Houston United 2026 #NBC20

I had a chance to catch up with Houston United 2026 squad, well I actually I had a chance to catch them in action at Prime Time Nationals and many again at the #AllEyezOnMe Individual Showcase, I'll drop that later on my website but this is what I saw at #NBC20

SOPHIA RODRIGUEZ

Sophia Rodriguez was overly impressive on the defensive end as she understood the importance of being around the ball and manning up. She also finished strong

Natalia Reyna comprehends the game so well, she makes good decisions and has great upside because she plays within herself

Ava Ford is so athletic and has an abundance of raw talent that is just overwhelming and I see her turning the corner in a big way soon

Amber Mead sees the floor well and attacks the basket strongly, she can apply heat full court on the defensive end

KAMDEN FLORA

Kamden Flora is athletic and has several tools already that definitely will help her be in the mix. Good size, BB-IQ, and a nice first step, plus she finishes with contact 

Devyn Turner was a guest player and boy did she play because she too applied a lot of heat on defense and attacked strong and physical 

Kaly Randle falls into that #sizedontmatter because she brought it and she also delivered and when you have a solid first step at this stage...

Isabelle Rodriguez is playing a grade and from what I'm seeing she'll be up, up and away in the future because she too falls into the #sizedontmatter but peep this, she creates her shot, she can shoot it and she attacks off the dribble 

Player Spotlight 2021 Ashlyn Ryall

I remember the first time I caught Ashlyn Ryall before she was even attending Friendswood HS, I said, "this kid has some definite tools" but even beyond the skill set, I was overly impressed with her knowledge of the game because one more time, "if you comprehend the simple things at a young age, you're way ahead of the game" and the game is one she loves to play and after being named to the All-District squad multiple times, Chronicle Player Of The week as well as Galveston County All-County HM in high school

After leading her Friendswood team in points, three-pointers as well as assists, she has helped her BDA club team compete against some of the states elite tournaments including Big State Flava Jam but what's even more impressive about the 5'9 guard with NBA range is that she can play the one and a two and while we're dancing and a three and a four but the dance is only beginning as she even did some damage playing the five this past weekend, this ties into my opening statement "if you comprehend the simple things at a young age, you're way ahead of the game" because she THINKS the game, understands positioning when to switch and always important, she's vocal and a leader on the court

2021 Valerie Panuco helps lead DC Queens Centex to #NBC20 National Championship

Valerie Panuco deserves the "color pop" photo because the first time I saw this young lady play, her game just popped right at me. She understood so much at an early age that I knew she would be solid at Whitney High School but one of the first things that kept me thinking was her defense, she loves to play it and plays it the right way but the small things that don't make a scoresheet or stat sheet are here intangibles like understanding how and when to switch or trap which leads to steals and turnovers she may not get credit for

What she will get credit for is playing a huge role in her DC Queens Centex (Lady Wolfpack) squad winning Prime Time Nationals 11th/12th grade Division because she was the glue on both ends of the court. She scores in the flow as well as in the clutch and that's from outside or attacking the basket but her basketball comprehension and unselfishness has always added to what she brings to the table and now that the table has been set, she's ready for that next level spot

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Check out her highlights

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Player Spotlight- 2022 Makenna Walker

I'm always searching for "that new face" that's abundant throughout girl's basketball because one of the reasons I started doing what I do in Texas over 15 years ago because the national media didn't know or didn't know what they were looking at and I used the phrase "talent is everywhere" if you know what you're looking at so I'm checking out multiple teams on multiple courts at She's Ballin Extravaganza and I'm watching from afar as I see the ball going up and hearing cheer after cheer so I move to that court and low and behold, Makenna Walker was the young lady on fire

Walker was more than a pleasant surprise as she brought heat on both ends of the court but her jumper was very impressive and watching her create her shot under pressure was equally exciting especially when she not only attacked and finished with contact but she also did it acrobatically showing her athleticism, which also stood out on the defensive end as she played the passing lane and car up with numerous steals. This was her first season at 5A Princeton HS after moving up from a 3A school where she started and was named All-District Honorable mention, she earned that award again at Princeton, and to show me I wasn't seeing a mirage a few weeks ago she has continued to impress me with Cy Fair Elite 16U National Dallas, check out her highlight film

Team Tulsa Purple brings it home #Super64

Team Tulsa came to the PBR Super 64 and that mission wasn't impossible because this squad has a history of winning the big ones, add the Connecticut Division to there accomplishments, and all of that is fine and dandy but I always look for "those girls" who can play at the next level, I've caught several of these young ladies in the past and to say I was impressed with their progression would be an understatement and the mix of 2024 and 2025 young stars were just something to see. JaShay Devers and Brianna  Gist are 2024 players, Tay'Butler and Lilee Sanders are in the 2025 class, I'll get a better look at them down the road but the ones I caught a lot of as I was moving on various courts were these young ladies

2024

Sakauri Wilson (THA) two of the many things I love seeing in young players is the ability to create their shot and an explosive first step, she does both yet she also sees the court as if she was looking through a microscope, passes are crisp and on the money but her pull-up is solid and she does something else I love to see plays the passing lane

KiAryn Taylor (Kipp) she also plays the passing lane and plays it well plus she's long and athletic, that's the base and remember that so watching her attack the basket strings was as funds watching her keep the ball high after rebounding, she does that on both ends of the floor and plays defense

Aire'l Vazquez (Will Rogers) I love her upside for many reasons including she goes hard and rebounds with authority and that in itself sends messages but a couple of other things were priceless to me and that was watching her pass off the dribble and show a consistent drop step, aka a lost art that actually works

Taiona Morris (Union) Morris also does a great job creating her shot and an exceptional job at getting it off, under pressure yet watching her drop the long ball, multiple times, was pretty cool and what was even cooler is that she can catch and shoot, that too is valuable at this stage because, well just because I said so

2025

Kennadi Jackson (Goddard) I don't know what I like the most, her explosive first step, yep she has it too, her ability to attack against whomever, under control or maybe it was her threading the needle in traffic  but playing that passing lane is something many  on this squad can do and her upside is nice as well

Tierra Owens (THA) I love flair and excitement and this young lady is going to be labeled a "highlight waiting to happen" in the open court before it's all said and done. She already has the razzle-dazzle down, she understands how to attack the basket and finish after contact but that energy just keeps applying heat

Hope Bump (Claremore) that three-inch growth spurt had me scratching my head wondering which one she was but she's added so much more including her poise and ability to show she has the potential to take over games. She finishes with power, she understands how to set defenders up off the dribble, the stop and pop from midrange is smooth and her positioning, another lost art, enables her to rebound against taller players

Early look at 2025 group around Texas

I love this picture, I've explained numerous times that I'm a VISUAL person and although I respect other people and their opinions, ranging from politics to evaluating talent, that has nothing to do with what I think and for 60 years it's worked for me, says the man who has been married 9 times. Maybe that doesn't register but what does register is what you do on the court and I've had a chance to see many young players in middle school numerous times and here are TEN of the TOP 2025 players, in no particular order, that I have personally seen in the past few months and have shown me, it's not what you do, it's who you do it against so please don't send me what someone said or any irrelevant nonsense like stats or efficiency ratings

LA Sneed
Aniyah Foy
Aaliyah Chavez
Katelynn Evans
Hillary Dawson
Andrea Sturdivant
Aniah Holmes
Chandler Caver
Kenna McKenzie
Alaysia Gude

Houston Area 2024 Watch List

I was watching my daughter, Sydney Colson, play in the 2011 NCAA Final Four yesterday as her Texas A&M team beat Stanford in the semifinals and for those of you who don't know or didn't realize was that four players from Houston were playing, Colson, Adoara Elonu (Texas A&M)  as well as Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike (Stanford) and all play or have played in the WNBA. The crazy part is our local paper, the Chronicle, had no one there covering the event, I know, it's just WBB yet it also shows the ignorance associated with it from the area

Let me also add another tidbit of information to try and put things in perspective, some of you will get, most want because you're probably listening to an idiot that has ulterior motives but peep this, in 2007 Sydney Colson and Karima Christmas, 2008 Nneka Ogwumike and Briana Gilbreath, 2009 Kelsey Bone and Brittany Griner and in 2010 Chiney Ogwumike graduated from high school and all played in the WNBA after college and it wasn't until last year that players from Houston, Brianna Turner and Brooke McCarty made a squad so if someone tells you the talent now is what it was, they're lying or clueless, it is not the same as far as depth but there are still some very talented players out there and many will play at college and beyond, it's just not as deep

Fast forward to now, I get a kick out of watching the young talent around the state, I don't leave as much as I used to because I already know where the bar has been set after doing this on my own for over a decade and truly observing for 20 years so when I make a statement about a  young player being a #D1Lock,  I'm on the money and I haven't been wrong since I started doing it and there are several talented players in the area in the  2024 Class I will be keeping an eye on.

Some I've even crowned #BCSLock like Gwendlynn McGrew and with that being said, you can throw away the key but I'll be observing the progression of many young ladies who have already shown me they will be playing somewhere at the next level and here we go with a dozen right now, in no particular order, I'll add more providing I have complete rosters and you happen to be where I'll be. always check here  

Gwendlynn McGrew
Raniyah Lewis
Amiyah Cotton
Nicolette Polachek
Aniyah Alexis
Kendall Sneed
Heather Bayman
Deyjah Ray
Torran Deterville
Asia Waddell
Emrie Holt
Jade Williams
Zachara Perkins

The next showcase I'm covering is June 12th All Eyez On Me where EVERY player gets evaluated

'22 Jade Miller Elevating Her Status

I'll never forget catching Jade Miller for the first time at a Prime Time Tournament when I used to cover them and I'm on the baseline taking pictures and this lady walks up to me and asked why am I taking pictures of her daughter. I responded, "because I am a genius at evaluating talent and your daughter has plenty of potential" and she laughed and said okay. Fast forward four years later and Jade helped lead Manvel to the playoffs in one of the toughest districts in the area where they would lose to district rival Hightower in the game that would have sent them to the regional semis

Miller could score, that was apparent early at the initial sighting but her poise and composure at a young age just stood out and it explains why she handles pressure so well now. Mid to long-range or off the dribble, she can get it done yet she also scores in the flow and can run the 1 or 2 with ease. Miller is one of the top defensive guards in the area, among the leaders in steals but her desire to defend baseline to baseline is second to none and oh yeah, she plays the passing lane. After garnering numerous awards in her sophomore season, it ain't over so be ready

2023 Paris Guillory Continues To Elevate

Talent is everywhere and I always use logic and data to substantiate what I say, unlike many of our political leaders, so that places me in the "expert" category and usually when I say something about a talented young star, well not usually since I've never been wrong, that young star does exactly what I saw and Louisana freshman Paris Guillory continues to elevate her game and fame

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AND MORE

In her freshman season, she helped lead her Saint Louis Catholic high school squad to runner-up in the STATE CHAMPIONSHIP and this speaks volumes in itself because Guillory has the ability to simply take games over on the offensive end yet she also showed she could do damage in the flow. Mid to long-range, off the dribble, that has always been there since the 6th grade when I first wrote about her yet her range and game keeps expanding and when you combine all of that with her ball-handling and passing ability, well it doesn't really matter what I say as numerous D1 offers have poured in already. She'll be on tour with Lake City Pride, stay tuned

2026 She's Ballin Showcase quick hitter

I always take pride in trying to evaluate as many players as possible, no matter what age because I know where the bar was set years ago, I saw Brooke McCarty, Sarah Andrews and Deja Kelly in the 5th grade and called all of them #D1Locks, McCarty played at Texas and in the WNBA for Dallas, Andrews (Baylor) and Kelly (North Carolina) are seniors in high school so this sort of tells you how I know what I'm talking about, in fact in 1989, I saw the nurse slap my daughter, Sydney Colson, and my daughter slapped her back and right then I knew she had quick hands that helped her lead Texas A&M to a National Championship and multiple in the WNBA but enough of my genius that goes over the heads of many, here are a few of the 6th graders that are ahead of the game but the main thing is to keep working, this can change and be sure to be where I can see your progression

Bella Flemings
Jaidyn Gunter
Jacy Abii
Delaney Arrendondo
Beya Chase
Janea Walls