The Starting 5: Top Players of Preseason

Georgia high school basketball is ramping up with many teams suiting up for dress rehearsals last week. I had a chance to catch two competitive preseason scrimmages in Parkview vs. Kell and Shiloh vs. Heritage. Scrimmages are an excellent opportunity to see how the work in practice is translating to live competition. Coaches get a chance to get their players on film and gain visual evidence of what needs to be improved upon. Even though a win or loss has no impact on the regular season, the emphasis to COMPETE remains the same. Here are my top 5 performers by position from the preseason so far. <img class="alignleft wp-image-223435 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Crystal-Henderson-3-150x150.jpg?1605506553567" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="154582" first="Crystal" last="Henderson"] | 5’6" | PG | Kell | 2023 | #5 Henderson is a quick, shifty, and aggressive point guard that stays on the attack when on the offensive end. She has all the tools necessary to be a great scorer while still being effective as a primary ball-handler and distributor. With her advanced ball-handling, she can keep her defender on skates and requires help defense on virtually every possession. She has a high basketball IQ and even with her head down on determined drives to the rim, she has the vision and passing ability to find open teammates at the last minute. Her ability to drive creates easy kick situations and is the reason she ended with a game-high 6 assists which were the most by any player in both games that I attended. A consistent three-point shooter that can heat up in a hurry, Henderson will be a tough guard all season long. On the defensive end, she has great instincts and when combined with her quickness she can force several turnovers. She finished with 6 steals in a winning effort. <img class="alignright wp-image-223436 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Sylvia-Kahoro-2-e1605506684285-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="195824" first="Sylvia" last="Kahoro"] | 5’8" | SG | Kell | 2021 | #117 The more I see Kahoro the more I like her. She is a shooter first and knows when she has the space to get her shot off. Like many of the best shooters, she moves very well off the ball. She has a knack for finding open areas on the floor in transition and the half-court. Her catch and shoot jumper scores at a high percentage and she even showed her ability to use her dribble to get separation from defenders. Although she relies on her jump shot to get going, she understands when defenses are primed for nice pump fakes to create driving opportunities. She converted on 5 three-point attempts while putting on the best shooting display of the week. She is a committed defender and has the athleticism and quick feet to keep most perimeter players from getting easy drives to the basket. I am confident that her stock will rise significantly as the season wears on. Division II coaches looking for a player that can spread the floor and also make timely drives to score or create for teammates should keep close tabs on her. <img class="alignleft wp-image-223437 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Philli-King-e1605506780825-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Philli King | 5’10" | SF | Shiloh | 2021 This was my first opportunity to see the recent Tuskegee signee and she was impressive. She plays the game with a lot of energy and a consistent motor. She also brings a good skill set to the floor and a nice feel for the game. Her awareness of when her team needed a basket was nice and yet she did not have to force things. Her contributions offensively came from each level, but she did most of her damage inside the arc. On her drives, she relied on solid dribble moves and quick first steps to get defenders on her hips creating lanes to get to the rim. She was good on defense as well, where she showed that she could defend around the paint and perimeter. A bonus in her play came through her ability to grab rebounds and then push the break for scores in transition. Her play this season will be an important factor in Shiloh’s success. <img class="alignright wp-image-223438 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Sade-Harrell-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="118115" first="Sade" last="Harrell"] | 5’10" | SF/PF | Heritage | 2021 | #30 Harrell played a very efficient game in her matchup against Shiloh shooting 67% from the floor on her way to a 14 point score total. She seemed to be automatic in the first half scoring from both the midrange and behind the arc. The versatile tweener and Bethune Cookman signee has a strong frame and can bang on the interior or use her strength to get through defenders from the perimeter and to her spots for scores. In the first half, she relied heavily on her jumper and converted on several good looks. Her passing ability and vision were also on display as she ended with four assists for the game. Defensively she is a more than capable defender where she uses her strength to body up on drives or on posts looking to score. <img class="alignleft wp-image-223439 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Sussy-Ngulefac-3-e1605506918823-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="118126" first="Sussy" last="Ngulefac"] | 6’3" | C | Parkview | 2021 | #21 The Samford signee was a dominant force in her game against Kell. One of the few true post in the state, Ngulefac pounds opposing teams inside with great size and strength. She did well displaying her polished post-game. All of her scores came inside the paint where she showed great hands and footwork to convert above 50% of her attempts or at the free-throw line after forcing contact. She is a consistent post presence which has lead to her teammates looking inside every possession. What stood out most to me in her scrimmage was her passing ability. She was instrumental in her team’s ability to break the press and when teammates were able to get her the ball at half-court she seemed to make the correct read each time. She also provided great rim protection picking up several blocks and controlled the glass with ease on her way to a double-double. She finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists in a competitive loss. &nbsp;