Lady Diamonds 15U #simmiecolsonclassic

 The Lady Diamonds brought a couple of talented squads from THE VALLEY and those GIRLS could play as I go back to the eighties playing on words and one of the most popular was "bag your face" which is what many of these idiots should do but back the subject, I dropped a story on the 6th grade squad, I dropped a story on PGH Texas about THE BABIES playing up, yeah that's 2027, Ebonie Chatman, upfront, just dropped a  2025 WATCH featuring Madison Borjas and Gi Gi Betancourt and in between, Kimora Fagan made my Explosive Guard list so that just about wraps it up, right? Not at all and there are others from the 2025 group

Silah Flores- creates her shot under pressure and showed she could drop the jumper, solid defender

Danielle Mendoza- scored off the dribble, deceptive first step had defenders off balance

Bella Mancha- handles the ball well, split defenders several times, and dropped the pull-up with ease

Alyson Perez- applied plenty of heat on defense, good upside 

Keep An Eye On 

KASSANDRA GARCIA, in CAPS for a reason 

IJU 17 #simmiecolsonclassic

 IJU "It's Just Us" took me back, well way back to another independent from back in the day WAWG " We All We Got" and when I see those who are unknown as well as definitely UNDER THE RADAR, always remember I go for the UNDERDOG for two reasons, when we started our club, naysayers were laughing, when I started evaluating, same damn thing yet here I am and here they go

Seejeonna Anderson (Eisenhower) OMG, dropped her on the explosive guard list on PGH Texas yet is she a next-level player, no question whatsoever, and her ability to score multiple ways is only part of it. She also defends, doesn't force anything yet can take over at the drop of a dime, she drops dimes too

Keyara Ford (Eisenhower) scored off the dribble, with either hand while finishing after contact

Deja Martin (Eisenhower) has plenty of upside yet her playing the passing lane and scoring multiple ways stood out

Amirah Dixon- creates her shot, knocks it down from DEEEEEEP as well as midrange

Reagan Hart- long and athletic, also dropped the long ball

Raquel "Rocky" Hawk- has the right last name, she applied so much heat defensively, I needed water. She finishes around the basket, showed the pull-up jumper, and played the passing lane

KEEP AN EYE ON

Lacie Williams

Destiny Williams

Soraya Hortez

Uptempo Sports #simmiecolsonclassic

 Head coach Moses Ellis is another person that falls into that over a decade long friendship and I love talking with people that comprehend how this game has changed even though a couple of people that were around before me said "it's the same" or "the other regions have caught up" which makes me glad my daughter didn't play for them because when you say outrageous stuff like that, it's sad, but I truly admire Coach Ellis passion, I noticed that when I first coached against him, well I also remember his daughter dropping five or six 30 footers in front of me on the sideline yet his knowledge as well as the desire to help young ladies fulfill their potential hasn't gone unnoticed by me so I'll catch another look at his team this weekend at LEVEL UP and I guarantee by the end of the season, I will continue to see progression, but here we go, all are from 2024 class with the exception of  '26 Autumn Lecompte

Cynthia Lecompte (Barbers Hill) the last name kept pulling me, wrote about her a few years ago the first time I saw her, and recently wrote about her sister from this event but her timing, UPS, and athleticism continue to stand out, so did her turnaround jumper

Celina Valeriano (Morton Ranch) nice mix of offensive skills starting with the HEZ to attack off the dribble and finish with nice body control but she also has range plus she plays the passing lane 

Aries Donnadieu (Cy Fair) showed the pull-up jumper while being defended, also uses her body well on the inside, nice athleticism, doesn't mind physicality 

Lauren Johnson (Paetow) deceptive first step enables her to attack off the dribble, finishes strong 

Holly Sylve (Morton Ranch) creates her shot, also attacks strongly off the dribble

Madison Henderson (Morton Ranch) heady PG, athletic, sees the floor and showed the crossover in transition. Scored off the dribble as well as the long ball

KEEP AN EYE ON

Tierra Hall (Paetow)

Ada Nwosy (Bridgeland)

Houston United Eddie #simmiecolsonclassic

Houston United head coach and director Chuck McCowan has coached some of the top players from the social media era that have gone on to not only play at the next level but the highest of the next level and before I forget to make it about me, almost 10 years ago was my first article about his squads, notice I said a young Di Di Richards had Top 100 written all over her, she won a National Championship at Baylor and plays in the WNBA #thereisnome 

Another of the "true developers" over the years, McCowan has a nice pipeline working as I caught the younger squads here and here so as I stay on the lookout and see their progression on the court over the next few years, let me drop this 2025 squad

Renata Martinez (Cy Springs) stands at "the magic number" which is 6'0, she understands how to create her shot under pressure and drop it, also attacks off the dribble, nice upside 

Susan Maring (Cy Springs) 6'1 is 73 inches and with my area code being 713, she is definitely one to be monitoring because she has nice hands and footwork, plenty of upside 

Tiana Harden-5'11 (Cy Creek) long and athletic is the base and with her being active on the defensive end, that's a great foundation

Jaslyn Ford (Cy Springs) is 6'2 and strong, that's an understatement as she rebounded on both ends and scored on putbacks, with players literally hanging on her 

Isabelle Jordan (Cy Springs) uses her athleticism nicely, did a good job defending as well as rebounding, on both ends. scored around the rim

Macie Aranda (Tomball Memorial) good rebounder and defender

London Columbus (Jersey Village) plays within herself, nice court vision

Kendall Kyle (St Agnes) looking at her height, I'm even more impressed with writing UPS and at 5'7 she elevated over taller players to grab rebounds

Keeping an eye on  

Emery Haralson (Cy Springs)

Andrea Pleasante (Cy Park)

Houston Dream #simmiecolsonclassic

Trey Phillips, Brandon Patterson, and Jason Bibbs are a trio of Houston Dream coaches I have known for, well almost ever. Bibbs and Patterson were out here before and Trey, who is also director of the Dream, a few later when his daughter played for the insiders and he was one of the coaches so our ties are like a knot you can't, well untie and I speak often about those lying to you about their make-believe resumes who just pop-up and pop-off, these men have been helping since day 1 of me knowing them are among those true developers so I was excited to grab a glimpse of one their "on the rise" squads

2024

Jaziel King (Randle) scores off the dribble and can drop the long ball yet her court vision set her teammates up nicely for baskets

Ifemena Nwora (Randle) strong rebounder, on both ends, doesn't mind battling and defended well

Mana Yusuf (Fort Bend Austin) understands positioning around the basket, goes after the ball off the rim, is athletic, and can defend "on the ball"

Jayla Ford (Madison) SDM means "size don't matter" when you can play and she plays within herself, understands how to control the tempo, sees the floor 

Tiffany Nguyen (George Ranch) caught my eye a while back, heady, stays under control, and can score multiple ways 

2025

 Alaysia Cook (Bay City) is long and athletic with a pull-up jumper, yes, so watching her not only drop it from outside but rebound and go coast to coast and finish was nice. HUGE upside

Samirah Guinn (Fort Bend Travis) is long and athletic, nice first step to attack the basket with either hand, also defended well

Laressa Allison (Fort Bend Marshall) is athletic, goes hard on both ends, solid defender and plays the passing lane, goods upside 

Rendi Taylor (Manvel) creates her shot under pressure, understands when to take it and can drop it, also brings heat defensively

 

Infiniti Hoops Orange #simmiecolsonclassic

 I caught a look at Infiniti Hoop's Orange team on day 1 and an even better on Sunday so here ya go 

Joi Gonzales- scored off the dribble and finished after contact, also rebounded 

Madelyn Cuff- scored off the dribble, after contact, rebounded on both ends, set solid picks, and defended well

Cyanna Cavazos-long and athletic did a good job defending and playing the passing lane

Lily Bacon- off the dribble she not only scored but also saw the floor, court vision was solid in the set as well

Ella De La Garza- created her shot and not only got it off  with a nice pull-up, but she also knocked it down as well

Malaia Savas- also showed the jumper, while being defended, plays within herself 

Grayson Bartek, Kelsey Hansen, Presley Vera, and Madison Rogers round out this on the move up squad

Infiniti Hoops Black #simmiecolsonclassic

 

It's always good catching new players, especially from other areas, and although I've seen some of the players before, glad to see their progression as well because I'm definitely about getting better so I dropped Zoey Reyes on the middle school players playing up in the top division yet here are some others 

 Bella Reyes (2023) good midrange jumper, also showed she the stop and pop in transition

2024

Lanie Jiminez- scores off the dribble as well as from the outside, nice range and she plays the passing lane

Reece Coburn-solid defender with nice hands to get steals that also attacks the basket strongly and finishes.

Christina Balderama-handles the ball in the open court, went C2C several times, and finished but she also scores off the dribble as well as midrange

Kai Stratton- long and athletic, sees the floor, makes crisp passes in traffic, and create her own shot under pressure

Sydney Nickleberry- long and athletic, created her shot and showed she could drop the jumper

Liana Rodriguez and Brynne Beck are athletic and played within themselves.  I've caught Alisha Peavy in the past and all have nice upside

Lady Drive Nation Massey #simmiecolsonclassic

Massey Business School was very popular in Houston and LDN Massey was also popular as they were taking care of business at the Simmie Colson Classic yet #SCC is too short yet no shortage of talent on this squad

Seleste Massey and Sydney Durrah made a PGH Texas Tip Sheet and are showing high Top 100 potential already. Kilah Long and Destini Etier are names I will definitely be writing about in the future, they also made a PGH Tip Sheet yet here's another TIP, they have some talent 

I take pictures for a reason, I'm a visual person, and going back, let's see, Addyson Handy and Francesca Ratino have shown potential when  I've caught them in the past, they're definitely on track yet so are others 

Iwi Okoro- boxes out, rebounds well, and defended inside and outside the paint

Skylar Harvey- long and athletic, scores off the dribble yet also can drop it from deep, B2B threes multiple times

Zanay Kearney- #THROWBACK is dropped because she goes after everything off the rim, you can't teach DESIRE, wait a  minute, look what I wrote at Pass Tha Ball event 

Payton Gloster- defends well, has good timing, and rebounds strongly, on both ends

Lady Hustle 2026 Regional #simmiecolsonclassic

 Another talented young group filled with both potential and upside showed up and showed various signs from various players, let me start with Sophie Mitchell making the PGH Texas Tip Sheet from the event so let me drop even more tips

Mikaylen Warmsley- heated things up on both ends with her tough "on the ball" defense and that explosive first step  and in the open court, the crossover was very nice

Arianna Boling- goes hard and in one of the pictures I see her battling on the floor, yeah that's #THROWBACK yet she adds to everything with a pull-up jumper showing nice mid to long-range

Josslyn Jones-long and athletic, remember that's the base and her playing the passing lane as well as score off the dribble were nice, so was her timing as well as defense

Kylie Melgar-quick hands are always good to see and they also helped her pick some pockets. Understands how to defend, does a good job "on the ball

Mia Flores, Gracie Mitchell, Trameshia Harrison, and Sanya Sinha are others I can't wait to catch their progression on this 2026 squad 

Premier DBK 8th Grade #simmiecolsonclassic

 Coach Sosa brought a couple of talented squads, I already dropped the 12U squad as well as Kylie Ortego making one PGH Texas Tip Sheet and Kylie Garza and Abby Simon making another from the 8th Grade team, here are some others 

Elena Armendariz- that pull-up coupled with that range is sweet and by range, mid to long yet she also scores off the dribble

Ryler Wilson- strong rebounder, nice moves around the rim, finishes well

Aryanna Carrera- finishes strong, after contact, good upside 

Sydne Dove- when doves cry as well as fly, her "on the ball" defense was impressive, so is her upside

Michelle Moore- she plays the passing lane, I mentioned I love that yet she also has a nice pull-up and scores off the dribble

IJU 13 and 14U #Simmiecolsonclassic

IJU "It's Just Us" reminds me of a dangerous squad from another era, WAWG "We All We Got" and like the latter, this squad has an abundance of next-level talent so let me dive right in with the squads

13U

Milan Barnes-pull-up jumper is sweet yet so are the handles as she zig-zagged through traffic in the open court, plus she scores off the dribble

Deja Barrow- very athletic, plays the passing lane, which I love, and sees the floor, which I also love but she battles for rebounds, on both ends 

Kayilee Rollings -long and athletic will always be the base, she has good timing which is going to create some issues and she goes after the ball off the rim

14U

Natalia Reyna- "on the ball" defender, nice first step to take defender off the dribble and finishes strongly 

Daz Raz -UPS, meaning she elevates off the ground, long and athletic, good timing 

Samantha Dorsey- creates her shot under pressure, knocks the mid to long-range down 

Tymecia Bolt- uses her body well around the basket, finishes after contact, good rebounder 

Kobe Johnson and Garlynn Grant made the PGH Texas Tip Sheets 

Houston United 2026 #simmiecolsonclassic

Why do I yell "What The Chuck" when I walk in a gym and see Houston United Director Chuck McCowan? Well for a number of reasons since the rumor is I'm crazy, the people that get it will actually talk but more importantly, is because of what he is building and is one of the people that are truly developing, I don't care if you disagree, I don't seek your approval yet I do approve of watching the progression from a number of players in the organization so let me it drop it quickly 

Averie Aranda caught my yey off the top, I even previewed her on PGH TEXAS yet she wasn't the only player. 

Doniya Shelby -long and athletic with UPS, yeah elevates for rebounds and finishes, good upside

Sarah Drummer- stands around "the magic number" which is 6'0, goes after the ball off the rim, scores on putbacks, has good upside

Eboni Sidney- work ethic is solid, so is upside as she already is battling for rebounds

Potential is definitely there for Audriana Kobina, Wynter Fludd, and Amelia Kaljoni, and watching the progression on the court of this team has me excited because I see it coming 

2022 League City Sharks 12U #SimmieColsonClassic

 I rarely look at rosters during games, it takes me a minute to tweet, tag, and try to rush which equates to countless typos yet Brooklyn Wong, Adarra Vanderford, and Mia Zuniga all made the SCC Tip Sheet, keep in mind Zuniga is a 5th grader playing up yet going over the roster, they had another young lady playing up, Lily Sanchez, also a 5th grader and let me say this, watching her handle the ball under pressure and attack multiple ways, that first step is going to create some problems had me smiling yet not as much as watching her rebound against taller players, you can't teach that 

You also can't teach "playing the passing lane"well you can yet it's a lost art so Rylee Patrick does that well, plus scores off putbacks which means she rebounds but Natalia Mireles, both are pictured above, gave me highlights galore as she not only sees the floor yet passes the ball in traffic, with either hand, and at this stage, I can't wait to see what she becomes because she changes direction going full speed while staying under control, scores off the dribble yet that court vision just grabs me

Kynsley Goodsell sold me watching her handle the ball in the open court, she's pictured above yet she also can score off the dribble as well as with the jumper, nice pull-up while being defended yet on the flip, she did a good job defending. Aubrey Taylor rebounded on both ends but playing the passing lane is just something I love seeing younger players do, she did it numerous times and I love #THROWBACK stuff so when I saw Pyper Trancucci showed the "drop step" and finished that just did it for me. This is a talented young squad, Samantha Dupont and Julia Kern are a couple of others I'll be keeping my eyes on so be ready 

2022 Lady Diamonds 6th Grade #SimmieColsonClassic

 

When I saw Alisela Rangel's, above, last name I became teary-eyed because she shares the last name of one of my dearest friends who is no longer with us but she joins Evan Ayala and Alyssa Ramirez on the SCC Tip Sheet yet there are others who traveled from the VALLEY to showcase their skills

Dominika Flores attacks the basket and finishes strongly, this includes after contact, plus she applies heat defensively but playing defense runs rampant on this squad, Gena Benavidez and Sarah Trevino also did a good job playing it "on the ball" but this team also brought back some memories of the old days of small-town squads making noise and noise definitely was heard from watching Ivanna Yanez show she could make the nets holla from deep range and noise from the crowd came as Jayleena Berlanga showed not only the HEZ, hesitation or many just say hezzie but that, as well as her COP, change of pace and finishing with either hand "JUST DID IT" 

2022 TNBA 12U #SimmieColsonClassic

 Kyanna Lacour and Brylee Naccara made the SCC Tip Sheet yet here's a tip, I can't wait to see this team towards the end of the season because they get after it and are filled with potential, I don't make things up. Sydnee Arocha (pictured) is already showing she can catch and shoot and with her quick release, things will fall into place quickly, hey that's Lacour in the background yet Madison Perry showing she could create her shot and drop the pull-up jumper was also nice. Amanda Rossini continues to add things to her game, after all she's heady and gets it, plays within herself and sees the floor well under pressure

Sofia Bowie sets the defender up nicely to attack off the dribble, well she mixes it up because she too has a pull-up jumper but the upside I see in Zoe Bell has my ears ringing, did you catch that? She's long and athletic, pictured left, and has good timing but the timing and fierceness Jada Banlett showed was scary because she attacks powerfully off the dribble and goes after the ball off the rim, check pictures on my Facebook page and you'll get it, well in this era maybe not  

You don't want to turn your back on anyone at this stage anywhere, trust me and Vicky Yin does quite a few things well already like understanding positioning to rebound, she did that on both ends, as well as score on not only putbacks but off the dribble 

2022 Premier DBK 12U #SimmieColsonClassic

Ellie Lester (pictured) and Phaedra Douglas made the Tip Sheet from the SCC yet there were others that stood out and showed potential like Lexie Cruz who created her shot nicely and showed she could drop it from long range, that in itself is important, especially at this stage but the potential I'm seeing from others was nice as well

Bryana Arce, pictured above, uses her body well around the basket, rebounded and finished and the upside from Ayleen Padilla is solid, she attacks the rim from various angles and elevates on her finishes  Lindsey Matykiewicz who played the passing lane and battled for boards, also plenty of potential in Radley Wilson and Juju Garcia so it's going to be a joy watching the progression on the court from this squad 

 

2022 #SimmieColsonClassic finishes with excitement

I have to start with a shoutout to Coach Trey Phillips (Houston Dream) and Coach Chuck McCowan (Houston UTD) and I talk about there are not of guys doing this that would be coaching my daughter and most of them were here when you add Coach Moses Ellis (Uptempo) as well as a couple of Houston Dream Coaches, Jason Bibbs, and Brandon Patterson, well that speaks volumes about the history ad I have these two for 20 years, Trey and Moses 15 and Chuck over a decade so let me thank him and Trey for pulling this off. Development is important yet in spite of what you are being told by liars, there is not a lot of that but that's another story.

 I'll be dropping tidbits here because this is where everything started, on my blog, use the search bar and the only reason I got into was that my daughters wanted to play and my baby stopped both days, that's her and Obama as well as the numerous highlights from the WNBA and Athletes Unlimited so remember, I actually have traveled this road. Also, be sure and check my website as well as a few of the younger #D1Locks I'm dropping on Prep Girls Hoops Texas

I'm loving the development of this young Houston United team, pictured above, I saw them I believe 2 or 3 weeks ago, just got back from Vegas so I'm still not there but I', already seeing improvement, trust me, once you comprehend the game, play hard and within yourself and absorb what's being taught, everything will fall into place and it's not where you start, it's where you finished and I'm going to enjoy watching THE BABIES improvement over the years