Paytom Verhulst Named to Jersey Mike's Naismith semifinal list -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

PAYTON VERHULST ONE OF 10 SEMIFINALISTS

Payton Verhulst, a 2021-22 Louisville women's basketball signee, has been named to the 2021 Jersey Mike's Naismith High School Girls Player of the Year Semifinalist List. 

Verhulst, a 6'1" guard from DeSoto, Kansas and out of Bishop Miege H.S. is the third-ranked guard in the ESPNW evaluations and has led her squad to an 11-1 record this season. She was selected to the list along with these other nine high school seniors: 

PLAYER                  POSITION           SCHOOL                         COMMITED TO               

Maryam Danda               F              Bentonville  (Ark)                    Baylor

Sania Feagin                   F              Forest Park  (GA)                     South Carolina

Azzi Fudd                      G               St John's  (D.C)                       Connecticut

Rori Harrmon                 G              Cypress Creek  (TX)                Texas

Kyndall Hunter              G              Cypress Creek  (TX)                Texas

Raven Johnson              G               Westlake (GA)                         South Carolina

Aaliyah Moore              F                Moore  (OK)                            Texas

Saniya Rivers                G               Eugene Ashley  (NC)               South Carolina

Jersey Wolfenbarger     G               Northside (Ark)                        Arkansas 

Payton in the Ville last year

Stats being what they are and where they are kept, we don't have an up-to-date stat line on Verhulst, but we are waiting on a call from her high school coach at Bishop Miege (Mike English) and will follow up with a subsequent article when we can provide more current information. (Like high school coaches aren't busy these days, right?) 

Verhulst was a member of the 2019 USA U16 Women's Basketball Team and gather MVP honors while starting in all six games . We do know she averaged 14.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in those games and led the USA to the gold metal. 

She was selected the Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas in her junior year and has an older sister (Ashton) who is listed on the Central Florida WBB roster. Payton and Ashton's parents were "hoopers" as well, mom Robin played for Duke and father David at Rockhurst. 

Payton is also joined in the Louisville WBB 2021-22 class by Sydney Schetnan, a 6'5 post out of Sioux Falls, SD.  

The Naismith Award in Girls Basketball is a wonderful honor to be picked for and making it to the semi-finals an outstanding achievement.  Looking back at the past five winners: 

2020 Paige Bueckers --- She's doing pretty well up at Geno University but never should have beat Hailey Van Lith (IMHO, of course) 

2019 Haley Jones  ---  Jones is a sophomore at Stanfoed and an integral part of Stanford's WBB program this year, averaging 1.5 ppg

2018 Christyn Williams --- Williams is second in scoring at Geno U at 16.8 a night and the Huskies will probably go up in the next WBB rankings, after the Louisville loss.

2017 Megan Walker --  Walker spent last year with the WNBA's New York Liberty and is part of their "youth" plan to rebuild the Libs. 

2016 -- Jackie Young -- Young passed on her senior season at Notre Dame and has found success with the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA.  

Payton when she was leading the 
Miss Mary Pre-School league with
29.3 ppg and 8 steals a morning ?? 

EVANS MAKES MEYERS/DRYSDALE SEMIFINAL LIST

The Cardinal guard extraordinaire has made the semifinals for the top shooting guard in women's basketball again for the 2020-21 season and has to be consider the front runner to take down the award this year, one would  think. 

The other nine finalists? 

Aari McDonald        Arizona

Chelsea Dungee      Arkansas

Christyn Williams    Connecticut

Sonya Morris           DePaul

Ashley Owusu         Maryland

Arella Guirantes     Rutgers

Zia Cooke               South Carolina

Kiana Williams      Stanford

Charisma Osbourne   UCLA

We wish Dana the best of luck in winning this prestigious honor !!  As we've seen, there are guards, and then there is Dana. One can only be thankful she decided to check out a gymnasium one afternoon and hang up her ballet slippers for basketball shoes. 

For Thursday, Jared will get you ready for Cards vs, Boston College WBB. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday

paulie