PGH Top 250 in OKC – All-Expo First Team
Jason Green
Today was finally the day that so many players across Oklahoma had been waiting for and the wait was definitely worth it! The players put on an absolute show on three different courts for four hours straight and it was glorious. There are a lot of players to discuss over the course of this week and we will try our best to talk a little about every player in attendance. For now, here are the players who stood out above the crowd and what made them so special.
First Team All-Expo
Raegan McQuarters | 5-2 PG | Tulsa Rogers | 2023 | @raeganMcq4
I said early on in the day that McQuarters was a D-1 baller. As the day wore on, I felt really good about having sent that out into the Twittersphere. She defends very well with quickness and ferocity. She goes inside to fight hard for rebounds. She is like a ball magnet. More than any of that, though, she has insane handles. She breaks ankles and makes her own space to shoot; and she can shoot the lights out. She has a quick jumper that comes from virtually out of nowhere, not leaving her defender anytime to react. She is a scoring machine and was very fun to watch on Sunday.
Taleyah Jones
Taleyah
Jones
5'8" | CG
Broken Arrow | 2022
State
OK
| 5-9 CG | Broken Arrow | 2022 | @Taleyah_swish
McQuarters’ teammate on Team 1 has shown up every time that I’ve seen her play. She has outstanding size and is lightning quick. The guard duo of Jones and McQuarters was almost unstoppable. She is a great teammate and is definitely loved by seemingly everyone. She can be unselfish, almost to a fault. She will pass up an open jumper (that she would more than likely make) in order to dish the ball to an open teammate. Jones spots the mismatch and calls it out to everyone in order to help the team exploit it. She is a D-I player and there is no question about it.
Elle Papahronis
Elle
Papahronis
5'11" | SF
Edmond North | 2023
State
OK
| 5-11 SF | Edmond North | 2023 | @EllePapahronis
Elle has outstanding size, clearly. It’s all of the other things that really make her a great player. She is surprisingly quick for an almost six-foot player. She has a sweet touch on her jumper and shoots whenever the opportunity arises. She can shoot from deep and is unafraid to drive to the hoop with outstanding moves in traffic. She works open with a preternatural instinct for the flow of play. Papahronis is a tremendous defender as well and utilizes the same instincts that make her such a threat on the offensive end to step into passing lanes and utilize her quick hands to steal the ball. The younger of the Papahronis sister currently holds and offer from the Naval Academy with many more D-I offers to come.
Stailee Heard
Stailee
Heard
6'0" | CG
Sapulpa | 2023
State
OK
| 5-10 SG | Sapulpa | 2023 | @StaileeH
Stailee just isn’t built like the other 5-10 players you see out on the court. She is so tough and so strong. She has a motor that does not quit, possibly due to the fact that she is the best female cross country runner in the state. She has handles and vision beyond her years and is just plain fun to watch. She defends like her life depends on it and hustles just the same. Division-I coaches have already taken notice of Heard with offers from Oklahoma and Arkansas among others. If you get the chance to see Heard play this season - or run cross country - trust me, you do not want to miss it.
Taryn Crawford | 6-0 F | Edmond Santa Fe | 2023
Out of all of the players on this list, Crawford is definitely the surprise. She was kind of an unknown commodity coming in, but really set herself apart with outstanding all-around play. She is six feet tall with a very strong body that she knows how to use to her advantage. Although she knows how to fight inside for rebounds and buckets, she is most definitely not just an inside player (part of the reason I listed her as a forward instead of power forward). She hit numerous threes and was able to guard almost anyone from under the basket to the perimeter. I'm not sure if she has any offers yet, but after today's showing, I can guarantee that the college coaches in the building and online have taken notice. Can't wait to get a look at the Wolves when the high school season gets started.
Raegan McQuarters | 5-2 PG | Tulsa Rogers | 2023 | @raeganMcq4
I said early on in the day that McQuarters was a D-1 baller. As the day wore on, I felt really good about having sent that out into the Twittersphere. She defends very well with quickness and ferocity. She goes inside to fight hard for rebounds. She is like a ball magnet. More than any of that, though, she has insane handles. She breaks ankles and makes her own space to shoot; and she can shoot the lights out. She has a quick jumper that comes from virtually out of nowhere, not leaving her defender anytime to react. She is a scoring machine and was very fun to watch on Sunday.
Taleyah Jones
Taleyah
Jones
5'8" | CG
Broken Arrow | 2022
State
OK
| 5-9 CG | Broken Arrow | 2022 | @Taleyah_swish
McQuarters’ teammate on Team 1 has shown up every time that I’ve seen her play. She has outstanding size and is lightning quick. The guard duo of Jones and McQuarters was almost unstoppable. She is a great teammate and is definitely loved by seemingly everyone. She can be unselfish, almost to a fault. She will pass up an open jumper (that she would more than likely make) in order to dish the ball to an open teammate. Jones spots the mismatch and calls it out to everyone in order to help the team exploit it. She is a D-I player and there is no question about it.
Elle Papahronis
Elle
Papahronis
5'11" | SF
Edmond North | 2023
State
OK
| 5-11 SF | Edmond North | 2023 | @EllePapahronis
Elle has outstanding size, clearly. It’s all of the other things that really make her a great player. She is surprisingly quick for an almost six-foot player. She has a sweet touch on her jumper and shoots whenever the opportunity arises. She can shoot from deep and is unafraid to drive to the hoop with outstanding moves in traffic. She works open with a preternatural instinct for the flow of play. Papahronis is a tremendous defender as well and utilizes the same instincts that make her such a threat on the offensive end to step into passing lanes and utilize her quick hands to steal the ball. The younger of the Papahronis sister currently holds and offer from the Naval Academy with many more D-I offers to come.
Stailee Heard
Stailee
Heard
6'0" | CG
Sapulpa | 2023
State
OK
| 5-10 SG | Sapulpa | 2023 | @StaileeH
Stailee just isn’t built like the other 5-10 players you see out on the court. She is so tough and so strong. She has a motor that does not quit, possibly due to the fact that she is the best female cross country runner in the state. She has handles and vision beyond her years and is just plain fun to watch. She defends like her life depends on it and hustles just the same. Division-I coaches have already taken notice of Heard with offers from Oklahoma and Arkansas among others. If you get the chance to see Heard play this season - or run cross country - trust me, you do not want to miss it.
Taryn Crawford | 6-0 F | Edmond Santa Fe | 2023
Out of all of the players on this list, Crawford is definitely the surprise. She was kind of an unknown commodity coming in, but really set herself apart with outstanding all-around play. She is six feet tall with a very strong body that she knows how to use to her advantage. Although she knows how to fight inside for rebounds and buckets, she is most definitely not just an inside player (part of the reason I listed her as a forward instead of power forward). She hit numerous threes and was able to guard almost anyone from under the basket to the perimeter. I'm not sure if she has any offers yet, but after today's showing, I can guarantee that the college coaches in the building and online have taken notice. Can't wait to get a look at the Wolves when the high school season gets started.
