Morning Mentions: July 22nd Action
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The featured image is of Dani Nuest Dani Nuest 5'6" | CG Becker | 2023 State MN (2023) of Becker High School and the Minnesota Comets Elite 16U. Throughout the course of this month, I have been providing daily updates…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Dani Nuest Dani Nuest 5'6" | CG Becker | 2023 State MN (2023) of Becker High School and the Minnesota Comets Elite 16U.
Throughout the course of this month, I have been providing daily updates on players I’ve seen the previous day. Some articles will include strictly Indiana prospects, while others might include other Midwestern or National prospects. Below is a look at five additional young ladies who I felt stood out with their play in the games I was able to see Thursday at the North Tartan Meltdown in Minnetonka, Minnesota. This is the second July “live” period of 2021.
Ayla Brown
Ayla
Brown
5'6" | SG
Becker | 2023
State
MN
, 2023, 5-5 PG, Becker H.S. (MN)
Ayla is a very nice point guard prospect, athletically strong, quick/fast, and shifty. She is a traditional point guard who is constantly looking to create for others. She does a really nice job of getting defenders off-balance with the dribble, she can break down a defense and get to the rim, but she also doesn’t force the action and takes what the defense gives her. She can knock down perimeter jumpers consistently, but she’s always looking to attack first. Defensively, she is very good defending the ball the length of the floor and can frustrate opponents.
Dani Nuest
Dani
Nuest
5'6" | CG
Becker | 2023
State
MN
, 2023, 5-6 PG, Becker H.S. (MN)
Paired with Brown (above), Dani helps form a tough backcourt during both the grassroots and high school seasons. She has a broad/strong frame, she’s a nice downhill athlete, and she plays with a really nice motor. She likes to play with physicality, attack the basket North/South and draw contact, and she gets to the line a lot. She is also a consistent perimeter shooter, she looks for jumpers as often as drives, and she has a fairly quick release. I also like her physical approach when it comes to defending the ball.
Allison Caldwell
Allison
Caldwell
5'11" | SG
Zionsville | 2024
State
IN
, 2024, 5-10 SG, Zionsville Community H.S. (IN)
Allie is a really nice, cerebral, and skillful guard who does a lot of things well. She has good length, a wiry frame, and nice fluidity. She can handle the ball in transition, even initiate the offense in the half-court, but she is a talented shooter with range and a tremendously quick release. If she can get any separation from the defense, she can get her shot away, and she’s consistently productive outside. But she also has a really nice hesitation move and can glide to the basket for scores or to find open teammates.
Zuri Ransom, 2024, 5-9 PG, Evanston Township H.S. (IL)
Zuri is a talented young guard who has a lot of tools to work with. She still needs a little polish to her all-around game, but eventually she could be scary good. She is extremely long and wiry, fluidly athletic, but also quick/fast. She likes to play in ball-screen situations, she can attack downhill and glide to the rim for scores, but she’s almost better creating separation and shooting the jumper, and with range. She is accurate outside and makes it tough on defenders. She’s also very good on the ball defensively with her length and quickness.
Katrina Stack, 2024, 6-0 SF, St. Charles North H.S. (IL)
Katrina is an extremely long and wiry wing prospect with a lot of upside. She’s still somewhat slender and will need to finish growing and gaining strength, but I think she’s a fairly fluid athlete right now, and she understands how to play. She is a nice perimeter shooter, she can attack the basket, and she’s solid in the mid-range game. I think more strength will give her deeper range and help her be more consistent outside, but she’ll also be more effective as a multilevel scorer and be able to finish around the rim better.