WBB: ESPN's 2020 player rankings has ALL FOUR ISU verbals in top 100

[mred]

http://www.espn.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/rankings/_/class/2020

#13 Lexi Donarski (5-star)
#69 Aubrey Joens (4-star)
#83 Emily Ryan (4-star)
#92 Kylie Feuerbach (4-star)

This class will be loaded for ISU.

 

[NWICY]

After a few down yrs maybe we are turning the corner again. Last yrs team was a lot of fun. I think we'll be down a bit but hopefully will be competitive and fun to watch.

 

[knowlesjam]

Team will have a completely new identity this year. Questions to answer...who steps into Carlton's shoes...who steps into Middleton's shoes...I still see a top half of the conference finish.

 

[mred]

Team will have a completely new identity this year. Questions to answer...who steps into Carlton's shoes...who steps into Middleton's shoes...I still see a top half of the conference finish.

I'm not quite that optimistic (primarily due to those two questions you ask). But I think this team could be VERY good in the following season.

 

[BobTheHawkHater]

I watched Kylie Feuerbach play on her All Iowa Attack team a couple of weeks ago in Ames. Don’t be surprised if she becomes the best player in this recruiting class. Her game is very similar to Ashley Joens in my opinion. 6 foot guard that can play the point or the #2 spot, great shooter but also loves to take it to the hoop, has a knack for blocking shots, excellent passer. We got a good one there. Also holds her school record in the shot-put I believe. Just a great all around athlete.

 

[Deleted member 8507]

I watched Kylie Feuerbach play on her All Iowa Attack team a couple of weeks ago in Ames. Don’t be surprised if she becomes the best player in this recruiting class. Her game is very similar to Ashley Joens in my opinion. 6 foot guard that can play the point or the #2 spot, great shooter but also loves to take it to the hoop, has a knack for blocking shots, excellent passer. We got a good one there. Also holds her school record in the shot-put I believe. Just a great all around athlete.

Well, her uncle was an Olympic shot putter so she had that going for her. And her grandfather played basketball for Iowa State back in the 40's and was on the Final Four team in 1944.

 

[mred]

Well, her uncle was an Olympic shot putter

And that may be underselling it. He held the world record from May 1973 to Feb 1976.

He even had a bunch of Sports Illustrated articles about him:
https://www.si.com/vault/1971/02/08/554274/no-practice-makes-almost-perfect
https://www.si.com/vault/1972/06/19/613605/a-bunch-of-big-shots
https://www.si.com/vault/1973/04/30/615644/the-magnificent-obsession
https://www.si.com/vault/1978/07/03...thrower-mac-wilkins--train-amidst-the-scenery
https://www.si.com/vault/1979/05/07...vited-some-friends-in-to-throw-their-weight-a

 

[mred]

Here are highlights from three of the four at an AAU tournament last Saturday.

 

[BoxsterCy]

http://www.espn.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/rankings/_/class/2020

#13 Lexi Donarski (5-star)
#69 Aubrey Joens (4-star)
#83 Emily Ryan (4-star)
#92 Kylie Feuerbach (4-star)

This class will be loaded for ISU.

Your post prompted me to look and Prospects Nation has our commits similarly ranked. Nice to see a general consensus.

#38 Lexi Donarski (4-star)
#62 Emily Ryan(4-star)
#63 Aubrey Joens (4-star)
Watch List - Kylie Feuerbach (4-star)

Getting four Top 100 level players committed at this time is pretty impressive. Prospects Nation has 17 of their Top 25 undecided at this point. Heck, Prospects Nation doesn't even have their recruiting class rankings out yet for 2020. They had us at #19 in 2018 with a #28, #116 and #136 recruits so this class will likely rank higher.

 

[knowlesjam]

I'm not quite that optimistic (primarily due to those two questions you ask). But I think this team could be VERY good in the following season.

Agree on 2020...my thoughts on 2019 are that the Big 12 as a whole is very soft...you have Baylor, and then competition for 2-5, and then the bottom drops out quick. We have the talent to be top half, just need to come together...good spot for Bill to coach them up.

 

[runbikeswim]

gosh, this is such a nice feeling....so exciting....

 

[BoxsterCy]

Agree on 2020...my thoughts on 2019 are that the Big 12 as a whole is very soft...you have Baylor, and then competition for 2-5, and then the bottom drops out quick. We have the talent to be top half, just need to come together...good spot for Bill to coach them up.

This. The bottom four got owned last year and helped inflate some of the win/loss records of the other teams including ours. Both the Big 12 and Big 10 were weak tea last year. I think we should do fine as we won't all of sudden be playing a tougher conference schedule. We will be very deep with two good redshirts and an okay class coming in. Not being in the top half of the Big 12 and making the NCAA will be a fail IMHO. Every decent team graduates good players and it is not a reason to give the coaches a bye year. We have had enough of those in the last five years or so.

 

[StClone]

Here are highlights from three of the four at an AAU tournament last Saturday.

Wonder why the Tweet has the names out of order vs images. Should be Aubrey, Lexi and Kylie.

 

[Deleted member 8507]

And that may be underselling it. He held the world record from May 1973 to Feb 1976.

He even had a bunch of Sports Illustrated articles about him

I know all about the Feurbachs. I grew up in neighboring town and had to play against them. They were all outstanding athletes. Steve F. (my age) went to ISU and became a vet just like his dad.

 

[I-stateTheTruth]

I watched Kylie Feuerbach play on her All Iowa Attack team a couple of weeks ago in Ames. Don’t be surprised if she becomes the best player in this recruiting class. Her game is very similar to Ashley Joens in my opinion. 6 foot guard that can play the point or the #2 spot, great shooter but also loves to take it to the hoop, has a knack for blocking shots, excellent passer. We got a good one there. Also holds her school record in the shot-put I believe. Just a great all around athlete.

Once upon a time, I won an ISU intramural hoops championship with Kylie's dad on the team. Great dude. And a great defender and rebounder.

Is this the highest-rated class we've ever had?

 

[CTTB78]

Really a fun read about Lexi and the LaCrosse connection to ISU in the Ames Tribune. Her family is close to Matt Thomas and it's cool to see how her dad's coaching prepared Lexi for her next step with the Cyclones.

 

[psychlone99]

For someone who doesn't follow WBB recruiting, help me understand the talent uptick. Are we just getting some breaks to go our way with some better talent, or has there been a change in approach/staff responsibilities/etc?

 

[StClone]

For someone who doesn't follow WBB recruiting, help me understand the talent uptick. Are we just getting some breaks to go our way with some better talent, or has there been a change in approach/staff responsibilities/etc?

Good observation/question.

Fortunes of luck but there is more to this trend. (There has not been a real change in staff, or strategy (other than not "settling") I can see, since Billy's arrival, Jack's departure years back, and presence of social media.)

To me our past success with producing guards (secondarily forwards), and fortunately the best players are guards in Iowa and close by states, helps.

The trio of Bill (trusted experience, success), Billy (ability to connect with youth) and Jodi (motherly, friendly, sisterly and experienced) are the attractive force of Iowa State WWB. They are now winning the recruiting battles. Our coaches getting in early, evaluating (some luck involved here too) and networking connections are part of the picture.

 

[runbikeswim]

Good observation/question.

Fortunes of luck but there is more to this trend. (There has not been a real change in staff, or strategy (other than not "settling") I can see, since Billy's arrival and Jack's departure years back and arrival of social media.)

To me our past success with producing guards (secondarily forwards), and fortunately the best players are guards in Iowa and close by states, helps.

The trio of Bill (trusted experience, success), Billy (ability to connect with youth) and Jodi (motherly, friendly, sisterly and experienced) are the attractive force of Iowa State WWB. They are now winning the recruiting battles. Our coaches getting in early, evaluating (some luck involved here too) and networking connections are part of the picture.

I think coaching stability is becoming more of a factor now too. Seen some mentions of that in interviews. With the increasing spin of the coaching carousel, girls are more prone to commit knowing their coach isn't leaving.

 

[acoustimac]

Talked with a prof at ISU and she talked about Ashley Joens recruitment. Ashely said one visit and she was sold on the staff and environment. She felt like this was family and Eastern Iowa Penitentiary couldn’t compare.