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Top 25 Preseason HS Girls Basketball Players – Kysre Gondrezick is top player
Benton Harbor – Kysre Gondrezick of Benton Harbor is accustomed to playing up.
In May of 2013 Gondrezick was 15-years-old when she tried out for the USA 16-and-under team in Colorado Springs. She reached the final cut.
Again, this past spring, Gondrezick, a 5-9 junior, tried out for the USA 17-and-under team with the same results.
“She’s never played with her age group,” her mother and coach Lisa Harvey-Gondrezick said. “At a Nike tournament this past summer she shot 54 percent and made the top five.”
Gondrezick and her sister, Kalabrya, a senior, are two of the top players in the Midwest. Kalabrya signed with Michigan State; her sister is rated as the top player in the state according State Champs Network.
Last season Kysre Gondrezick averaged 29.4 points and Harvey-Gondrezick said that average is likely to increase this season. Five times last season Kysre scored over 40 points.
As far as the recruiting trail is concerned Kysre has not narrowed her choices down to five or six or another number, according to Harvey. Among the schools Kysre is considering include Connecticut, Duke, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Notre Dame and South Carolina.
“Kysre eats, sleeps and drinks basketball,” Harvey-Gondrezick said. “She’s an all-year-round basketball player. Every single day. We have to make her take days off. She’s a camera, lights, action type of player. The basketball court is her stage.”
Harvey-Gondrezick is a stickler for fundamentals. This, plus her devotion to her daughters, is a driving force for Kysre and Kalabrya.
Harvey-Gondrezick played at Louisiana Tech but it’s safe to say she’s having more fun coaching than she did playing.
“I love coaching them,” Harvey-Gondrezick said. “Instruction is everything. I have a passion for developing a young lady into a personable representative in our community.”
2. Cierra Rice, Grosse Point South, 5-9, sr.: A versatile player, Rice signed with Illinois. She played the point her freshmen and junior year, and played small forward as a sophomore. Rice averaged 18 points and shot 56 percent from the field last season.
3. Madrieka Cook, Muskegon, 6-0, jr.: Cook has one of the better outside games for a player 6-feet or taller. She averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds last season and he’s committed to Michigan State.
4. Tania Davis, Goodrich 5-3, sr.: Davis averaged 19.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.2 steals per game last season and she signed to play at Central Michigan.
5. Kalabrya Gondrezick, Benton Harbor, 5-9, sr.: Gondrezick averaged 16.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.8 assists. She’s an unselfish player who gets her teammates involved. Gondrezick signed with Michigan State.
6. Erika Davenport, Clarkston, 6-1, sr.: The Associated Press 2014 Class A Player of the Year, Davenport is a monster in the paint with a nice move to the rim. She averaged 22 points and 14 rebounds per game last season. Committed to Marquette.
7. Amber Jamison, Rochester Adams, 6-1, sr.: An athletically-gifted, strong player on the block with a soft touch, Jamison averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds last year on a league-title squad (OAA White Division). She signed with Northwestern.
8. Samantha Thomas, Birmingham Marian, 5-10, so.: Thomas helped Marian win a state title last season and has a strong understanding of the game. She has a fast-developing inside-out game. Thomas is considered a frontrunner for in the 2017 Miss Basketball race.
9. Destiny Pitts, Detroit Country Day, 5-11, so.: A superstar-in-the-making, Pitts is a wing who is already attracting interest from major Division I schools. Accurate from the perimeter, Pitts has the ability to takes defenders off the dribble to the hoop.
10. Taiye Bello, Southfield-Lathrup, 6-3, jr.: A lanky post player, Bello has a wide wingspan and possesses good jumping ability. Bello has a huge upside and is being recruited by a number of Big Ten schools.
11. Reyna Frost, Reese, 6-0, sr.: A post player, Frost averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks last season She’s on pace to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for her career. Frost signed with Central Michigan.
12. Sydnee McDonald, Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 5-8, sr.: A transfer from Flint Hamady, McDonald sat out the first semester last season then averaged 17.4 points the last half of the season. She’s being recruited by several Division I schools. McDonald is uncommitted.
13. Ariel Bethea, Ann Arbor Huron, 5-8, sr.: A three-year starter, Bethea averaged 10.3 points, 3.5 steals, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists. She signed with Detroit. Bethea suffered a stress fracture playing soccer and her effectiveness could be limited early in the season.
14. Taylor Jones, Farmington Hills Mercy, 5-9, sr.: Jones is a long, hard-working wing that was Mercy’s leading-scorer (16 ppg) on a Marlins squad that went 25-2 and lost in the Class A state semifinals. Jones signed with Oakland.
15. Kyla Roland, Farmington Hills Harrison, 6-1, sr.: Roland is a fundamentally-sound post player who can step out and make the 15-foot jumper and is a powerhouse on the glass. Roland signed with Davidson.
16. Megan Carter, North Farmington, 5-5, sr.: A smart and savvy point guard, Carter has a diverse skill-set and penchant for clutch performances. Carter signed with Kent State.
17. Aaliah Hill, Flint Hamady, 6-0, sr.: Hill averaged 11.6 points and nine rebounds for a team that was 20-0 during the regular season. Hill signed with Central Michigan.
18. Taylor Parker, Detroit Cass Tech, 5-6, sr.: A three-year starter, Parker averaged 14 points last season. She signed with Kent State.
19. Janae Williams, Detroit King, 5-9, sr.: Williams plays both guard spots. She’s effective from the perimeter and riving to the basket. Williams averaged 13 points and four assists last season. She signed with IUPUI.
20. Gabrielle Bird, South Lyon East, 5-11, sr.: Bird is a versatile inside-outside threat who averaged 18.8 points and 12 rebounds per game last year. Bird signed with Central Michigan.
21. Logan McCane, Rockford, 5-9, sr.: McCane is a shooter who averaged 14.4 points last season. A three-year starter, McCane is able to create her own shot. She signed with Western Michigan.
22. Alexis Sevillian, Goodrich, 5-6, jr.: Sevillian is more than a point guard. She has the ability to pressure defenses with her ball-handling skills. Sevillian committed to Iowa.
23. Jessica Rotzoll, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 5-8, sr.: In her two varsity session Rotzoll averaged 13.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and one assist. She signed with Oakland University.
24. Siyeh Fraser, Detroit Renaissance, 5-9, jr.: Fraser averaged 17 points last season but is more than just a scorer. A starter since her freshman season, Fraser can play the point, wing and in the post.
25. Lola Ristovski, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 5-8, sr.: Ristovski is the third of the Ristovski sisters to play at University Liggett. Last season she averaged 9-8 points and four assists. Ristovski signed with Detroit and joins her sister, Haleigh, there.
Scott Burnstein and Jeff Dullack contributed to this report.
