Kouvalis isn’t flashy –  far from it –  but she’s the kind of player you notice because she keeps doing things correctly. The 5’10 guard/forward from Wayzata plays with constant effort and purpose, defending aggressively, rebounding hard and willingly accepting difficult assignments. It was particularly fun Sunday watching her battle Wayzata teammate Sawyer Backer Sawyer Backer 5'10" | SG Wayzata | 2029 State MN – never an easy task. Kouvalis has good length and physicality, and her background in track and cross country shows in the way she moves and competes. Offensively, she can knock down the three or attack downhill without trying to manufacture plays that aren’t there. After a productive summer with Hoop Habits Elite, Kouvalis continues making incremental progress toward cracking Wayzata’s formidable varsity rotation.

Kouvalis is not flashy – far from it – but she is the kind of player you notice because she just keeps executing smart plays and carrying out her assignments without making unforced errors. Willie Wright’s Hoop Habits squad has plenty of talented athletes, including 2030 Lariah Wright Lariah Wright 5'7" | CG Minnetonka | 2030 State MN and 2031 Lamairah Wright Lamairah Wright 5'5" | CG Minnetonka | 2031 MN , but great teams have a variety of types of players who can do their job without fanfare. That’s Naya. The Wayzata guard brings a physical, no-nonsense approach, doing the meat-and-potatoes work that holds everything together. She defends aggressively, rebounds well, and isn’t afraid to take on tough assignments like guarding her Wayzata teammate Brielle Denkmann Brielle Denkmann 6'1" | CG/SG Wayzata | 2029 State MN for stretches on Saturday. Kouvalis plays with effort and purpose, showing improved quickness and a growing feel for the game at both ends of the floor. A multi-sport athlete with solid instincts, we think Naya has upside that’s worth paying attention to.