Tuesday, July 25, 2023

2030 Girls Jr Phenoms Top Performers


I enjoy watching the younger players as much as I do the older players yet the eagerness and desire to learn was overwhelming for me as I spotted an abundance of talent and have already recognized not only next-level potential from this group but players who I have already dropped my #D1Lock on but always remember at this stage, your future is in your hands so keep working

Addison Brown did a good job of not only handling the ball under pressure but creating her shot while being defended. Her deceptive first step enabled her to get the defender off balance for her to attack the basket off the dribble and she finished strongly

Blake Hamsmith immediately showed she could defend and her on-the-ball pressure both in the set, as well as "baseline to baseline" was solid because it helped to create turnovers. She also did a good job attacking the basket plus she showed good court vision 

Chloe Madison-Davis has already been locked in at D1, she showed me that when I first saw her a couple of seasons ago yet her BB-IQ coupled with her skill set is so far ahead of her years that she makes it look easy. Mid to long-range, off the dribble, and understanding how to set her teammates up for gimmes makes her a multiple threat

Emilee Synatschk is heady and plays within herself yet she also showed she could get hers in the flow. Her shot selection was nice and she knocked it down with a hand in her face but she also attacked the basket with either hand and saw the floor.

Kennedy Liu also brought heat on the defensive end off the top and at times, it was over the top as she came away with steals doing what I love to see and that's playing the passing lane. She also made good passes and scored off the dribble

Madison Colaizzi was another player that did a good job playing the passing lane her handling the ball afterward to attack the basket was nice, and so was her court vision but she also scored off the dribble and finished plus she created her shot from outside

Makayla Jefferson her ballhandling and understanding of how to control the tempo will be huge throughout her career. She saw the floor, made good decisions, and has a very nice crossover to get by defenders both in the set as well as in transition. She scored off the dribble and with the jumper 

Myah Bolden also had a nice crossover but her FLOATA will be an issue to deal with. Her first step is very nice, she already understands how to create contact when attacking the basket yet her pull-up jumper in the set as well as in transition was really nice, and so was her defense 

Ry'Leigh Harris

Harris is another "long and athletic" guard that played the passing lane off the top and that JUST DID IT for me. She has good court vision in the set as well is in the open court but her explosiveness off the dribble is very good, especially in transition as she blows by the defender with ease. She gave me a few acrobatic finishes and showed she could score from outside but her defense was smothering at times 





Monday, July 24, 2023

2031 Girls Jr Phenoms Top Performers

DANYLA KILPATRICK & NATALIE TURNER

 This was a very talented group of players heading to the 6th grade but always remember to keep working because this can flip in the blink of an eye. I speak about "on the court" progression a lot, I will always keep it real because I HAVE BEEB THROUGH THIS multiple ways so if I say something, hopefully, it's absorbed but here ya go

Isabella Perez showed the pull-up jumper several times and was able to knock it down with a hand in her face. She does a good job creating her shot for that jumper or attacking the basket off the dribble. Her ballhandling was solid, and so was her court vision but she also did a good job defending 

Natalie Turner showed me a whole lot yet her rebounding and going coast to coast was one thing, her court vision in the set as well as in transition was very good. She already has the change of pace going full speed down, her attacking and finishing are solid, first step sets it up, but she can drop the jumper and she plays the passing lane

Aubrey Agnew does something I love to see and that's playing the passing lane yet her handling the ball afterward to either take it to the basket to score was nice, yet so was her seeing the floor and making good decisions on which teammate to pass the ball to

Danyla Kilpatrick is already showing signs of being explosive off the dribble and even better, she's under control while doing it. She has the HEZ and the STUTTA to get the defender to lean and her body control on her finishes is ahead of her years

Jayde Blanton is tall and agile and may reach that magic number of 6'0 yet her skillset at this stage is good, she comprehends simple things like boxing out and running the floor but she did a good job rebounding and finishing around the basket plus she showed she could drop the jumper from midrange

Kennedy Clearman showed that defensive pressure off the top and watching her apply "on the ball" heat baseline to baseline over and over was refreshing, to say the least. Her energy level stays the same, she also picked some pockets and her seeing the floor set her teammates up for easy looks 

KENNEDY CLEARMAN & ZA'LYNN GUERRERO


Delaney Herrera gave me a great look at her crossover and watching her use it in the open court as well as in the set to get by defenders was nice yet even nicer was her court vision and "on the money" passes in traffic. She scored off the dribble and had nice body control and dropped the jumper

Zay'Lynn Guerrero is an athletic guard that understands how to use her athleticism on both ends, check her defense above, she does a good job "on the ball" but she also did a good job of attacking the basket, the first step is deceptive yet it got her by the defender and she also dropped the jumper 

Olivia Snyder rebounded and handled the ball afterward which is always a good sign but watching her attacking the basket in the set and finishing with either hand dropped the mic, well my notebook because that is HUGE. Her body control is nice, and so is her court vision 

Riley Phillips has good size and does a really good job of going after the ball off the rim. She was yet another player that could handle the ball and go coast to coast to finish after rebounding but she also did a good job of attacking the basket and finishing in the set. Oh yeah, she played the passing lane 

Victori Villareal has a lot of intangibles going starting with playing the passing lane yet she's long and athletic, that's another nd can score off the dribble, body control helps her finish after contact. She also rebounded and went C2C, coast to coast, and her mid to long-range jumper added even more 


2032/33 Girls Jr Phenoms Top Performers


BAILEE SYNATSCHK


I had a blast covering the Girls Jr Phenom Camp and was overly excited at the abundance of potential I saw in so many of the players in attendance, most of which I have never seen before. I started covering girls' basketball in Texas over 15 years ago because I felt they weren't getting enough attention while I was running across the country coaching my own daughters. 

My youngest has been playing in the WNBA for almost 10 years while the oldest, who was more skilled, told me in high school she didn't want to continue playing after hurting her Achilles, she's now an attorney and I tease her by saying "I guess it worked it out after all" 

Here's the deal, everyone is different and has different paths, keep working on your game if this is what you want, I have seen players get cut in the 9th grade that wound up playing at  the next level, some at the highest of the next so here is my first article as I'm starting with the youngest and working my way up, high school players will be on my website 

Bailee Synatschk (2032) is "long and athletic" which I call the base and it's a profile I love to evaluate. One thing that immediately stood out was her "playing the passing lane" another thing I love to see and handle the ball afterward. She also rebounded and went coast to coast to score yet she took the defender off the dribble and showed nice body control on her finishes 





Campbell Baldwin (2033) is an athletic guard that already understands how to use her athleticism on both ends. Her "on the ball" defense helped create turnovers, her lateral movement and recognizing when to switch stood out, so did her ballhandling in the open court and she handled the ball while being pressured. She rebounded and attacked the basket strongly for buckets


Jaslyn Kuluwaimaka (2033) had me smiling off the top as I tweeted about her intensity and one thing I love is seeing things you can't teach. She falls into a category I hashtag #sizedontmatter because she can play and her ability at this stage to create her shot to get it off or attack the basket is ahead of her years, so is her understanding of "positioning" to outrebound taller players  


Khaila Key (2033) has the right last name because she's already "unlocking" many things on the court. Her ballhandling and court vision are definitely going to create problems as her "on the court" progression" continues but peep this, she's already showing the "step-back". Her first step is deceptive as it enabled her to get by the defender to score and she has quick hands which got her some steals


Tegan Jensen (2033) did a good job creating her shot and I can tell she's been watching her older sister based on her mannerisms. Her pull-up jumper in the set was nice, she even showed it in transition but her playing within herself and not forcing anything also stood out to me. She also attacked the basket and finished plus her defense was solid