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