Okay, so I sat down Tuesday morning with my coffee thinking, “Man, people keep askin’ about who’s gonna dominate B girls basketball next season.” Tried Googlin’ first – big mistake. All I got were outdated rankings from like 2022 or random forums with folks arguing over stats nobody could verify.
The Grind Begins
Grabbed my notebook and just started cold-calling coaches. First three didn’t pick up – figured they were knee-deep in practice. When Coach Miller from Aberdeen finally answered, he sounded exhausted but gave me two names off the bat: “Watch Sarah Johnson’s post moves and Maya Chen’s three-pointers. Kids work harder than anyone.” Wrote that down in all caps with three exclamation points.
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Phone tag adventures:
- Left voicemails for 12 schools while scarfing down lunch
- Got callbacks from only 5 – one dude just said “Nah I’m good” and hung up
- Texted athletic directors when calls failed – got two responses overnight with PDF stats sheets
Road Trip Reality Check
Decided screen time wasn’t enough last Thursday. Drove three hours to Watertown’s scrimmage. Sat freezing in bleachers scribbling notes: spotted this lanky sophomore, Emma Schultz, blocking shots like crazy. Tracked her parents down during halftime – awkward as hell interrupting their nachos – but they confirmed she grew 4 inches this summer. Added her to my watchlist immediately.
Nearly got kicked out Friday in Sioux Falls when a ref thought I was scouting for rival schools. Had to show him my crappy blog on my phone to prove it. He laughed and said, “Well since you’re here, #23 on Brookings? Her handles’ll make you dizzy.”
Putting It Together
Sunday felt like detective work cross-referencing everything. Spreadsheets covered my dining table – stats from texts, scribbles from games, crumpled napkins with numbers. My partner walked in and just backed out slowly. Top five emerged:
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2025 Game-Changers:
- Sarah Johnson (Aberdeen) – Coach wasn’t lying. Footwork videos leaked? Chef’s kiss
- Chloe Dubois (Pierre) – Rebound machine. Saw her out-jump girls six inches taller
- Maya Chen (Sioux City) – That 48% three-point accuracy? Nuts
- Emma Schultz (Watertown) – Growth spurt = defensive nightmare
- #23 Lila Rossi (Brookings) – Okay ref, you were right. Dribbles through traffic like it’s nothing
Wrapped up at 1 AM with cold pizza. Still missing data on two western schools – left messages that’ll probably bounce back. But hey, these five? Bet my coffee thermos they’ll turn heads this season.