IL Bears Girls Jamboree: Pink Team Review

As a part of my coverage from the IL Bears girls jamboree I am sharing my evaluations of every player on every team. In this article we take a look at the Pink team which was stacked with talented players. [player_tooltip player_id="160149" first="Alecia" last="Doyle"] is a 5’8 2022 Guard from Carterville. Alecia is a player that is coming on strong and showing her ability to anyone who can see her play. Playing on a high school team that was dominated by upperclassmen limited the opportunities she had the last two years, but Alecia is ready to have a big last two years. I really appreciated watching her leadership skills during this event. She was active before and during games in getting her team ready to play and keeping them together. [player_tooltip player_id="203063" first="Kristin" last="Edmonds"] is a 5’8 2022 Guard from Cape Girardeau Notre Dame. Kristin is a point guard that brings nice ball handling skills and strength to her game. She uses her lower body to hold off defenders and create separation when going to the rim. Kristin can score the ball both inside the lane and hitting the open jumpers. I really like her ability to hit shots on the move and not just off the catch and also the ability to get her own shots. As a point guard sometimes you have to be able to create and Kristin can do that. With all of that said she is a good teammate, she does not have to score and can play with better players as she will at Cape Notre Dame. Jacey Eubanks is a 5’5 2022 Guard from Benton. Jacey plays with a ton of heart and hustle. She is not likely to lead the team in scoring but is very likely to come flying from 10 feet away to secure a loose ball. Jacey is a smart player that positions herself well on defense and moves well from side to side to keep her player in front of her. On offense Jacey passes well and can shoot it, she just needs to develop the instinct and desire to do so more often. [player_tooltip player_id="200938" first="Lauryn" last="Gribble"] is a 5’9 2021 Forward from Harrisburg. Lauryn is a long and tough player on the inside that can gather rebounds and play defense. She is a very good passer that sees the floor well and is willing to help a teammate get a good shot. Lauryn is athletic enough to play away from the basket and uses that ability to also be a good shot blocker on defense. When she gets the ball inside via the offense or by crashing the boards, Lauryn can finish with either hand. Amiah Hargrove is a 6’2 2024 Wing from Christopher. Amiah can play and has a big future in front of her. By continuing to focus on her ability to handle the ball and create space off her dribble she can maximize her talents. Amiah has nice lift on her shot and should continue to focus on finding ways to get to the mid range where she can rise above everyone and hit the 12-15 foot shots. In addition I would like to see Amiah focus on improving herself as a distributor of the ball. She will always garner attention from the defense, for her to elevate her teammates she has to focus on ensuring they get easy opportunities. Alayna Kraus is a 5’3 2024 Guard from Okawville. Alayna is a very tough and fundamentally sound player. She is small but not afraid to mix it up with the bigger players. Alayna has nice handles, good vision and an even better understanding of the game. Her dad is a coach and is certainly shows through loud and clear in the way she plays the game. Alayna can score at all levels and and made a couple of plays that were exceptional when reading defenders and delivering passes. Frankie Leigh Nicholes is a 5’5 2024 Guard from Harrisburg. Frankie Leigh is a young player with a nice shooting stroke that looks like she could be a part of the future for Harrisburg. She plays hard and is clearly a smart player on the floor. Frankie Leigh just needs the time to develop her strength and confidence to play at this level. In a program like Harrisburg's she will get plenty of time and help to develop her skills. Kasha Ward is a 5’9 2022 Wing from Carterville. Kasha is a nice left handed player that came on throughout the day. Early in the day she was showing some ability to score off the bounce but as the day went on she seemed more comfortable taking her shots. In the last game of the day she made two 3-pointers and 3 other baskets for 12 points. That was her biggest output of the day and a great way to finish. Carterville will need players to step in and be a factor this year and I think Kasha has a chance to be one of those players.