is a constant. This season for example, she has been a constant scorer, a constant rebound, and a constant blocker in her teams first 10 games. Johnson has the gift of natural size. She stands at 6'1 and is the force in the paint for this Titans team. If anyone across from her thinks that they are going to get a free run at the basket or clean look near the rim, they are mistaken. Johnson is the type of Forward that controls her space and does great job of showing help anytime one of her teammates might get beat. One of the most eye-opening stats on her season thus far is that she is scoring 8.5 PPG on 79% shooting, making every 4 - 5 attempts she takes. If she continues to produce like this throughout the rest of the season, she will end this year as one of the most accurate Seniors to step on the floor.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"Skylar Indra","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"12122","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"Norfolk ","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Norfolk High School is coming out of break and looking to build a solid foundation throughout the rest of their season. One of their players who has consistently stepped up so far is Forward, Skylar Indra. Indra comes into this article as the second leading scorer and rebounder on her team but she may have the biggest impact during a contest. This is another player that takes up space in the middle, creating a lot of her success off of opportunities near the rim. For being a 5'10 Forward, Indra holds her own. I say that phrase a lot but it's worth noting. Sometimes a player's size, honestly doesn't matchup with their position but in this case, Indra is in the right spot. She has that physical edge every coach loves and she works hard every time she is put into the ball game. The Panthers still have 10+ games remaining on their schedule to finish out their regular season. If they stay locked in, they are going to have a chance at a .500 record or better in the end. A team accomplishment everyone can get behind moving forward.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["316654"],"_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":"Johnson-Brock High School has lost once so far this season and I'm sure they would be really happy to kept it that way moving into the Playoffs. Someone that has been a constant producer for this Eagles group behind the scenes is Guard, [player_tooltip player_id='316654' first='Brooklyn' last='Behrends']. Behrends is successful because she keeps it simple. She is never the player to try and force action in any given situation but instead, she keeps it fundamental and it works out for everyone better in the end because of it. If she catches on the perimeter, she has the ability to shoot it or she can take it off the dribble for a finish at the basket. Defensively, she possesses high energy and active feet. Her team runs a full-court press that leads to a lot of steals for herself. Once she gets one of these steals, she is efficient at forcing the defense to commit to her in the open court before she gives off an assist to an open teammate in transition. All in all, this group is on a roll and I hope they keep that going moving forward. As for Behrends, if she continues to keep it simple, she will continue to have success.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"Joslyn Hopkins ","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"12120","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Bayard","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"A common theme that we are seeing in this article is that there are a lot of Centers/Forwards listed. That is because usually the main scorer of most teams is their leading PG or SG but that doesn't make the C/F position any less important. Without having a presence in the middle, I don't believe a team can win a State Title. Another Forward that has height, physical prowess, and a whole lot of reach in the middle of the lane is Joslyn Hopkins of Bayard High School. Hopkins is her teams starting Forward but she has the ability to spread the floor and hit shots from behind the three point line, making her a tough matchup at the high school level. You can tell that even though Hopkins is a Senior, she is still very raw when it comes to the skill-side of the game. Don't get me wrong. She does productive things on both sides of the ball each possession but I think she could be even better if she were to continue to work on the correct things moving forward. Her Tigers team is currently sitting with a 12-1 record so I wouldn't change too much at the moment. They are winning a lot of games and Hopkins has been a highlight in most of those contests. What more can you really ask for?","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["777585"],"_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":"When I had the opportunity to watch [player_tooltip player_id='777585' first='Jade' last='Lewis'] compete over this past 6 months, I was surprised. On film she is a player that makes some good plays but in person, she was a complete difference maker. It didn't matter if she had to bring up the ball as the point, score from the outside as the SG, or if she had to find open space in the mid-post. Her combination of first step speed, coordination near the rim, and fundamental shot form is impressive. Those are all things that have been on full-display this winter with her Yutan Chieftains High School team. Lewis has taken this confident play-style, brought it along into the season and it's paying off. Up until this point, her team is sitting with an 8-2 overall record while she is averaging around 10 PPG. Within a program that has a handful of different quality players, to be one of the top producers in a number of categories is impressive. She may only be a Junior but Lewis could play at the next level, given the right situation. She has demonstrated that time and time again as this season has progressed on.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65a5c84fab72f"} /-->