Houston United 2028 #simmiecolsonclassic

 I always give useful information, not just NONSENSE many believe on social media but this is sort of funny. Jada Malone had been selling me Girl Scout Cookies for years as I watched her watching her older sister Micarah put in work over the years. I guess in the 6th or 7th grade, Jada said "Mr. Simmie, I have bad news for you, I'm going to start playing and I won't be selling the cookies anymore" and she was right, it was bad news because I thought this would help me lose weight, it didn't

Fast forward to now, after a state championship as well as runner-up with The Village, the good news for her is that she's putting in work for Texas A&M now, and also the good news for me is that Jayda Hart is now my go-to for the lemon cookies as she is showing signs with Houston United as are her teammates 

Kennedy Price has grown both on and off the court and her being "long and athletic" which is THE BASE has her on the path around all 4 for a home run. I used to drop "the PRICE is RIGHT" when her older sister Lauren played and I'm sure I'll be using it again. Her ballhandling in traffic, her court vision  as well as creating her shot under pressure to attack or drop the jumper was impressive, so is her upside as she's playing up, class of 2029

Addison Little is heady and understands how to set the defender up with a deceptive first step. I think I enjoyed her understanding of how to get hers "in the flow" more than anything yet she saw the floor well and made good decisions which is always a plus. She defended as well as understood how and when to trap

Jayda Hart is also "long and athletic" and watching her rebound and handle the ball in the open court tells me a lot. I remember watching her older sister Tymberlin Criswell who also starred with Malone at The Village and is not putting in work with SMU and I see similarities like the explosiveness off the dribble as well as playing the passing lane but she has scary upside as well 

Others I'll be watching closely are these young ladies because they already GET IT and GET AFTER IT and I'll enjoy all of their progression on the court 

Brianna Kelly

Liana Calderon

Naomi Rodriguez

Autumn Randle 2029

Houston Lady Roadrunners 29/30 #SimmieColsonClassic

Let me say this, I was overly impressed with this talented young squad because of their intensity, skillset, and BB-IQ, and when you factor in they are  5th and 6th graders, well that speaks volumes. They played all of their games on opening day and they left a lasting impression

Here are the PLAYERS 

2029

Tia Robinson is a long and athletic guard, that is showing signs of dazzling with the ball. She scores off the dribble yet creates her shot and drains the jumper, this includes "in transition" and she defends

Legacy Gill created her shot and got it off, with a hand in her face yet she plays within herself and understands how to get hers "in the flow" but she also showed she could handle the ball under pressure

Parker Reed is long and athletic, forgot to mention that is the base, and observing her use a deceptive first step to attack the basket was nice, and so was her playing the passing lane 

Rihanna Washington is also long and athletic yet she can rebound and go to coast effortlessly with the ball under pressure. She also does a good job of not only scoring but seeing the floor

Dakari Hunter handled the ball under pressure, and even split defenders a few times but she can attack using either hand and finish along with making tough passes on the money under pressure 

Meghan Davis has some scary upside because she's tall, athletic, and goes after the ball off the rim, you can't teach that but she also scored around the rim and did a good job defending inside the paint

McKinley Peterson shows me she has the potential to control the inside. She too is long and athletic, and also goes after everything yet her TIMING to block shots, as well as score around the rim, is nice

Lamoni Davis showed some rugged defense around the basket and her going lateral had me smiling because she could defend outside the paint as well. Good upside, and her shot is fluid around the basket

2030

Abigail Flores falls into that #sizedontmatter category I hashtag because she can play. I enjoyed her "on the ball" defense as well as diving for loose balls yet her court vision is ahead of her years

2029 Standouts -PassThaBall #NXTUpDallas

 

Plenty of new faces in this group as well and let me dub this group the Fab 4. I really enjoyed what they not only brought to the table but what they also didn't leave on the table 

Finley Hein (True Texas Hoops) is a long and athletic guard that does a good job of not only creating her shot but getting it off while being defended, this includes with a hand in her face. She has a deceptive first step which allows her to attack the basket from multiple angles and she sees the floor

Alexa Bibb (Drive Nation) already gets IT as far as running a team and she understands how to set her teammates up for gimmes. She attacks off the dribble and has nice body control, yet in the open court, her change of pace is special. Let me also add she has a nice pull-up jumper, in the set and in transition

Nicole Jones (Arkansas Bears) was one of many players that crossed state lines to show what they had and immediately her handling of the ball showing both the crossover and the HEZ stood out. She attacks with ease, and nice body control and she creates her shot under pressure and drops it from outside

Gracie Ross (TBI Ballstars) was one of the most athletic players at the camp and watching her rebound on one end and go coast to coast a few times to either finish or dish JUST DID IT for me. What she also did was understand how to "create contact" which will be HUGE throughout her career and when you add she has UPS, is explosive off the dribble, and body control, the upside is scary 

2030 Standouts -PassThaBall #NXTUpDallas

 

This young group of players is loaded with 2 things, upside, and next-level potential. I loved the skillset yet just as important, I enjoyed how they "thought things through" on their own. That is one of those small things that turn into HUGE things because you can't properly play the game if you don't comprehend it, well more times than not so here are the Super 6 from the 2030 class, #WatchOutForTheBabies

Jordynn Harris (Hoop Society)  left me speechless when the bright lights came on. Her explosiveness off the dribble is ahead of her years but her athleticism on both ends definitely stood out during the 1 on 1 drill. She understands how to defend "on the ball" but she also showed good timing to block shots. Her crossover in both settings showed me even more

Kyleigh Williamson is one of those "never takes a play-off" types of player and her high energy on both ends had me going. She understands how to defend, force players into traps, and used her quick hands to come away with steals, she also read the court and played the passing lane. On top of that, she already understands how to create her shot and got to the rim with ease

Kyndal Lyn had me pumped before the event even started as I've been catching her and her sister doing damage via the internet for quite some time. I had a chance to see them live at Prime Time Nationals yet Kynda has taken it to another level. Her first step is going to be an issue because her athleticism coupled with her body control is very nice but so is that pull-up jumper 

Peini Jiang (Hoop Society) is definitely on to something because of her change of pace, COP, which will make defenders call the law, pun intended. Her crossover is also nice, and she does both in transition as well as in the set. She also understands how to do something many guards going to college don't and that's how to create contact and when you add that she finishes after the lick ...

Trinity Boyd (DC Queens) falls into a category I've hashtagged quite a bit over the years and that's #sizedontmatter which was amended to also add when you can play and she can definitely bring the heat on both ends. She's fearless, and does a good job defending both "in the set" as well as "baseline to baseline". She also creates her shot, her deceptive first step get the defender off balance and she finishes

Chloe Davis (Pro Skills) is a player I love to irritate, this time I told her that her name rhymes with SHOWIE so I want to see a show. I'm running out of clever things to say yet her ballhandling is HYPNOTIZING and with her variety of spins, stepbacks, and of course, the HEZ, she is going to be a "nightmare to defend" because she scores off the dribble, at times acrobatically and can drop the mid to long-range, yeah I already dropped #D1Lock a while back

2022 Pass Tha Ball #NXTUpDallas Hits It Again

 I always enjoy covering Pass Tha Ball events, starting with the first major event back in 2013 called the Hoop A Holics and if you can remember to use the search bar on here as well as on my website, there's a vast amount of information that you probably didn't know existed 

I love catching new faces as well as the progression of others, primarily so I can say "I told you so" without copying anyone because that is definitely BS, pun intended, I COPY no one, but that's another story, and trust me, I have plenty of tales like being confronted at the first camp about "not getting permission" to come to Dallas and do this

Let me give a special S/O to Charles Stoker for running the 1 on 1 station accurately and efficiently as it gave me an opportunity to see players performing what I love to see, making decisions on their own so the talent from the event was just overwhelming, to say the least 

I'm going to start off with the 2030 group right here and that group includes a young lady, Chloe Davis, I've already dropped #D1Lock on, yet the talented group I'll title, The Babies, left me speechless at times

The 2027-2029 group will be on my website, in fact, I'll even drop something on the Top Performers on Prep Girls Hoops Texas so stay tuned but even more important to players, stay ready because you never know who's watching 

Southern Metroplex Athletics Brought Heat #PBRNJI

I had a chance to get a very good look at some Southern Metroplex Athletics teams over the past few weeks. The Varsity story gets dropped right here after their Neville Jones Invitational showing and one more time, talent is definitely everywhere 

Jashalyn Hatton-5'10 SF (Frankston) |2023| is long and athletic, I call that the base because that's one of my favorite profiles to evaluate, same for college coaches. She rebounds strongly on both ends, she attacks and finishes strongly and she plays the passing lane yet she also shows good timing to block shots

Diamond Stewart-5'5 SG (Lancaster) |2024| energy galore be it "on the ball" defense or simply diving for loose balls on the floor, she gets after it. On top of that, she plays within herself, doesn't force shots, and showed she could score off the dribble

Maria Ferguson-5'1 SG (Desoto) |2023|she showed she could create her shot under pressure on both days and the jumper was effective. That enabled her to attack the rim from multiple angles but I was just as impressed with the effort she showed on defense

Haven Verrett-5'8 SF/PF (Kennedale) |2024|long and athletic is still the base and she covered many by first of all attacking strongly off the dribble and finishing after contact yet she also outrebounded taller players, she has UPS and watching her elevate JUST DID IT for me

Kyra Jackson-5'9 SG (Mineola) |2025| her ability to play "on the ball" defense baseline to baseline is huge, yet what's huger is her enjoying doing it. She understands how to set the defender up to get trapped, she has nice hands and came away with steals and she has good upside

Wila Davis-5'4 PG (Frankston) |2025| heady point guard that understands how to not only run a team but also "control the tempo" and in the set. she did a good job directing traffic, plus she was vocal on the court yet in transition, she saw the floor very well

Desirae Hatton-5'7 SG (Frankston) |2025| she's long and athletic, see above, both the picture and my calling it "the base" and what she adds is THAT JUMPER for one. She drops shots with a hand in her face, she also has a nice first step to attack the basket and she plays the passing lane

Aaliyah Rose-5'5 PG (Lincoln) |2023|not only can she take the defender off the dribble with either hand. the first step is hard to handle, she also finishes strongly using good body control and does it after contact. She also can shoot it, mid to long range

Honorable Mention 

Jayla Jackson-5'9 SG (Mineolaa) |2025|

Destiny Drake-5'6 SF (Kennedale) |2024|

Isyss Collins-5'4 SG (WW Samuel) |2025|

Sharielle Johnson-5'4 SF (Seguin) |2023|

Aubrey Kincade-5'6 SF (Neches) |2025|

Ramsey Ferguson-5'3 SG (Desoto) |2024|

 

2022 Prime Time Nationals 5th Grade Tip Sheet

 

Krush Queens 2029 Pink defeated Victory Elite for the CHAMPIONSHIP while Reign 2029 finished in 3rd place and I caught bits and pieces of those teams yet no pictures. Nevertheless, I saw enough to give you a Tip Sheet on some of the top players from the event 

Avante Hicks (DC Queens Waco 2029) long and athletic is the base, you will see me writing and saying that a lot because I love being repetitive as many never get it but she definitely GETS IT and gets after it. She scores off the dribble with ease and she can drop the long ball, plus she plays the passing lane

Sa'Niya Douglas (Krush Queens 2029 Green) is long and athletic, she scored off the dribble and understood how to set the defender up by creating her shot. That also enabled her to show the jumper and she too played the passing lane

Gabby Archer (Victory Elite) scored well both off the dribble and the pull-up jumper yet her court vision was really good also. She handled the ball under pressure, that's always a plus and she, you guessed it, played the passing lane

Imerii Ingram (BST Academy) I hashtag #sizedontmatter a lot because it doesn't when you can play and she can definitely play. She uses her athleticism well on both ends, scores off the dribble, and even showed the FLOTA and can drop the long ball but her ball-handling and court vision under pressure was solid

Preslee Romero (Reign 2029) understood something very valuable, especially at this stage and that's how to get hers "in the flow". She also did something else I love seeing and that's "played within herself" but her solid defense and scoring off the dribble were nice

Londyn Ramsey (Pro Skills 2029 Nationals) is long and athletic, yep, I love that profile but more importantly, so do college coaches so what are her intangibles? Plays the passing lane, scored off the dribble, and went after rebounds on both ends

Aurianna Walter (Krush Queens Pink 2029) heady basketball player that JUST DID IT for me years ago when I caught her at Cynthia Guillory's event. My friend is no longer with us but this organization has talent throughout and Re Re just goes at you. She showed the pull-up and scored off the dribble but her "on the ball" defense helped create turnovers 

Amiyah Cheatham (Krush Queens Pink 2029) size does matter when you can play and with her frame and agility right now, well her strength as well, her upside is very nice. She rebounded on both ends, ran the floor and showed she could finish 

2022 Prime Time Nationals 4th Grade Tip Sheet

 

I always get a kick out of watching the younger players get after it, the score never matters to me because I'm a REAL evaluator that understands the small things that turn out to be big, also the #sizedontmatter players that can play but the abundance of talent on this PLATFORM that will be household names had me beaming as well as those who already showing signs so here are some of my standouts from the teams I caught in the 4th Grade Division, won by Wet Texas Canes 2030

Ashten Childs (West Texas Canes 2030) long and athletic is the base, always and always will but she's already adding intangibles like playing the passing lane and going after everything off the rim. Her floater is nice and she has good timing to block shots

Makayla Jefferson (West Texas Canes 2030) is one of those #sizedontmatter guards that JUST DID IT for me. She scores both off the dribble and using the pull-up jumper but watching her "on the ball" defense as well as playing the passing lane was more than solid

Bhrecklyn Robertson (WestTexas Canes 2030) also played the passing lane and used her athleticism well on both ends, defending baseline to baseline or attacking the basket powerfully

Adelina Kennard  (West Texas Canes 2030) showed she could create her shot under pressure to either attack the rim and finish with contact or shoot the jumper 

Ariana Medlock (True Texas Hoops 2030 National) scary upside for this young lady as she already has the frame to damage in the paint but watching her rebound and go coast to coast to finish was very impressive, and so was her rebounding on both ends

Aaliyah Spencer (True Texas Hoops 2030 National) her court vision alone sold me and playing under control and making the right passes is ahead of her years. She's also long and athletic, even showed the EURO

Kennedy Vation (Team Phenom) is long and athletic, attacked strongly from multiple angles, and played the passing lane

Jordan Dawson (Hoop Society 2030) athletic guard that scored off the dribble as well as showed the jumper but she saw the floor and handled the ball well under pressure 

Stella Wall (True Texas Hoops 2030 Blue) is long and athletic, yeah that's still the base but add UPS to her pluses as well as her ability to finish strongly after contact 

Kinley Walker ( Texas Heat 2030) scored off the dribble multiple times but her ability to dish the ball while attacking was nice, so was her intensity on both ends of the court

2022 Prime Time Nationals 3rd Grade Tip Sheet

Loyalty, Hustle, and Strength defeated BTR (OK) in the championship and I had a pretty good look at both squads on Saturday prior to Championship Sunday however I had a chance to look at the other 6 teams in the 3rd Grade Division as well so here are some of the STANDOUTS 

Journi Moore (BTR 2031) played the p;assing lane very well, understands how and when to attack the basket but her handling of the ball and seeing the floor are ahead of her years. She also did a good job defending

Liberty Morton-Hatten (BTR 2031) creates her shot nicely to either score off the dribble or show a legitimate jumper, yes a JUMPER but her "on the ball" pressure and quick hands enablked her to get steals

Lucy Davis (True Texas Hoops 2031) heady player that already "gets it" and her comprehension of the game and handling pressure had me smiling. She creates her shot, drops the pull-up and sees the floor

KK Granger (Destined For Greatness 2031) an athletic guard that alreadys falls into that "never takes a play off" category. Her "on the ball" defense as well as her consistently attacking the basket were nice

Sage Humble (Loyalty, Hustle and Strength 2030) long and athletic is the base, she also has good timing to block shots but her handling in the open court the ball at her size  was impressive, she even showed the pull-up

Taylin Urune (Loyalty Hustle and Strength 2030) saw the floor very well but her first step is going to create some problems as she attacked the basket from every angle. Solid defender that also played the passing lane

Armani Reed (Loyalty, Hustle and Strength 2030) long and athletic is still the base, she played the passing lane well, she scored off the dribble from the wing and she rebounded but her defenese was also solid

Trinity Boyd (DC Queens 2031) showed me quite a bit as she handled the ball effortlessly coast to coast under pressure, scored both off the dribble and from outside, even showed the step back but her BB-IQ is WOW, so is her mindset

Makayla Thompson (Krush 2031) her OTB, on the ball defense, got me going but she also handled the ball under pressure, scored off the dribble and saw the floor

Amiya Coburn (Krush 2031) scored off the dribble multiple times but she used her athleticism very well, that showed as her pressure defense helped create turnovers but her court vision was impressive as well

Claire Watkins (Lady Wolves 2031) I tweeted how impressed I was with her diving on the floor for a loose ball, before her game started watching a game but she kept the momentum going when she played and still went after the ball, scored off the dribble and played the passing lane

Nana Ya Sam (Lady Unity 2031) her court vision is way ahead of her years, so are her blazing "on the money" passes but she scored attacking the basket strongly and applied heat on defense, baseline to baseline
 

2022 Prime Time Nationals has me pumped for #NBC22

 It doesn't take me much to become excited for Prime Time Nationals, "why is that asked the novices" and in my REAL EVALUATOR voice, I respond " because talent is everywhere" and I have a knack for knowing what I'm looking at. The young ladies above, Zori Bailey and Pulkera Ray are two of Team Lex Tarheels talented squad, how do I know the squad s talented, well I saw them perform in the skills challenge, plus I'm clairvoyant, only in evaluating. I also know Michael Gatewood is the director and I caught his daughter and several other players that helped lead Desoto to back-to-back state championships a little earlier than this group

I also saw some Oklahoma players from both Krush Queens and BTR, am I pumped to see their pipeline, yes I am, especially after seeing both the energy and enthusiasm from some of their players and I can just tell what I'm in for

Let me bring it home as I'll catch that up-and-coming Houston Lady Roadrunners squad led by director/coach Tyrone Robinson. I'll never forget meeting him and his squad what seems like an eternity ago who were around the same age as these young ladies. All went on to play at the next level and were led by his daughter Tasharian and now the baby, Tia Robinson,  has my eyes glued to her every move as her subliminal message "we got next" just grabbed me

I'll catch THE BABIES tomorrow #FieldhouseFriday is the hashtag, and I'm sure they'll be showing why one said " Don't Call Me Baby" but today, I get to ELEVATE off the ground, sort of, and catch one of my "must-see" teams EYG, from the PGH Circuit. Several talented players are on that squad including one of the top PGs I caught on that circuit, Sarahi Beltran. So let me get a quick walk so I can give "plenty of talk" as I start today at Drive Nation so I'll join Hiahni Howard and say PEACE OUT