2024 Next Up Individual Showcase- Elementary Division

 

One of my all-time favorite sayings is that #talentiseverywhere providing you know what you're looking for and since I'm a GENIUS at spotting what's coming, it was great to catch up with several stars of tomorrow. Pictured above is Rori Harmon (Texas) who I dropped #D1Lock on when she was in the 5th grade

Khaila Key (2032) has already had me drop #D1Lock on her and like Harmon, she's heading to the 5th grade. She's heady and under control, but watching her easily set the defender up was nice. She has solid court vision, gave me the crossover in transition and her body control on her finishes is also nice. Her poise under pressure, her doing things instinctively, and how she reacts SIMS it up

Audacity Vaughn (2032) is a long and athletic guard and I can tell she's been watching her older sister because she uses her athleticism on both ends. Her on-the-ball pressure was solid, and she attacks strongly off the dribble yet she gave me the turnaround jumper and THAT is going to create some problems 

Armoni Mitchell (2033) was another long and athletic guard who did a good job applying "on the ball" pressure, both in the set as well as in transition. She did something I absolutely love to see and that's playing the passing lane but she also showed good timing to block shots

Campbell Baldwin (2032) is, you guessed it, a long and athletic guard, and when she showed me the HEZ and crossover, I just shook my head. She blew by defenders to score off the dribble, and she even scored going coast to coast but her court vision was solid as well as her "on the ball" pressure

Zariyah Redd (2032) understands positioning and at this stage, that's huge because it's the little things that will turn out to be big down the road. She rebounded on both ends, ran the floor, on both ends, and did a solid job defensively inside the paint. She also scored around the basket 

Everly Rowell (2032) is heady and lets the game come to her. I was impressed with her decision-making under pressure, she also showed she could score in the flow and play within herself. Her deceptive first step was nice as was her court vision 

Ella Lovett (2032) understands the game and also falls into that "heady" group but watching her create her shot under pressure was nice and this included her first step to attack and score. She also applied solid "on the ball" pressure and her quick hands got her some steals

Glory Noe (2032) had me saying yes as she gave me a variety of offensive skills that are going to come in handy as her "on the court" progression continues. Let me start with she "thinks the game" and her step back with the pull-up was very nice, so were her fakes to attack off the dribble. 

Cassi Pham (2034) has some pretty impressive upside because when you factor in she was the youngest player at the event and wasn't FAZED by pressure whatsoever, that tells me a lot, and with her being a "long and athletic" guard who can already create her shot and apply heat defensively, watch out

Ella Lowe (2032) just got after off the top and in the 1-on-1 drill, she brought so much intensity on the defensive that it doesn't surprise that she kept it going during the 5 on 5 games. She also handled the ball and saw the floor yet she too had a deceptive first step to attack the basket in the set

Rilynn Thomas (2031) didn't mind physicality, either giving or taking and she showed power in the paint a few times. She also gave me a glimpse of the "hands and footwork" I love seeing and that, plus her finishing around the basket was nice. She also rebounded on both ends and played solid defense

Sariyah Dancer (2032) has the right last name because she is showing signs of being able to dance the ball and dazzle. Part of that is because she's "long and athletic" and her first step is very nice yet in transition, she showed an extra gear with the ball and finished strongly using nice body control

Lylah Tucker (2032) has a lot of symbols on her evaluation which is a good sign and partly because of her energy and athleticism, especially on defense. Her pressure helped to create turnovers, she played the passing lane but she also scored off the dribble, had nice body control after contact, and saw the floor well

More Babies Are Coming #TJShowcase

 I saw quite a few "stars of the future" who have not played a game in high school from the #TJShowcase and I dropped a  few already on  Prep Girls Hoops. Well, there was even more, here ya go

Kamira Runnels-5'5 (Fort Worth Lady Hornets) 2028- is an athletic guard who applies heat on both ends. Her on-the-ball defense was solid, and she also did a good job attacking the basket off the dribble to score

Kathy Odokopira-5'1 (Fort Worth Lady Hornets) 2030- her upside is high and so is her BB-IQ as she showed she could control the temp and see the floor but she's a "long and athletic" guard which is also the base. She falls into that #sizedontmatter group and it doesn't because she dropped the jumper, including the "catch and shoot" from deep

Andrea McGriff-5'9 (Fort Worth Lady Hornets) 2028-is "long and athletic" Yep, the base but she's also strong and powerful, and seeing her elevate to score, see above picture, or go AFTA everything off the rim was refreshing but she also scored off the dribble, played solid defense and played the passing lane 

Ja'siah McIntyre-5'5 (SA Lady Hoops Diamond) 2029- handled the ball well under pressure and her showing the crossover both in the set as well as in transition was nice. She scored off the dribble and saw the floor

Tayza Peavy-5'8  (SA Lady Hoops Diamond) 2029- is "long and athletic" with some scary upside and seeing her rebound and go coast to coast to score or dish was nice. She scored around the basket, putbacks included, off the dribble and after contact plus she played the passing lane and played solid defense 

Heaven McDonald Lyles-5'9  (SA Lady Hoops Diamond) 2028- is also "long and athletic" and the heat she applied defensively, in the halfcourt, as well as baseline to baseline, was impressive but she also played the passing lane and handled the ball afterward. She's strong and attacked the basket off the dribble and finished after contact

Maya Clark-5'4  (SA Lady Hoops Diamond) 2030- is a "long and athletic" guard who sets the defender up nicely to attack the basket. Her FLOATA off the dribble was smooth, she also showed the pull-up jumper and saw the floor. Her defense was also solid and she played the passing lane

Kayleene Sanchez-5'6  (SA Lady Hoops Diamond) 2029- is an athletic guard who uses her athleticism on both ends starting with "on the ball" heat coupled with quick hands to help create turnovers. She also used a deceptive first step to attack the basket off the dribble

#11  (SA Lady Hoops Diamond) is also an athletic guard who did a good job creating her shot under pressure and dropping the midrange while being defended. She also played the passing lane

Just Play Elite 15U

 

Talented players throughout the organization and the 15U squad has some up-and-coming ones. I missed the 15U Katy team but here ya go

Hollis McConn (St Agnes) 2027 does a good job defending on the ball and played the passing lane well  

Elizabeth Brantley (Episcopal) 2027 scored off the dribble and rebounded on both ends of the court

Mabry Reef (Tomball Memorial) 2027 set the defender up using a deceptive first step to attack the rim

Riley O'Connor (Stratford) 2027 used a slight HEZ to get the defender off balance to attack the basket and her court vision was nice

Houston Lady Nets Babies #HoustonSummerSlam

 I hate I didn't get a chance to catch the Houston Lady Nets younger squad at the Houston Summer Slam however I do know they have several exciting players who are going to do some serious damage down the road. Zoe Whitaker (2032) and Arianne Petty (2033) are already showing signs but so are many others on this squad

Not sure if I'll be around but just remember #IToldYouSo but no one remembers lol

Just Play 14U #HoustonSummerSlam

 All I can say is WOW as I close out the 8th grade Division because there are definitely some heavy hitters coming up but just as important, countless players with next-level potential. In case you missed a loaded San Antonio Minez squad, you can read about them on Prep Girls Hoops but here ya go

Kate Earnest (2030) I was speaking with a parent before the game and he told me how well she could shoot the long ball. She dropped her first 2 and he just smiled at me. I don't know how many she hit but I know she will probably set some records she also scored off the dribble and saw the floor, her upside is very good

Ella Clark (2030) showed she could score around the basket multiple ways as well as off the dribble after contact but she saw the floor not only in the set but in transition too. Her defense was solid and she played  the passing lane

Reese Nguyen (2028) rebounded strongly on both ends but seeing her handle the ball afterward to start the break was nice. So was her seeing the floor or just keeping it to score by attacking the basket. She does a good job of creating her shot and drops it from mid to long-range

Maddie Bennett (2029) scored off the dribble from multiple angles using a deceptive first step but she also did a good job inside the paint by scoring around the basket or rebounding on both ends

Ahnoe Campbell (2028) showed me some progression since I first saw her a year ago and her interior defense has gotten better but so has her lateral movement to guard her man outside the paint. She scored inside the paint, rebounded strongly on both ends, and even battled for loose balls on the floor 

Houston Lady Roadrunners 2029 #HoustonSummerSlam

 I get tickled watching these young ladies grow up right before my eyes so Tasharion Robinson reminded me that her younger sister Tia was playing. I'll never forget watching big sister for the first time in the 5th grade and knew big things were waiting, she starred at Clear Sprigs and then SFA but guess what, the BABY IS COMING as well

Tia Robinson (2029) is a "long and athletic" guard who left me speechless showing her pull-up jumper from very deep. She's going to be hard to handle because she's explosive off the dribble, has nice body control on her finishes, and has good court vision. Her defense was also solid plus she played the passing lane

Rhianna Washington (2029) uses her athleticism well on both ends and her pressure defense helped to create turnovers while her scoring off the dribble after contact was also nice, but so was her playing the passing lane yet with her being "long and athletic" with a jumper, oh my

Alexis Mars (2029) gave me a little bit of everything quickly as she showed she could do damage in the paint, on both ends starting with rebounding. She also scored around the basket, putbacks included, and gave me a nice turnaround jumper. She even stepped outside and dropped it

Abigail Flores (2030) proved #sizedontmatter when you can play and first of all, she's heady and stays under control but she also applied pressure defensively as well as attacked strongly off the dribble. Another big thing was her being able to drop the jumper from deep

Lady Thunder Blue #HoustonSummerSlam

 Lady Thunder Blue rhymes with I SEE YOU and that has nothing to do with one of my favorite NPR shows yet the NPR acronym means something special, NEW PLAYERS RISING and I can always count on my dear friend for putting players I probably would never see in front of me and here are some of them 

Kynnedi Heslip (2028) Kynnedi rhymes with energy and she brings plenty of that on both ends of the court. She does a good job applying pressure on the defensive end, she attacks the basket and finishes strongly but her court vision is nice, oh yeah, she plays the passing lane

Aaliyah Childress (2030) not sure if she can sing but I heard several tunes from this #sizedontmatter guard because she can play. I guess her being "feisty" and creating havoc around the ball grabbed my attention first but she also brought "on the ball" heat. She attacked the basket fiercely and scored after contact

Brooke Hopkins and Kate Hopkins (2028) are twins and one of two sets of sisters but these 2 are a couple of inches shy of the magic number, which is 6'0. Their games mirror each other, they're both "long and athletic" which will ALWAYS be the base, they score from the wing, as well as around the basket and they rebound on both ends. Here's the kicker, the midrange looks better each time I see them and since they both play the passing lane, their upside is scary

Victoria Fobbs (2029) and Destiny Fobbs (2030) are the other set of sisters, Victoria showed she could score off the dribble and finish after contact, nice body control played a part in that but both understand positioning and did a good job rebounding as well as playing solid interior defense. They were both playing up meaning they have good upside 

Adriana Liscano (2028) understands how to create her shot under pressure and get it off while being defended. Her deceptive first step gives her options to attack, which she does and scores but it also gets the defender off balance for her to knock down the mid to long-range jumper

Houston United 2028 #HoustonSummerSlam

 Several players stood out on the Houston United 2028 squad however just as importantly, many showed me potential and it this stage, you never know where you'll land so here ya go

Autumn Randle is one of two players on this squad that I watched both her mom and aunt star on their teams and made noise in the area and she too is on her way because she's "long and athletic", scores off the dribble and plays the passing lane. Her "on the ball defense" is tough baseline to baseline, nice upside

Jayda Hart was barely walking when I was watching her sister go through the city with abang yet Hart is on the verge of breaking out in a big way. She is also "log and athletic" and scores off the dribble but her energy is second to nonce and it shows after watching her go AFTA everything off the rim or even on the floor. She scores off the dribble and plays the passing lane

Makaila Nard is an athletic guard that not only scored off the dribble, she also showed good court vision 

Mikaela Wilson has plenty of potential, she's athletic, made good decisions and did a good job defending. I coached her mom who was one of the top long ball shooters in her class while her aunt was one of the top point guards in  hers so I see Wilson has picked up things from both, good upsdie

Addison Little creates her shot and handles the ball under pressure, she also creates separation to get her shot off and the pull-up jumper looks nice, so did her court visionb

AER Silver #AllEyesOnShe 7/8th Grade Division

 The only team that turned in a roster from this division name might be Silver but they're on the verge of striking GOLD and not just because I'm writing about a couple of their standouts. For the novices who are new to this, be prepared to be misled by people on what you need to do and who you need to listen to. I am the FIRST person to cover girls in Texas, on a NATIONAL level, you can go back in the archives from 2009 and see, yet I started even before that with Fullcourt and Scout.com in 2008

I was also a club coach, INDEPENDENT, who coached his daughters, the younger wound up having over 100 D1 offers, that's her with Obama on the picture after winning a National Championship at Texas A&M and with over 10 years in the WNBA, back to back championships with Las Vegas, I'm perplexed at the nonsense yet "the hare be real, the love be fake" so I have NO AGENDA whatsoever other than identifying potential next level players so with that being said

Scotti Beseda is a long and athletic guard who does a good job creating her own shot under pressure and showed she could knock it down from outside while being defended. She also scored off the dribble, had nice body control on her finishes, and rebounded strongly

London Broussard is also a long and athletic guard and watching her go coast to coast to score or dish several times had me smiling. Her energy on both ends trickled down to her teammates, she showed she could attack the basket from multiple angles and finish after contact. She also did a good job defending "on the ball". 

I'm looking forward to watching these young ladies "on the court " progression as quite a few are on the verge of breaking out

5/6th Grade Division Top Peformers #AllEyesOnShe

 

At the end of the day, the top two teams battled it out in the Platinum Championship with MBA holding off LH Swoosh 32-30. Even more importantly, both teams turned in their rosters as well as DS Lady BBall so here are the standouts

Brielle Montalvo (MBA) has an amazing upside because she's a 4th grader and she's playing up and handling the pressure with ease. She handles the ball and sees the floor in traffic, she also reads the floor on the defensive end and plays the passing lane. She created her shot to attack the rim or drop the jumper

Abrielle Garcia (MBA) already gets at it as she not only creates her shot, but she understands how to create separation but her deceptive first step was huge because it had the defender leaning so she could attack and score, well or dish. She also showed she could drop the mid to long-range jumper while being defended but her "catch and shoot" had me smiling, and so did her playing the passing lane

Emma Vaughan  (LH Swoosh) showed she understands the game starts at the 1 and she's already showing she can control the tempo, meaning when to push it and when to slow it down yet she also does a good job of getting her teammates involved early and setting up for good looks. She scored off the dribble, and she also did a good job dropping from outside yet her "catch and shoot" 3 is going to create problems 

Kennedy Keel (LH Swoosh) created her shot nicely under pressure yet she played within herself meaning "nothing out of the ordinary" She's also heady and made good decisions on who to give the ball to and when to give it so the court vision is there. She also does a good job of getting hers "in the flow" however don't get it twisted, her pull-up jumper from mid to long-range was effective 

Jianna Billings (DS Lady BB Club) hit the boards hard on both ends and even showed she could handle it after rebounding. She scored around the basket, putbacks included yet her court vision in the set as well as in transition had me smiling. She's a "long and athletic" guard with some impressive upside and watching her set the defender up in the set and blow by them to score spoke volumes

NOTABLES

Gia Moreno (MBA)

April Valle (MBA)

Sophia Cantu (MBA)

Abigail Filler (LH Swoosh)

Dylan Hanson (LH Swoosh)

Rowan Parra (LH Swoosh)