If coaches ever find themselves in a defensive dogfight, they should hope Kaitlin Loria Kaitlin Loria 5'10" | SF IC - City High | 2027 State IA is on their team. Loria flirted with a double-double on a night where each possession was critical, and helped lead her Iowa City High squad to a huge upset win against 5A, 5th-ranked Iowa City West. Loria played 31 minutes in the matchup and didn’t let fatigue get to her. She shot at a solid percentage from the floor (40%), only turned the ball over twice, and protected the paint. Finishing with 11 points and 8 rebounds, the small forward is a strong help defender and did a good job to stay upright on West players’ shots and brought much-needed momentum to her side on their rival’s home floor.

Kaitlin Loria Kaitlin Loria 5'10" | SF IC - City High | 2027 State IA flaunted an efficient, balanced game this weekend when her #7 Iowa City High Little Hawks faced 13th-ranked Marion. The guard-forward combo scored a game high 24 points on 41% shooting and knocked down all eight of her free-throw attempts. Loria also tallied 6 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Loria looks comfortable on the move — she hit a smooth jumper on a baseline cut, is more than willing to put the ball on the deck, and is great at identifying mismatches and sealing smaller defenders. Kaitlin has improved each season and I’m envisioning a breakout season for her this year in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

A multi-sport standout, much of Loria’s success results from her being a little bit more athletic and skilled than the opponent. Added strength has complemented that skill set this year. It allows her to finish more consistently at the rim and operate in the post against smaller defenders. If the opposition puts a bigger defender on her, Loria can pull her out to the perimeter as a three-point threat or in breaking down the defense with dribble penetration. The skill set enables for guarding multiple positions, too. Loria is well schooled in the game, technically sharp with a high hoops IQ.

The first item on my list of “recruitables” is scoring efficiency. Players that get it done on offense without having to rack up shot attempts is a huge draw for college coaches, and junior Kaitlin Loria Kaitlin Loria 5'10" | SF IC - City High | 2027 State IA exemplified that this past season for Iowa City High. Finishing last season with an eFG% of 57.3%, the small forward showed reliability and a strong finishing ability for the Little Hawks. Along with averaging 6 rebounds per game, I’m really looking to see Loria fill big shoes left by graduating seniors last season and continue to convert at a high level.

Kaitlin Loria Kaitlin Loria 5'10" | SF IC - City High | 2027 State IA is going to be a steal for a collegiate program out there one day. Loria is an underrated SF at the height of 5’10-5’11. Loria has been a force to deal with over the past two years at the Varsity level at IC – City High and I’m sure that will stay consistent over the next two seasons. Loria has touch around the hoop, great footwork, better than average physicality, and an act for getting her hands on a lot of rebounds on both sides of the basketball. She has also proven that she doesn’t need to be the team’s star prospect to produce. Instead, she just handles her own and makes the most of her opportunities. Last Winter she scored the rock at over at 52% rate from the field, ranking her in the Top Five for that category out of this Class. A number she will be able to build on this upcoming season as long as her team’s system focus’s on getting the ball to the Post in some way.

Someone that has been overshadowed this AAU season has been Kaitlin Loria Kaitlin Loria 5'10" | SF IC - City High | 2027 State IA of IC – City High and All Iowa Attack . Loria just happens to compete with some really solid prospects. There is nothing wrong with that. When Loria is competing, she demonstrates that she wants to be someone that her team can trust in. She is an athletic SF at 5’10/5’11, who has years of varsity experience at this point in her career. Whoever scoops up Loria is getting someone that will surprise you. I have a feeling this Winter with the City Hawks that she will turn some heads before you know it. Her team is going to be looking for more production with August Palmer graduating so Loria should have more opportunities if the coaching staff has the correct system’s in play.

The Iowa City High Little Hawks are going to have a chance to have one of their best season in a long time this upcoming Winter with the personal they have returning to the lineup. One of those crucial prospects being Sophomore Forward – Kaitlin Loria Kaitlin Loria 5'10" | SF IC - City High | 2027 State IA . Loria is one of their big forces inside the paint, the eats up space and makes plays on both sides of the floor. Last season as a Freshman, Loria was their team leader in RPG and she also had some solid scoring adventures as well throughout their year. It is crucial for everyone to come correct these next few weeks if they want to really make a run at this thing during Playoff time and Loria is going to be a vital piece to that situation.

IC – City High is going to have a chance to put together a very impressive 2024-2025 high school season as a whole. I had the opportunity to watch the Little Hawks compete a few times this Summer at various Shootouts and in each one, they dominated their competition in most games. Not only did they dominate. They looked like they were all on the same page and having fun while doing it . When you think about that happening in the Summer time, when coaches really aren’t even coaching, imagine what they could do this Winter when they take it seriously. Someone that is going to play a vital factor in their success in the middle is SF, Kaitlin Loria Kaitlin Loria 5'10" | SF IC - City High | 2027 State IA . Loria stepped up as a Freshman last Winter and showed her worth in the bunches. She showed that she can hold her own against bigger opponents, she can spread the floor, she can rebound on both ends at a higher rate than most, and she isn’t afraid to get physical, if need be. As long as she comes in and takes care of her business per usual this next six months, then this is going to be one tough team to take down on any given evening.

The Iowa City- City High Little Hawks are going to be a force this Winter if you account for everyone they are bringing back from last season. One of those prospects returning, that put up some impressive numbers as a Freshman is Kaitlin Loria Kaitlin Loria 5'10" | SF IC - City High | 2027 State IA and I expect her to have a big part in the Little Hawks success once again this upcoming season. As a Freshman, Loria averaged almost double-digits in Scoring, while also putting up big numbers in the Rebounding category on both ends of the floor. Her team is one that will return most of their starting Guard play, along with a few other prospects out of the Post so if they can put things together early on, they could make a big run at the end of the year moving into the State Playoffs. They will have all the pieces in place so all they need to do is to go out and execute at this point.