Class 1A – Region 1: 2023’s to Watch
As we look for other ways to cover prospects we thought it would be beneficial to cover players in a way that allows us to cover those we don’t write much about. We will be using the region’s from last…
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Continue ReadingAs we look for other ways to cover prospects we thought it would be beneficial to cover players in a way that allows us to cover those we don’t write much about. We will be using the region’s from last season as they were constructed. Obviously, these regions will change into next season but for these stories it was the easiest way to divide players and teams as equally as possible. We will be writing a series of three stories for each region in the state and the categories are as follows: 2023’s to put on Your Radar, 2022’s who can Breakout, and 2021’s Who Should be Valued by Colleges. We will continue to go through each region and aim to hit as many players as we can that we haven’t talked about previously. Here are five 2023’s to put on your radar.
Sydney Hurd – 5’11 PF – Storm Lake St. Mary’s HS
Hurd was a welcomed addition to Storm Lake St. Mary’s this past year and played an instrumental part in the team going .500 this season. With Hurd in the mix, Storm Lake St. Mary’s is set up well for the next two years as they had no seniors this past year and only had one junior. Hurd scored 6.6 points a game this past season while pulling down 7.0 rebounds a game. Her ability to rebound the ball was critical as well as her shot-blocking ability. Hurd had 3.4 blocks a game this past year and is one player in the 2023 class to watch for in the coming years.
Maddie Thomas – 5’7 SF – River Valley HS
Thomas is one of a few freshmen for River Valley who are apart of the youth movement on their team. They had seven freshmen this past season and Thomas was among the standouts of that group. She scored 5.1 points a game and pulled down 3.5 rebounds while grabbing a steal and dishing off an assist every game. She was tied for third on the team in scoring at 5.1 points a game and I suspect that will only go up as she matures. Thomas had the second-best shooting percentage on the team last year. As she improves throughout the next couple of years that will only go up.
Kora Alesch – 5’5 PG – MMRCU HS
MMRCU is a talented young team and because of that Alesch is overlooked a bit. She is a solid guard who has proven her ability to play well even in the short spurts that she gets. She only scored 3.8 points a game this past season but she dished out 1.9 assists while coming off the bench in all but one game this past year. Alesch is a solid defender as she can quickly cut off her man and she has a nose for the passing lanes. She had just over a steal per game this past season. She’ll always seem underrated because of the talent around her but she can really play.
Allison Wallace – 5’9 C – Harris-Lake Park HS
Harris-Lake Park was not a good team last year but Wallace is certainly a bright spot moving forward. She started all but one game for them last season and shot 31% from the floor. The second-leading scorer for her team, Wallace was able to show that she has the ability to stretch it out to the 3-point line and knock down a shot or two. The top rebounder she was paramount to giving her team the ball as she grabbed over 25% of the total rebounds for her team. Wallace might not ever play in college but the tools are there for her to develop.
Gracyn Schroeder – 5’4 PG – Remsen St. Mary’s HS
There are seven returning players for Remsen St. Mary’s this upcoming season and six of those are seniors. That means that Schroeder is going to have her work cut out for her after this season. She has already cracked the starting lineup and looks to be a big factor for this upcoming season. Schroeder scored 5.7 points a game this past year and she will be looking to further her scoring ability in hopes of helping Remsen St. Mary’s to a deep run. She is an impressive guard who has big things in front of her as she continues to improve her game.