Weekend Round Up : All-Grit Team
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I always appreciated the players who have the talent and skill to fill up the stat sheet but have to sacrifice their numbers and impact the game in other ways to help the team win. I am always watching to…
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Continue ReadingI always appreciated the players who have the talent and skill to fill up the stat sheet but have to sacrifice their numbers and impact the game in other ways to help the team win. I am always watching to see who is willing to do the little things that basketball players universally hate doing consistently, such as communicating on defense, getting teammates open with hard screens, taking charges, etc. Here were some of the toughest and grittiest players that I saw this weekend.
Catelyn Wheeler Catelyn Wheeler 5'11" | PF Bishop Guertin | 2023 State New E – Bishop Guertin/MCW Starz – 5’11’’ – SG/SF – ’23 (pictured above)
’23 PGH Rank: #47
Wheeler was doing it all over the weekend. She was closing out on shooters and finishing the play with a physical box out, communicating on defense, and no one ran the floor the way she did. Wheeler always rim runs, and it was great to see her getting rewarded by her teammates with easy transition layups because she was dusting the opposing bigs up the floor. Wheeler is tough as nails and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. She will defend anyone on the floor regardless of size or skill set and is the best at taking charges. Wheeler is a player that coaches would kill to have on their team because she is one of the hardest-working players on the court.
🚨’23 PGH-NE Top 50 Alert 🚨
Catelyn Wheeler (‘23)
Bishop Guertin/MCW
5’11
SG/SFPGH Rank: #47
Pos Rank : #9@CWheeler30 is a do it all wing who can shoot the lights out 🔥. Guards 1-4, terrific weak side defender and takes more charges than anyone. Absolute DOG!💪🏾💪🏾📈📈 pic.twitter.com/Cy9c6rPpGw— Bash Hudson (@BashHoopsNE) April 10, 2021
Abby Martin Abby Martin 5'10" | SF Whitman-Hanson | 2022 State New E – Whitman Hanson/MT Elite – 5’10’’ – PF – ’22
’22 PGH Rank: WL
Martin is the easiest player to coach because she is willing to do anything you need at any point of the game. If you want her to score, she will; if you need a big rebound, she will attack the glass relentlessly, and so on. I had courtside seats to some of the most bone-crushing screens of all time. The MT Elite Ducks have shooters up and down the roster, and Martin had no problem laying out defenders with the most solid picks and freeing up the wing sharpshooters. The most underappreciated skill set Martin has is that she is by far the most reliable and best inbounds passer I have seen. When the Ducks had to break a full-court, Martin did not panic and stayed composed, making accurate passes in play which included a ridiculous one-handed baseball pass down the court to her teammate. Overall, Martin is one of the most fun players to watch play the game.
Mairead Gallagher Mairead Gallagher 5'10" | SF Cardinal Spellman | 2022 State New E – Cardinal Spellman/Lady Rivals – 5’10’’ – PF/SF – ’22
’22 PGH Rank: #41
Gallagher was one of the few players all weekend long who communicated on defense. It was so refreshing to watch her anchor the Lady Rivals defense and call out screens, let her teammates know where the help side defense was coming from, and yelling “shot” when someone attempted a jump shot. Communicating takes a lot of discipline and mental toughness because there is nothing more challenging than directing traffic while battling fatigue. Gallagher is also as strong as an ox and has no issue being physical down low with bigger forwards. What I like about Gallagher most is her versatility. At Cardinal Spellman, she plays more on the wing, but over the weekend, she was doing all the dirty work underneath, and it was fantastic to watch.
Armani Rivera Armani Rivera 5'4" | PG Tolman | 2024 State New E – Scituate/Rhode Island Basketball Club – 5’4’’ – PG – ’24
’24 PGH Rank: #30
Rivera is a pitbull on defense who digs in and makes the ball-handler work for everything. She is so aggressive and quick laterally that she makes it almost impossible for opposing teams to get the ball past halfcourt. Her effort on defense stuck out like a sore thumb, and no one competed on that end of the floor like Rivera. She plays the game with so much passion and heart making her one of the most fun players to watch. Rivera is a tireless worker who doesn’t give up on plays. She was consistently forcing turnovers, rushed decision-making by the offense, and played a crucial role in momentum shifts during her games.
🚨’24 PGH-NE Top 30 Alert 🚨
Armani Rivera
Scituate (RI)/ RI Basketball Club
5’4’’
PGPGH Rank: #30
Pos Rank: #5This sequence by @cbgmanii24 on defense is just awesome! 🔥She digs in and is tenacious and forces a TO. Gotta love this girls compete level!👏🏾👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/8nZQMvOYic
— Bash Hudson (@BashHoopsNE) April 11, 2021
Nicole Parks Nicole Parks 6'0" | SF St. George's | 2022 State New E – St. George’s/ Bay State Jaguars – 5’11’’ – SF/PF – ’22
’22 PGH Rank: #22
Parks is an intimidating presence on the court who has the make-up of an ideal interior defender. Strong, tough, physical, and does not back down from anyone. I thought Parks was an absolute force in the few games I saw from her. She is a ferocious rebounder and outmuscled the opposing bigs better than anyone. Her hustle and motor are what I appreciate most from Parks. Always running the floor hard, it was difficult to find another player who got back on defense as fast as she did. Also, she was constantly on the floor for loose balls and left it all out on the court. Parks popped not just because of her talent but her willingness to make winning plays consistently.