Defensively, Jirsa is among the top kids in her class. The Verona guard is laterally quick, and when the Wildcats went to a man defense, Jirsa would take the best guard on the opposing team and did an excellent job in that role. Jirsa stays strong, does a solid job keeping kids in front of her, and has a nose for the ball. Anytime her Wisconsin Impact team plays talented guards, I’d assume Jirsa will defend them and show well, no matter how elite they are. Offensively, there’s room to grow. She can score from all three levels, but it’s inconsistent. At times, she’ll lead her team in scoring. You’ll be able to tell she can be a scoring threat.

Playing in a talented backcourt in her first two seasons may have meant Jirsa may not have started or been this otherworldy stat accumulator but learned behind kids like Taylor Stremlow, Maia Ellis, Reagan Briggs, and Abbi Rupnow. Now Jirsa’s a guard helping her team to an undefeated record with a massive road game at Vel Phillips Memorial to determine if the Big Eight is shared or won outright. She’s been an excellent balance to Rauwolf’s creativity and Jensen’s shooting. Jirsa is the piece that connects everything, and she’s proven to be a high-level defender in the Big Eight.

I’ve been waiting for this season for Jirsa for over a year. The Verona guard has played behind scholarship-level talent in her first two seasons, and now it’s her show to run. Jirsa has shown flashes in the previous AAU seasons of a player who can control games from the point of attack. Now, we’ll see her do that for a high school season. Overall, the Big Eight doesn’t have the depth of programs we see elsewhere. I’m eager to see what she can do against a similar caliber group in their conference, like Vel Phillips Memorial, who has the guard talent that will push her. Jirsa has all the athletic tools and skillset to be one of the better lead guards in the conference.

The Verona guard has played behind two of the top guards in the state the past two seasons and played an auxiliary role for the Wildcats in her first two seasons, which is ok. She made winning plays on both ends of the court, made her perimeter shots at an average clip of 33% on low volume, and has proven to be an excellent all-around athlete. She can fly around the floor defensively and make plays on or away from the ball on that end of the floor. Jirsa hasn’t needed to score the ball at Verona yet, but I think she’ll be able to excel in the Big Eight next season.