RIGGED Classic: ‘23-‘24 Standouts
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Below are some of the prospects from the ’23 and ’24 classes who impressed me at the RIGGED Classic last Saturday. Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"] Siena Schaller Siena Schaller 5'7" | CG Valley Regional | 2023 State NewE…
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Continue ReadingBelow are some of the prospects from the ’23 and ’24 classes who impressed me at the RIGGED Classic last Saturday.
Siena Schaller Siena Schaller 5'7" | CG Valley Regional | 2023 State NewE – Valley Regional High – 5’8” – SG – ’23
Schaller showed her full offensive arsenal on Saturday. Early in the games, she was very aggressive by slashing to the hole and showed good touch on her finishes. Schaller also made the defense pay for leaving her open from 15-18 feet. She is an excellent mid-range shooter and had a field day scoring in that area. Schaller also hustled hard on defense. With her length, she has the potential to be a pesky defender who can guard both the 1 and the 2.
Kelly Holmgren – Greenwich Country Day – 5’10” – SG – ’23
Holmgren is an excellent shooter and showed how good she is at creating her shot off the dribble. What was most noticeable about Holmgren was how dominant her defense is. I thought she was the best defender of the evening, showing that she can guard quicker players on the perimeter and also hold her own against wings her size. At 5’10”, and with her quickness going east to west, Holmgren was problematic for the opposition. Whenever a ball-handler tried to get an angle on Holmgren and get around her, she cut them off immediately, resulting in them picking their dribble up.
Carlie Marrella Carlie Marrella 5'5" | CG Ashland | 2023 State NewE – Ashland – 5’6” – PG – ’23
I think Marrella is going to have a monster winter at Ashland High this year. I am more convinced of every game I watch her play because of how Dynamic she is at scoring the ball at all three levels. She’s a southpaw slasher who bullies defenders possession after possession going to her left. I did not see anyone successfully force Marrella to her off-hand, and if they gave her space on the outside, a three-pointer would be ripped through the net. I think she is one of the most underrated guard in the ’23 class. Be prepared to hear her name a lot the next few months.
Madison Pepra-Omani Madison Pepra-Omani 5'6" | PG Manchester Memorial | 2024 State NewE – Manchester Memorial High – 5’6” – PG – ’24
Pepra-Omani is another point guard who I think is due for a big winter, and it was good to see her on Saturday in a role where she had to be the team’s quarterback. If the ball is in Pepra-Omani’s hands, good things will happen. She threads the needle as well as any point guard in ’24 and is also good at passing to her teammates open and leading them to the basket. On Saturday, Pepra-Omani took good care of the ball and limited her turnovers, too.
Julia Cahoon Julia Cahoon 5'8" | CG Pinkerton Academy | 2024 State NewE – Pinkerton Academy – 5’8” – CG – ’24
Saturday was my first time seeing Cahoon in action, and I was impressed at how well she saw the floor. Her passing was on point, and she is not your natural primary ball-handler; but when she catches the ball on the wing, Cahoon looks to move the ball first. Cahoon’s activity on the offensive glass led to easy putback attempts. She also shot the ball well from the outside. Cahoon is a sniper you cannot forget about because once she got hot from the perimeter, it was game over.