Diamond In The Rough 2021 Tip Sheet

MARISSA TELL (HAYNESVILLE HS)

There was a pretty impressive group of incoming freshmen on hand for PassThaBall's Diamond In The Rough and since this was an NCAA Certified event nicely attended by various college coaches across the country, many of these young ladies definitely raised some eyebrows. I always stress the importance of being "seen" in a variety of settings by those who are actually watching and believe me, I'm definitely watching everyone and when you travel from Haynesville Louisiana like Marissa Tell did, she simply blew me away at Prime Time Nationals, you know you're in for something special and this group definitely was that

Kenadee Winfrey-5'10 guard (Canyon) prototype big guard that can shoot the ball from all over the court but her ability to get to the basket was definitely a plus. Rebounds and defends, long and athletic plus nowhere near the finished product

Bailey Harris-5'8 guard (Wiley) handles ball well under pressure, sees floor and definitely understands the game. Showed she could create shot and hit it consistently

Kayla Glover-5'4 guard (Desoto) been watching this young lady for 4 or 5 years and even at an early age, you knew she was going to bring it. Gets to the rim with ease and can score outside, strong and athletic, loves to defend baseline to baseline

Kendall McGruder-5'8 guard (South Grand Prairie) she's one of those players that just makes things happen and can take a game over multiple ways, either by setting her teammates up for easy baskets or just doing it herself. Huge upside and her explosiveness ....

Masa Al -Noubani- 5'3 guard (Carroll) showed she could the ball well, understands who to get the ball to and when to get it to them but her first step is a monster and she's shown me this numerous times. Gets to basket effortlessly at times for baskets

Jordyn Newsome- 5'8 guard ( MacArthur) showed me so much in a short span that I was even more sold that when I saw her a few years ago. Athletic and gets to the basket at will from all over, finishes with contact, can hit the mid to long range but she plays the passing lane to a tee and defends

Kelsey Boyette- 5'8 guard (Carroll) caught her over the club season for the first time and during the numerous times I watcher her, I saw improvement each time. Definitely showed several signs in this environment, poised under pressure and understands the game

Jordyn Sowell-5'8 forward (Carroll) strong body, loves contact, giving and taking and finishes strong after taking it. Pressure defender that can wear opponent down, rebounds well for her size against bigger opponents

Marissa Tell-5'11 guard (Haynesville) one of the top young prospects I've seen from Louisiana, long and athletic, already "gets it" and with her size and athleticism there is no telling where she'll land. Can score from midrange, slice to the basket from the wing and post up underneath

Paulina Porter- 5'9 guard ( Flower Mound) she can definitely overpower defenders with her strength, understands how to create and finish strong with contact or hit the shot from outside. Rebounds and defends well

Haley Allen- 5'6 forward ( Lewisville) good athleticism, can defend " however you want it" on perimeter, under the basket or baseline to baseline. Good energy, showed she can score in traffic plus rebounds well

Trinity White - 5'9 guard (McKinney) "powerful" fits for numerous reasons. Strong body enables her to do many things, she loves the contact and with her ability to set defenders up already, she keeps them guessing because she can face the basket and score or take the lick for and ones

Check out the video below and PassThaBall events coming up HERE

Westside showing signs of being a sleeper

One thing I know about Westside no matter what type of squad they suit up, they're going play baseline to baseline from start to finish and to be honest, this is a very scrappy squad that could make a run. Kayla Pilson, Jordan Lewis, Shanna Petty, Yasmine Aragunjo and Jessica Soders  get the ball going, pun intended , and the return of 6'4 Fatou Samb will definitely have them in the hunt. The lost a close one to Katy in the SBISD Championship however I can't wait to see this squad at full strength and I'll catch them this Thursday in the Texas Invitational

I'll also get another look at this talented young lady, Aldine's Cherilyn Williams, a very talented unsigned senior that I hadn't seen, smh for a number of reasons including players being hid in the summer but live and learn folks and I'll catch her in the AISD Tournament on Friday

Katy wins #SBISD

Definitely loved what I saw on opening day from Katy when they played Cy Woods and even though Cate Reece was still playing volleyball, Cy Woods was a test and after the Tigers defeated Westside for the SBISD championship, another huge test has been passed as they are preparing for a tough district run with some heavy hitters early

Cassidy Howard and Savannah May are two of the talented juniors on the squad, they control the tempo and simply make things happen. Howard's explosiveness to the rim as well as ability to drop the long ball from, well Katy and both made all tournament squad. I'll make sure in catch them again in what's shaping up to be a sending message Katy ISD event coming up soon

Green and Pantherettes eyeing state trifecta but first Texas Invitational

When you talk about young players I called early, add Zarielle Green to the list of those who I said were not only "can't miss" prospects but peep this, through her progression over the years there have been games where she truly didn't miss going off numerous times in front of me.

Fast forward, I guess six years later, the Tennessee signee and her talented Duncanville teammates are heading down here for one of the states top events, the Texas Invitational and I'll be there all day Thursday, Friday I'm checking out  Aldine ISD and I'll close it out at FBISD on Saturday so stay tuned as the defending back to back state champs try to make it three in a row

SCHEDULE

Desoto sending early message winning Lady Gander Tournament

I made a special trip out to Baytown for a couple of reasons, first Desoto was in town, well closer than than Dallas, and I had to see a couple of young ladies who I've been watching since I guess the 6th or 7th grade, cousins Kia and Kayla White, both SMU signees and a couple of the top players in the state of Texas and secondly, I'm trying to make my rounds to see just who has a shot at representing each region as well as making a run for the state championship and believe me the Eagles definitely have the nucleus to soar providing they stay healthy

Kayla & Kia, pictured above, made the all tournament squad, both are explosive scorers that can take over games. Brielle Woods is a talented guard that makes things happen, got to the rim with ease numerous times and saw the floor, Ash'a Thompson punishes on the inside, I'd have to say she s among the top sophomores in the state but the show that Bria Patterson is putting legitimizes her as one of the state's top juniors. The bench has several talented players including Celeste Moore, another young lady I've been watching forever as well as freshman sensation Kayla Glover. The upside of junior Achai Arop tells me something as well and when you look at he fact the roster has her listed at 76 inches, well do the math but one of the key tests will be they have to go through defending state champion Duncanville, who I'll catch this week as well as many other talented teams in their region capable of winning it all

Diamond In The Rough MS Tip Sheet

One thing you can always count on from a PassThaBall event is catching some up and coming talent as well as established stars with many players on the verge of breaking out and I'm going to break the Tip Sheets down from the Diamond In The Rough Event because the three players above fit everything I mentioned her events cover. When I first saw Jazzy Owens, Madison Cockrell and Breanna Davis,  felt like these young ladies were on the verge of breaking out, the talented trio of 7th graders showed me something different each time I saw them play and I knew they were all up and coming talents that were on the verge of breaking out. As the season progressed, the more I watched them in different settings and at the All Star game PassThaBall held in Houston,  I said they were all D1 locks however the performance these young ladies gave at the #DIR let me add I've thrown away the key because there is no telling how high these talented guards can go at the next level

Madison Cockrell-explosive first step, attacks basket from every angle and finishes strong with contact. Nice midrange game and can shoot the long ball but ability to create shot against taller and older players while shooting with accuracy during event told me even more about this young ladies ability and future

Jazzy Owens- plays passing lanes to perfection, loves to take defenders off dribble and is able to finish strong with either hand. Shoots the ball well from all over the court, loves the pressure and wants to take "the shot" in crunch time. Tenacious defender baseline to baseline but her body control on the offensive end is ahead of her years

Breanna Davis- did some things the first time I saw her that left me speechless and I think I tweeted "poised beyond her years" but she loves the physicality, either giving or taking and she can overpower from the guard spot now. Understands the simple things to a tee as well as the heard ones but that explosive jumper keeps shining from every imaginable spot

I'll drop the HS version over the next couple of days, until them enjoy the video by clicking here  and don't forget to sign up for Hoop-A-Holics December 10th, early bird registration going on now

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D'Asia Collins starts season off with a bang and makes her decision

I simply love watching players that just have that certain “it” factor and you just know things will fall into pace for them. I guess the first time I saw D’Asia Collins was when she around 8 or 9 running the one and her BB-IQ as well as ability to comprehend things on the court told me she was going to make her mark and after continuing to progress and truly showing “size don’t matter” she helped lead Cy Ranch to their first state championship trip and finishing 2nd last season. This season, they’re off to a 2-0 start as they prepare for the Texas Invitational, one of the top events in the state and a possible rematch against state champ Duncanville.

So far Collins has filled up the stat sheet, opening with a double double against Dekaney, 12 points and 11 assists, and 2 rebounds shy of a triple double plus she added 5 steals and 3 blocks. Then she went completely off in a nail biter against Seven Lakes, scoring 24, which included 3-5 from NBA range but even more importantly than any of that is that she signed with the University of West Florida and after weeks of going over offers, I asked what made her choose UWF and Collins said “It was a very tough decision. I visited and spoke with numerous schools and really enjoyed talking with the coaches and some of the players that I met at those schools.”

Collins also added “They all treated me like I was their number one priority. Each school discussed how I could help them win the conference all 4 years and leave my mark on the university. West Florida was different they talked about how I could help take them over the top from their Elite 8 finish and help them win a National Championship. Winning the conference is important and something I plan to do each year, but having the opportunity to win a National Championship is something all college athletes dream of and I believe that UWF will provide that opportunity. “

One thing I know about this young lady, no matter what the situation is, no matter what setting I’ve seen her, even at college camps talking basketball and impressing college players with her knowledge and skill set at a very early age, Collins will get it done

2017 The Academy Player Development Camp

When you have Chuck McCowan and Marcus Peoples throwing an event, I'm definitely going to try and make it because I truly love teachers and those who are able to break things down where players can comprehend what's being taught, not a lot of that going on contrary to popular belief, and the game has been hurt in the area because of it. Some might have other opinions however mine are the only ones that matter in this case because I've been doing this since last century so I kind of might know what I'm talking about for numerous reasons

Let me start off with the incoming freshmen group of young ladies, many of which have already sold me early.

2021

Timberlyn Criswell's athleticism and ability to score multiple ways has always been something to see but her defense has gotten better and she's hard to handle period.
Kamari Portalis can stop and pop or drop long range, finishes strong with contact and just brings heat baseline to baseline and her upside is nowhere near the finished product
Kyndall Hunter is in the background but she's also one of the top guards in the state, right now, and I called her a BCS lock years ago, whenever I'm wrong about a player please let me know but she can just take over a game whenever she wants
Aiken Semones has benefited from a growth spurt , her strongest asset years ago was shooting the long ball however improved ball handling,defense & ability to see the floor, well progression is showing
Haleen Harris has made one of the biggest jumps over the past two seasons, this young lady never takes a play off, loves to defend and is scoring from outside as well as attacking basket
Jada Malone also keeps getting better. Got her feet wet playing against much older girls on the circuit and saying she held her own would be an understatement. She's 6'3, great hands and footwork but her ball handling and outside shooting as well as rebounding and finishing will have her on many college short lists
Sammy Meyers nice pull up, creates well under pressure and definitely understands the game. Love her energy and upside and having a talented older sister helps as well
Riyah Francis talk about opening my eyes on initial sighting, she has good size, already around or over the magic number of 6'0 but her athleticism and energy are great signs plus her shot is fluid and she definitely has some tools to work with

MS

Let me throw this one at you, R'Mani Taylor, another player I said was a BCS lock years ago, could start on many HS varsity squads right now and to be honest, probably make every squad in the area. Poised beyond her years, I've mentioned that as well, she's a player with the "it" factor that has some things in her repertoire you just can't teach. Loved this group of players, Farren Wright, Crishelle Washington, Trinity Santasiero and Jazmyn Williams are showing signs of being among the top 2022 players in the area while Mackenzie Johnson is a 2023 that amazed with the fact that she just started playing and grasping the the concept early

HS

Savannah Smith's strength enables her to overpower guards, on both ends, love her ability to create and pull-up jumper. She's smooth and defends well
Jordan Williams definitely showed me she could get after it. Anticipates passes, vocal on the floor handles the ball under pressure as well and can score
Jaidyn Fontinette I loved that athleticism when I caught her during club season, she slices from every angle for baskets and can shoot the jumper as well as defend
Jaida Herndon consistently has been one of area's best kept secrets, backs down against no one, rebounds and finishes strong but her perimeter defense has taken off as well as ability to face basket for buckets

2018 Reagan Heun makes decision #GPRUnderTheRadar

I’ve said this over and over throughout the years I’ve been covering and evaluating girls’ basketball players and it stands solid time after time, “college coaches love big guards that can shoot the ball “so the first time I saw Reagan Heun in the 8th grade, I definitely knew she had the potential to play at the next level and where she’d land would be based on her progression. Over the years of watching her play, I noticed she always added something and her ability to shoot the ball was never a problem but when her “catching and shooting” with consistency started taking off, as well as her attacking the basket and defense , I knew she would have options galore and that she did so after the past few weeks of narrowing her decision down, she chose North Dakota State University and I asked her why and  she said “the reason I chose NDSU was because the second I stepped onto campus I felt at home. The team and staff are amazing and I can't wait to be a part of this program” Well said by the talented young lady and here are some flashbacks of articles and Tip Sheets she’s made over the years

HEUN

2018 Kia White decides on next level #GPRUnderTheRadar

Kia White is another one of those young ladies I had a chance on catching in middle school that just got “it” early and by that I mean “comprehension of the game”  I saw that desire in her every time she stepped on the floor, no matter what the score was, who she played against or whatever , attitude, demeanor and performance never changed and when you lay it all out there over and over, continue to progress on the floor and excel both on the court and in the classroom, you know things will definitely fall into place

Her performance at Desoto HS, which is in one of, if not the toughest, districts in the state this decade as well as on the circuit with DFW Elite, she impressed more than me as college offers started to pour in and recently after the last viewing period a couple of weeks ago, she picked up an addition four offers before deciding on SMU so my question to her was what made her choose the Mustangs and she said “I chose SMU because Coach Mays reminds me so much of Coach Robinson and Coach Creel, who are two of the best coaches I've ever had. They pushed me to reach new levels, and I believe Coach Mays and his staff can do the same. Also, looking at the other 2018 commits, there is a lot of talent coming in, and I believe we have the potential to do great things at SMU.”

She is definitely correct because the Mustangs do have plenty of talent coming in, including Kia’s talented cousin and Desoto teammate Kayla White, and Kia’s addition is another huge piece to their puzzle