Five South Dakota Upside 2024’s To Watch
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The South Dakota 2024 class is loaded with D1 talent and prospects with upside. The prospects below have potential to keep developing as prospects and have built-in upside in a variety of factors with size, length, and simply maturing and…
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Continue ReadingThe South Dakota 2024 class is loaded with D1 talent and prospects with upside. The prospects below have potential to keep developing as prospects and have built-in upside in a variety of factors with size, length, and simply maturing and gaining early playing time experience. The battle for the #1 2024 prospect is getting pretty heated.
Jaidyn Dunn Jaidyn Dunn 6'1" | PF Sioux Falls Jefferson | 2024 State SD – Sioux Falls Roosevelt – (6’2/C/2024) – Jaidyn is breaking onto the varsity scene and is a major factor. She’s the sixth man for Roosevelt and entered in the Watertown game only two minutes into the game. A complete defensive force that has good lateral feet and shot-blocking prowess. Will wall-up and come down with a blocked shot. The pure definition of a rim-protecter and shot-blocker. A very versatile defender that can defend on the wing and stay with drivers. An excellent post defender that understands angles and positioning. Rebounds well because she consistently boxes out and pushes out the opponent. Her defense is a clear strength but her offensive game is also not a weakness by any means, as she’s a solid finisher around the hoop as well. There’s a lot to get excited about with Jaidyn as a prospect and to see how far she can take her game.
Aweng Akoi Aweng Akoi 6'2" | C O’Gorman | 2024 State SD – Sioux Falls O’Gorman – (6’1/C/2024) – Aweng’s upside comes from her EXTREMELY long frame and wingspan. Plays strictly JV minutes but has good upside in the coming years. She’s a shot-blocking machine at the JV level but her rebounding strength could improve quite a bit as she struggles to secure the ball at times. Runs well and will sprint the floor with speed and agility. Has good jumping ability and athleticism. A little raw for varsity action but not a completely raw prospect either. You can see there’s still a lot of room for improvement and natural upside in Aweng as a prospect and is why she’s on this list.
Katie Vasecka Katie Vasecka 6'2" | CG Tea Area | 2024 State SD – Tea Area – (6’1/PG-SG-SF/2024) – Transferred from Minnesota this season and has major upside as a prospect because she’s a long, skilled, 6’1 guard. A versatile weapon for Tea, Katie scored 31 points in an overtime game versus McCook Central/Montrose. Katie’s greatest skill may be her passing ability and how she sees the floor. She plays the point for Tea Area at 6’1 and her up-court passing is quite impressive. She can heave 3/4 court passes on a dime. She’ll crossover and use hesitation to go off-the-dribble and perform an array of floaters in the lane. She’s not afraid to take it at the defense, showing some toughness and willing to be physical with the defender. Has great long-speed with the ball, using huge strides with her length. Out of these five prospects listed, Katie has the greatest upside and room to grow into an elite prospect.
Claire Sheppard Claire Sheppard 6'1" | SF Flandreau | 2024 State SD – Flandreau – (6’1/SG-SF/2024) – According to the roster she has grown into 6’1 already and she looks much bigger and physically stronger on film. Which is pretty scary on what her potential upside is. She plays with more toughness and strength this year, attacking opposing defenders without hesitation. Claire has become the go-to scorer for Flandreau and has very high upside with her length and skills at a wing spot.
Mahli Abdouch Mahli Abdouch 5'7" | PG O'Gorman | 2024 State SD – Sioux Falls O’Gorman – (5’6/PG/2024) – Mahli is getting varsity playing time at the point with one of the top teams in South Dakota in Sioux Falls O’ Gorman. She possesses elite quickness and ball-handling ability. She has a command with the ball and is also an elite passer. Puts a ton of zip and speed on her passes. Blows by the initial defender and drops dimes to teammates. She plays with the South Dakota Attack and is already highly-skilled, so her upside comes from getting stronger and gaining more playing time experience, in both high school and in club ball.