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| D'Anna West (Houston Insiders-White) |
I hadn't had a chance to watch the 8th grade Insiders team since I'm doing a lot more traveling and evaluating across the country and as it would happen, conflicts at the IBC gave me a chance to catch them up close and personal on the sidelines coaching this group of young ladies. I've attended several practices but I'm a game situation kind of guy and I left the tournament with a bright smile because of several promising young players who wound up placing 2nd in the GOLD Division
Dezeree' White has star written all over her, she's long can handle the ball coast to coast and can finish with pressure, not to mention defend on the perimeter and shoot the three and once she realizes exactly how good she is, I expect her to be a legitimate terror in the state. Sierra Fuller has the right name because the nets certainly were getting fuller as she scored an abundance off points and has a scorers mentality which simply means she finds ways to put the ball in the basket and just simply finds ways to be wherever the ball is
Jamia Griffin is another player with a huge upside, she's also long and athletic but hasn't been playing that long but the thing about her is she has excellent timing and comprehends what is being told to her and based on that along with her athleticism, sky is definitely the limit. Speaking of sky, well Skye (Crawford), she's a young lady who has made a tremendous jump from last season. Her quickness and ability to handle the ball already puts her in a good spot but what I enjoyed even more was watching her anticipate passes while reading the defense
Michaela Roll played throughout the event with a sprained finger however she battled no matter what and came up with some huge plays, both on offense and defense. Her midrange game is solid and I saw her putting it on the floor several times. Cierra Greer did some solid things as well, she has a quick release and a consistent shot but as quick as her release is, she's quick off the dribble and left defenders flatfooted numerous times for baskets
Kayla Mays played solid and I saw improvement throughout the event. The young lady is already strong and understands the importance of keeping the ball high at a young age. She made good moves in the paint and with her size and the way she absorbs instruction, she might be one of those controlling the paint in the not so distant future.Natalie Hill brought plenty of energy whenever she was on the floor and one thing I know is she doesn't mind bangin on the inside. You can't teach fight, she's a young lady that just keeps coming at you and her big rebounds and put-backs were huge on Sunday
Last but not least, the lone 7th grader on the team , D'Anna West. I saw West play last season and was impressed by her maturity and court sense as a 6th grader but her confidence has come around even more this season. In the open court, she is going to wind up being a nightmare to contain because she has speed and is not only athletic but relishes contact and also that athleticism is going to have her as one of the top defenders in her class
