Mile High Showcase: Standouts

Ok, Colorado! You’ve been acknowledged, finally, for incubating major Division 1 women’s basketball superstars. Thanks, Stanford, for highlighting what Colorado athletes can do (Fran Belibi, Regis Jesuit; [player_tooltip player_id="95016" first="Jana" last="Van Gytenbeek"], Cherry Creek; Ashton Prechtel, Discovery Canyon; not to mention a top-10 WNBA league-changing draft pick out of UCLA, Michaela Onyenwere from Grandview High School). But watch out, world! Now it’s time for this state to get the credit it’s due for offering the rest of the collegiate sphere, from high Division 1 through all levels of Junior College, a bevy of impactful potential recruits. Gold Crown Foundation (Lakewood, CO) hosted the Mile High Invitational from April 22-24 and event organizer, Jacquie Pearson with Just Play Sports Colorado, drew talent spanning 240 miles of the I25 corridor. Had there been one weak bolt or bad weld on the single span roof over six buzzing courts at Gold Crown, that roof would’ve been blown off by the talent in the top girls’ division, 11th Grade Gold. In the end, the Pluto Prospects out of Colorado Springs drove south with swagger and hardware after a physical win over BC Denver. Throughout the bracket, guards and forwards, smalls and talls, showcased mid-season talent in a pre-season month for club hoops. If the restricted 2020 Colorado girls basketball recruiting season was a black hole, 2021 will be a big bang. Let’s highlight some standouts, starting with the bracket champions:   Amyah Moore – PLUTO - 2021 It’s hard to imagine how someone averaging more points in her high school season than some entire teams combined can be underrated; but the Harrison High School 5’9” guard is in that rare category at 28.2 points per game. You can debate the competition she faces or other circumstances, but when you’re on the sideline watching Moore knife through a press with eyes up on her bright future, you know she’s for real. Recruiting coaches will see, through her mask, the confident smile of a player tasked with beating guard-heavy teams for 84 feet. They better act now because this gem is unsigned. Moore has a dynamic surrounding Pluto cast, but she’s the leader of this championship weekend run.   Juliette Fillion – BC Denver - 2022 When Fillion hits a corner three against a 5’8” guard tasked with the impossible chore to somehow contest an eight-foot high release, this Lakewood HS anomaly has coaches who think they can play her in sagging coverage scratching their heads. If an open Fillion is the poison you pick, savor your last meal. Further complicating things for the opposition, Fillion’s game isn’t the Fillion of two years ago back when her scouting report would say she can shoot but only shoot. Having been well-coached in both the high school and club ranks, now she can read, drive, finish right, and finish left. If her trajectory stays steady, this 6’2” Denver prospect might as well be a mile high (or tall).   Anisa Turner – Drip Nation - 2022 Turner’s club coach and father, Ab Turner, was not lying when he said, “(Anisa) can get to the basket at will against most defenders and can finish with either hand.” The 5’8” guard showed aggressiveness and terrific body control in getting to the basket this weekend. [player_tooltip player_id="95174" first="Anisa" last="Turner"] is back from an injury that slowed her school season and her high school coach, the well-respected and obviously talented Keithan Lyons at George Washington HS, has been impressed with her scoring and leadership. Making matters worse for her Denver Prep League opponents, “She has a quick and accurate pull-up jump shot that compliments her driving ability and makes her a threat to score from anywhere on the floor,” says Coach Turner.   Avery Oaster – B&B Basketball Academy - 2022 B&B might as well be called S&S because [player_tooltip player_id="117693" first="Avery" last="Oaster"]’s (Green Mountain HS) game is smart and selfless. If she’s one on one, she’ll score. If you double, she’ll assist. She calmly observes the scheme and places 30-foot skip passes into the shooter’s pocket or she draws attention wide with her eyes and deceptively hits a slicing cutter for an easy two. The six-footer has terrific court vision. Oaster dropped 17 points (back to the basket, attacking, two threes, 70%+ at the line) and 11 boards in a four-point loss to a talented and well-coached Roughriders team, carrying the workload when needed. Oaster has zero hesitation replacing points for assists in games where giving and creating for others is what’s best for the team. It’s fun to watch.   Natalie Guanella – B&B Basketball Academy - 2023 Hey Google: Find me the player in an athletic state (CO), in the top class (5A), in a top league (Front Range), on the top team (Monarch), who’s the top scorer (Guanella)… oh, and Google? Accolades (Co-League MVP) and youth (2023) are at a premium. Maybe when it comes to girls’ basketball in Colorado, Prep Girls Hoops is ahead of this small company, Google, but the point remains. [player_tooltip player_id="222378" first="Natalie" last="Guanella"] (Monarch HS) ranks high on paper and higher on the hardwood when she’s forcing opponents into sideline traps and dropping no-look dimes on would-be crafty defenders. Guanella is the best guard on the court in most games.   Makenna Shaffer - Lady Roughriders - 2022 Shaffer is hard to defend as a long, lean, talented 5’10” hybrid guard. Is it a stretch to compare her to a 2021, 5A League MVP with multiple Division 1 opportunities in [player_tooltip player_id="95126" first="Sydney" last="Bevington"] (2021, Ralston Valley HS)? Nope. Shaffer (Northridge HS) is a top athlete on what will be a monster 4A high school team next year. In the process, she’ll frustrate teams on the club circuit with her forward-like rebounding, center-like shot blocking, and guard-like ball handling. She’s trouble. Offer her now at 9.2 ppg this spring in the school season before her numbers grow as tall as she is.   Amelia Solt – BC Denver - 2022 Solt (Thompson Valley HS) combines the flash and shiftiness of Allen Iverson with the discipline it takes to orchestrate a high school offense. That’s a lot for a seemingly small guard (height unlisted). But Solt owns that rare ability to harness two opposing forces on offense: playing fast and playing under control. It’s hard to find and it almost won her team a tournament championship, keeping BC Denver in the game until the final minute. When you see a player dictating the game, the flow, the pace, and providing energy on not just both ends, but all four corners of the floor, their height on a roster disappears, overshadowed by an aura as big as any thrilling moment.   Maddox Boston – Lady Roughriders - 2022 Boston’s athleticism was on display all weekend after an injury during the school season slowed her pace. Look for the 5’10” shooting guard out of Mead HS to have a huge senior year on what will be a top-5, 4A team.   Gabby Beauperthuy – Pluto Prospects - 2022 This 5’11” inside/outside threat shot north of 30% behind the arc for Horizon HS. She hit clutch 3s and all weekend and nailed the free throws in the final to clinch the championship for Pluto.   [player_tooltip player_id="259815" first="Griffin" last="Greenwood"] – Pluto Prospects – 2022 Greenwood was Pluto’s best rebounder this weekend and the 5’11 forward handles the ball in transition like a guard. The Lewis-Palmer HS standout averaged a double-double (12.5 points/11.6 rebounds) in her school season and is showing no signs of slowing down on the club circuit.   Watchlist And by the way, for your watchlist, Vista Peak Prep is ushering in a Jamal Murray/Nikola Jokic-like tandem in the class of 2024 named Eianna Jackson and Chazlyn Dettor. Watch for more details on this dangerous duo with Drip Nation.