Nike TOC Day 3: Impressive Guards

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Day three of the first session of the Nike Tournament of Champions featured a group of strong, skilled guards. I was impressed by how well all of them finished in contact and over length.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">All Iowa Attack</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">2022 [player_tooltip player_id="129009" first="Trinity" last="Cheatom"] was dominant for the 10th grade Attack group, and she played with confidence. I enjoyed watching her thread the needle to find her teammates under the basket, and she’s a quick, pesky on-the-ball defender. Cheatom and many of her other teammates, including 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="129034" first="Zoey" last="Buchan"] and 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="129010" first="Emma" last="Ingersoll-Weng"], easily planted their feet on the move and knocked down the three. Buchan crashes the boards harder than I’ve seen any 5’5” point guard crash, and she finishes in a variety of ways. Another guard to note from this team is 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="63577" first="Meredith" last="Rieker"]. Rieker shot the ball well and ran the floor hard in transition.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Team KC Hoops</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">As a young guard, 2024 Jadyn Wooten showed a lot of potential against a solid Attack team. She has a quick burst and can elevate over defenders in the lane. She proved to be much stronger than she looks in the paint when she spun and finished off of an explosive power dribble. 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="124971" first="Abby" last="Augustine"] is a confident ball handler and great shooter. She hit several threes and a smooth step-back jumper to lead the charge for KC.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Nebraska Attack</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Nebraska Attack produces some of the most hard-nosed guards, even though they don’t always have the length advantage. I watched the 16U and 17U squads play up-tempo games with ball movement and aggressive drives. From the 16U group, 2023 Khloe Lemon is the standout. She has an arsenal of crafty finishes, and she goes right through contact. From three, she has a quick release. The 17U group shares the ball well, and all of them are capable. Four from that team played well today: 2023’s [player_tooltip player_id="63558" first="Jenna" last="Hopp"], Cora Olsen and Mya Babbitt, and 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="94392" first="Allison" last="Weidner"].  Hopp should definitely be on colleges’ radar for her grit and ability to score inside and out. Weidner hustled and had some tough finishes inside. Olsen continuously cuts and moves without the ball, which earned her a few easy buckets and got some of her teammates open. Babbitt set up her teammates at point guard and drove hard at the right times. Overall, this program is a gold mine for tough two and three guards.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Wisconsin Flight</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Although the Flight boasts many DI offers and commits, the player who was the most fun to watch was 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="155421" first="Emily" last="LaChapell"]. She handles the ball with strength with a lean 5’11” frame, and everything about her is smooth. She will be picking up many more offers in the near future.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Minnesota Comets</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">2021 [player_tooltip player_id="109739" first="Paige" last="Meyer"] had a great game in many areas today. She is a facilitator, but when it comes to the end of a close game, she can get to the hole and has an unexpected, shifty quickness to shake her defender. 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="2122" first="Julia" last="Bengtson"] also impressed me with her confidence and ease with the ball in her hands. She moves really well, and has great length for someone who can play point guard.</span> &nbsp;