Block Party: 4A Forwards From ’21 and ’22

Mindy McCarthy February 22, 2021 @ 06:42 PM

[player_tooltip player_id="201042" first="Nia" last="Nelson"] | Myers Park | SF | 2021 Nelson does well moving around the court finding the gaps in the defense. Her skills range from handling the ball to posting up close to the basket. She pushes herself up the court making sure she is a part of fast breaks to score some transition points. She can block shots as well, and she passes the ball to her open teammates making sure they are the only ones who can reach it. She is dominant grabbing rebounds and putting them back up for some second chance points. I am sure Howard University is excited to have her next season. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/Anna-Giannopoulou-scaled-crop-1920x1261-1613768750.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-256265 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/Anna-Giannopoulou-scaled-crop-1920x1261-1613768750-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="219884" first="IoAnna" last="Giannopoulou"] | Myers Park | PF | 2022 Giannopoulou checked into the game and immediately showed off her shot against Porter Ridge. She does well sneaking behind her opponents to find the gaps and score her points. Her length helps her get inside and grab rebounds for her team, too, especially when she is looking for second chance opportunities on offense. She can handle the ball well, too, pushing it up the court after she grabs a steal or a rebound. When she gets the ball inside, she is patient with knowing how to move her body in order to score. [player_tooltip player_id="219875" first="Nora" last="Schroeder"] | Charlotte Christian | F | 2022 Schroeder made Charlotte Country Day second guess whether or not they should close out<img class="size-medium wp-image-256267 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/Nora-Schroeder-scaled-crop-1920x1261-1613768803-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> on her behind the three point line as she came right out and drained a three. Her length on defense is an asset blocking shots and grabbing steals. She grabs rebounds on both ends of the court, too, fighting for each shot. She can certainly push these steals and rebounds up the court herself for fast breaks. Schroeder is one of the most vocal players on the court. Rachel Noonan | Charlotte Christian | SF | 2022 Noonan is dominant in the paint blocking shots and grabbing rebounds. She does a good job driving into the lane to score baskets. She has nice footwork with her post moves making sure she gets the shot she wants, and she does not give up on her shots looking for offensive rebounds to get some second chance opportunities. She does a great job running the floor making sure she is available for fast break points, and she can block shots coming out of nowhere it seems. She finished with 18 points in a game against Charlotte Country Day. [player_tooltip player_id="253895" first="Hudson" last="Rixham"] | Charlotte Country Day | SF | 2022 Rixham showed her versatility running point guard even for her team controlling the tempo of the game and driving the ball. She follows shots to grab rebounds. She does a great job blocking shots making it difficult for other teams to score near the basket. Her abilities are certainly not limited to close to the basket as she has a nice shot outside the arc. Azeria Thomas | Olympic | F | 2021 Thomas is aggressive on both ends of the court. She flies around looking for rebounds, and she doesn’t let anyone get easy points close to the basket. She did a good job sliding into the gaps ready for an entry pass to score some points. She continued to fight in a tough game against South Mecklenburg.