An Exciting Preview of Charlotte Dream Elite 17U

When basketball is able to be played again, Charlotte Dream Elite 17U certainly has some exciting players to show off their talents. Here is a preview. Josie Hester | United Faith Academy | SG 2021 Josie is certainly a hidden gem in the Charlotte area averaging over 30 points a game. Her strongest asset is her amazing 3 point shooting ability, but her talents certainly do not stop behind the arc. She uses her basketball IQ to develop plays on offense moving without the ball and creating plays for her teammates with the ball. She even contributes rebounding stats each game. On defense, she is a force to be reckoned with because she will pick the pocket of any guard she plays against. As an added bonus, you can tell she has an overall desire to learn whether that is in her school classroom or the basketball court. Emerie Tillmon | Langtree Charter Academy | SG 2021 Emerie shows great awareness on the court moving without the ball to the open spot where she can make a play. She is a decisive dribbler as well dishing out assists to get her teammates involved. She has a great midrange shot and uses her athleticism to run the court well. As a defender, she knows how to prevent anybody from getting by her. Moving into her senior year, she has already shown great leadership abilities to help elevate her teams to victory. Taylor Thomas | Clover High | PF 2021 Taylor is the defender that everyone should want on their team. She uses her height to block shots. Opponents might want to avoid the paint around her. However, she is a versatile player and can use her quickness to play anywhere on the court. She also uses her length to create steals, and she knows exactly where her teammates will be after those steals to create fast breaks. Just as you would like from any forward, she contributes her share of rebounds each game. Imelda McMenamin | Charlotte Catholic | SG 2022 Being voted the Ultimate Player of the Week by the Charlotte Observer was certainly a well deserved accolade for this guard. Imelda has a great 3-point shot and is always ready to shoot. She likes to use her talent with shooting to fake out defenders when she decides to drive around them. Her vision of the floor allows her to find open teammates quickly, especially on fast breaks. These fast breaks are usually created by Imelda as well with her ability to create turnovers and steals to get the ball back on offense for her team. In addition to her basketball IQ, she shows her smarts in the classroom with a 4.0 grade point average. Ashley Farmer | Clover High | PG 2022 As the point guard, Ashley shows that she can be a true leader. She has a quickness with the ball that allows her to easily get by defenders. Her great outside shot and ability to penetrate the paint makes her a threat all over the offensive side of the court. She trusts her teammates with finishing a play by making amazing passes to them to give them the opportunity to score. Her basketball IQ as the point guard makes her a tough defender because it seems like she can predict what will happen to create her own steals and deflections. Jacquelyn DeJesse | Charlotte Christian | PG 2022 Opponents better hope Jacquelyn doesn’t press them because she is quick and moves all over the floor with speed that prevents many teams from getting passes in. She is also a great ball defender pick pocketing many players who try to drive past her. That speed translates well to the offensive side of the ball as she constantly finds herself easily getting by defenders. In addition to dribbling and defending, she has a great shot behind the arc making her an overall threat. IoAnna Giannopoulo | Myers Park High | SF 2022 IoAnna is a tall forward with some quickness about her that you do not see from many post players her age. She uses her height to terrorize opponents while she is on defense. Additionally, she has well developed ball handling skills that allow her to play on the perimeter. She even uses these handles to get her other teammates involved penetrating the paint and finding the open teammate. She has a nice stroke midrange and is one to hustle for any rebound that is available. Opponents will have a tough time keeping up with her running up and down the court with her length and speed. Samantha Louthan | Hough High | SF 2022 Samantha certainly knows how to use her height and length to its full advantage. As a strong forward, she is very aggressive on defense making it hard for anyone trying to score against her. On offense, she has a solid shot and is a great finisher. Her presence inside the paint is difficult to ignore. Chloe Tillmon | Langtree Charter Academy | PF 2022 Chloe already has great length to her as a rising star. She makes her presence known in the paint defending the basket well and making it difficult for players to be productive inside. As she continues to grow as a player, she will be given more and more opportunities to develop her shot and continue with her strong finishes. Zion Duncan | Victory Christian Center | PF 2023 Zion already showed that she can earn her minutes even as a freshman this past school year. She played every minute of her high school’s semifinal and state championship games contributing her big presence in the paint. Her 6’3” wingspan makes her an intimidating force all over the court. Zion can finish well with both right and left hand around the lane. She continues to develop her footwork and will only get better as she gets more opportunities.