Queen of The Nook: Class of '24

Here are the players from the '24 class who I saw play at a high level over the weekend at Live! At The Nook. Tier 3: [player_tooltip player_id="276441" first="Oceana" last="Duffy"] - Bishop Feehan/Mass Mavericks - 5'10'' - CG PGH Rank: WL <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/XjSBlz3MSjuFyUJVXRPjAg-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619636912.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-278957" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/XjSBlz3MSjuFyUJVXRPjAg-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619636912-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Good court vision</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hits cutters in stride with crisp passes</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Attacks offensive glass </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Not flashy but highly effective/has good footwork</li> <li aria-level="1">Looked comfortable/confident playing up with '22's</li> </ul> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/XjSBlz3MSjuFyUJVXRPjAg-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619636912.jpg"> </a> [player_tooltip player_id="278899" first="Jessica" last="Ross"] - Tabor/MCW Starz - 6'3'' - C PGH Rank: WL <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Protects rim well/anchor on defense</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Slides feet well/can guard a switch on the perimeter</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Intimidating presence</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Soft-touch around the basket and on her jump shot</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Excellent free-throw shooter</li> </ul> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/XjSBlz3MSjuFyUJVXRPjAg-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619636912.jpg"> </a> [player_tooltip player_id="269251" first="Ayanna" last="Franks"] - Windsor/Bria Holmes Elite - 5'10'' - PG PGH Rank: #2 <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Aggressive/athletic defender</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Excellent help and recovery defender/good shot contests</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Sprints back on defense in transition</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Track star speed and burst</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Three-point range</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Shifty/crafty scorer in transition/good at changing pace</li> </ul> Tier 2: [player_tooltip player_id="269245" first="Kelian" last="Cedano"] - Bradford Christian/Lady Rivals - 5'9'' - SG PGH Rank: #14 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-278958" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/9BTpvDETwSmqc6bXzMOUQ-scaled-crop-1204x791-1619637011-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Every week that I watch Cedano play, she shows me a new element of her game that impresses me. Over the weekend, she was making plays catching at the high post. Cedano knows that her athleticism, scoring ability, and being a lefty make her hard to defend; therefore, seeing her catch, rip through, face-up, and score repeatedly proved Cedano is the most versatile scorer in her class. She is a unique wing whose skillset is beyond her years. I have not seen anyone in '24 who continuously finds different ways to score. To add, Cedano was aggressive on the offensive boards and showed off her insane vertical to grab rebounds over bigger forwards. Cedano continues to rise up the ranks as she shows everyone that she is one of the most complete offensive players. [player_tooltip player_id="278565" first="Brianna" last="McDermott"] - Bria Holmes Elite - 5'6'' - CG PGH Rank: WL There was no one better at facilitating their teams' offense than McDermott. She showed good poise and played under control for most of the weekend, constantly getting in the paint and creating a scoring opportunity for herself or her teammates. McDermott was such a consistent playmaker that when she got into the paint and didn't create a wide-open look for someone else, you were stunned. She was that efficient at quarterbacking the Bria Holmes offense throughout the weekend. I also liked how she can create shot opportunities for herself off the bounce. Even though McDermott is a pass-first point guard, she has the confidence to break her defender down and create enough separation to get off jumpers ranging out to the three-point line. McDermott was the best '24 point guard from the weekend, whose stock quickly rose after a big weekend. Queen of The Nook [player_tooltip player_id="269250" first="Cameron" last="Rust"] - Worcester Academy/Lady Rivals - 6'2'' - SF PGH Rank: #1 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-278959" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/9N5dFen5SauLFe2RHE0w-scaled-e1617852010384-crop-947x622-1619637084-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Rust dominated over the weekend because she made an impact on all facets of the game. This was the first time all spring that I saw Rust put it all together and play some of the best all-around basketball I have seen from her. She was a force rebounding and proved to be too big and strong to be pushed from under the hoop. Rust was unstoppable on second-chance opportunities getting either easy putback layups or drawing fouls. She was active in passing lanes on defense and played a significant role in the Rivals forcing many turnovers. What stuck out to me most with Rust's play was how well she moved the ball on offense. We all know Rust can score at a high level and use her physical gifts to punish anyone standing in her way. Seeing her move the ball on offense and be effective without scoring the ball is what got my attention. She threw great outlet passes and made quick, crisp passes in the halfcourt. Rust has all the tools, which is why she is ranked #1 but if she can consistently move the ball like she was over the weekend and contribute to the Rivals looking like a well-oiled machine on offense, she will be unstoppable.