High School Team Feature: Brandeis Broncos

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The high school season is going at full pace in the state of Texas and every team in the state has been on the court enough times for us to have a good idea about what to expect from them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here at PrepDig, we are committed to covering and promoting as many prospects as possible, from the most popular names to the hidden gems that typically abound at the Lone Star State and during the high school season we're also doing it by featuring the teams they play at.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Every time we're at the gym, we're giving a good look at the teams on the court and we'll try to feature as many as possible here in this space. In our first feature, we'll present the reigning state champions Brandeis Broncos of San Antonio.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size"><strong>The Squad</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Expectations are always high for the defending champions and despite the graduation of the dynamic duo of setter Carlee Pharris and outside hitter Jalyn Gibson that led them to the title last November, the Broncos are well-positioned to contend again. The team plays a very dynamic system, in which every player performs at least a couple of different roles. That, of course, is only possible for a team that has talent at the level of outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='99492' first='Emma' last='Halstead'], setter [player_tooltip player_id='124131' first='Samantha' last='Valadez'] and middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='177527' first='Austin' last='Smoak'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/BrandeisVB08/status/1557498314920235009?s=20u0026t=zEt8-NOIOl0GRyQYjLcOjw","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/BrandeisVB08/status/1557498314920235009?s=20&amp;t=zEt8-NOIOl0GRyQYjLcOjw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size"><strong>Key Players</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_62f58bdc64e77","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["99492"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The team's second-best scorer last season, the six-foot-tall Halstead will very likely lead the Broncos' offense this time around. She's truly impressive on the court with her combination of size, power and skill and is the true definition of an all-around player. She's nearly unstoppable when hitting and there are not many ways to slow her down as she can score from anywhere on the court. Halstead, who blocks and hits in the middle in one rotation, is also a phenomenal passer and almost every time will deliver the ball in perfect conditions to her setter.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["124131"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"After two seasons of learning behind Pharris, Valadez is set to take over this season and run Brandeis' offense on her own. Based on how well the 5'9” playmaker has been performing at the club level, it's fair to say the Broncos are in great hands. Valadez is very intelligent with her ball distribution and extremely consistent with her locations, even when setting against the flow, something she does as smoothly as not many others. She also communicates really well and is one of the leaders of the team on the court.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["142213"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"The 5'6” libero is probably the one member of the Broncos who plays the exact same role for the team from the opening play to the final whistle. She has a huge responsibility when it comes to serve-receiving and handles it extremely well, allowing the team's dynamic playing system to be executed to perfection the entire time. Davila is also very quick and does an excellent job of tracking tips and reacting to them on time to make digs.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["177527"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"The 6'1” Smoak is the one to come up with most of the physicality of this year's Brandeis team. Extremely athletic, she does an excellent two-way job at the net, providing the Broncos with a powerful hitter and an active blocker. Smoak is very smooth hitting the slide set and is really difficult to stop because of her high contact point and her ability to hit the ball in different directions. She fills in on the right in one rotation and, again, does an excellent job of standing in the way of opposing outside hitters and hitting the ball hard when she's set.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["186238"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"After being more of a rotational piece in last year's loaded squad, the 6'1” Kuyn has emerged in a more prominent role with the Broncos this year. In theory, she's a middle, but she definitely doesn't limit her play to that position, hitting from both pins and the backcourt and being an active piece in the team's passing and defensive system. Kuyn is also an outstanding blocker as she makes great use of her long arms and impeccable reading and timing at the net.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /-->