Standouts from the I-35 Showcase in OKC
Showcases are a great chance to get a look at players that you would otherwise not normally see play. As a scout in Oklahoma, I don’t get to see too many players from Texas perform apart from the teams who…
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Continue ReadingShowcases are a great chance to get a look at players that you would otherwise not normally see play. As a scout in Oklahoma, I don’t get to see too many players from Texas perform apart from the teams who make road trips here during the college season. On Saturday, there were several Texans in attendance at the I-35 Showcase. Here is a look at a few of them.
Caitlin Kobiske | 5-11 PF | Keller Central | 2021| @caitlin_kobiske
Kobiske played like a woman amongst girls yesterday. Just being honest. She was playing grown folks basketball. She is a big-bodied player who knows exactly how to use her strength inside. She fights hard. She uses her size to make room in the middle and scores with a nastiness that serves her very well. She knows how to exploit the mismatch and as long as her point guard finds her at the right time, can seemingly score at will. Kobiske is a smart defender who traps the ball-handler who comes into the middle against the baseline and forces bad shots while not picking up any unnecessary fouls. Caitlin currently holds three Division-III offers and I understand that 5-11 can be considered small for a Division-I or Division-II big. That being said, there is something to be said for being a 5-11 player with a lot of brains, hustle and heart. That can carry you farther than a 6-4 big with none of the intangibles. The Division-II coaches in attendance yesterday got an eyeful and the phone calls should come in soon.
Kynnan Shields | 6-1 C | Shamrock | 2021 | @KynnanS
My notes on Shields begin with “BEST BIG HERE.” That’s not a slight on the group of bigs at the I-35 Showcase. That is to say that Kynnan stood out amongst a stacked group of inside players. The comparison that I wrote down after exclaming to myself in all caps that she was the best was “Porzingis.” She can handle the ball. She isn’t afraid to step out and shoot – which at 6-1 is virtually impossible to block. She has an edge to her game inside that someone like Porzingis is missing. She loves the battle. She fights hard and can be downright mean – in a good way. She anticipates passes very well on the defensive end and had more than two steals in almost every game that I saw her in. She turned heads amongst the coaches in attendance yesterday and probably even more for the coaches watching online – the Division-I coaches.
Karys Olson | 5-8 SG | Denton Guyer | 2021| @karys_olson
Olson isn’t flashy. She doesn’t take her man one-on-one and break ankles, putting on a show for the crowd. What she does do is whatever it takes to help her team win. She is tough and challenges every pass to her opponent in man to man defense. She can stroke the three with a very quick, fluid release. Olson can be quick when she needs to be. She gets open by diagnosing the play very well and finding the soft spot off of the screen or losing her defender in a crowd. Olson deserves a look from college coaches and warrants a visit to Denton once the high school season kicks off.