Standouts #SwaauNIT guards 8th Grade Division pt 1
I had a chance to roll on into the Dallas area to try and get a jump on some of the top players in their final season of middle school ball and the standouts were just over the top, many…
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Continue ReadingI had a chance to roll on into the Dallas area to try and get a jump on some of the top players in their final season of middle school ball and the standouts were just over the top, many of whom I had already seen, yet I’m breaking this down into multiple parts because with 21 teams. rosters for almost half of them, guess who got lucky, well me for sure yet here’s part 1 of 3 or 4 on the guards I had already seen yet……
Aaliyah Chavez (Pro Skills 2025 National)
Chavez sold me in the 5th grade on one of my trips to the Dallas area and let me throw “poise” was definitely a factor. She didn’t score a lot yet she saw the floor playing 2 years up however since then, she has put on several offensive explosions but her being a wizard with the ball opens everything up, from mid to long-range, attacking off the dribble and seeing the floor through a microscope, #BCSLock and throw away the key
Kailyn Kemp (Pro Skills 2025 National)
Kemp was another elementary school star that showed big things were coming, hadn’t seen her in a couple of seasons yet her growth spurt, both off and on the court, had me ask her what her name was and I cracked up because she’s scoring however she wants, the pull-up jumper in transition is especially nice but so is her finishing strong after the lick but she’s long and athletic, that’s the base, she plays the passing lane and with her speed and ballhandling, that’s baskets going the other
Brianna Jones (Lady Lions 2025)
Jones can be summed up in one word “electrifying” on both ends. I mentioned on The Gram that she was simply an offensive machine when I caught her a few weeks ago at Oklahoma Aces #WinterJam and she displayed the same energy and ability to score yet her defense was over the top, on ball, playing the passing lane and running a player down for a highlight block worthy of Sportscenter
Milania Jordan (Team Jordan)
Jordan displays a mixture of ways to score, her range, mid to long, is consistent, she creates her shot under pressure and she has great body control to finish after contact. She’s a big guard that rebounds and on the defensive end, she can blow by defenders going coast to coast to either hit teammates, on the money or show that stop and pop in transition yet her ballhandling, also under pressure sets up many opportunities for her to make things happen
Alaysia Gude (Waco United 2025)
Gude is long and athletic, one more time, that’s the base and after watching her score off the dribble for years and finishing with her right hand, watching her do it with her left hand has been equally exciting but she also is throwing passes on the money, with either hand, going full speed not to leave out creating her shot and dropping the midrange, well the long-range as well
Vivian Franklin (NTX Tarheels 2025)
Franklin looked familiar and after speaking with her dad, it hit me where I had seen her and what was amazing that first sighting was watching her go off against high school players, she was in the 7th grade, it was an individual showcase so I wrote about her athleticism ad getting to the rim, as well as creating her shot yet her range was definitely a huge asset at the event and watching her elevate for the jumper will keep her in the mix of top players in her class