2024 #Elite 80 standouts

I was going to drop 10 of the Top Texas players that will be on the Watch List for 2024 however I decided to finish up my Elite 80 coverage and recognize some of the top 8th graders that participated. [player_tooltip player_id="158878" first="Aniah" last="Alexis"] was on the roster to be there however a minor injury kept her out yet she showed me a whole lot when I caught her at a middle school tournament so I know she’ll be in the mix and [player_tooltip player_id="158873" first="Rian" last="Forestier"] is at almost every individual showcase I cover displaying that picture-perfect jumper. Roxanne Williams and Isabella Mitchell are a couple of players I have in my memory bank as well. My next Individual Showcase I’ll be covering and when I say cover, I mean top to bottom like a blanket will be in Round Rock at <a href="https://www.tjbasketballshowcase.com/girls/camp-register">All Eyez On Me June 12th</a> so please mark that date. Here are some of the standouts I caught from #Elite80 [player_tooltip player_id="161562" first="Gwendlyn" last="McGrew"]- initial showing had me labeling her as a #D1Lock but after finding out what class she was in, that changed to #BCSLock and let me say this, she always shows me something different, her work ethic is second to none and with her size, frame and skill set, there is no ceiling on how far she’ll go but trust me, she can go [player_tooltip player_id="158865" first="Amiyah" last="Cotton"]-explosive scorer with unlimited range. Saw her going off in middle school but she did the same thing in this setting, remember "it’s not what you do, it’s who you do it against" and her mindset is "you can’t stop me" which is something you definitely can’t teach and she just brings "it" [player_tooltip player_id="158860" first="Mariah" last="Houston"]-she sees the floor and attacks relentlessly yet under control and finishes after contact, all of that in the first couple of minutes she was on the court. Her ability to create her shot under pressure, her explosiveness from wherever and the icing are the icing the cake yet she lit the candles with the crossover [player_tooltip player_id="158872" first="Nicolette" last="Polocheck"] -my initial viewing of her in action told me a lot however watching her battle through a couple of injuries, getting hit in the nose and an ankle injury, just showed me a different side. Strong moves in the paint, rebounds on both ends, runs the floor and just battles [player_tooltip player_id="158879" first="La’Niah" last="Thornton"]-she definitely filled my evaluation sheet of strong points as she attacked and rebounded with ease and showed she could use her body in the paint but she also knocked down the outside shot and her energy level stayed high throughout the event Ashlynn Alexander-"ups" means a lot especially when you combine it with athleticism but she elevates and defends and one thing that just had me smiling as she understood how to take away the sideline as well as play the passing lane Tatiana Butenko-intensity level was turned up off the top and she showed me a different look as she handled the ball under pressure in the open court and scored from outside as well as off the dribble but her upside is what really has me thinking about what’s coming [player_tooltip player_id="158849" first="Madison" last="McKinnon"]-talk about progression every time I see her and my first sighting showed a prototype point guard that could run a team and control the tempo but she’s added so much more including the ability to simply take over offensively [player_tooltip player_id="158875" first="Lauren" last="Danz"]-if I put BEAST by your name, I’m not just using ink but her throwback mentality definitely brightened my day. Her drop step and moves inside were somewhat overshadowed by her outside shooting which includes a nice mid-range pull-up or the 3 ball Hailynn Obregon--attacks nicely from the wing and can mix it up with a pull-up jumper but she also sees the floor and makes passes under pressure Calyssa Sevier-handles the ball under pressure, sees the floor, plays the passing lane, understands the game, attacks explosively and brings the heat on defense Addi McClain-strong body and understands how to use it as she finishes with ease but her passing ability definitely stood out as well. When you can think the game at a young age and understand the simple things, that combined with doing things instinctively will take you far, she has that Khouri White-turned it on when the bright lights came on, as in 5 on 5. Love her first step as well as her desire to play the passing lane but she showed could create her shot and score multiple ways Alyxa Martinez-defended well came up with numerous steals and saw the floor well, showed good BB-IQ Nyah Hardy-athletic ability was on display as she finished after attacking from multiple spots, battles for everything Calice Henderson-good athleticism and showed plenty of energy on both ends but her ability to finish acrobatically  was off the chart Tyra Sotello-heady basketball player that handles the ball well and sees the floor but her passes zip by defenders on the money