Weekly Evaluations: Week 10
This past week we headed out to five games and saw 10 different teams. We were able to see West Hancock vs. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, Des Moines Roosevelt vs. Ames, AGWSR vs. Grundy Center, North Polk vs. Roland-Story, and Collins-Maxwell vs. Baxter. Below you can find our player evaluations from those games.
Rachel Leerar
Rachel
Leerar
5'7" | PG
West Hancock | 2021
State
IA
– 5’7 PG – 2021 – West Hancock
Leerar was on her game on both ends of the floor against Clarion-Goldfield-Dows. She was continuously getting into passing lanes and forcing the action. Leerar was easily able to get out with the ball in transition and command the offense on the run. She showed great vision all night long and she is not a selfish point guard. One thing that I think she can work on is finishing at the rim as at times she struggles with it.
Amanda Chizek
Amanda
Chizek
6' | PF
West Hancock | 2020
State
IA
– 6′ PF – 2020 – West Hancock
Chizek is a powerful post player underneath who rebounds the ball at a high level and can score it easily once she gets a touch deep in the post. Chizek is a tough player who knows how to move her body to gain an advantage over her opponent. She has played at a high level all year long and in this one her motor never stopped. Committed to Grand View.
Kennedy Kelly
Kennedy
Kelly
5'4" | PG
West Hancock | 2022
State
IA
– 5’4 G – 2022 – West Hancock
Kelly is a swiss army knife of sorts because she does so much at a high level. Kelly is full of energy and brings that energy every time she steps on the floor. Kelly can shoot the ball from the perimeter in rhythm but what she does best is play defense. She plays an in your face type of player and that makes her a frustrating player to have to go up against.
Mahayla Faust – 5’9 F – 2020 – West Hancock
Faust had one of the better games I have seen her play on Monday night as she had 11 points and three assists. She looked very comfortable with the ball in her hands and was able to knock down a down from behind the arc. She showed a willingness to get the ball in her hands and try to make plays as well. I was very impressed with her game.
Jaydn Jondle – 5’6 W – 2021 – Clarion-Goldfield-Dows
Jondle is a very physical wing who has enough athleticism to play on the perimeter but to also guard post players at times. She has a tremendous frame that can hold strength as she continues to add it. She struggled from the floor in the game but showed me enough basketball IQ for me to be intrigued. She could become a solid prospect as her skill develops.
Courtney Harle – 5’10 W – 2020 – Clarion-Goldfield-Dows
Harle had seven points and six rebounds against a very tough post player in Chizek. I thought that despite her turnovers she was trying to make plays all game long. She has a long wingspan which helps her defensively and also helps her rebound the ball. Harle has a nose for the ball and tracks it down off of the rim really well.
Ke’Ayla Madison
Ke’Ayla
Madison
5'5" | PG
Roosevelt | 2023
State
IA
– 5’5 PG – 2023 – Des Moines Roosevelt
For being a freshman the poise that Madison showed with the ball was very impressive. She is a quick point guard with the ability to thread the needle with passes but she also shoots it at a very high level. She was 5-of-7 from the floor for an effective field goal percentage of 92%. Madison scored 15 points and many of her points came in a big spot.
Arianna Jackson
Arianna
Jackson
5'9" | PG
Roosevelt | 2023
State
IA
– 5’9 G – 2023 – Des Moines Roosevelt
Jackson struggled shooting the ball but she was so active all game long. Jackson consistently tries to make plays with the ball and showcased a smooth passing ability along with a nice repetitive jumper. Even though she scored 11 points she was attracting the defense to her and making the pass to an open player. I thought that she was very instrumental in keeping the game close.
Amaya Davison
Amaya
Davison
5'5" | PG
Des Moines Roosevelt | 2022
State
IA
– 5’7 PG – 2022 – Des Moines Roosevelt
Davison played a great game at Ames as she co-led her team with 15 points. Davison nailed four 3-pointers and took care of the ball when she had it. She had three steals and three assists against just one turnover. If this is the type of game that Davison can put forth on a nightly basis then Roosevelt is going to be very tough to beat.
Trinity Cheatom
Trinity
Cheatom
5'5" | PG
Des Moines Roosevelt | 2022
State
IA
– 5’7 PG – 2022 – Des Moines Roosevelt
Cheatom was 0-of-8 from the floor against Ames and scored just two points but she did play her role very well. Cheatom showcased her court vision as she dished off six assists and came up with two big offensive boards in the game. Everyone will have bad shooting nights and Cheatom seemed to take it in stride contributing big in other areas of the game.
Caroline Waite
Caroline
Waite
5'3" | PG
Ames | 2021
State
IA
– 5’3 PG – 2021 – Ames
Waite had one of her better games of the season on Tuesday night as she scored 22 points and hit a few huge 3-pointers. She can be more efficient with the ball as it took her 24 shots to score 22 points. Once that happens she will be able to score as many points as she wants. Defensively, she has gotten a lot better over the past year with her quickness and speed with her hands. Waite had five steals on Tuesday night getting her team out in transition. Committed to Bradley.
Ashley Iiams
Ashley
Iiams
6'1" | PF
Ames | 2021
State
IA
– 6’1 W – 2021 – Ames
Iiams struggled shooting the ball from the outside but when she had it in the paint she was nearly unstoppable. She was a force to be reckoned with on the inside as she was able to pull down rebounds continuously and also shot 5-of-8 from inside the paint. I loved her ability to grab rebounds and finish at the rim. She’s more mobile than she was last year creating matchup nightmares on both the perimeter and in the paint.
Brooke Spraggins
Brooke
Spraggins
5'9" | SF
Ames | 2021
State
IA
– 5’9 W – 2021 – Ames
Spraggins was quiet for most of the game until the very end where she sealed the game with two consecutive steals and layups. Earlier in the game she had missed a couple of layups so to see her make them in a clutch moment was great. Spraggins is a very solid defender capable of locking anyone down on the defensive end.
Alyssa Hames
Alyssa
Hames
5'10" | SF
AGWSR | 2021
State
IA
– 5’10 W – 2021 – AGWSR
Hames was very solid in their win over Grundy Center. Hames is a wing that plays with the ball in her hands most of the time as she is their best ball handler. She was full of energy on Thursday night as she really led her team to the win. She scored the ball well at all three levels and knocked down 6-of-6 from the line. Her energy is contagious and I think she’ll start to see colleges show interest this summer. She was stellar defensively as well.
Rachel Sicard
Rachel
Sicard
5'10" | PF
AGWSR | 2020
State
IA
-5’10 C – 2020 – AGWSR
Sicard was very solid in the paint as she was able to rebound almost every single missed shot. She showed the ability to push the ball up the floor and score a few times while protecting the ball against pressure. I thought that she played very well while she was in the game and took some of the pressure off of Hames.
Lainy Thoren – 5’11 PF – 2022 – Grundy Center
Thoren struggled a bit to score the ball against AGWSR but still had seven points on seven shots. I would like to see her play down in the post a little more because I think with her strength and size she can overpower opposing players. She should still play with the ball in her hands a little big but I’d like to see her play in the mid to high post a little more. She is a solid athlete with a great nose for the ball.
Jaedon Murphy
Jaedon
Murphy
5'10" | PF
North Polk | 2020
State
IA
– 5’11 – F – 2020 – North Polk
Murphy came out on fire in the second half of the game against Roland-Story. She is a very versatile forward with the ability to play both out on the wing and in the paint. Murphy is the textbook definition of a stretch-4 and she is tough to guard with her height and agility combination. She finished the game with 19 points and eight rebounds in one of the more dominant halves that I have seen all season long as she scored 14 points in the second half.
Makayla Boatman
Makayla
Boatman
5'6" | SG
North Polk | 2023
State
IA
– 5’6 G – 2023 – North Polk
Like Murphy, Boatman really turned it on and had a great game. She is a long and lengthy guard who I think will continue to grow over the next few years. If she gets to 5’9-5’10 I think she could be a very solid D1 prospect with continued skill development. She scored 15 points and nailed 3-of-4 from behind the arc. She looked very comfortable out on the floor in a big spot and she didn’t disappoint.
Reagan Barkema
Reagan
Barkema
6'0" | SF
Roland-Story | 2022
State
IA
– 5’11 W – 2022 – Roland-Story
Despite having an off night shooting the ball, I thought Barkema played well with everything that was thrown at her defensively. She was hot early on in the game but cooled off as we reached the second half. Barkema plays a huge role on this team and that was no different against North Polk as she was drawing a lot of attention leaving teammates open for open jumpers. She finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Emma Kahler – 5’2 PG – 2020 – Collins-Maxwell
Kahler is a small guard but has a basketball mind. She can process the floor a lot quicker than most and handles the ball well. I thought that she had a very good game with the ability that she showed to push the ball up the floor and finish at the rim with her size. Kahler scored 10 points and was all over the ball all game long.
Reagan Franzen
Reagan
Franzen
5'11" | PF
Collins-Maxwell | 2021
State
IA
– 5’11 PF – 2021 – Collins-Maxwell
Franzen is a tough post player who can handle the ball and put it on the floor from the high post. She was able to handle the ball out by the perimeter as well but I think that she is better suited on the inside where she can bully her way to the basket. Franzen had 13 points and 10 rebounds along with four steals in the game while turning the ball over just one time. Franzen is a legitimate college prospect who will likely start seeing an uptick of NAIA and D3 interest.
Brooke Christe – 5’7 G – 2021 – Collins-Maxwell
Christe didn’t score in the game but she did play very well. She played very good defense despite fouling out and was making life hard on Baxter all game long. Christe also had three assists and three steals in helping her team to the win. She has a solid frame and as she continues to improve I can see her as a potential college player.
Alexis Houge
Alexis
Houge
5'7" | SG
Collins-Maxwell | 2022
State
IA
– 5’7 W – 2021 – Collins-Maxwell
Houge was big in the run that Collins-Maxwell made in the second half as she finished the game with 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. She is a very solid wing who can put the ball on the floor and get to the hole. Houge is a tough player who can get to the rim and rebound the ball at a high level. I was very impressed with her. Committed to Virginia (softball)
Caitlyn Bruntz – 5’4 PG – 2020 – Baxter
Bruntz forced the ball just a little bit in the game but still was able to push Baxter out to an early lead in the game. She didn’t score any points in the second half but still showed poise with the ball. She handles it well and has the knowledge of the game about when to push the ball and when to slow it down. Bruntz had three steals in the game showcasing her overall ability.
McKenzie Eslinger
McKenzie
Eslinger
5'9" | PF
Baxter | 2021
State
IA
– 5’9 F – 2021 – Baxter
Eslinger kept her team in the game all the way to the end. She was 7-of-9 from the floor and collected 13 rebounds to add to her 14 points. She only had two turnovers the entire game while playing most of the game. I was impressed with her toughness on the inside going up against Franzen and she is much more agile than she was last time I saw her.