Around 40 girls stood on court seven inside the Sanford Pentagon warming up for the “Who’s Next” combine, working on different iterations of the jab step.
The combine brings together a collection of talent and abilities that normally wouldn’t be under the same roof. Some of the participants traveled from out of state to be in attendance. Five states, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska, were represented at the combine.
“This is one of the events that we most look forward to on our calendar,” Sanford Sports Basketball Academy Coordinator Nate Kaeding said. “We do a lot of different things in our academy throughout the year, but this is one that we always, always circle.”
The “Who’s Next” combine provides another opportunity – the first for some – to showcase their skills in front of college coaches.
Kaeding said the girls in attendance were excited to compete against different athletes in a different setting than they’re used to. Instead of competing with their club teams in five-on-five games, the combine gave them a bit of everything with skill development stations, small-sided games, and then five-on-five scrimmages at the end.
Among the participants were O’Gorman teammates Sydney Terveen and Sadie Mehrman, who were both excited about the opportunity to test their skills against some new competition.
“I think it's a cool event,” Mehrman said. “You can kind of showcase your skills against other girls in the area, and get another opportunity to get in front of college coaches.”
Mehrman said she was looking forward to competing at the highest level while Terveen was focused on improving throughout the day. Mehrman said in an event like this coaches have a better look at a player's skills versus in a five-on-five environment when players might blend in a little more with team concepts.
The upside of performing well at the combine could make a huge difference.
“If you play well, perform well, you can turn a lot of heads,” Mehrman said. “Just getting your name out there helps, and then next season, hopefully, you’ll have an idea of where I want to play the next four years.”
Both Mehrman and Terveen play for Sanford’s AAU team, headed by Kaeding, who’s had a front-row seat to their development over the years.
On the court, Kaeding called Mehrman and Terveen “high-level competitors” who are not afraid to play physically. He also said they’re both extremely versatile, quality defenders and make good decisions with the ball in their hands.
Mehrman, who played her first two seasons at Harrisburg, transferred to O’Gorman and will now be teammates with Terveen.
“O’Gorman has a rich history of winning,” Mehrman said of her decision to transfer. “For me, personally, basketball is my main thing, and I just wanted to be around other girls that were going to push me and make me better as well.”
The Knights are coming off a perfect 24-0 season and a state title.
Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com . Follow him on Twitter at @JFERN31
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: O'Gorman girls basketball players compete in Sanford's 'Who's Next' combine
Most Popular
Comments / 0