An Early Look at Bishop Miege: Open Gym Observations
The defending 4A State Champion Bishop Miege Stags unofficially kicked off the 2019-20 campaign with the first of two September open gyms last week. Despite losing seven seniors and two starters from the championship squad, all signs point to the…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe defending 4A State Champion Bishop Miege Stags unofficially kicked off the 2019-20 campaign with the first of two September open gyms last week.
Despite losing seven seniors and two starters from the championship squad, all signs point to the Stags having another strong season under head coach Terry English. English will look to add to the school’s decorated history in girls hoops with quite the duo in No. 1-ranked Kansas junior Payton Verhulst and her sister, senior stretch forward Ashton Verhulst.
Pushing the ball & spreading the floor
The Stags were quite literally off and running from the open gym’s opening whistle. As English looked on from a row of folding chairs along the sidelines, the squad spent a good portion of the open session running the floor in a weave drill, which was limited to four, then three passes before a bucket. The group hardly put the ball on the hardwood both in the weave and in a series of four vs. three and four vs. three fast break drills.
In addition to pushing the ball, Miege spent significant time distributing, spotting up and slashing to the hole from the perimeter. The Stags could do damage playing with four beyond the arc with talented stretch options in the lanky Verhulst sisters.
Clear option at PG
The Stags seem to have all but a sure starting point guard in 2022 guard Emajin McCallop. McCallop only reached top speed a couple times in the hour-long open gym, however, when the sophomore put her head down it was clear she was one of the fastest on the floor.
A clear option at point for the Stags, McCallop finished well with both hands and showed varsity control in ball handling drills through artificial folding chair traffic.
Elder Verhulst
The Eastern Kansas League (EKL) should keep tabs on No. 21-ranked 2020 Kansas senior Ashton Verhulst. Ashton was the clear leader on the floor while her sister Payton, who took home U16 Women’s National Team MVP honors this summer in Chile, sat out of the open gym nursing a finger injury.
The elder Verhulst has drawn serious interest from Drake, Missouri and UCF. On Thursday, she shot the ball well from midrange and beyond, while flashing strong ball handling skills for her 6-foot-2 build in front of a handful of college scouts.
Sophomores Galore
Joining McCallop in the crop of sophomore Stags is No. 63-ranked 2022 Kansas guard Gaby Henderson-Artis. The 5-foot-9 wing shot the ball with confidence beyond her age — perhaps a reflection of playing in the 2018-19 25-0 Miege system as a freshman, or a big summer with Lady Run GMC.
McCallup and Henderson-Artis aren’t the only underclassmen who should get some serious exposure as members of the big-name Stags. Considering the seven departed seniors, look for a completely new list of players to watch when the Stags are up big and pull starters.