The top players I saw this Summer. Class of 2020

Over the next few days I will break down, by class, the top players I was able to see this Summer. Some of the players I was able to see with their High School teams and some with their AAU teams. I wish I could see everyone, but that is not possible! I was able to see some very good players and came away very impressed with the talent in Southern Illinois. <strong>Quierra Love </strong>Edwardsville Que is a 5'5 guard that is fun to watch when she is in the open floor. Not only is she fast in a straight line, she is agile enough to change directions without losing much speed. Que contributed off the bench as a freshman and then took over the point guard spot as a sophomore and gained valuable experience at the State tourney both years. If Edwardsville is going to continue their post season success at the 4A level Que will have to become a consistent scoring threat for the Tigers. Her outside shot has improved and in addition to running with the Missouri Phenom select team Que has put the time in at the gym to improve her game. She will be exciting to track over her last two years for fans and D1 coaches looking for a spark plug and leader at the point guard spot. <strong>Ellie Brown </strong>Highland. Ellie is a 5'6 guard that is an excellent scorer and very efficient. Ellie shot 53 % from 2 point range last year in leading the Bulldogs at 12.6 points per game. Ellie scored right at 7 points per game as a freshman and it is that efficiency that was really the key in her improvement in her sophomore year. She is an excellent mid range shooter and has become very confident in finding her shots within the team system. Her 3 point shot is an area that can be improved as she was right at 31% in both years. With that increased percentage from the arc she would be extremely difficult to stop. Ellie spent a big part of her June playing at the point guard. New coach Clint Hamilton played his team in 5 player groups that were very evenly split to get the players a lot of minutes and it gave Ellie the opportunity to work on her skills at the point guard. She has averaged 3 assists and 2 steals per game during her career so far. Developing those skills could be really important as at 5'6 Ellie would likely be a point guard in college. She should be tracked by NAIA and D3 schools. <strong>Madyson Harper </strong>Midwest Central. Madyson is a 5'6 guard that is great with the ball in her hands. She handles it exceptionally well and can use a variety of dribble moves effectively to get around her defender. A right handed shooter that prefers the ball in her left hand when setting up her moves, Harper can also finish in a variety of ways. Madyson really contributed in all facets of the game during her sophomore campaign by putting up 18 points, 5.1 steals, 4.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. She clearly has a great feel for the game and tends to be in the right place at the right time or looking to pass the ball to the right place at the right time. Madyson could use more strength, especially in her upper body to prepare for the college game. She is clearly a small college prospect with potential to move up to a higher level with increased strength. <strong>Abby Manns </strong>Jerseyville. Abby is a 5'8 guard that showed the ability to be an elite defender. She is long and athletic and proved this summer that she can really hound ball handlers. Coach Strebel used her on the opposing point guards and she forced many turnovers and consistently made it difficult for her opponents to get into their offensive sets. Abby averaged 12.5 points per game as a Sophomore and has shown a very good mid range shot. She was able to hit 45% of her shots last year and she got to the line for 160 free throws by taking the ball to the basket and initiating contact against all defenders. Abby spent her AAU sessions running the point guard spot for Blue Star Renken 16U team. That was very valuable experience for her as she is usually off the ball for her high school team. If she is going to play at the college level it will most likely be on the point. Abby will need to add strength and continue to work on her ball handling if she hopes to maximize those college opportunities. She should be tracked by NAIA and D3 schools. <strong>Anna Hall </strong>Civic Memorial. Anna is a 5'11 forward that burst onto the scene as a freshman playing along side Allie Troeckler. Anna averaged 7 points and 5 rebounds that year and jumped those numbers to 10 points and 7 rebounds last year. Anna is very strong and tough in the post which allows her to seal and keep position for easy scoring opportunities. Anna shot 54% from the 2 point range last year so she is definitely capable of converting when she gets the ball in scoring position. Anna has worked hard at developing her outside game which should allow her to pull bigger girls away from the basket and take advantage of her improved shooting and ball handling. Anna spent her spring and summer AAU seasons with the St Louis Eagles 16U team coached by Ken Robinson. Anna will need to continue to improve these skills to maximize her college potential as she will be undersized to compete in the post for 40 minutes at the college level. But, with continued focus on these skills and improved athleticism she could develop into an outstanding 4 at the NAIA/D3 level. Next we will look at the class of 2021.