Intriguing Playmakers in Iowa
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At times, one person can create for all four of her teammates on the floor and change a game. I love watching lead guards pick apart their opposition and create simple scoring opportunities. That said, I want to highlight some…
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Continue ReadingAt times, one person can create for all four of her teammates on the floor and change a game. I love watching lead guards pick apart their opposition and create simple scoring opportunities. That said, I want to highlight some intriguing playmakers in Iowa.
Jasmine Barney Jasmine Barney 5'7" | PG Cedar Falls | 2023 State IA
I love how Barney can beat her initial defender and put pressure on defenses. When she gets by her initial defender, she does an excellent job keeping her head up and seeing the floor. Barney doesn’t hunt assists or points. She takes what the defense gives her. The way she attacks her opposition makes everything look simple, and there isn’t a great game plan to slow down a kid who’ll never force anything.
Abby Tuttle Abby Tuttle 5'8" | SG North Polk | 2025 State IA
What makes Tuttle so unique is her basketball IQ. She has a counter to anything a team throws at her, and she makes the right decision more often than not. When teams throw multiple defenders at her, she sees the floor well and hits an open teammate seemingly every time. As a freshman, she finished second in assists with 4.3 per game. Tuttle may not be as athletic as other high-level prospects, but she is one of the smartest and understands the game at a high level as a rising sophomore.
Andrea Lopreato Andrea Lopreato 5'9" | SF Mount Pleasant | 2023 IA
The rising senior tied for second in assists with Tuttle in 4A last season. What Lopreato excels at is playing under pressure. When oppositions press her team, that’s playing with fire. She can split doubles, runs past presses on her own, and make the right pass. Lopreato will improve her team by taking the pressure off of her teammates. In the halfcourt, she also does well to draw multiple defenders towards her and hit her open teammates with a pass at the right moment to maximize each possession and scoring.
Zoe Kennedy
The Linn-Mar guard excels at using ball screens to create advantages for her and her team. She can score and make things happen off the dribble, making her a challenging kid to handle when she gets to a ball screen. Kennedy also has a ton of speed. Nothing she does is slow, making defenses have to make split-second decisions about how they want to handle the pressure she’s putting on them. She’s an excellent decision maker and will make her teammates better because she controls the tempo and rewards her teammate’s movement away from the ball worth it.