Nike TOC Iowa: Day 1 Notes

Nike TOC Iowa day one was a success for the two Washington based Northwest Blazers teams in the event as each team capped off the day 2-0. There are still some more difficult games ahead in the coming days, but things are off to a solid start for the time being. Below are some notes from day one, including some standouts in the games that I watched. <h4><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Northwest Blazers Orange (17u)</strong></span></h4> <em>Record:</em> 2-0 <em>Scores:</em> Win over Next Level Eclipse 2021 58-48, Win over North Tartan 17u Elite 61-59 <em>Standouts: </em>2022 6’0 SG/SF [player_tooltip player_id="27957" first="Jada" last="Wynn"] was very strong for the Blazers in their win over North Tartan. Slashing without the ball and knocking down shots with skill. Her 14 points came within the offense and she never forced any shots. 2021 5’8 PG Trinity Slocum also had some great moments on both sides of the ball with her lock down on ball defense standing out the most. Both of these players come from great basketball families as Wynn is the daughter of the UW head and assistant coaches, Jody and Derek, and Trinity’s older sister Destiny plays for Arkansas. 2022 6’1 PF Naya Ojukwu had a strong game against Next Level Eclipse with 19 points and 11 rebounds. She reminds me of a slightly taller Jadyn Bush who played for the Blazers several years ago and now stars at Harvard University. Ojukwu’s 19 points came on an efficient 6/10 shooting. <h4><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Northwest Blazers Fierce (15u)</strong></span></h4> Record: 2-0 Scores: Win over All Iowa Attack 8th Red 50-29, Win over Nebraska Attack 15u UAA 55-48 Standouts: The Fierce had a balanced scoring attack in their first win over All Iowa Attack 8th grade. 2023 5’8 PG [player_tooltip player_id="115404" first="Kaylia" last="Jackson"] gave quality minutes driving and scoring, hitting the outside shot and setting up her teammates. 2023 5’10 PF [player_tooltip player_id="115406" first="Taliah" last="Lee"] came up big with 11 points and a dominant 14 rebounds by playing aggressive in the paint. 2023 6’0 PF Madison Symons came through big on the boards in each of the games as a physical and confident presence. 2024 Division 1 offered PG Teagan Colvin exploded in the second game for 20 points, 6 steals, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Colvin plays with outstanding confidence and swagger that the rest of the team has picked up on so far.