Midwest Madness: Best Defenders
This past weekend I headed over to Omaha, Nebraska to take in All Iowa Attack’s Midwest Madness event. This brought together a host of in state programs as well as some top out of state teams. I saw teams from…
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Continue ReadingThis past weekend I headed over to Omaha, Nebraska to take in All Iowa Attack’s Midwest Madness event. This brought together a host of in state programs as well as some top out of state teams. I saw teams from Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota perform at a high level. To recap the event, as I was only able to stay for Saturday, I will be putting together lists of the top players that I saw, regardless of class, over the next few days. Here are my top five defenders from the weekend.
Natalie Kahre – 5’7 W/PF – 2021 – Johnston HS (IA) – All Iowa Attack National 2021
Kahre is a solidly built wing whose strength might move her to a small-ball four if she grows a touch more. I saw her play twice this past weekend and thought that she brought intensity on defense in both games. I really like her defensive attitude as it looks like she wants to be successful on that end. Kahre is a player who has a bit of offense, but can also play a very good defensive role at the next level.
Emma Ingersoll-Weng – 5’5 PG – 2022 – Iowa City West HS (IA) – All Iowa Attack 2022 Jones
Ingersoll-Weng is a quick lead guard who plays a touch bigger than she is. Quick hands and feet allow her to attack her man like no one else. When she wants to be – I think she could be an elite level defender. There were times that I thought the effort wasn’t there this weekend, but that isn’t a problem for her. I expect her to have a really solid high school and summer season becoming a very good two-way player in the state.
Katie Dinnebier – 5’7 PG – 2021 – Waukee HS (IA) – All Iowa Attack EYBL 2020
I came away very impressed with Dinnebier this past weekend. She was one of the few players that I specifically wanted to watch and she exceeded my expectations. After seeing her in the high school season, I questioned if she would become fully comfortable on her knee (tore ACL during freshman year and wore a brace during high school.) She looked back to 100% and played dynamically on both ends of the floor. Dinnebier is a player who has the potential to be a top five defender in the state at the guard spot with her motor and quickness. Really solid outing for her on defense this weekend.
Madysen Vlastuin – 6’1 W/PF – 2020 – Lennox HS (SD) – SD Attack 2020
Vlastuin is a long and lengthy mobile wing who can either play on the perimeter or on the inside. At the next level I think her best spot might be in the mid-high post where she can be a force on offense. Sometimes overlooked is her defense with all the length that she possesses. Vlastuin’s basketball IQ is very high and she is one of those players that you hate to have guard you. She is a game changer at both ends of the floor and she showed why this weekend. Committed to South Dakota State University.
McKenna Minter – 5’8 G – 2020 – Lincoln Northeast (NE) – Nebraska Attack 2020
Minter is getting high major interest for good reason and her defense is one of them. She is a tenacious player on defense who can really play shut down defense. She has quick hands allowing her to get easy runout lay-ups and also has the ability to play really solid help defense. Great communicator on defense and just simply knows where to be on the floor at all times. At the next level her defense will outshine her offensive prowess, and that’s a good thing with how solid offensively she is.