The Grand Finale: All-Tournament and All-Defensive Teams

A ton of prospects showed up and showed out this past weekend at The Grand Finale presented by Premier Basketball in Mansfield, Texas. There was a lot of talent on display. That said, there are always players who stand out among their peers, and those players deserve recognition for their performances. With that in mind, here are my picks for the All-Tournament and All-Defensive Teams: <h3><strong>All-Tournament Team</strong></h3> <h5><strong>Guard</strong></h5> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97623" first="Evie" last="Goetz"] | 2021 | 6'1'' Combo Guard | Pro Skills 17U Black | Denton Guyer</strong> - Goetz is incredibly dynamic on offense. The TCU commit is a skilled shooter with a good-looking jumper, but she is also a gifted facilitator who can deliver accurate passes with either hand. Her ability to see over the defense, dissect what is going on, and make the correct decision is superb. She was zipping passes all over the place in Mansfield. <h5><strong>Guard</strong></h5> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="67946" first="AJ" last="Marotte"] | 2021 | 6'0'' Combo Guard | Texas Elite 17U 3SSB | Vista Ridge HS</strong> - Marotte got to the rim at will during this tournament. Additionally, she knocked down a wide variety of jump shots both inside and outside the three-point line. The Washington Commit did a lot of the dirty work for her team as well, especially in the rebounding department, as she was absolutely living on the offensive glass. She further proved that she could dominate games while getting all her shots within the flow of the offense. <h5><strong>Forward </strong></h5> <strong>Jada Hollie | 2021 | 5'9'' Small Forward | Team Lex Supreme | Trimble Tech HS</strong> - Hollie is listed as a small forward, but she plays like a point guard and will likely be more of a guard at the next level. She operates as her teams' primary ball handler and is a very polished and precise passer. She made some brilliant finds on Saturday and Sunday. The pass-first forward can be a dangerous scorer when she penetrates. She understands when to call her own number and when to defer to others, an underrated but important characteristic. <h5><strong>Forward</strong></h5> <strong><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/donovia-hall/">Donavia Hall</a> | 2022 | 5'11'' Small Forward/Power Forward | Urban Heroes Elite DJ | Plano East HS</strong> - Hall is extremely versatile. She attacks in transition and slashes like a wing, drops dimes like a guard, and competes on the boards like a post. Her unpredictability in the open court makes her a difficult player to defend. She plays at a high level on the perimeter as well as in the interior at both ends. She is a terrific all-around two-way player who does a little bit of everything for her team. <h5><strong>Center</strong></h5> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136354" first="Akasha" last="Davis"] | 2021 | 6'1'' Power Forward/Center | Urban Heroes Elite DJ | Wylie East HS</strong> - Davis was a certified glass cleaner during this tournament. She high-points and snatches rebounds out of the air at both ends. The 6-foot-1-inch post consistently scored after contact and kept her wits about her when defenders swarmed to her in the paint. She also did a good job of sealing off opponents down low. <h3><strong>All-Defensive Team</strong></h3> <h5><strong>Guard </strong></h5> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136316" first="Autumn" last="Smith"] | 2021 | 5'8'' Point Guard | Texas Elite 17U 3SSB | Arlington Martin HS</strong> - Smith's pure speed is off the charts, which is something people usually associate with offense. However, in this case it really shows up on defense. She utilizes her speed to jump and intercept passes, something she did a lot of during The Grand Finale. She can also recover from just about anything and insert herself right back into the thick of things on D. This is one of the best perimeter defenders in the state. <h5><strong>Guard</strong></h5> <strong>KK Jones | 2023 | 5'7'' Combo Guard | Texas LoneStar Black 16U 3SSB | Denton Guyer HS</strong> - Jones is an on-ball stopper who is constantly engaged on the defensive end. She has great lateral movement and knows how to keep her opponent in front of her. She sticks to her man off the ball too. The difference between Jones and other prospects is that she wants to defend at a high level every time she steps on the floor, something we are seeing less and less of nowadays. <h5><strong>Guard </strong></h5> <strong>Aliyah Muhammad | 2023 | 5'7'' Shooting Guard | Sky Digg Elite 16U | Frisco Lone Star HS</strong> - Muhammad is a sneaky defender who lurks in the background until it's time to pounce. Her quickness allows her to get her hands on a ton of passes for deflections and steals. She has a knack for blocking shots from behind too. The soon-to-be sophomore thrives as a defensive playmaker with a nose for the ball. <h5><strong>Forward</strong></h5> <strong>Shelbi Steen | 2021 | 6'0'' Power Forward/Center | Texas Platinum 17U Silver | Lindale HS</strong> - This is the type of defender every coach wants on their team. Steen dives for loose balls, sacrifices her body in the paint, and anticipates passes well before they are made. She emptied the tank in all of the games I saw her in, and her defensive effort was definitely noticed. <h5><strong>Forward</strong></h5> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136320" first="Mackenzie" last="Wurm"] | 2021 | 6'3'' Power Forward/Center | Texas Elite 17U 3SSB | Allen HS</strong> - Wurm is an elite rim protector with outstanding length. She challenges anything that comes within her reach. She doesn't even need to leave her feet to block shots from other bigs in the paint, that's how crazy her wingspan is. The 6-foot-3-inch post was an anchor for her team on D as well, communicating well with her teammates. College programs should be salivating at the opportunity to land this shot-blocking extraordinaire.