Saturday, June 24, 2023

Top Performers 7th Grade Division #TheLegendsTournament


 For teams who didn't turn in rosters, I saw little or NONE of them yet I did catch a few, asked for their names, and placed them on Prep Girls Hoops. Some of the names are probably wrong, yet if you watched The Wire, I don't do DOOVERS unless it was my mistake, well not even then all the time but here ya go



SHOWCASE

Madison Makil- already understands how to create her shot under pressure and drop it from outside. Her deceptive first step helped her get to the basket bad finish

Xyasis Williams- is a long and athletic guard that attacked strongly and finished after contact. She also showed she could drop it from outside 

Sophia Gomez- does a good job seeing the floor and making good decisions on her passes. She also scored off the dribble and showed nice body control on her finishes 

Nina Gianetti showed the pull-up jumper Maleah Hamilton used her body in the paint on both ends and Aniya Ray used her athleticism on both offense and defense 



HOUSTON LADY NETS

Justyce Long- rebounded on both ends, ran the floor, scored around the basket and on putbacks, plus she showed the pull-up jumper

Lundyn Bush-mot only did she show that she could drop the long ball, but she also showed she could "catch and shoot" it. Her "on the ball" defense was very nice

Kylie Mohammed- played the passing lane numerous times and handled the ball in the open court afterward. She also scored off the dribble and played solid defense

Mykah Williams- is an ULTRA athletic guard with a scary upside and with her being long and playing the passing lane, that's part of it. Another part is her timing to block shots and she dropped the mid to long-range jumper

Imon Daniels- also played the passing lane a few times, showed a deceptive first step to attack the basket

Tyionna Chatman- was another athletic guard that scored off the dribble, played the passing lane as well as "on the ball" defense 


Top Performers 5th/6th Grade Division #TheLegendsTournament


To the novice that believes EYBL teams recruit players based on pictures, this probably would be one as you can tell by seeing a long and athletic player with UPS yet most are not REAL EVALUATORS who just see the little things that go unnoticed so I caught several "stars of tomorrow" from this division, Zoe Torres (Just Play) left a lasting first impression and got the cover on Prep Girls Hoops but here are some others


Lady Drive Nation

Kaliyah Nance is "long and athletic" which will always be the BASE and she scored off the dribble, attacking with either hand and finishing after contact. Her defense was solid and she played the passing lane

#24 scored off the dribble numerous times yet her body control was very nice as it helped her stay with it after the lick and finish. She also showed the jumper from outside and played solid defense, nice upside

Aiyana Murphy falls into that #sizedontmatter category because she can play and watching her battle for rebounds and score on putbacks against taller players was enough but she also scored off the dribble 

Jahyla Lewis played solid "on the ball" defense baseline to baseline and when you factor in she played the passing lane and handled the ball in the open court, well her upside is solid

Tamaya Simmons used her athleticism on both ends as she attacked strongly while also applying heat on the defensive end 



Stackz Elite

Ta'niyah Jones has some really scary upside, she's a 2032 playing up and I'm already impressed with what she brings to the table. She's heady and fearless, handles the ball, and saw the floor under pressure, scored off the dribble, and applied "on the ball" pressure defensively 

Kristie McCray is "long and athletic" which is a profile I love to evaluate and her intangibles are abundant as she showed the pull-up jumper and scored off the dribble but her defense as well as playing the passing lane also stood out, so does her upside 

A'Zryiah Ayers played the passing lane numerous times and handled the ball afterward. She saw the floor in the set as well as in transition, she scored off the dribble and finished after contact plus she did a good job defensively 

Paris Shepherd does a  good job applying heat on the defensive end, both in the half and full court yet quick hands helped create turnovers. Her pull-up jumper was nice, and she also scored off the dribble from multiple angles 

Top Performers 3rd/4th Grade Division #TheLegendsTournament


 It was so good to catch some new faces of up-and-coming talent, yes I cover 10U in fact I have dropped #D1Lock on many that wound up being just what I said they would become, Brooke McCarty who starred at Texas, Rori Harmon who stars at Texas and my own daughter Sydney Colson who plays in the WNBA just to name a few

Speaking of WNBA, The Legends Tournament was put on by a couple of legends Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes and they led the Houston Comets to the first WNBA titles so this was an event I had to cover for a variety of reasons

I saw several standouts and players galore with potential so the main takeaway I want to leave you with is to keep working. Now that I have your names listed, I will be looking for progression, I'm not CONSERVATIVE on saying if a player is this or that like next level or even D1 potential and I'm also not LIBERAL about what I say because I am a REAL EVALUATOR so here ya go



MBA

Darley Garza is long and athletic, that will always be the base and her upside is huge. She has good timing to block shots, rebound, handle the ball, and play the passing lane. She also scored off the dribble and dropped the midrange 

Sophia Cantu created her shot and dropped the jumper from midrange. She also handled the ball and attacked the basket plus she saw the floor

Brielle Montalvo I hashtag #sizedontmatter because she can play and her quick hands along with on-the-ball pressure on defense were nice

April Valle was feisty on defense, well inside the paint as well as she did a good job of not only rebounding but going after the ball



Showcase 

Ah'Riyah Murphy is also long and athletic, and it's still the base. She played the passing lane very well, she rebounded on both ends of the court, and she even went after loose balls  but watching her attack the basket from everywhere was nice

Madison Sims-Anyanwu already understands how to set the defender up and her deceptive first step to attack the basket was nice, she even has nice body control already and that helped her finish after contact. Her pull-up jumper was also nice 

Sofia Abraham is another #sizedontmatter player that does quite a few things well right now. Her ballhandling and court vision are nice, she also created her shot under pressure from outside and dropped it

Xavia Otegbola is, you guessed it, long and athletic. I was overly impressed with her timing to block shots as well as go coast to coast after rebounding. She played the passing lane, defended in and outside the paint, and scored off the dribble

Kadance Barlow scary upside for this #sizedontmatter guard because of her long arms and being athletic, which also is the base, and ballhandling in traffic because she's showing signs of becoming explosive off the dribble, her passes are crisp and on the money and she can drop it from outside



 TNBA

Makayla Craig has nice, she creates her shot under pressure and knocks it down from midrange. She also attacks the basket off the dribble and finishes strong. Her court vision is solid and so is ballhandling in the open court

Kacie Lee was very impressive with her smothering defense. She applies "on the ball" pressure baseline to baseline, dives on the floor for loose balls, plays the passing lane, and did a good job scoring off the dribble

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

2023 All Eyez On Me Session 1



Always remember that TALENT IS EVERYWHERE and the main thing players need to do is continue to work on their games. Any advice I give you is advice you should absorb. I am the first person to cover girl's basketball in Texas and now you have tons of people popping up giving advice that probably isn't right for you. 

If you didn't know, I have a daughter who has played in the WNBA for years and recently won a championship with the Las Vegas Aces, she also won a National Championship in college with Texas A&M and that has absolutely NOTHING to do with what I do or have done

I always enjoy catching "THE BABIES" because of the upside and potential, I have placed the graduating class next to grades, please contact me if that is incorrect so it can be corrected, my contact information is listed on my website under the ABOUT tab

5th (2031)

Ashley Douglas (Vanguard College Prep) is already showing she can not only create her shot but get it off while being defended. Her crossover as well as step back will only get better and create some problems, her pull-up jumper is nice but watching her catch and shoot at this stage was also impressive, left-handed...

Aubriella Guerrero (Midway MS) showed me the "HEZ" off the top, that's hesitation and it gets the defender to lean which enables her to get by them yet her body control while attacking the basket was also nice, so was her crossover and court vision yet watching her play the passing lane had me smiling, so did her quick hands

Kiyah Carmichael (Hewitt Elementary) also showed quick hands to come away with steals but her pull-up jumper in the set as well as in transition was nice, and so was her crossover in traffic because it helped her split the defenders. She created her shot and scored off the dribble, also showed the step-back

6th (2030)

Bristol Jensen ( Santa Rita MS) was yet another player with quick hands but her HEZ, as well as body control, was really nice, especially after contact while attacking the basket. Her court vision both in the set as well as in the open court had me smiling, and so did her "stop and pop" jumper in transition

Ellie Mae Lester (Gonzales MS) already has a video with me from a few weeks ago yet she showed me even more and her "FLOATA" along with the HEZ and crossover is going to make her hard to handle. She sees the floor and handles the ball under pressure, she also drops the jumper in the set and transition plus she plays the passing lane

Ivanna Yanez (South MS) also has quick hands and did a good job defending "on the ball" and playing the passing lane but her pull-up jumper looked good in the drills and even better in the games because she not only creates her shot under pressure, she knocked it down while being defended, step back played a part in that as well

Jazlyn Alexander (Starter) is a long and athletic guard and based on what she brings to the table, quick hands-on defense and rebounding are part of her upside being scary. Other parts are she scores off the dribble, has good body control after contact, she sees the floor in the set and in the open court but her crossover is already hard to handle, and she can "catch and shoot" from outside

Kalista Flojo (Hector Garcia MS) showed the HEZ off the dribble as well as solid body control on her finishes yet her pull-up jumper was effective in the set and in transition. She understands how to create her shot under pressure, she showed the step back and knocked it down from outside. Her quick hands-on defense were also nice

Kennedy Price (The Village) is "long and athletic" and that is the base and watching her progression over the past 3 seasons shows how much she's been working. She elevates and releases the picture-perfect on her jumper, but her first step and crossover are going to be hard to handle, she has implemented the step back yet her quick hands and playing the passing lane are all intangibles that are pluses

Olivia Glazener  (Veritas) falls into the quick hands group yet ALL I can STATE is she not only picked pockets but played the passing lane to perfection, at times coming from out of nowhere. Her court vision was nice, both in the set as well as in the open court, and her on-the-money passes were very nice but so was her jumper and attacking the basket to score 

Pia Karthik (Ridgeview MS) has UPSIDE by her name for a reason because she understands how to get hers "in the flow" and watching her create her shot and drop the jumper or use that same creativity to attack the basket had me smiling as her deceptive first step was solid. She also showed good timing to block or even alter shots

Tayza Cunningham (Compass Rose Journey) also used a deceptive first step to get by defenders, both in the drills and games but her body control and understanding of how to "create" contact are ahead of her years. She did a good job of creating her shot and knocking it down while being defended and she was another player with quick hands

7th (2029)

Alicia Strickland (Farley MS) used quick hands in both the set and the games and her first step created issues in both as well as when she got by the defender and finished strong, body control was nice. Her crossover in the transition while being tightly guarded was tough and so was her pull-up jumper yet her ability to see the floor set teammates up for baskets

Helena Granda (Santa Rita MS) showed "on the ball" pressure off the top and yes, she came away with steals that led to baskets but she also showed she could attack the basket with either hand and score. She created her shot and knocked it down from outside, her "catch and shoot" was nice and so was her step back

McKenna Hoellen (Salado HS) understands something very important and that's how to mix it up offensively while playing within herself. She was another player with quick hands on defense and she played the passing lane but her attacking and finishing after contact, body control helped, as well as dropping the jumper, step back included, were very nice 

8th (2028)

Jai Johnson (Homeschool) had steals galore but her being "long and athletic" and going after everything off the rim gets her the #THROWBACK hashtag. She's explosive off the dribble, in the set, or in transition yet her court vision from the length of the court was very nice. She also created her shot in the set and dropped the jumper

Alexandra Evans (Vanguard College Prep) had me dizzy watching her spin with the ball but she sets the defender up nicely to attack and finish yet her body control after contact was very impressive. She handled the ball and saw the floor under pressure, crisp passes in traffic are huge and so was her jumper which she knocked down with a hand in her face

Kamryn Fox (Copperas Cove JHS) sold me a few weeks ago and I think she's going to be a nightmare to defend. Her pull-up jumper is already hard to handle, mid to long-range, both in the set and transition, she can also "catch and shoot it" with accuracy. She scores off the dribble, the first step is nice and so is her court vision 

Makensie Shaughnessy (Lampass MS) was another player that mixed it up offensively to keep the defender guessing. She scored off the dribble, has a deceptive first step, using either hand and that along with her jumper was nice. Speaking of hands, hers are quick and she applies pressure baseline to baseline along with "playing the passing lane"

9th (2027)

Emily Roman (Cedar Park) showed the pull-up jumper from a variety of spots and watching her drop it consistently was nice, including in transition but she understands how to pick and choose her shots, makes good decisions on where to let it go from and to keep the defender honest she attacks strongly and finishes the same way. Oh yeah, she has quick hands on the defensive end

Matilda Bartels (Stoney Point) is also long and athletic with some impressive upside. She showed me the drop step, yeah #THROWBACK hashtag on that alone yet she went after the ball off the rim. She's tall and handled the ball after rebounding and did a good job attacking the basket and finishing along with dropping the midrange






Thursday, June 8, 2023

Middle School Standouts #HoustonSummerSlam


Stars Of The Future has always been something that just grabbed me and one thing I love is watching progression on the court. I've had a chance to catch glimpses of some players yet for many, this was my initial sighting but I was moving around and 

Kennedy Price-5'9 G (Houston United 2028) 2029

Price had another growth spurt to go with her being long and athletic. I was impressed earlier this season with her ballhandling in the open court, the crossover was smooth yet her jumper, pictured above, both in the set as well as in transition will create issues

Liana Calderon-5'5 G (Houston United 2028) 2028

Calderon already understands how to anticipate the pass, aka playing the passing lane and she handled the ball in the open court after the steal. also did a good job attacking and finishing

Carly Burgoyne-5'3 G (Houston United 2028) 2028

Burgoyne saw the floor very well and when you factor in she made good decisions on who to get the ball to, that's huge at this stage. She also attacked off the dribble and showed solid body control on her finishes

Addi Sanford-5'6 G (Houston United 2027) 2027

Sanford gave me an excellent first look at THE BABY yet he's far from a baby. Her poise in the court immediately stood as she played good defense and played the passing lane yet her deceptive first step coupled with nice body control on her finishes had me smiling

Rayn Frazier-5'8 G (Houston United 2027) 2027

Frazier had me thinking "Up comes Frazier" as she understands how to use her athleticism on both ends of the court. She rebounded, on both ends and scored on putbacks as well as around the basket and also off the dribble

Kayla Cortez-5'8 W (Houston United 2027) 2027

Cortez has some impressive upside when you factor in she understands how to create her shot under pressure as well as knock it down while being defended but she also dropped the long ball and when she showed me the "catch and shoot" well ...

Kylie Mohammed (Houston Lady Nets 13U)

Mohammed also played the passing lane and that is something I love to see yet she went #THROWBACK for me and dived on the floor for loose balls several times, I also love things you can't teach. She attacks and finishes after contact

Lundyn Bush (Houston Lady Nets 13U)

Bush is not beating around the bush, she's showing signs early and her on-the-ball defense caught my eye back in March, I still see that yet she has quick hands and came away with steals. She also attacked the basket strongly from multiple angles and finished

Justice Long (Houston Lady Nets 13U)

Long was another player that understands the importance of playing the passing lane. I can't emphasize how important that is yet her baseline-to-baseline pressure is equally important. She handled the ball and has nice court vision

Whitney Wilson (Houston Lady Nets 14U)

Wilson is a long and athletic guard, that works too and her first step was very impressive as she left the defender standing several times. It's also nice in the open court as she can blow by the defender to score off the dribble yet her pull-up jumper both in the set and transition was effective 

D'Aijha Lawrence (Houston Lady Nets 14U)

Lawrence is also a long and athletic guard, see above and watching her not only create her shot to blow by defenders and score off the dribble, but she also used that same creativity to drop the jumper as she elevated over the outstretched hand of whoever was guarding her 

#2 (Houston Lady Nets 14U)

New additions are always nice, especially when they bring something to the table yet her first showing helped set the table as her "on the ball" defense was smothering at times, and her playing the passing lane was also solid. She's athletic and strong, finished after contact off the dribble, nice upside 

Thursday, June 1, 2023

15U Standouts #AllEyezOnShe


 I dropped the 15U All-Star team evals on my website yet here are some other talented players that grabbed my attention from All Eyez On She who are showing right now they are filled with potential 

Riley Teeter-5'7 (Hill Country) 2026 showed she could not only create her shot but knock it down from mid to long-range

Tonita Silverya-5'2 (Hill Country) 2026 scored off the dribble, used a deceptive first step but also had good court vision and made nice passes 

Kate Ahrens-5'6 (Hill Country) 2026 hit the boards on both ends, understands positioning, and scored around the basket but also did a good job defensively 

Julia Castillo (Stat Elite) 2026 not only created her shot under pressure but showed she could knock it down, this included her showing the "catch and shoot" from deep

Audrina Pacheco (Stat Elite) 2027 understands positioning and went after the ball off the rim on both ends. Also played solid defense and scored around the basket 

Leona Narvaiz (Stat Elite) 2026 set the defender up nicely to attack the basket, the first step played a part in that but she was another player that could "catch and shoot" from mid to long-range 

Chassidy Fluker (Waco United 15U) immediately grabbed my attention playing the passing lane and handling the ball afterward. Scored off the dribble, and finished after contact but she also dropped the midrange, defended and grabbed rebounds, went coast to coast several times

Taliyah Minnitt (Waco United 15U) went after everything off the rim as well as on the floor yet her "on the ball" pressure baseline to baseline was nice, so was her attacking the basket strongly 

Taliya Bell (Waco United) on the ball pressure was nice, showed quick hands to come away with steals but she also attacked the basket from multiple angles 

Also (Waco United) #15 hit the boards hard on both ends while #24 used her athleticism on both ends well, especially on the defensive end & #15 (Stat Elite) also used her athleticism well as she attacked strongly, finished after contact and dropped the midrange