Texas Phenoms pipeline of talent still flowing #StateLineBattle

I've been watching the Texas Lady Phenoms for a very long time, you know that search bar on both here and my website can give you valuable information other than the abundance of nonsense you catch with 140 characters, oh my bad, 280 but whatever and the bottom line is when I usually write something about how players will turn out, I'm usually right and that's example homonym that hits right on the head

2012 Phenoms 

2018 Phenoms 

Always remember that talent is everywhere providing you know what you're actually looking at and although the numerous meaningless stats that are sometimes put out there falls into the "it's not what you do, it's who you do it against category" I often drop on you and speaking of dropping something on me, plenty of talent caught my eye on Texas Phenoms Red squad

2022 Atria Dumas made the Tip Sheet ,  she has good size and does things instinctively already, those are always good signs but she'll be sending many more 

Tip Sheet 

Many "Up and Comers" at YBOA Texas State Championship

KAYLINN KEMP (NLMA 2025 ELITE)

I have a knack for a lot of different things but observing players that are ahead of the game, those with next level potential, those who are "can't misses" is just something I do however nowadays too much emphasis is placed on "rankings" which is only someone else's opinion and once you step onto onto the floor, it's meaningless unless you prove it over and over again, against equally talented players because one of my favorite saying is "it's not what you do, it's who you do it against" but more importantly it's who's actually watching you do it and how credible they are and my credibility at observing talent has nothing to do with the success my OWN daughter has had including playing in the WNBA so I always keep it real and the abundance of young talented players I caught at the YBOA Texas State Championship definitely had me smiling and here a few, I'll be TWEETING out more as I try and raise my Instagram game at a later date, like never but here we go

EMERY BLACK (SA LADY HOOPS)

2023

Emery Black-guard (SA Lady Hoops) strong and powerful sums her game up but the intangibles are simply everywhere as she plays hard on every possession, she battles for boards, finishes strong in the paint and can score from outside which simply means she has a huge upside 

Londyn Oliphant-guard (NLMA Elite) I guess the phrase "all bets are off" applies because she's definitely showing #BCS signs right now and hasn't become what she will become. High energy, scores an abundance of ways, moves galore, sees floor, handles ball,  defends, etc, etc, etc ....

KAYLEY O"NEAL (DC QUEENS WACO)

2024 
Jordan MacIntosh-guard (Flight Elite) attacks basket hard, contact doesn't phase her, plays hard defense baseline to baseline, rebounds well for her size and just keeps coming at you. Also showed she could not only create her shot but nail it

Kayley O'Neal -guard (DC Queens Waco) what an early Sunday morning show she put on as she simply did a lot of everything , trapped, passing lane, steals galore, saw the floor and just for fun, definitely mine, put the ball in the basket multiple ways 


Julissa Bollinger -guard (SA Lady Hoops 2024) talented guard that handles the ball well under pressure and adds a little something extra to get of traps. She gets to the basket very well and showed a nice behind the back move to set defenders up


2025

Kaylinn Kemp- guard (NLMA 2025 Elite) long and athletic players are everywhere at this stage yet under control and poised is something many have to grow into but Kemp showed me a lot very quickly, gets to the basket, finishes and hits the midrange but also creates her shot 

PEYTON GLOSTER (DC QUEENS 2027 ORANGE)

2026

Aria Jefferson -guard (NLMA 2026) I have saying, well I have a lot and one is #sizedontmatter when you can play and when you already can handle the ball in traffic, go coast to coast under pressure, see the floor and, drum-roll please, playing the passing lane, well you're on track

2027

Peyton Gloster (DC Queens 2027 Orange) when you already understand simple things like diving for loose ball, attacking the basket under control and taking the right shot, oh yeah, playing the passing lane definitely was huge, well everything else will soon fall into place

Kori Singleton-guard (Flight Elite) one of those "never takes a play off" players I mention a lot and the easiest way to explain it is she's everywhere, regroups nice, good speed and athleticism, especially at this age and she can score off the dribble plus she plays the passing lane

2018 YBOA Texas State Championship Champions

DC QUEENS SELECT 11th GRADE CHAMPS

This was my first trip to a YBOA event, in fact prior to last season I wasn't even aware of the organization however I did find out that wasn't just something regional or limited to the USA, it's actually everywhere YBOA and speaking of everywhere, so is talent and the abundance of next level players I saw starting in the 3rd grade kept me smiling and busy so today I wanted to drop the names of the winners from each division and I'll drop a Tip Sheet on my website as well as Twitter and a handful of stuff on Instagram lol

2018 YBOA Texas State Champions

4th Grade
Flight Elite

5th Grade
NLMA 2025 Select

6th Grade
NLMA 2025 Elite

SA Lady Hoops

7th Grade
SA Lady Hoops

8th Grade
Flight Elite

9th Grade
Team Motivate

10th Grade
Team Motivate

11th Grade
DC Queens Select

2018 April events have #GPRUnderTheRadar stars shining all over

TATLOR THOMAS

Years ago before TEXAS and the surrounding states were getting the abundance of recognition that it is now, I was at EXPOSURE events looking at who was being promoted and I'm thinking, hmmmm, players are just as good in these parts and that all that happened next is another wild story but the main thing is that as usual, I was right and let me reiterate something else I'm right about. talented players are everywhere so don't get caught up in this or that, just know that odds are not on the majority f players side, you have to keep working and improve on your weaknesses so you can impress college coaches in order to play at the next level  so several GPR Under The radar players were on the road doing just that, impressing college coaches and here's a rundown 

GRACE SMITH 

The Classic In  Louisville

2019
Taylor Thomas-guard ( Texas Phenoms) created plenty of buzz with her explosiveness and ability to score multiple ways including the long ball. Virtually unknown, the beast has been unleashed as Thomas has always been able to put the ball in the basket but her ability to run the one was shown along with taking over a game when needed

Ta'Nya Gibson-guard (Texas Phenoms) speed is good and speed with the ball is better and when you have that as well as being under control, good things will happen. First step sets the stage to get by defenders for baskets or to pull-up for the midrange but she also has range and create her own shot under pressure

2021

Grace Smith-guard (Southeast Dynasty) reviewing everything, I was always impressed with her ability to score multiple and that's not going anywhere but defense was definitely on point as well as seeing the floor and getting teammates involved. If that wasn't enough, she did this playing up two years so the progression is showing and the future is bright

AIKEN SEMONES 

DEEP SOUTH

2021
Aiken Semones -guard (Cy Fair Premier) when you're in the 3rd grade and shoot the long ball the way she did, trust me that was something to see but she keeps putting in work and is doing well as a combo guard. Ball-handling under pressure and taking defenders off the dribble keep getting better as well as defense but long and midrange still clicking


HEART OF TEXAS UNDER THE RADAR PLAYERS

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