2018 Austin Elite #TJShowcase MS Tip Sheet

Talk about some up and coming talented players in Texas, several just made me smile as I sat back and enjoyed two days of action at the Tyrone Johnson Showcase hosted by Austin Elite so let me start off with some of the middle school and younger standouts. Keep in mind BCS Locks Sammy Wagner and 

Kendall Sneed (Texas Storm) the long ponytail and ability to get to the basket and finish with contact immediately brought back memories of my own daughter but Sneed just left me speechless at times because she scored numerous ways, handled the ball under pressure and showed plenty of poise

Kenna Gibson (HTX Fire 2022) she hit a deep one as I was passing by, she hit another one as I came back and it seemed like every game I watched her, she was dropping the long ball, both days in all of the games. Accurate and can catch and shoot, that's huge

Carleigh Wenzel (SA Finest) HS "be a ready" because this young lady is going to make an immediate impact with her picture perfect jumper. I was on the other end taking a selfie and saw the form and knew it was her, awe man and didn't I call her a BCS Lock, yes I did

Mia Jiminez (SA Lady Hoops) dropped something on the quad that attended the camp but this squad is pretty well rounded and Jiminez adds a little something each time I've caught her. Takes defenders off dribble, nice floater or can mix it up with mid to long range

Cindy Foka (Phoenix) good size and agility, powerful inside and battled for everything off the glass and on the floor. Showed good defense and better upside as she already understands how to ignite the break and run the floor

LA Sneed (SA Finest) explosive guard that simply makes things happen every-time she touches the ball and is one of those "makes teammates better" types. Sees the floor extremely well, great handle  with the ability to dazzle, nice mid to long shooting, huge upside

Jordan Washington ( Phoenix) playing up and I'd have never known and I'm talking 2 or 3 years up. Very knowledgeable which I love to see, doesn't phased, I love that too and gives and receives pressure as she can finish with contact and see the floor nicely

Laney Elmore (Waco Elite Blue) plays beyond her years, already gets it and is on the right track. Attacks basket strong from various angles but her ability to create her shot, under pressure and knock it down is big

Leila Curtis( SAF Camille) explosive off the dribble, attacks relentlessly and scores multiple ways including taking the lick

Loghan Johnson ( Katy Rebels 2023 King) upside is scary, she's athletic, plays passing lane and can defend baseline to baseline plus she handles the ball in the open court and gets to the basket easily and can finish acrobatically

Naujaneete Haynes (SAF Camille) strong finisher, strong rebounder, strong defender so what does that tell you. Never takes a play off, explodes off the ground

Avari Berry (AD Elite 2023) so many talented guards throughout their organization, lets just say Berry is on her way to being ripe as she has an explosive first step, finishes and that combined with a nice pull-up is "ALL DAY" lol I had to but she plays the passing lane as well

Sammie Wagner( SA Finest) I don't even know what to say other than just keeps elevating game from #BCSLock I called her a couple of years ago and she's only a 2023. Physical and Finesse, either way you want it, she can give it with ease

Domnica Armstrong (ATX Fierce) handles the ball nicely and sees the floor, hasn't made it to MS yet so that in itself has her in the mix but what I also saw was she understands the simple things and plays within herself so all of that tells me a lot

Shaviant'a Cobb (Waco United Lady Panthers 2022) floater like a butterfly yet she can sting like a bee and I know that's over many heads just like Cobb's floater. Love how she gets to the basket and just puts the ball in, nice midrane and good upside

Yulissa Yebra (SA Lady Hoops 2023) I use "size don't matter when you can play" a whole lot and it certainly matters when you can. Yebra just keeps bringing it, the more I see her, the more I see more and becoming more fluid is showing as well as rebounding on both ends and finishing strong

Amanda Crowninshield ( Texas Elite 2022 Silver) talented PG that understands how to get talented teammates involved. Already showing confidence in her abilities, sees floor, makes pinpoint passes on the money and ca take over offensively

Creerith Plummer (Defenders & DND Elite) played on two different teams and put in work for both, it ain't the squad it's what's in the player, been doing this forever so I already that some thing you can't teach and this young lady's work ethic is "old school" like I like to see. She is showing BEAST-LIKE signs already, battles for everything, finishes strong, huge upside

2018 I-10 Basketball Showcase recap

As July heats up, I've had a chance to watch multiple Texas Lady Phenoms squads this season and talented players are spread out all over the place but what I really love are some of the first looks like the ones I got from Amanda Onuarah and the progression I constantly see in several of their players including Ta'Nya Gibson, Mikayla Malik  and Haley Wesley to name a few, all from the Texas Lady Phenoms organization. Phoenix Revolution rolled with 5 all weekend , Emma Moore was pretty consistent as I caught a little of their squad early Saturday and on Sunday but they truly fought shorthanded over the weekend. A couple of AD Elite younger teams were there, I didn't see any evaluators that last name rhymed with mine but no matter how LUDICROUS some of the things I'm told are, that means STUPID, not to be confused with Ludacris the rapper whom I totally enjoy, I took a look at the squad anyway and they have some players coming up, Aaron Thomas and Danielle King on the Yellow squad were among those players that will make some noise in HS

On AD Elite Blue, guards galore that keep coming at you on both ends plus power inside but Peyton Overton simply has taken her game to yet another level and speaking of guards and another level, Raven Adams is starting to pick up offers with Texas Elite Burroughs but this is a team filled with players that will play at the next level. Adams, Marchelle Willis and Aleighyah Fontenot have been dropping the long ball with ease since my hair was completely black, they keep adding even more to their games and speaking of long ball, Makayla Green was on fire while Cierra Gilbert and Dala Allen were forces on the inside. Dynasty squad was scrappy and under control, had some players that made plays as well as shots but the shots from various Lady Dominators players like Kayla Cobbs and JaNyla Kennedy kept them in the mix

2018 All Eyez On Me Tip Sheet

Round Rock, TEXAS-The hashtag I started dropping since I figured out exactly what a hashtag was a lifetime ago #talentiseverywhere still fits and to be honest, the inaugural All Eyez On  Me Individual Showcase was bigger than even I anticipated for the first time around as over 80 players showed up, some still in elementary school all the way up to those entering their final year of high school so to say I was pleased with the abundance of talent would simply be understatement. Basketball has changed the past few years, not all for the good and parents and players need to truly understand that if their aspirations are playing at the next level, they definitely need to be placed in the right situations and be noticed by those that are actually looking because if you can do simple math, there is not something for everyone. I’ve been tweeting out players the past few days, I always ask players to take pictures at the camps I cover so I can reference back down the road as my goal is to evaluate EVERY player that was in attendance so here’s another group

Hannah Hawkins-from day one I’ve enjoyed watching this young lady shoot the ball and the range has become deeper, her ability to catch and shoot with accuracy is among the best in the state and she’s attacking and finishing with contact

Tyquanna Ross-plenty of players had that “first step” that kept defenders off balance and Ross had one of the best and coupled with her athleticism, she was definitely hard to handle. Finished strong, made some acrobatic shot and has a nice pull-up jumper 

Claire Hale-just keeps adding a variety of offensive weapons to her game.  Her long ball shooting was one of the first things I noticed a few years ago but taking defenders off the dribble, finishing with contact and a nice midrange game has made her hard to handle but what really impresses me is her ability to catch and shoot with defenders hanging on her

Jamayla Ramsey-definitely one of top freshmen in state, explosive off the dribble, defends baseline to baseline hard and one of the best first steps I’ve seen all season. She’s shifty, with the ball and can do whatever she wants but two things, her step back and doing that dropping 3 after 3 is icing on the cake

Arrianna Faulks- I use ultra-athletic for a reason and it definitely applies to her because when you can do things under control in the air on a consistent basis…..Gets to the basket whenever she pleases and finishes strong, nice pull-up in traffic, elevates on shot, over defenders, and pressure defense is what she brings

Cai Wilson-there’s fast which is always good but fast with the ball is definitely better and she is that plus under control. Not only can she blow by most and get to the basket, she understands the importance of playing passing lane and instinctively steals the ball with regularity. Good handle, sees the floor well

Zoe Nelson- she can turn it on and just dominate, her arsenal of offensive weapons combined with size, strong body and athletic ability has me on the verge of saying #BCSLock  as she’s a shade under that magic number of 6’0 that grabs college coaches attention. In transition, she showed several signs that are still blinking in my head

Jazra Williams- showed BEASTLIKE signs over and over as she plays even bigger than she is. Good timing, plus she’s long and that gives her an advantage in defense but she also elevates off the ground and battles for everything. On the other end, she creates her shot and finishes strong

Amani Bradshaw-explosive with the ball, loves to attack basket and finishes with contact. She also loves pressure, giving and taking and playing the passing lane, she definitely did some taking.  Nice pull-up jumper, plays hard and with energy which trickles down to teammates and what I saw even more of was her ability to see the floor and thread the needle

Madison Crowson-she stands 6’2, good hands and footwork and she runs the floor, both ways. She rebounds on both ends, understands how to use the pick and roll, passes well from her position but on top of everything, she puts the ball in the basket

Tyquanna Ross- very athletic got to the basket whenever she wanted and that was because of her speed and handling the ball under control but that’s not the only thing, she finished over and over and with contact. Pressure defense is always a plus, she brings that to the table as well, nice upside

Victoria Rivera-“all bets are off” is wha I said when I saw her 3 or 4 years ago, she’ll enter her freshman season as one of the top freshmen in Texas and she ain’t done. Close to 6’0, her range is unlimited, like her upside as she can score so many ways, I can’t even count them. Good body control and again , there is no telling how high she soars for the next level

Sierra Woods- dazzled me almost immediately with handle and variety of moves to the basket but she sees floor, threads the needle and is one of those “makes teammates better” types of player. Love her energy and upside but she brings a whole lot to the table including defense and remember, the game starts at the one

Portia Leathers- strong rebounder and finisher, around 6’0 and loves contact. I guess what she’s showing even more of is facing the basket to score and playing defense outside of the paint. Nice hands and footwork, her energy and upside are pluses as well

YuYu Adeleke- strong body, strong rebounder, strong defender, strong finisher still doesn’t sum up her intangibles that don’t show on the stat sheet like powerful picks that gives shooters looks or diving for loose balls or reacting on screens . Faces the basket and stepped out on the perimeter to hold her man

San Antonio Lady Hoops foursome knew they had #AllEyezOnMe

I think I've mentioned that I love seeing new talent, this ties into my saying talent is everywhere and this dates back to when I used to curse the mainstream out about ignoring Texas, oh how I wish they had Instagram so we could refer back to those exciting times but we don't however nothing has changed in my mind because I actually what's out there, what has been out there and how the finished product looks so it's always good to see players that not only get it but also implement it. I caught the San Antonio Lady Hoops a few weeks ago and to say I was speechless at times would be an understatement so for the four that were at the Individual Showcase, here's a little something

Annalia Cuellar- instant offense sort of sums her up, or does it. She creates well under pressure and gets her shot off nicely but more  importantly she is consistent. When you can mix it up by taking defenders off the dribble coupled with her shooting, good things will happen

Emery Black-powerful is a good word because she gets to the basket strong and finishes the same way, with contact. Good defender baseline to baseline, nice mid to long range but I guess what I saw even more of was her rebounding on both ends, against taller players and her spin move still has me dizzy

Future Asevado- don't know if this "Future" can rap off the court but she certainly can "create" on it , love how she attacks the basket for buckets and it doesn't matter from where are against whom. Sets defenders up nicely, sees the floor well

Aysia Proctor- this is one Proctor you don't want to Gamble on, pun intended but her upside is scary. Missed her a few weeks ago, she broke her hand and I'm thinking which one because she scoring with both. Love the range, takes defenders off dribble easily, showed a step back, nice arsenal of offensive weapons

Lady Wolfpack group get it done with 6 at #AllEyezOnMe #TJShowcase

In this day of what I call "novelty" basketball, I always admire those who just bring it, no matter what the situation or circumstances. This is how my "grapevine" works, Reagan Montgomery's dad Craig told Lady Wolfpack coach Juan Panuco about what I did and what I've done in the past and he contacted me about a young man that goes to his daughter's high school who could play, yet had nothing on the table and he was right, the young man could play so after doing what I do, less than a month before school was out, this young man suddenly had over 25 completely free offers to play college basketball so I used grapevine for a reason as some are just swinging from vine to vine thinking those grapes will turn into wine yet more times not, that vine is going to break ans you are going to land in a mess

Here's a quick hitter for you on the Super 6 that simply would not quit during the TJ Showcase and were equally impressive that Friday at the Individual Showcase and they all will play together at some point at Whitney HS

2021

Daisy Rodriguez- love this young lady's work ethic and I can tell she's been putting work in away from games. Attacks strong and finishes with contact, rebounds and that stop and pop from midrange has definitely taken off

Alina Thiele-understands the game, plays within herself and just fills in so many blanks as she can score, make the right pass and defend but much what she does doesn't appear on the score sheet and that's always a plus

Valerie Panuco- hadn't seen this squad since last season and the jump this young lady has made is a big one. She always plays hard but her defense baseline to baseline or on ball in the halfcourt was huge over the weekend just like her long ball

2022

Caitlyn Panuco- initials CP yet may as well be CPR because she is an exciting player to watch offensively that can score from almost anywhere. What I like in her progression is she not only is finishing stronger with contact, she looks for it and is an and one waiting to happen

2023

Emma Ford- acronym for car/truck doesn't fit, she's doing plenty of fixing and repairing on the court daily, love the scrappy play as she's all over the court making things happen, she's creating her shot in traffic and that midrange was clicking

Tabitha Johnson- when you're 6'3 and in the 8th grade, you're the DRAW and college coaches will come because of that, #TrustMe, I don't lie, well about basketball related stuff but she's strong and powerful, rebounds on both ends, finishes and runs the floor. I guess my takeaway is her perimeter defense and facing the basket to score continues to get better, huge upside for this young lady

Up and coming youngsters from 2018 #AllEyezOnMe Individual Showcase

Plenty of heat at the inaugural All Eyez On Me Individual Showcase and let me plug something I have pinned on my Twitter page, talent is everywhere and although the game on the girl's side continues to change, my finding "diamonds in the rough" hasn't and there were plenty of them starting in the 4th grade to those heading to their senior years in high school but just let me drop a few names to get going

Abigail Valero- plays hard defense, already knows how to create her shot and attack from wing
Lyllian Walton- ahead of the game athletically, understands the game, also can create her shot
Victoria Walton-size don't matter when you can play, won't be out-hustled, good energy
Jaycee Ingram- creates her shot under pressure, already finishes with contact and attacks well
Miley Flores-another battler that won't back then, gets to the basket and finishes strong
Kiaya Kyhamn-very athletic, plays passing lane, gets to the basket from every angle
Johnae Biggs- already close to 6'0, great timing, blocks and deflects, finishes, rebounds, huge upside
Nadine Adeleke-good defense, plays passing lane, rebounds on both ends
Nadia Adeleke-goes after everything, dives on floor, love to play D, strong finisher

2018 University of Houston Elite Camp solid top to bottom

It's always great seeing players in different settings , one of my phrases "talent is everywhere" is only superseded by another phrase "it's not what you do, it's who you do it against" and although much of what I say goes way over a lot of heads, sooner or later it sinks in so watching talented players just bring it is always a pleasure for me to see. Many players I called next level after the first time I saw them were on hand, the electrifying Raven Adams made a statement during her freshman season at Ridgepoint simply still amazes me while fellow 2021 players Timberlyn Criswell, Jordyn Sowell, Kaidance Glenn, Bria McClure and Kayla Glover continue to elevate their already impressive games but when you throw in Haleen Harris and Asia Broughton's adding more and more every time I see them, Texas 2021 has an abundance of those that will be vying for next level scholarships however log that into the "scratched record" category because I've been saying that for 15 years when no one was paying attention to the state on the national level

Don't know if  Jazzy Owens is waving the yellow flag but she's one of the best 2022's in the nation, I ain't gotta see a bunch of em to know what I'm talking about but she won't be slowing down and neither will R'Mani Taylor and Madison Cockrell who will make impacts in HS almost immediately, trust me on that one and also trust what I saw in Sydney Ward and 6'2 Ayanna Thompson almost instantly as you would have never known they were among the youngest at the camp. Deucee Reed stock continues to rise and speaking of rising 6'3 Tionna Herron is showing signs of being a #BEAST very quickly as she and her 8 other Desoto HS teammates will have me making several trips going 45N over the next few years. Tough as nails Jordyn Marshall is another solid freshman that doesn't show her age and let me drop it down to 2023 Crystal Hayes who plays on a boys team, she's 6'3  btw with unbelievable upside, wait, girls use to play against boys back in the day, I forgot

Kamryn Jones was a more than pleasant surprise, I caught her during a holiday tournament but she definitely benefited more from me catching her for a couple of hours, she's going to sneak up on many in the 2020 group which I said 5 or 6 years ago would be a "monster class" and folks no matter what you hear or probably haven't heard or been told, if I say it, it's going to happen. Asha Thompson, older sister of Ayanna, has always been a terror and just playing this in my head, DeSoto just might make a deep run. Shira Patton and Rianne Burton have solidified everything I knew they would become, they've put in the work. Jillian Sowell and her sister I guess were in the 5th and 4th grades when I just knew they had something to work with. Abigail Lynch has next level stamped on her forehead, she caught my attention in a huge way a couple of weekends ago at the Texas Phenoms tournament by going completely off during the stretch of one game, nothing changed here

Texas always has had talent, some thing have changed for the good, some for the not so but first looks at legitimate players never lets me down and watching Jiya Perry play around the world in a game as she even added some HORSE, we called it something else when I played made me smile, the explosiveness from Ariyanna Hines getting wherever she wanted whenever she wanted, the fire from Haley Wesley, as well as watching Nina Ritchie come back with a bang and Karyn Ford bangin inside or dropping the long ball, this camp was definitely a good one as Ashley Daniel sent a message that many other players cosigned on, watch out for me next month