Champions Challenge: Closing the Book on 16U

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We should have two more days of content, including today, to finish talking about the Champions Classic. Today, I'll talk about some more 16U and 17U players who impacted games I watched and close out tomorrow by highlighting some of the younger kids I saw over the weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='624974' first='Zoë' last='Dispennette']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On days when Dispennette is at her best, she can make her team competitive by herself. She's an excellent shooter and has shown some positive flashes as a lead guard this spring. She's improved over the past year a great deal and will continue to do so for the next few years. I'm not sure what her ceiling is yet. However, if you're a small-school coach and have a chance to watch her this spring or summer, I'd recommend it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='593853' first='Lexi' last='Baer']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Baer has always been able to stretch the floor and make shots from the perimeter, and she did that on Saturday when I watched her 16U group play. Baer also did a solid job getting to the basket and generating some points at the rim or by getting fouled and knocking down some free throws. She also used her length well on the defensive end to force some hesitation to shoot or drive with Baer in the vicinity. She's a talented kid who'll make some plays this summer and continue to be a player that Mid-Major coaches follow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='874372' first='Nyajuacni' last='Riak']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I could probably write a 20-page thesis on why Riak has a chance to be an elite talent, but I'll keep it brief. There was nobody more talented in the gym this weekend than Riak. Her size, length, athleticism, and skill made her one of the most challenging kids to defend this weekend, and nobody could. Some things she did on the floor made me laugh this weekend because nobody else could handle what she was doing on the offensive end of the floor. There are still things for her to improve over the next four years, but I haven't seen anyone from Wisconsin with her ceiling, which should tell you how highly I think of Riak. I don't think she's a kid that we'll exclusively talk about in Wisconsin or regionally for long.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='877544' first='Lyndia' last='Kalumbula']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've been impressed by Kalumbula the last two events I've seen her. Standing at about 5'9 or 5'10, she's an excellent athlete and flew around the floor defensively each game I watched her play. However, I was impressed most by her shooting. She looked comfortable when the ball got to her with some space and shot it without hesitation. There is some potential for her to be an unexpected piece that could win some games for Tosa East next season with some shot-making or defense. There's something to her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->