Flashback: The Classic 17U

<span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="128136" first="Alaina" last="Thorne"] (2022) of Washington High School and S.W.I.S.H. City 17U.</em></span> With everything going on involving the Uncommitted Showcase from this past weekend, I am just now getting time to review The Classic from May 14-16 in Louisville, Kentucky. Below is the first of three articles, with this article focusing on the competition in 17U. Below are seven young ladies who I thought stood out in the games I was able to see over that weekend. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="206420" first="Taylor" last="Bowen"], 2022, 6-0 PF, Culver Academy</strong></span> Taylor has been very solid throughout the Spring, but I felt like two weekends ago in Louisville she really showed her ability to play both inside and out. She is strong, physical, and tough inside. She’ll fight for her spot, catch it clean, and then finish in a variety of ways. But she also has some touch outside, and when she takes open rhythm jumpers, she keeps the defense from helping down to other teammates in the post. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="201075" first="Mya" last="Davidson"], 2022, 6-2 SF, Harlem H.S. (IL)</strong></span> Mya caught my eye when I was watching her team play against an Indiana team. She has an athletically strong frame, great length, and she’s fairly fluid in most directions. She can handle the ball in transition, even start the offense from time to time, and she looked very comfortable around the perimeter. She could probably be a real matchup problem in the mid-post. Mya is drawing a lot of Division-I &amp; Division-II interest already. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128146" first="Allison" last="Graber"], 2022, 5-8 W, Mooresville H.S.</strong></span> I’ve seen Ally a number of times over the last three years, and I felt like this was as well as she has played. She was handling the ball a lot more, acting sort of as a point forward at times, and she did a really nice job of taking care of it and getting it where it needed to go. She has a strong frame, she’s a solid all-around athlete, and I think her versatility to play a number of roles will be attractive to many small colleges. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="106160" first="Isabel" last="Grimes"], 2022, 5-6 PG, Breckinridge County H.S. (KY)</strong></span> I haven’t seen Isabel as much because she’s from Kentucky, but two weekends ago I felt like she did some really nice things. She has good speed and quickness, nice length at her height, and she plays a fairly cerebral game and doesn’t make a lot of self-inflicted mistakes. She can run offense or create and get gaps, plus she can knock down an open rhythm jumper. I can see her drawing a variety of college interest. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="61080" first="Annika" last="Marlow"], 2022, 5-5 PG, Rushville Consolidated H.S.</strong></span> For as long as I can remember, Annika has been one of the steadiest, most consistent point guards in this class. There isn’t much flashy about her game, but she is incredibly tough-nosed, gritty, strong, and skilled. She thinks the game well, takes care of the basketball, runs offense, and knocks down shots when needed. If you like someone who is going to be consistently efficient and help you win, she can definitely do that. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="206422" first="Madeline" last="Robertson"], 2022, 6-2 C, Mitchell H.S.</strong></span> Madeline really popped up on my radar last August at a grassroots event, and she has played well throughout this Spring, too. She has great length, wiry strength, and she runs the floor reasonably well North/South. She’s another kid who doesn’t have a lot of flash in her game, but she has been consistently productive each time I’ve seen her. She keeps the ball high, absorbs contact, and finishes around the basket. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128136" first="Alaina" last="Thorne"], 2022, 6-0 PF, Washington H.S.</strong></span> Alaina has always had a great deal of potential, and now that it looks like she’s done growing and is starting to gain strength, her game is coming around full-circle. She looks so much stronger and more aggressive when attacking the basket. She is a nice athlete with fluidity and some bounce, plus she’s a lefty, making her a little trickier to defend. She operates in that mid-post pocket well, and she gets to the basket with ease.