Naperville North freshman Ava Podkasik is rarely heard from, but she is seen.

If you’re an opponent who has the basketball, rest assured she sees you too.

Despite her youth, Podkasik is showing signs of becoming an elite defender. The 5-foot-8 forward has an uncanny knack for deflecting passes and making steals.

“As a program, we strive to defend so much, and her coming in as a freshman, she just completely soaked that up and just ran with it,” Naperville North coach Aly Miller said. “She has that quiet confidence that the rest of the players on the floor and everybody on the bench just feeds on.

“She’s so active, and her hands are always going. She’s always in the right spot at the right time, and she works hard to get there.”

Podkasik went into the Huskies’ DuPage Valley Conference game against visiting Metea Valley on Thursday averaging 6.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 steals. She leads the team in the latter two categories, while her 72 deflections rank third.

That doesn’t surprise senior forward Kendall Johnson.

“We knew Ava was special as soon as we saw her at tryouts and even before then in open gyms,” Johnson said. “We were like, ‘This girl, she’s got it.’”

Indeed, Podkasik isn’t shy about trying to get the ball, and she knows what to do with it when she does. Why does she get so many steals?

“Reading the eyes, that’s the big giveaway,” Podkasik said. “And just the energy on our team, my teammates gassing me up every time I get a touch.”

Podkasik got plenty of touches against the Mustangs. She finished with 13 points, 14 steals, six rebounds, including five on the offensive end, and three assists in about 20 minutes of action before Miller took her out with 5:15 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Huskies’ 55-21 victory.

“I haven’t really had a game like this in the past, so it feels really good,” Podkasik said. “But it was also a really good team win. We were moving the ball around good, everyone was playing good defense and our shots were falling.”

Sophomore point guard Natalie Frempong tallied a game-high 16 points for the Huskies (13-14, 3-5). But Podkasik literally stole the show while derailing the upset-minded Mustangs (5-17, 0-9), who pulled into a 19-19 halftime tie following the last of Arainna Hammons’ four 3-pointers.

Podkasik began the second half by making a steal and scoring on a layup. Kelly Clish answered with a basket for Metea Valley, which did not score again.

Podkasik assisted on an inside basket by senior guard Ella Chapman. That was the beginning of Naperville North’s game-ending 34-0 run, during which Podkasik scored six points and made eight steals. She did it without making a foul.

“It’s just getting your hands up, getting big, getting in the passing lane, distracting people and trusting that your teammates have your back” Podkasik said. “I trust my teammates no matter what.

“I know they’re going to be there if I get beat, one way or another, so I might as well just try for the deflection if I can.”

She’s the same way when it comes to rebounding.

“She’s just been so effective for us,” Johnson said. “She’s come out of nowhere, and she just has such a good eye for the ball on offensive rebounds.

“I swear, every time I take a shot, she’s always there crashing the boards. It’s phenomenal. She’s genuinely our best rebounder, and when she’s in the 1 row up top, the steals are insane.”

All of which inspires the Huskies.

“She works so hard,” Johnson said. “Her work ethic rubs off on other people. When I see her going for rebounds, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to get there too.’”

Podkasik, who is a member of the varsity swimming team and will play water polo in the spring, clearly is going somewhere. She wants to play in college but says she’s focused on the present. That’s music to Miller’s ears.

“She’s such a coachable kid, and she plays such an unselfish game and does whatever she can out there to be so impactful,” Miller said. “She’s a great foundation for what we’re trying to do moving forward.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.