Spring Showcase Preview: Class of 2022

This season we were fortunate enough to watch the emergence of several sophomore stars. Some of these athletes have just begun to show us their potential while others have burst on to the scene like seasoned veterans. Here’s a look at five athletes ready to show us what they’re capable of in this weekend’s showcase event. <span style="font-size: 14pt;color: #f75617"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27948" first="Rosa" last="Smith"] | 5’7" G | Lake Washington</strong></span> [player_tooltip player_id="27948" first="Rosa" last="Smith"] has been one of my favorite athletes to watch this season. As a point guard for Lake Washington, she led her team to a second-place finish at the state tournament. This season, she averaged 10.7 points and 4.6 rebounds, and she led her team with 4.6 assists and 3 steals per game. As eye-popping as that stat line is for a sophomore, Rosa’s intangibles are even more impressive. She has the hustle and on-court leadership that coaches dream of, and even though the Kangaroos fell short of their ultimate goal, Smith has shown that she is prepared to step up in the big moments. Smith is a great on-ball defender who can force turnovers and push the ball in transition. She is dangerous on the dribble-drive, but she can also step out and knock down threes. She had back-to-back games earlier this season with 4 three-pointers, going 4 of 8 in one game and 4 of 5 from deep in the second - just take a look at that form in the featured image! <span style="font-size: 14pt;color: #f75617"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27947" first="Veronica" last="Sheffey"] | 5’8" PG | Woodinville</strong></span> [player_tooltip player_id="27947" first="Veronica" last="Sheffey"] had an outstanding season as the main ball-handler for a Woodinville team that finished second in the state after suffering their only loss of the season to Central Valley. Sheffey is a great ball-handler who has the poise and court vision to limit turnovers, she can push the ball in transition, and she can get into the lane and score off the dribble. She’s also a great rebounder as a guard, averaging 7.3 rebounds to go along with her 13 ppg this season. As a distributor, she averaged 5.2 assists, and on the other end of the court, she was good for nearly 3 steals per game. Like many of these young athletes, Sheffey has shown confidence beyond her years. In one of their biggest games of the season, Woodinville went to OT against Glacier Peak in their district championship, and Sheffey would score 21 points on 6 of 12 shooting to help her team earn the win. Next season, Sheffey will return with a chip on her shoulder after ending her sophomore campaign with a lackluster performance in the state title game where she scored 8 points on 2 of 18 shooting. <span style="font-size: 14pt;color: #f75617"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27931" first="Naomi" last="Hall"]-Schiffner | 6’0" F | Kentridge</strong></span> After Kentridge lost their dominant 6’2" PF [player_tooltip player_id="20151" first="Jordyn" last="Jenkins"] to a season-ending knee injury, 6’0" Naomi Schiffner had to step up as the Chargers’ remaining post-presence, and although Kentridge didn’t finish the season with as much success as they would have expected early in the season, Hall-Schiffner still had a strong sophomore season. Naomi averaged 10.7 points, 8.4 rebound, and 1.1 blocks per game this season. She does most of her damage under the basket, but she has a great elbow jumper and she can step out an knock down the three-ball at about 30%. Hall-Schiffner had three games with more than 20 points and six games where she scored double-digits while shooting better than 50% from the field. Although Jenkins’ injury clearly had a negative impact on the Chargers as a whole, Naomi will likely benefit from the playing time and increased reliance on her scoring, rebounding, and defensive presence. <span style="font-size: 14pt;color: #f75617"><strong>Ciera Jorge | 5’4" G | West Seattle</strong></span> Ciera Jorge is one sophomore on a West Seattle team set up for success in the coming seasons with their core of young talent. Jorge splits point guard responsibilities with her teammates, and despite her small stature, she has been successful scoring the ball this season, averaging just under 10 points per game. Jorge is also an impact player on the defensive end of the court, using her quickness to fluster opposing guards, force turnovers, and grab about 3 steals per game. In her best performance of the season, Ciera Jorge scored 18 points on 6 of 12 shooting against Ingraham. <span style="font-size: 14pt;color: #f75617"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27937" first="Leila" last="Hosn"] | 5’5" G | Shorecrest</strong></span> Shorecrest’s diminutive point guard nearly took her team to the state semifinals with a buzzer-beater that she couldn’t get to fall against Arlington, but in the lead up to the final buzzer, she showed off her abilities in the absence of her team’s leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="154204" first="Amanda" last="Lee"]. Lee fouled out with only a few minutes remaining in the game, and it was uncertain where the Scots would find scoring against a swarming Arlington defense, but Hosn answered the call with big buckets down the stretch. Against an athletic team, she was still able to put her head down and outrun the press of the Eagles. Similarly, she used her speed to slow down fast breaks from Arlington, and she found herself on the floor more than once. With Hosn you get a guard with seemingly unlimited speed and hustle, relentless defense, and the ability to score over taller defenders. &nbsp;