Flight Reid vs Team Pink Phenom cross state MS battle #HeartOfTexas

Nothing like seeing young talented players that "I" know bring the "it" factor that will take many of them not only to be stars in HS but at the next level and some beyond that so the 8th grade spotlight game for me was Flight Reid (Arkansas) vs Team Pink Phenom 2022 (Oklahoma) who I've had a chance to watch numerous times but more on them in a minute. Caroline Lyles has all of the tools that will take her a long way, she understands the game, plays hard and is aggressive so that combined with athleticism and ability to score as well as rebound just tells me a lot. Carson Coulter and Mika Scott play the passing lane well, both are athletic but Coulter's floater and Scott's range . I love 6'0 Kaleigh Thompson's upside, she too plays the passing lane and is long and athletic which is always a plus. Solid squad all the way around, Taylor Hernandez, Hailey Tunnell and Olivia Allen are all heady players that make plays, while watching Sydni Adams in the open court change of direction, or zig zagging in the half court for baskets still has me dizzy

Takyla Pitts is athletic, rebounds on  both ends and scores with either hand plus she's just under the magic number of 6'0, you'll understand why that number is magic down the road while Sydni Smith is at that magic number and continues to make shots disappear coming her way, strong body and clears the board plus she is becoming a terror inside offensively. They say honesty is the best policy, but so is Aunisty Smith and I saw that last year when she went completely off against a very talented OK Swish squad and how did I phrase it, she's on the verge of becoming a BEAST, well she's over the verge read more

Some things you can't teach, fight and desire, not to be confused with some who desire to fight for no apparent reason but this young lady has just elevated her game as she picks her spots nicely. She's a terror on the inside but a nice pull-up and expanded range has done nothing but add to what she brings to the table which is almost set to a tee as she follows her shots and her teammates, dives on the floor and she definitely has #D1Lock stamped on her but she ain't done, trust me.. Deonie DeLouiser is an athletic guard that brings heat, both ways, as she attacks and defends well.

Hiatiani Releford , smh is all I can do sometimes but the acronym fits in a good way because I love throwback players, she too went off last year and is still going off. I can't emphasize enough about playing hard and battling, she rebounds strong, finishes strong, jumps , well look at above picture and she goes after everything and is scoring with both hands as well. Cayanna Stanley continues to do what she does and that's bring an arsenal of offensive weapons, attacking, long ball, midrange and although I missed talented Jerrika Mahonn on this trip, she knows how to put the ball in the basket many way, the phrase don't be SHOOK by Brooke ties in nicely as Brooke Robertson as she she has a very nice hesitation, creates under pressure and finishes with a floater among other ways

Speaking of finishing, how about Carrigan Hill whose poise under pressure is becoming more and more of a factor as she continues to do things that simply have me wondering how high she'll land but this game winning three sort of tells you that big things are coming other than her being on the 2018 Heart of Texas Tip Sheet, this young lady just continues to amaze me

2018 DC Queens' organization still giving me what I need #QueenOfTheCourt

Talia Winzer (DC Queens Select)

I have been covering this organization for a very long time and seeing a video of Micah Cooper at I guess 8 had me tag her Candy Girl because I knew her game would be sweet and as usual, I'm on the money but I also put me on stating the club had some of the best young talent in the Metroplex and again, just don't bet against what I say. Fast forward to now, they're rolling throughout the organization with several youngstas that simply will be household names in HS and beyond, I've highlighted many on here but the HS ballers from various squads simply blew me away. On DC Queens Select. Talia Winzer and Jacey Edwards proved to be forrebound ces to be reckoned with on the inside. Shammaria Stewart is a powerful guard that combines athleticism, this enables her to get to the rim and finish strong as well while Lamesha Madden made the Tip Sheet

QUEEN OF THE COURT TIP SHEET

Love this picture because it not only get's DC Queens Glover's Kendall Brown #10 as well as DC Queens Houston's Kendall Brown both are on Tip Sheet in above link and had several talented players. Also pictured is #3 Kayla Glover who's progression over the years has been fun to watch, almost as her ability to score off the dribble as well as hitting the mid to long range. Don't know if Ariyanna Hines is kin to "Duncan" but sped, with the ball, athleticism and ups had her around the rim, some of you caught that and speaking of ups, Mikayla Eddins stock keeps rising. On Queens Houston when you watch Ciarra Mutshatshi go work on the inside, you get a glimpse of how powerful she really is

DC Queens 2022 Orange group played up in the HS division and awe man, Nora Ritchie and Natalie Cardenas impressed me so much in so little time, it doesn't take me long, trust me, they're also in above Tip Sheet . When you can truly play, I get that fast but when you show me you can perform in the clutch and the only thing I hate is that I didn't see more of this squad because it's loaded with talent, I mean powerful Madison McCloud , check, Vivian Jin, triple check with the catch and shoot three ball and you got you something to work with. I'll catch these clubs and more at the DC Queens NCAA Certified Event in JULY so if you wanna be seen, well providing your coach, director or team rep sends in a NON ERRONEOUS ROSTER .......

2018 Flight Elite continues to soar

Flight Elite continues to show talent is everywhere and I definitely got a kick out of watching the youngest squad, 3rd graders, who eventually won the 2018 Queen Of The Court in their division. When a coach takes the time to hand deliver a roster prior to the event, I'll certainly do my best to make sure and catch them. Ja'Mia Labd and La'Kyra Biscoe were new faces I hadn't seen, both showed potential which ran prevalent through the squad.

Siya King's size, hands and footwork, Makenzie Scott playing that passing lane like a big girl already and the sheer athleticism of Myah Spriggs and Aniya Pratt tells me a lot right now. I love the way Kori Singleton got to the rim, she already gets it and attacked relentlessly from every angle and with her desire to do that right now has her ahead of the game and speaking of ahead of the game, Loghan Hamilton, pictured above,  made the Elementary School Tip Sheet but her game is far from ELEMENTARY Sherlock

Tip Sheet 

Talented young players not even in MS starts off 2018 Queen Of The Court

KEZIAH LOFTON

Talent is everywhere, I stress that over and over and one thing you'll always get with me is I call it like I see it and being knowledgeable about talent that I've watched for over 20 years, I sort of have a clue about this since "I ain't been wrong yet" so here are 9 PRE-MS players to start off the 2018 Queen Of The Court, always remember I'm only as good as the rosters you send in but I have other names I'll dropping on Twitter and (or) Instagram in the coming weeks since I took about 200 photos worth dropping from this outstanding event put on by DC Queens 

LONDON HARDEN 

2025

Gavyn Robinson ( DC Queens) explosive guard, attacks basket and finishes, plays passing lane and defends baseline to baseline

London Harden (Team Motivate) creates off the dribble, has ability to blow by defenders and keeps coming at you. Wants the ball under pressure

Keziah Lofton  ( BTR 2025) I said she left me speechless last year so I guess I'll say she's a #D1Lock. As good as she was last year, I love the progression as well as desire and comprehension. Plenty of upside is left as she keeps adding to her repertoire

MORGAN DAVIS

2026

Morgan Davis ( LDN Elite 2026) when you're this young and can create your own shot, that's always a good thing but when you're this young and find ways to score, that's a great thing. Tough as nails on both ends

Mazira Palmer ( LDN Select 2026) good size and length already, keeps ball high and battles on both ends for boards, all of this is huge at this stage but icing on the cake is that she finishes

Makenzie White (DC Queens 2026 Silver) athletic, finds ways to get to the basket in traffic and finishes with contact. Already understands playing passing lane and defends on perimeter

Rieyan  DeSouze ( Nike Cy Fair Elite-Lewis) one of those #sizedontmnatter guards I love to talk about and when you impress initially, I definitely keep an eye on you and adding multiple ways to scorer and using both hands in traffic tells me a lot

Jayla Constant ( BTR 2026) you have fast and you have fast with the ball and let me give you a Constant reminder that with the ball, especially under pressure and at this stage is special. She sees the floor, creates and can take over, all pluses

LOGHAN HAMILTON

2027

Loghan Hamilton (Flight Elite) upside has me speechless, already long and athletic plus she's under control and poised. Handles the ball well in the open court under pressure, finishes strong

2018 Shooting 4 Da Cure 8th Grade Division highlights stars of tomorrow

Had a chance to catch some talented players that will be entering HS next season at the Houston Lady Roadrunners Shooting 4 Da Cure in fact some are still in the 7th grade but you'd never know it as their talent is, how can I put this, ahead of the game. Here are some of the standouts, again I appreciate the rosters, I rarely do do-overs because my time is somewhat limited so here ya go

Jonesha Neal (Houston DC Queens 2022) having an older sister that's one of the top guards certainly couldn't hurt as she's been around the game for a long time but her BB-IQ and ability to not only run a team and make her teammates better however she can score almost at will, she's a 2023 BTW yet you'd never know it, HUGE UPSIDE

Mia Mitchell (Houston DC Queens 2026) Mitchell and Neal caught my eye 2 or 3 years ago and I said they were D1 locks back then so there's nothing I love better than saying "I told you so" and what Mitchell bring to the table is scary because her offensive skills are abundant, she plays the passing lane and "gets it"

Ameria Castillo (Lady Houston Angels) I really liked her game a few weeks ago but I loved what I saw in a short of span time. She never takes a play off, she loves to apply pressure and reads defenses and offenses but that first step is turning into something special as she can to the basket and finish strong

Rachel Coleman (Houston Elite Black) no matter what the setting, in a game, at a camp or down the stretch, she simply finds ways to impress me so I loved the range initially but her progression combined with her power enables her to do some important things, finish strong while taking contact, as well as rebounding on both ends

Tracey Matindu ( Texas Elite Warriors 2022 Travel) started off game on fire and in the first couple of minutes I had seen enough to know she's definitely be on here. The midrange game has turned into a lost art yet college coaches love it, it's a higher percentage shot than BTW yet less exciting but it goes in a lot more, so that with her athleticism and drive will create problems


Maurdaisha "Dai Dai" Powell (Skyrise Mike 2022) don't know if she's related to General Colin but she keeps adding stars as her game progresses. Long, athletic and has a knack for finding ways to get to the basket and score. Love her upside, midrange is coming along as well as her defensive intensity

Keely Cummings ( Skyrise Mike 2022) I saw her in the 3rd grade and asked her could she play, she said come and see and the first play she spun on the defender and hit a lay-up, looked over at me and smiled, haven't taken my eyes off of her  since, I can't make this stuff up! Fast forward to now, prototype point guard that truly understands the game, sets teammates up nicely for easy baskets yet can score if needed

2018 Shooting 4 Da Cure 7th Grade Division provides excitement

It's always good to get a second look and even when you already know, you still might have missed something and Katy Rebels King definitely left a lasting impression a few weeks ago in the Rice Tournament, their Big Three of Fiyin Adeleye, Loghan Johnson and Emma Potts are solid to say the least read more

The Rebels are a tough team and they put it together to win the 7th Grade Division defeating a tough Texas Elite Warrior squad in the championship but I caught their game against B4D1 and Adeleye showed me even more as she's on the verge of something big. She's powerful and can take control on the inside and I'm talking about both ends of the court. Several B4D1 got after it including Brenda Torres and Sarina Arceneaux, love their upside

League City Defenders were scrappy and played baseline to baseline throughout the event in the games I caught while Texas Elite Warriors 2023 is a group that I'm watching for the 3rd year in a row and that says a lot since they're this young but one thing I always look for in players and that's progression and I definitely see that. Khloe Vaughn is a 6th grader playing up, long and athletic that gets to the basket whenever she wants but she already gets it

Kennedi Archie, Olivia Drummer, Sarah Woods and Harper Biley round out the starting five , all have shown improvement and there isn't any let down with the next group as this picture captures Kandace Williams and Erin Lloyd and a glimpse of Emma Gibbs but the glimpses I had of several players, including Grace Santasiero assures me that I will be keeping my eyes on this squad

2018 Shooting 4 Da Cure 5/6th had promising players

It's always great to see upcoming talented players and I certainly was more than pleased at catching Texas Adidas Elite D'Addieco with his array of talented young players as they breezed through the field to win the division but I also saw some other teams with some young ladies that are going to make some noise like Superstar Clippers, the runner up as well as DC Queens 2026 who were playing up, up and away and a new start-up squad, Power Basketball. I appreciate those clubs that sent in their rosters, as brilliant as I am in evaluating the girl's game, I can't do anything without at least names and numbers but here are some of the standouts from the event

Ruke Ogbequire (Texas Adidas Elite D'Addieco) already gets "it" as she plays the passing lane and attacks relentlessly but even more impressive is her speed and speed with the ball as she is definitely under control and already knows how to create her shot

Melinda Winston ( Texas Adidas Elite D'Addieco) 6th grade, almost 6'0 feet and strong body tells me "next level" is written all over this young lady. How high she goes depends her, right now she rebounds, runs the floor and finishes which has her in good shape

Caitlyn D'Addieco ( Texas Adidas Elite D'Addieco) I hadn't seen her in a couple of years, watched her sister forever so I was beaming when I looked at the roster and realized it was HER. Attqacks the basket and finishes with contact, creates shot under pressure and makes good decisions 

Morgan Allen ( Power Basketball) I don't know what impresses me more about her, the fact that she's ultra-athletic or she's a track star that just started playing a few weeks ago. She handles the ball in the open court under pressure, gets to the basket strong and finishes stronger but her upside is scary

Kalyn Toussaint ( Houston DC Queens 2026) size don't matter when you can play, she can PLAY and this young lady is only in the 4th grade but trust me, you are going to be hearing a whole lot about her down the road. Creates shot under pressure, changes direction going full speed and has a nice stop and pop already 

Jaleigh Wilson ( Houston DC Queens 2026) good size, gets to the basket effortlessly and finishes with players hanging on her. Also rebounds on both ends but her basketball IQ at this stage of her career probably impressed me more than the other attributes I listed 

Superstar Clippers- array of athletic players that just after it baseline to baseline 

Raven Adams sizzles through freshman season and is ready for Heart Of Texas

I've seen Raven Adams put on so many shows it's hard to believe that she just completed her freshmen season at Ridgepoint HS where she helped lead them to not only the playoffs but some impressive victories over some of the top teams so being an underdog has never been a problem for this young lady. She falls into the #sizedontmatter category because it just doesn't matter, she can play and I knew that when she was in the 5th grade

The talented PG is ready to roll in the club season and she will be at the Heart of Texas with the Texas Elite Stars 2021 as they will be going hard in the 17U Division but first things first, here are some highlights from her freshman season

Ridgepoint 1st half

Ridgepoint 2nd half

She was also one of the top performers at the Skilledup Evaluation Combine

LINK

2021 Gracee Smith sends a message as she closes freshman season on fire

I've watched this young lady for almost two seasons and if you don't know me and what I do, you need to utilize the archives and search bar on here and my website and observe all of the talented young players over the years that I've said would be playing at the next level as well as beyond and after seeing Gracee Smith shoot that ball in the 7th grade, I knew she was on the right track

Fast forward to end of freshman season at Arcadia High in Missouri where the talented PG averaged 13 ppg and helped lead her team to the playoffs where she upped that to 15 ppg and was one game away from heading to the state tournament. She'll be doing her thing with Southeast Dynasty over the club season but here's a treat as seeing is believing

GRACEE SMITH VIDEO

Nicholls State proves to be #BOTH as they win 2018 Southland Conference Tournament

I just tweeted about being " lucky and good" a few days ago and this time #BOTH came into play for Nicholls State as they simply capped some amazing performances and comebacks to head to the NCAA Tournament. Oddly enough, this may not have happened as they opened Day 2 against Texas A&M Corpus Christi in a battle and having the ball with the shot clock off and only a few seconds left in te game, an ill advised missed 3 that fortunately turned into an offensive rebound that saved the day because the script could've changed right there

I've been working on my vertical so my knees are sore and I didn't get a lot of pictures but the picture in my head had Lamar up in the semis 21-11 and to be honest, I thought it was over but the fire and never quit attitude from #GeauxColonels enable them to win come from behind games against both Lamar and Stephen F Austin to head the NCAA war so if you weren't there and had a chance to be, you definitely missed some exciting and entertaining basketball and the fight to the finish over and over was something to see. Great job and good luck but importantly, thanks to all for their effort

SOUTHLAND RECAP