Another energizer bunny for a young Marion squad was Kendyl Aarhus Kendyl Aarhus 5'5" | PG/SG Marion | 2028 State IA . The combo guard did a good job reading the game. When she was in the point guard spot, she pushed in transition when the fast break was on and slowed the game down when the Red Wolves needed structure. When Solon started trapping ball screens in the second half Aarhus did well to find release passes to keep the ball out of Solon’s reach. She was also knockdown from deep — if Aarhus is unguarded in the half court, her shot will probably find the bottom of the net. She flexed a quick release last night and poise in the fourth quarter when Marion needed a bucket.

A threat from behind the arc and off of the bounce, Aarhus stresses defenses with a well-rounded skill set on offense. She’s capable of running the show from the point off of good handle and keen vision. Equally effective off of the ball, Aarhus cuts hard and flows into opening areas. She doesn’t require a lot of space to get off her shot and achieves lift on the jumper for clearance on attempts over longer opponents. Aarhus is a sound on-ball defender thanks to athleticism and lateral quickness.

Kendyl Aarhus Kendyl Aarhus 5'5" | PG/SG Marion | 2028 State IA was a prospect that shot the ball at a fair rate this past week during our PGH Iowa Expo event. As a Freshman, Aarhus shot 123 three point attempts, ultimately making 51 of those for a 41.5% rate. Aarhus’s job was to shoot three’s last year at a high rate and I’m sure she will be looked upon to do that again this Winter. The difference this time being that she will also need to handle, defend, rebound, and contain defensively a lot more as well. These things are all do-able at this point in the process. As long as Aarhus continues to grind, she will continue to see positive results.

If Kendyl Aarhus Kendyl Aarhus 5'5" | PG/SG Marion | 2028 State IA can find her rhythm early on this Winter season at Marion, she should put up respectable numbers as the year goes on from the PG position. Aarhus knocked down some shots from deep, she got to the basket off the dribble, she fed the post when her Forwards had an advantage, and she stuck with her opponent defensively at a steady rate throughout the day. All of those things will translate to the high school season if done correctly. We are only a month away from practice kicking off so hopefully she can use these performances as motivation!

By the looks of it, I would expect Kendyl Aarhus Kendyl Aarhus 5'5" | PG/SG Marion | 2028 State IA to take over the Marion program this Winter at the guard position. Aarhus stepped on the scene last Winter as a Freshman for the Wolves and she held her own. She demonstrated that she is a well-rounded guard, that can produce from all three levels whenever asked pretty much. She might only come in around 5’5 but she knows that when she plays her game, she can stick with the best of them, making everyone else around her better on both offense and defense. I’m hoping we see some fireworks from KA on Sunday. She is always good for an electric plays or two and so I’m sure we will see that first hand.

You can tell that Kendyl Aarhus Kendyl Aarhus 5'5" | PG/SG Marion | 2028 State IA wants to shoot the basketball from deep with her coordinated footwork, her ability to shoot of the catch or dribble, and her knowledge of where to run too in open space so that she can get an easy look of an assist from a teammate. She can also put it on the ground and get to the basket or finish somewhere in the midrange but her best ability is shooting it from behind the three point line right now. Defensively, she works hard and listens to what the coaches are asking of her. Something everyone can respect from an outside point-of-view. This upcoming season at Marion is going to be an interesting one. They will need to find new sources of production on both sides of the ball and I think Aarhus could find herself seeing quality minutes on the varsity floor because of that.

Kendyl Aarhus Kendyl Aarhus 5'5" | PG/SG Marion | 2028 State IA displayed her impressive shooting ability at this event in both the 1v1 competitive drills and within her team’s offense when they were scrimmaging. Aarhus also has the ability to put it on the ground but you can tell that she is always ready to let it fly from the outside. If the defense does over-play her shooting ability, she can drive past and get to the rim for a finish in a number of different ways. Aarhus would be categorized as a smaller SG but with how quick her release is, how fundamental her base is on the catch, and with her knowledge of spacing – she makes it work and it’s never really an issue. This AAU season I am going to be around to see Aarhus compete and I am sure she is going to look like a well-seasoned product. She will be competing with a program that loves to shoot the three ball so that plays right into her strengths.