2021 Houston Summer Slam 8th Grade Division (2025)

 

I didn't get a chance to catch SA Finest Dungee, the oldest team at the event however I caught a little bit of Jordan Peete's so squad and a glimpse of Delaney Arrendondo's Lyssa however the first time I saw DA, I knew she would be prosecuting  defenders on the court and if you didn't get that smooth "play on words" well her name, let me break it down for you

Delaney Arrendondo (SA Finest Lyssa) poise at a young age gave it away, well that and her BB-IQ because when you can think the game and not become rattled early, that's huge but so is her court vision and ability to make those around her better. Yeah, she creates her shot to attack or drop the jumper but she still has untapped potential, meaning plenty of upside 

Shaila Foreman (Louisiana United 2025) the mindset off the top "you can't stop me" was sending telepathic messages I truly intercepted because she can overpower guards with her strength, her acceleration and her body control but she also can see the floor so attacking and finishing plus the pull-up has her in the mix for her class nationally 

Arriona Patterson (Louisiana United 2025) just got after it defensively off the top and her energy didn't let up because she attacked and finishes as well as dropped the pull-up jumper and the icing on the cake was her rebounding on both ends

Imani Daniels (Louisiana United 2025) showed a nice mix of skills on both ends of the court, first of all, it was the power that grabbed me, she rebounds fiercely on both ends, even scored off putbacks, after contact yet on the flip, she attacks strongly and under control and that too got her in some "and one" opportunities but she also finished after lick as well

UGOCHINY ACHO battling for positioning

Ugochiny Acho (Houston United 2025 Madison) she already has the frame and the picture is just waiting to dry, yes I'm smooth but I'm digging what she will become and her "work ethic" coupled with"mindset" to go with her strength could make her a force. She finishes after contact and knocks the midrange down

Laneya Chatman (Houston United 2025 Madison) long and athletic is what I call "the base" and she rounded a couple at the Summer Slam by attacking the rim and finishing, under control and by playing the passing lane, desire is something you can't teach, neither being long and athletic

Anaiah White (Houston United 2025 Madison) plenty of upside to go with her energy and athleticism yet she attacks the rim from various angles and her "on ball" defense was pretty good yet her energy stays the same from start to finish 

TRINITY HENDERSON

Trinity Henderson (UHE-MS) 45N has an abundance of talent around the Metroplex and Henderson has my eyes wide open. She creates her shot and attacks the rim, I say that a lot but it's how I say things that fall into how she does things, She's on the verge of taking her game through the roof, that first step, the body control, the finishes, and jumper, I'll be checking

Nilaya Gordon (UHE-MS) did a very good job of seeing the floor, not only in the halfcourt but in transition and having court vision, handling the ball under pressure, and making pinpoint passes, are all pluses that help sum things up down the road

Kristyn Galloway (UHE-MS) it's always good to see players that concentrate on the mid-range which has become somewhat of a lost art and here's why, well nm, but she gets IT and her ability to create her shot, get it off, and knock it down were good

Iyana Axson (UHE-MS) she was a rebounding machine the first game however I'm glad I caught another because not only did she rebound, she handled the ball coast to coast under pressure yet under control to finish or dish and she even dropped a stop and pop just to make me write more notes, so NOTED

2021 Houston Summer Slam 7th Grade Division (2026)

 Jordan Peete sold me when I caught her going completely off at Cynthia Guillory's the Duel States All-Star games and I asked if she was related to Calvin, BT, before Tiger, GOOGLE it, and she looked bewildered after I said "you're more than par for the course" and her energy and enthusiasm along with her skill-set helped set the division off

Jordan Peete (SA Finest So) off the dribble, check, stop and pop, double-check yet watching her savviness as well as playing within herself is really impressive yet so is her flipping the switch to take over. Her mid to long-range is high school ready and she plays the passing lane

Janea Walls (SA Finest So) another bright surprise from the city where I can't find good tamales yet she definitely had skills wrapped up nicely. She was very consistent from the midrange, which is a lost art that will get your college education paid for, listen to ME, and she defends 

Carmen Evans (HLRR 2026) I really enjoyed watching her zig-zag in traffic with the ball, keeping it under control, and seeing the floor going full speed and making tough passes on the money, but when she dropped the floater, that did it, plenty of upside as well

Jaymie Solomon (Houston United Hoops Gray) that first step is going to create some issues for defenders because she understands how to get to the basket and finish after contact but she also does a good job at creating her shot and playing the passing lane

Avery Mier (Houston United 2026) oh man, she definitely left a big impression as she is a growth spurt away from "the magic number" which is 6'0. She rebounds strongly, she's agile and can take defenders off the dribble plus she can face the basket, like in the above picture, and score

Sophia Rodriguez (Houston United 2026) her power now is nowhere near what it's going to be and that's scary because she rebounds strongly and finishes the same way but her attacking from the wing after creating her shot is ahead of the curve, especially since she has a jumper to go with it

Kamdyn Flora (Houston United 2026) her mannerisms, her poise, her ability to do things instinctively, and the way she reacts got her #D1Lock a long time ago yet she ain't settling, and her playing up and doing what she's doing on both ends is admirable to say the least

2021 Houston Summer Slam 6th Grade Division (2027)

KENNEDY PRICE

I'm just feel tickled pink sometimes, hey based on ancestry.com DNA it's possible yet not likely visually but yesterday I talked about watching Zay Green's younger sisters, last week it was Ny'Kyiah Jeffrey's mom and aunt so today, let me open up the 6th-grade division talking about Just Play's Kennedy Price's older sister Lauren who helped get the ball rolling at Atascocita, who I started calling "The Taz" and it was simply because I also used "The Price Is Right" so let me break down some of those I knew, I appreciate the rosters because I ain't got time to ask questions but anyway

FRANKIE FRANCIS

Frankie Francis (Just Play 2027) already has a dynamic first step and watching her set the defender up to take off the dribble, with either hand, has her ahead of the curve because she can also finish, after contact and she has a nice pull-up jumper, so what else, she sees the floor

Kennedy Price (Just Play 2027) the price will continue to be right as she played in pain yet was efficient and she too has a deceptive first step to get by the defender, she creates her shot under pressure and she can finish or hit the jumper yet watching her play the passing lane was a definite treat for me

Shiloh Grays (HLRR 2027) long and athletic, that the base I use and for those who pay attention, I say it over and over for a variety of reasons yet she plays the passing lane, she has good timing to block, alter and deflect shots and she rebounds on both ends as she will be over the magic number of 6'0

Aniyah Gardner (HLRR 2027) also long and athletic, yet she attacks the rim strongly, she has good body control and finished after the lick, this is good, really good at this stage but she also showed she could "man up" in a hunnid, on-ball defense full court, as well as handle the ball in the open court

Brittany Moore (Louisiana United 2027) speedy point guards seemed to be a pre-requisite for the organization as they had many yet she's already showing major signs of doing damage in high school. She can handle the ball going coast to coast full speed yet stays under control and she can hit teammates on the money without breaking stride

2021 Houston Summer Slam 5th Grade Division (2028)

 

A few weeks ago I covered the Houston Summer Slam hosted by Chuck McCowan and I made it a point to try and catch as many teams as possible, providing I had a roster and catching a group of talented players heading to the 6th grade, including a set of twins, Ariele and Ariana Warren (Urban Heroes 2028) brought back memories of  when I caught their older sister around the same time, Zay Green, who helped lead Duncanville to a state championship as well as MDAA honors, she also was labeled a #D1Lock by me before her first middle school game and here are some of the  Top Performers from that division 

Trinity Thompson-(Urban Heroes 2028) long and athletic is one of the bases I use when profiling players, the novice wouldn't comprehend so just read. I'm ready to drop the LOCK # on her after one sighting because of her sighting on the court, court vision, and ability to hit teammates for baskets is only superseded by her taking defenders off the dribble to score as well as show the pull-up jumper

Ariele and Ariana Warren (Urban Heroes 2028) games mirror each other at this stage, both attack hard, rebound and play the passing lane and apply pressure on the defensive end, yet they play hard and play smart, which is really good, so I'm definitely keeping an eye on them because like older sister, mom was a standout player as well

Laney Hudson (Lady Drive Nation) she's wearing the right number because she can drop the long ball with ease but get this, she already understands how to "create her shot" under pressure which is going to give defenders even more problems as she gets older. Her creating her shot also helps her attack and finish, this includes with either hand and after contact

Bella Ortiz (Lady Drive Nation) she's heady and crafty and when you combine that with a deceptive first step to take defenders off the dribble, you're ahead of the game yet she does something at an early age that told me a lot, she plays the passing lane and for me, that did it

'28-'30 Girlz Got Game Individual Showcase Tip Sheet

 

One thing I enjoy is catching new talent on the rise and the Girlz Got Game Individual Showcase did not let me down, in fact, it lifted me up as I saw some talented players who are already showing next level ability, yes I'm that good and history is on my side, so I decided to start off the Tip Sheets with the babies who haven't played their first middle school game and won't be this season either 

Zonai Cook (2028) her athleticism stood out before the camp even started and when I got a chance to see her in action, she brought so much to the table because she attacks and finishes and has a pull-up jumper, right now yet her ability to see the floor puts her ahead of the game

Naomi Durrah (2028) already understands two big things, how to create her shot and handle the ball, both under pressure and watching her attack the rim and finish strongly, especially going 1 on 1, was big but she also saw the floor and made passes on the money while attacking

Sari Green (2028) I always enjoy watching players that understand the little things early which become big things as they get older and watching her get positioning to rebound, on both ends, as well as finish on putbacks and defend was refreshing 

Kennedy Price (2028) she went through the drills with ease, that didn't surprise me because I've caught her working out before yet she creates her shot well and showed the midrange as well as attacking and finishing after contact. She also played the passing lane and did a good job defending 

Bristol Jensen (2029) I thought I was seeing things until she showed it again but her crossover is going to create some problems in the future, well more problems because it enabled her to get by defenders in both the open and half-court and she also showed she could hit the pull-up jumper

Arianni Hodge (2030) youngest player at the camp yet you'd never know it and she proved #sizedontmatter because she can flat out play. She handles the ball well under pressure, attacks the basket, and dropped the outside shot while being defended. Doing what she did playing up says a lot

2025 San Antonio Lady Hoops Carolina Blue

 

I hadn't seen the San Antonio Lady Hoops, 2025 squad, before yet the Carolina Blue left a lasting impression after their performance at Rise Up's All Eyez On She winning the HS Division, keep in mind they haven't entered HS and one more time "it's not what you do, it's who you do it against" and in front of. This team brings a lot of heat, I mean I was just somewhat speechless at them getting after it and applying pressure on opening day that I made a special trip to catch a full game on day 2 and I caught a lot

Zara'Nique Neely and Kamila Sosa were attacking and playing the passing lane while scoring and speaking of scoring, Madison Borjas and Gabriyela Galvan just filled it up early but this team is just on the verge of creating some major issues. Giana Monda and her inside presence made an impression, so  did JahDae Bussey, Dejah Dudley attacking from everywhere while Beth Garcia just understands the game and made some big plays on both ends and speaking of big plays, Kayla King just continues to amaze me because she scores multiple ways, rebounds and defends and  newcomer Aniya Williams definitely made her presence felt with my initial sighting of her game, as well as potential

Julia Johnson was solid on both ends, saw the floor well, and speaking of seeing the floor the team does a good job of moving the ball to the open man, and that, as well as trapping, were definitely #THROWBACK stuff that I love to see I was watching their 2nd game on day 2 from afar and saw the score and afterward, Borjas was walking towards me with a sad look on her face. I went into my speech about "you have to learn how to lose  before you learn how to win" spill and she told me, we won, I just missed a couple of open threes, the score was the wrong side yet she hit probably the biggest 3 of the event to cap a 16 point deficit and send the game into OT

2021 8th Grade Division "Breakout Players" #DuelStateAllStars

 

KENNEDY WALTERS

I'm always searching, always looking and watching many players for the first time, or getting a really good look at those who I've seen in a different setting is one of the reasons why I consider myself among the best to evaluate, no sleight of hand nonsense because your club team has a certain logo or who isn't showing you how to play the passing lane, take away the baseline, follow your shot, it goes on and on because I've been there with muy own daughter, I know the BS that's involved in this so when I am COVERING an event, I try and look at as many players as possible and at the Duel States All-Star games, I have identified probably 75% of the over 200 players there, many are already locked in at the next level, some at #BCS, many at #D1 but the main thing is "keep working' because your status can change at the blink of an eye, here are some of those BREAKOUT PERFORMERS 

Yaniska Mestre-G (ATL Dream) creates her shot under pressure, deceptive first step allowed her to attack and finish and she showed the "floata" 

Tiara Williams-G (ATL Dream) attacks the rim strongly, finishes the same way, this includes after contact and played solid on-ball defense 

Peyton Dolan-G (Dallas Wings) rebounds well, understands positioning and did a good job battling taller players for the ball, ran the floor well

Tieasia Todd-PG (Dallas Wings) SWB means "speed with ball" and when you add she was under control and hit teammates on the money going coast to coast...

Raylen Kernell-G/F (Dallas Wings) also did a good job blocking out for rebounds, on both ends of the floor and she also finished on putbacks

Kennedy Walters-PG (Dallas Wings) poised and under control, heady point guard that controls the tempo and saw the floor, creates her shot under pressure

Jamie Walker-G (Dallas Wings) uses her athleticism nicely, explodes off the dribble while attacking the basket, and finished, "floata" included 

Meredith Legard-G (Fever) played solid defense, outrebounded taller players, handled the ball in the open court, and knocked the outside shot down 

MiaGrace Delahoz-G (Las Vegas Aces) attacks the basket strongly from a variety of angles, finished after contact, played solid defense

Staci Pettie-SF (Lynx) uses her body well, shows signs of being able to overpower on the inside as she finishes with players hanging on her. also rebounded well

Tatum Howlingwater-G (Mystics) rebounded on both ends and handled the ball coast to coast after grabbing it on the offensive end, attacks and finishes

Gavyn Robinson-PG (Mystics) understands how to control the tempo, sees the floor yet she's an explosive scorer either attacking the basket or knocking down the outside shot

Kandace Barnett-G (Storm) long and athletic is the base if you haven't been paying attention and she makes the defense pay by attacking and finishing acrobatically and plays the passing lane

Taryn Jacobs-PF (Storm) also long and athletic, creates her shot under pressure to attack the basket and finish or show the jumper, very good form on release 

Abbie Martin-G (Storm) does a good job handling the ball under pressure as well as creating her shot, also under pressure and showed she could drop the mid to long-range

Christina Ybarra-P (Storm) uses her body well inside the paint, finishes strong after contact, this includes on putbacks and rebounds on both ends 

2021 7th Grade Division "Breakout Players" #DuelStateAllStars

 

LILY KING

Just like in 5th/6th Grade Division, I saw an abundance of talented players in the 7th Grade Division and I broke some of them down already in pt 1  as well as pt 2 and here are some other talented players from the 2026 class I had a chance to catch

Lily King -G/F (Baylor) active on both ends of the court, does a good job at creating her shot as well as taking defenders off the dribble and finishing 

Ka'Mauri Miller-G (UT Arlington) good athleticism, used it nicely on both ends but her pressure on defense was really good, well so was her attacking strongly and finishing after contact

Aundrea Walter-G (Dallas Baptist) attacks the rim strongly, plays the passing lane well, and can handle the ball in the open court. Also sees the floor and knocks midrange down

Jazelle Scott-G (Dallas Baptist) created her shot to attack or drop the jumper, uses her athleticism well, and also showed she could finish after contact

Dawson Doggett-G (Dallas Baptist) mixed it up nicely on the offensive end by attacking or knocking down jumper which she got off by creating her shot and hit the long-range

Skylar Hicks-G (Dallas Baptist) athleticism stood out on both ends, initially with the pressure on ball defense however attacking the rim with a nice first step was equally impressive

Savannah Reynolds-G (North Texas) created and dropped the long ball multiple times and also took defenders off the dribble and saw the floor

Anna Carroll-SF (North Texas) attacks and finishes with power, after contact and also did a good job rebounding on both ends of the floor as well as defending strongly 

Alaysia Brown-F (North Texas) long and athletic is the base and her upside is nice but she played the passing lane, attacked and finished after contact, and did a good job on defense

Whitney Smith-G (UT Arlington) SWB, speed with ball, and her first step is devastating as she gets wherever she wants and scores after contact but she also can knock mid to long-range down

Mea Ginn-G (Paul Quinn) finished strongly throughout the event after the lick included but her athleticism and power stood out as well, even on the defensive end

Janaiya Rogers-G (Paul Quinn) athletic ability showed from the opening tip as she played "on ball" defense right off the top and her ability to create her shot to attack or take the jumper

BreAnna Breland-G (Paul Quinn) very athletic and two things immediately stood out on her ability to create her shot, a legitimate jumper, and some acrobatic finishes by attacking the rim

Amber Ellis-F (SMU) uses her strength nicely, understands positioning to get rebounds and she finished on putbacks as well as taking defenders to the basket 

Jamari Milton-PG (SMU) she's athletic and understands how to control tempo so she can attack and dish or see the floor in the set but she finishes so well, after contact

CeMaria Kelly-G (SMU) an athletic nightmare as she's basically a track star that can PLAY basketball and in the open court, you can almost forget about stopping her and amazing upside is an understatement

Simone Pryor-PG (TCU) athletic guard that attacks the rim strongly, nice pull-up jumper but her ballhandling and seeing the floor was nice, so was the pressure she applies on defense 

Hayden Walker-G (TWU) attacked strongly and finished after contact, showed she could handle the ball under pressure as well as create her shot from outside 

Ameyah Brown-G (TWU) handles the ball well, with either hand, while being defended but she also did a good job at seeing the floor and hitting teammates. Good upside 

HC Harding-SG (UT Arlington) very active on defense and showed good timing with her numerous blocked shots yet she also creates a legitimate pull-up jumper that was dropping 

Paige Willaims-G (UT Arlington) athleticism galore as she attacks the rim from, well everywhere but she also can create her shot and showed she could knock both the mid and long-range down, repeatedly 

2021 5th/6th Grade Division "Breakout Players" #DuelStateAllStars

AMIRA HARRISON

 I already dropped Tip Sheets on the guards and those who were not guards but always remember, talent is everywhere and it's not what you do, it's who do it against so here are some other players that caught my eye at the Duel State All-Star Games in the 5th/6th Grade Division 

2027

Maleah Nwankwoala-F (Paris JC) size, power, and upside and let me change that to POWER because she sent some messages loud and clear so rebounding and finishing was definitely a huge plus

Sofia Read-G (Paris JC) attacks the rim from every angle, did a good job of not only finishing but finishing after contact

Mariah Connally-G (Trinity Valley JC) uses her athleticism nicely, plays under control, and showed she could defend baseline to baseline 

Savannah Hoskins-PG (Trinity Valley JC) heady point guard that doesn't force plays, understands how to run the offense, and showed she could drop the long ball

Kinsley McClaughlin-G (Tyler JC) understands how to get to the rim multiple ways and finish strong. Also showed she could create her shot

Savannah Switch-PG (Tyler JC) comprehension of the game is ahead of her years, she can slow it down or she can push it, either way, she sees the floor, and with her ballhandling and shooting, watch out

2028

Karsyn Elison-G (Paris JC) handled the ball well, especially under pressure, and showed she could attack and finish or dish

Jordyn Richardson-PG (Temple JC) plenty of upside yet she already understands how to control the tempo and see the floor but her timing and defense really stood out

Cheyenne Capps-PG (Weatherford JC) athletic and has a deceptive first step which enables her to go by defenders almost at will 

Lexi Ewen-P (Weatherford JC) long and athletic, hopefully, you were paying attention when I said that's the base and her upside is really good because she understands the simple things, like keeping the ball high and blocking out so be ready

Amira Harrison-PG (Weatherford JC) her poise just amazed me when I caught her initially, she has the making of a big-time PG, she handles the ball, handles the pressure, and gets the job done

Salina Lady Warriors win 3rd Grade Division #WinterJam

 I caught the Salina Lady Warriors against ORB and watching Jordan Foster play the passing lane, at this stage was just as impressive as her attacking the basket and finishing while Kyndall Jefferson, a 2nd grader playing up with ORB showed #sizedontmatter when you can play yet ORB also had a #sizedoesmatter player in Jayden Krueger

Foster kept surprising me as she showed she could create her shot but she has something going for her as well as her teammates because I love seeing the younger kids get after it and many are already getting it but the important thing is to stay focused and keep working. The Lady Warriors had to avenge a loss to Team Trae Young they had in pool play but in a nailbiter, they advanced to the finals and defeated Lady SOKC'S 

BRACKET