Part 1: Players Primed for Breakout Seasons in 2019
For the most part, it’s officially summer. The calendar is about to turn to June, and with that comes a bevy of summer camps, high school conditioning and open gyms. While there is technically a few weeks left on the…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingFor the most part, it’s officially summer. The calendar is about to turn to June, and with that comes a bevy of summer camps, high school conditioning and open gyms. While there is technically a few weeks left on the club season, it’s never too early to jump into the high school season!
So, with that in mind, here’s the first of a multiple-part look at players primed to go from good to great or great to super stars during the 2019 high school season. The players’ grades are listed as what they will be in the 2019-20 high school season.
Mattie Johnson, 6’0, Sr., OH, Sidney (committed to South Dakota)
It might seem strange to say that the player that is ranked as the #3 overall prospect in the 2020 class is ready for a breakout season, but the truth is that she is. Johnson has been under the radar her entire career and simply doesn’t get the respect she deserve on a state-wide basis. If she played in the Metro, Heartland or Centennial Conference, Johnson would be a household name. As it is, South Dakota got an absolute steal and they will be rewarded for their keen eye the moment she gets on campus.
During the 2019 season, its very likely Johnson will enter the 1,000-1,000 club for her career as she is sitting on 869 kills and 815 digs going into her senior season. For good measure, she also has 117 solo blocks and 127 service aces as well. Last year she had 351 kills and hit .361. As a senior, look for her to put up even better numbers and don’t be shocked if she winds up moving up in the overall rankings and establishing herself as the best full-rotation outside in the senior class.
View Johnson’s video highlights here.
Ella Hazen, 5’8, Soph., Setter, Millard West
Hazen looked really good as an incoming freshman last summer and initially was part of a two-setter system for Millard West at the start of the year before giving way to Concordia recruit Bree Green to run a 5-1. That, however, didn’t keep Hazen off the court as she made a big difference in the back row with 248 digs and also had 27 aces and finished the year with 76 assists.
It’s incredibly rare for a freshman to step in and run an offense for a Class A contender, but Hazen came really close to doing just that. With Green having graduated, it looks to be Hazen’s show now and she has the ability and skill set to help lead the Wildcats towards a Class A title.
Sam Steele, 5’9, Sr., Libero, Millard South (committed to Ohio)
Steele has been a starter for the Patriots since the first match of her freshman season and is positioned to take the title of best libero in the state heading into the fall. Millard South rode a Steele-led defense all the way to a Metro Conference title match appearance and to the state tournament. Millard South’s trademark all season long was its relentless and tenacious defensive play, and that was led by Steele.
For her career, Steele has 1,150 digs and 1,413 serve receptions and she serves at a 95% clip with 83 career aces to just 58 career service receptions. Millard South has the pieces to be a state tournament team again in 2019, and you better believe Steele will make life miserable for opposing attackers the entire season. She’s got some Brittany Witt in her.