Rankings Review: 2021 Posts

A lot of people have [player_tooltip player_id="65876" first="Jada" last="Malone"], my #1 pick in the class of 2021, listed as a post and I get it, she’s 6’4, college-ready body, and is tough in the paint yet I’ve been watching her play since she decided to stop selling me Girl Scout Cookies 7 years ago and the progression I continued to see in every area of her game has me listing her as a power forward and I made some adjustments on a couple of players and added some from smaller classifications I caught in the State Championships but here ya go <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97930" first="Taylor" last="Jackson"]-6’1 Cy Creek</strong> I have enjoyed watching her since the 5th or 6th grade playing with a team from Katy Texas and something about her even then told me she would create some problems and going from a back to the basket player that rebounded fiercely on both ends of the floor as well as playing solid defense in the paint to be able to attack the rim and finish with either hand along with step outside of the paint has been nice but what's even nicer is the fact that she played in 3 UIL State Championships championship games <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136320" first="Mackenzie" last="Wurm"]-6’3 Allen</strong> The first time I saw her I was somewhat intrigued by how she understood how to use her length and when you add good timing to black, deflect or simply alter shots, that's huge especially on the defensive end around the paint yet she was athletic enough to do the same thing outside the paint. She also did a good job of starting the outlet and running the floor, she finished on the inside, soft-touch also stood out facing the basket for short jumpers, and before I forget, she rebounded well <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136342" first="Tierra" last="Simon"]-6’2 Heights (Prairie View)</strong> Helped take Heights to new, well HEIGHTS and her inside presence was just one of the presents she brought to the table. She too started off with being a back-to-the-basket player yet with a college-ready body as a freshman, she elevated her game each year however watching her finish with players hanging on her in those early years spoke volumes about her strength and power, which she also uses well on the defensive end. She worked on her midrange and handling the ball outside the paint and it paid dividends <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136359" first="Xylize" last="Harrison"]-6’3 Garland</strong> I guess after I first saw her the thought "nightmare on defense" probably just jumped out at me because she's long and athletic and watching her react on the defensive end instinctively told me a lot. She also has good timing and made highlight blocks many times when an offensive player challenged her, even other posts attempting shots or putbacks but the putbacks were rare because she did a very good job grabbing the ball off the rim <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136355" first="Favour" last="Ebonka"]-6’1 Pearland</strong> Physicality comes to mind and she loved it, giving or taking but also BATTLING is a stronger word because she simply fights for everything. Her body is powerful, she makes strong moves to the rim and finished with contact yet she also showed a nice drop step <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="263334" first="Gwen" last="Gilmore"]-6’1 Austin Westlake</strong> I love power and she sends messages on both ends of the court because there's no denying on the defensive end and with her skill-set, she punishes inside the paint. She also plays good defense, both in and outside the paint, and gets the outlet going <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="263336" first="Journie" last="Hilliard"]-6’3 Dodd City</strong> I was so impressed with her hands and footwork as I mentioned in an early article and if you pay attention to what I write and say, I'm a THROWBACK type evaluator that enjoys seeing players that have good fundamentals, think the game, and add intangibles, she did and that helped lead her team to a UIL 1A State Championship where she was named MVP <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="263337" first="Maggie" last="Peacock"]-6’0 Lipan </strong> As much as I hate listening to play by play I loved watching her play because again, solid skill-set, fundamentally sound, and a whole lot of extra pluses to go with her size so scoring, either back to the basket, facing the basket or that turnaround were huge reasons her team won the 2A State Championship and her making the All-Tournament team