Carolina Rise Fall League: Class of 2021

Carolina Rise is hosting a fall league again this year helping high school athletes stay in shape for their basketball seasons in between travel team tournaments and school ball starting again. Here are some of the stars I got to see play this weekend that are part of the 2021 class. <img class="size-medium wp-image-205547 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/Jessica-Timmons-copy-scaled-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />[player_tooltip player_id="116872" first="Jessica" last="Timmons"] I am sure that NC State cannot wait to get Timmons on their campus with the way she can score from anywhere and against any kind of pressure. She scored three pointers with hands in her faces, and she scored inside using some nice post moves like power dribbles to establish her position inside. She was a terror on defense, too, grabbing steals and causing deflections. On fast breaks, opponents had trouble catching up to her. She gets a bucket almost every time she touches the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="201042" first="Nia" last="Nelson"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-205548 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/Nia-Nelson-139x300.jpeg" alt="" width="139" height="300" /> Nelson, the future Howard University player, was dominant on both ends of the court. She was able to make plays by grabbing steals and quickly turning those into points. She moved well with the ball protecting the possessions driving into the paint against contact. She was persistent going after rebounds and using those second chances to score some points, too. She also has an excellent shot from behind the arc. Don’t be surprised to see her use her length to bully someone inside posting up on the block. <img class="size-medium wp-image-205549 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/Braylyn-Milton-copy-scaled-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />[player_tooltip player_id="201033" first="Braylyn" last="Milton"] Milton, the Cincinnati commit, continues to impress with her ability to move with the ball. She can make smart cuts inside with the ball or show off her jump shot including her shot from behind the arc. She is a smart defender, too, knowing exactly when to jump into passing lanes to grab steals or cause deflections. Kamaria Sheriff Sheriff, the Saint Leo University commit, was a great asset for her team making shots from behind the arc. Her length was a problem on defense causing defections and grabbing rebounds. She was very fast with the ball, too, knowing exactly how to protect the possession. Sydney Wood<img class="size-medium wp-image-205551 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/Sydney-Wood-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Wood, who will be playing at Denison University next year, was an excellent ball handler pushing the ball up the court. She showed off her vision by getting her passes to her teammates in order for them to contribute. On defense, she even had some nice blocks showing her ability to track the ball. Naya Clamp Clamp shows that she can certainly contribute from all areas of the court. She can drive it into the paint, and she can shoot from downtown. She does a great job of getting her teammates involved by pulling defenders towards her allowing her to show off nice passes for them to score. She is smart with the ball when she sees a play has broken down because she seems to take over, move towards the basket, and score against contact. On defense, she was grabbing steals and pushing the ball right up to the other end of the court herself. <img class="size-medium wp-image-205552 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/Averie-DiBenedetto-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />Averie Dibenedetto Dibenedetto seemed to have muscle memory from grabbing steals because that was happening over and over again. She would push the ball up the court after these steals scoring herself, or she would find her open teammates on the move. She can score through contact as well. Abi Svenson Svenson continues to be a sure bet when she pulls up a shot from behind the arc. She can create separation herself or catch a pass being ready to shoot it. She makes herself present in fast break situations ready for the pass on the run to score her points. She is a terror on defense, too, slowing down the opponents’ offensive plays by using her length to grab steals. She can even crash the boards grabbing rebounds for her team.