New Look Stars Shine At Think Pink Tournament

The debut of 2019 version of the Fairfax Stars EYBL showed a team unexpectedly different from last but, loaded with talent.  The Fairfax Stars have field at least one (sometimes more) of the nation's top teams in every year of it's existence.  Not the easiest of tasks even in a talent rich region because of the infusion of elite sponsored programs all within a 50 mile radius.  Even with that being said, the Stars 2018 roster included the country's top sophomore who is no longer with the team, losing a player of that caliber can typically decimate a team.  That team won the Boo William's Nike Invitational and ended April as the top team in the country.  The 2019 Fairfax Stars 17U team appear to be even deeper than last years championship team with a new look roster and several high level additions.  Prep Girls Hoops and NSP had their first look in wins over the Matrix and Chantilly Elite.  Here's what we think. &nbsp; <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-size: 14pt">5 Observations of the Fairfax Stars heading into EYBL Session 1:</span></span></strong></span> &nbsp; <span style="color: #800000;text-decoration: underline"><strong>Returning players will take leadership roles:</strong></span> [caption id="attachment_37143" align="alignnone" width="150"] Kaniyah Harris[/caption] <strong>Kaniyah Harris</strong> is coming of an All Met season and a state championship, she is playing with a lot of confidence and as one of the longest tenure Stars players should step into a leadership role this year.  Harris is a skilled guard who can get to the basket and score against pretty much anyone. &nbsp; <span style="color: #800000;text-decoration: underline"><strong>Stars should score a lot of points:</strong></span> &nbsp; The current roster doesn't have the prototype post in the middle, but has 15 players all capable of putting up double figures.  College coaches should look for <strong>Maikya Simmons</strong> and <strong>Caramina Tonedo</strong> to have breakout seasons with several elite level performances this spring and summer. &nbsp; <span style="color: #800000;text-decoration: underline"><strong>Newcomers will play a major role:</strong></span> [caption id="attachment_37144" align="alignnone" width="150"] Eniya Russell[/caption] Some additions showed that they will pay immediate dividends on Saturday.  <strong>Eniya Russell</strong> dawned a Stars jersey and the junior was the most impressive player on the floor for much of the day.  She shot the ball well and was able to navigate to the basket against a variety of defenders.  <strong>Saylor Poffenbarger</strong> was another big addition, at close to 6'3 she showed very good range and perimeter skill.  Also impressive was the length and skill levels of <strong>Kennedy Davis</strong> and <strong>Nycerra Minnis</strong> both should be impact players this season. &nbsp; <span style="color: #800000;text-decoration: underline"><strong>This team is built for longevity</strong></span> [caption id="attachment_37145" align="alignnone" width="150"] Kiki Rice[/caption] The addition of <strong>Kiki Rice</strong> the top freshman in the DMV is a big get.  She is a dynamic player that can score at each level of the court.  Watching bits of the 16U EYBL team and with the Stars history of developing players the 17U team has players in place and players on deck to be competitive for several years to come.  They also have a team that can overcome the USA Basketball <em>plague</em> should it hit. &nbsp; <span style="color: #800000;text-decoration: underline"><strong>The Fairfax Stars can go deep:</strong></span> &nbsp; With 15 players yes they have a deep team, but I'm talking about heir long range shooters.  Outside of Tonedo and Poffenbarger, the Stars have <strong>Anujin Dashdor</strong>j, <strong>Alyssa Hayashi</strong> and <strong>Mikaela Brunias</strong> who can also fill it up from deep. &nbsp; After it all is said and done win or lose this team will be fun to watch and should attract a lot of attention from college coaches.