Bash's Pyramid: Top Defenders

Here is my pyramid for the best defenders from over the weekend. The bullet points for the players in the 4th and 3rd tiers represent the in-game notes I took while watching the games. In the top two tiers, I go more in-depth about what separated them from the rest of the list.   Tier 4:   [player_tooltip player_id="266760" first="Anna" last="Stone"] - Whitman Hanson/MT Elite - 5’10’’ - PF - ’22 ’22 PGH Rank: WL <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/eb0W3tfmTRaIzJ8PWvRZQ-scaled-crop-1794x1178-1619024661.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-276050" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/eb0W3tfmTRaIzJ8PWvRZQ-scaled-crop-1794x1178-1619024661-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Bruiser/punisher.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">She always sees her assignment and ball.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Very aggressive, especially when trapping.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Workhorse/gives everything she has on defense.</li> <li aria-level="1">Old school physical defender.</li> </ul>   [player_tooltip player_id="184019" first="Laura" last="Johnson-Shedd"] - Lincoln Sudbury/Bay State Jaguars - 5’8’’ - CG - ’23 ’23 PGH Rank: WL <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/CqO7jsR8ass0vz5NWuQ-scaled-crop-1640x1077-1619024609.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-276048" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/CqO7jsR8ass0vz5NWuQ-scaled-crop-1640x1077-1619024609-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Aggressive and scrappy.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Good anticipation/disrupter in passing lanes.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">She hustles hard and gets to 50/50 balls.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Sprints back in transition/high energy player.</li> </ul>   [player_tooltip player_id="269249" first="Payton" last="Richard"] - Rivers/Lady Rivals - 5’11’’ - CG - ’24 ’24 PGH Rank: #7 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-276046" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/03/iMSSv6rvQ02dqSZcHhJgaQ-scaled-crop-1606x1054-1619024536-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Very disciplined/doesn’t gamble.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Trusts her length and quickness East to West to keep the ball handler in front.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Active hands and alert when denying the ball.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Can guard positions 1-3 well.</li> </ul>   [player_tooltip player_id="264678" first="Rachel" last="Ullstrom"] - Marianapolis/Lady Rivals - 6’1’’ - SF - ’22 ’22 PGH Rank: #8 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-276044" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/03/nVDY8rxRMGdMkkiMEvbgA-scaled-crop-1525x1001-1619024513-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Can defend any position.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">High IQ/ always in the right position.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Defends without fouling.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Moves feet well/hard to score/penetrate on</li> </ul>   Tier 3:   [player_tooltip player_id="184008" first="Shayne" last="Burton"] - Winchendon/Bay State Jaguars - 5’7’’ - CG - ’23 ’23 PGH Rank: #22 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/IFjL549BRdue4uAj7VPmWw-scaled-crop-1456x956-1619024484.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-276042" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/IFjL549BRdue4uAj7VPmWw-scaled-crop-1456x956-1619024484-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Tremendous athlete.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chase-down artist.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hustles/always goes after loose balls.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Excellent on-ball defender/consistently stays in front of her assignment.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Shot contests are under control and effective.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Great shot blocking guard.</li> </ul>   [player_tooltip player_id="184117" first="Sloane" last="Ginevan"] - Falmouth/Maine Attraction - 5’10’’ - PG - ’23 ’23 PGH Rank: WL <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-276039" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/RlXMfUrtTKqV5S1jqNm0Q-scaled-crop-1326x871-1619024291-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Aggressive ball hawk.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Wingspan and size smother opposing guards.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hard player to drive on.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Physical/bumps cutters.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Fights through screens.</li> </ul>   [player_tooltip player_id="267470" first="Jessica" last="Dow"] - Thorne Academy/Maine Attraction - 5’11’’ - SF - ’23 ’23 PGH Rank: #36 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-276038" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/QVsSAPPeQHukhr9InbAqiQ-scaled-crop-1572x1033-1619024265-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Versatile defender/strong post defender. </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Good rebounder/finishes plays.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Physical/ makes assignment work.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">She cuts off angles/doesn’t allow assignments to get to spots.</li> </ul>   Tier 2:   [player_tooltip player_id="264679" first="Laura" last="Mendell"] - Tabor/Bay State Jaguars - 5’9’’ - PG - ’22 ’22 PGH Rank: #9 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-276037" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/FpvkxPpQY6GyHqEQYmLog-scaled-crop-2048x1345-1619024187-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> If I had to pick one point guard to help me win a game, it would be Mendell, no questions asked. Her competitive spirit and her drive to win are evident with how locked in and focused she is on defense. She wants to guard the best player on the opposing team, pick them up full court, and Mendell forces you to give your best effort. If you don’t bring it on offense, Mendell will snatch your heart out and eat it right in front of you. To play at that level on every possession takes a different kind of toughness and conditioning. Defense is less about talent and more about heart and effort, which Mendell shows whenever she is out on the court.   [player_tooltip player_id="263850" first="Amber" last="Silva"] - Bridgewater Raynham/Bay State Jaguars - 5’6’’ - ’22 PGH Rank: WL <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/cP2Ih09vRC2Jc6psyT4XPQ-scaled-crop-1745x1146-1619024159.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-276036" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/cP2Ih09vRC2Jc6psyT4XPQ-scaled-crop-1745x1146-1619024159-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Silva did something on Sunday that I have been waiting for someone to do for the past two weeks. That was to disrupt Lady Rivals sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id="263856" first="Jennifer" last="Martin"] and not let her walk into three-pointer after three-pointer. Being responsible for chasing around a sniper is one of the most tiring jobs and takes a lot of discipline and mental toughness, which Silva has. She was the only player I saw who stepped up to the challenge to check Martin, contest her shots consistently, get in her shorts and not control the game with her long-range shooting. Silva was fighting over screens, played good denial defense, and constantly dove on the floor for loose balls. Silva is one of the scrappiest guards on defense, and I love how she doesn’t let anyone push her around.   Tier 1: <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-276033" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/jzwaWclpTtiE6DVqW2YH8A-scaled-crop-1763x1158-1619024065-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="184020" first="Grace" last="Oliver"] - Norwell/Lady Rivals - 6’1’’ - PF/SF - ’23 ’23 PGH Rank: #20 Oliver was an absolute monster on defense over the weekend. Her size and wingspan make it difficult for anyone to score. Oliver showed good instincts and reaction time to put herself in the right position to help the Lady Rivals get defensive stops. Her athleticism was bothering opposing bigs down low. She was assigned some very skilled offensive bigs, and Oliver would not let them get into rhythm resulting in many tough forced shots by the offense. Overall, Oliver showed that when she is dialed in on defense, plays aggressively, and puts forth the kind of effort she did over the weekend, it is hard to find a more dependable defensive anchor.