What do you want out of your post players? EFFICIENCY and Paige Andernacht Paige Andernacht 5'11" | PF Johnston | 2028 State IA was extremely efficient yesterday for Johnston. So efficient, she didn’t miss a shot attempt while grabbing 7 rebounds, 5 being on the offensive end. From the opening tip off you knew that Andernacht was going to be a constant all game long. She was causing all sorts of mayhem from the jump and that’s something you love to see! Players who WANT it. When you have this type of play near the bucket, it makes you feel good as a coach. Andernacht has proven over and over this Winter that she is a reliable individual as a prospect so I’m sure this team will lean into that more and more in the future as her career progresses on.

Paige Andernacht Paige Andernacht 5'11" | PF Johnston | 2028 State IA is holding her own and making good plays whenever she can this Winter. Andernacht is a Post for her Johnston Dragons team and a promising one at that. Whatever has been asked of her this Winter, she has accomplished and that’s all you can ask from a coaching perspective. When it comes to the skill size of everything, this is someone who can do a little bit of everything. Really her only fault at this time is that she isn’t 6’5 and it’s not like that is her choice. When she has her opportunities underneath she converts, she rebounds on both ends at a high rate after boxing out her matchup, and she isn’t afraid to get physical against someone who might be weaker or less confident. Andernacht should have some options to compete at the next level following her high school career. She just needs to continue her efficient play. 

It’s impossible to replace someone like Center – Amani Jenkins from last Winter but Paige Andernacht Paige Andernacht 5'11" | PF Johnston | 2028 State IA is playing some pretty good ball right now on both ends of the floor for the Dragons. Andernacht is making the most of her play in the middle. She is converting open attempts and making smart choices whenever the ball is put into her hands. Which, as a coach, is all you can ask for. Andernacht finished with 12 point on Tuesday night. Not a crazy number but respectable. The best part of these buckets was their timing. She scored a majority of these when time was winding down or when her team need something at the rim. Everyone thought Johnston would have a tough Winter coming into the season, including me but by the looks of it they might be on pace to run it back again for a third straight season. They will have some tough battles in the way before Playoffs so who knows. We will just have to see.

Paige Andernacht Paige Andernacht 5'11" | PF Johnston | 2028 State IA rounds off out Top 10 in our #10 spot moving into her Sophomore season at Johnston High School. Andernacht is a skilled prospect at 5’11 with a combination of physicality, touch, and balanced coordinated from the Forward position. It’s going to be really interesting to see how Andernacht is used within her Dragon team’s system this upcoming Winter. This is a program that will be guard heavy for the next couple of seasons so how players like this fit into everything will be a major key. If used correctly, the Dragons will return a deadly offense but we will just have to wait and see.

It’s going to be a big season ahead of Paige Andernacht Paige Andernacht 5'11" | PF Johnston | 2028 State IA of Johnston High School. Andernacht is one of the top rated PF’s in this 2028 Class in Iowa. If she is used in the right ways, she could do really well in the paint for the Dragons. This is a program that will be guard heavy. I mean, really guard-heavy so if Andernacht can be a force in the paint, they are going to have a chance to run it back for another 5A State Title. They have all the pieces, they just need to get them to work in the correct ways and the rest will be history. As for Andernacht individually, she is fairly skilled for her age and position. She is pretty polished in her game-play and that’s because of her past experiences playing up. She still needs to keep working but there is a lot to like outta this one.

Paige Andernacht Paige Andernacht 5'11" | PF Johnston | 2028 State IA is putting together an AAU season to remember with her Iowa Battler’s program. Andernacht has been killing it within 15Ft of the hoop offensively, while being a sound defensive prospect that others have to worry about as well. Offensively, Andernacht has been showing off more and more of her game, little by little. She has already proven that she is a threat near the bucket with her back to the basket, she can step out to the midrange and hit jumpers or she can attack off the dribble to get to a more favorable position. Defensively, she has great awareness for her age. She understands situational basketball and when she needs to come from help side to protect the paint, compared to when she needs to step out and defender some other guard like player. All in all, Andernacht is playing some respectable ball on a national circuit and that’s been noteworthy these past few weeks.

It will be interesting to see where Paige Andernacht Paige Andernacht 5'11" | PF Johnston | 2028 State IA takes things from here on out. Andernacht, a 5’11 Forward, competes with the powerhouse 5A Johnston Dragons so this Winter, she saw the floor sparingly behind Virigina Tech commit – Amani Jenkins Amani Jenkins 6'2" | C Johnston | 2025 State IA . Which makes sense but as we progress on, I think Andernacht is going to have a more permeant role within her high school program. I would think that this is someone that will be in the conversation of starting next season at the 3 or 4 spot, depending on who else starts around her. As a player she possesses the ability to beat you with her back to the basket in the post, she can catch in the midrange and attack you off her dribble, she can catch and shoot from 15FT, and she boards really hard – usually leading to a put-back on offense or a chance of possession on defense for her squad. This AAU season she is going to be a staple on her Battlers team one again in the middle. That should be exciting to see first hand over the next few months before she returns for her sophomore campaign with the Dragons.

Paige Andernacht is a player with a ton of game, along with solid size and coordination. Andernacht is someone that we have talked about quite a lot up until this point in her journey, as she is set to have a fantastic high school career over the next four seasons. It might take a minute as she is at Johnston behind V. Tech commit, Amani Jenkins Amani Jenkins 6'2" | C Johnston | 2025 State IA but following this, I would expect Andernacht to take over as her team’s starting PF or Center. She is a bruiser down-low, she understands the game of basketball to a T, and she doesn’t settle. I’ve been the road all Spring long watching prospects from all over the Country and Paige is definitely in the conversation for one of the best 2028’s the state of Iowa has to offer.

Paige Andernacht always grabs the attention of anyone who is watching, when she is doing her thing on the hardwood and that was the case once again this past weekend during this event. She demonstrated her smooth ability on offense to physically control the inside of the paint, while being a thorough scorer and rebounder. Defensively, she was coming from help side and getting stops, she was walling up against taller opponents and holding her own, and she was being a vocal leader during most moments as well. It’ll be interesting to see how many Varsity minutes she gets this Winter at Johnston but I’m sure she is willing to take any opportunity to learn and grow as a prospect. As for this event specifically, she was definitely a top five prospect on the day.

Anyone who sits down to watch Paige Andernacht Paige Andernacht 5'11" | PF Johnston | 2028 State IA of the Johnston Dragons and Iowa Battlers AAU program compete, knows she is a competitor from the moment the ball is tipped off. Andernacht stands at 5’11/6’0, she has solid muscle mass and athletic ability to pair with that size, and her understanding near the hoop is next level. She can finish with both hands on either side of the bucket, she understands where and when a rebound is going to come off of a missed shot, and she has a physicality to her. This is someone that is going to be a higher rated prospect her whole career on the high school floor. Now what level will that equal to in the end? At this point, I would say the D1 or D2 mark is where she is sitting but anything can happen over-time, so we will have to see how she progresses moving forward.