Mt. Rushmore: Nike TOC-Day 2

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Day 2 of the Nike Tournament of Champions was just as thrilling and exciting as Day 1. Many competitive games came down to the wire, and there were elite performances by athletes ranging from the ’22 class down to the ’25. Here are the 4 players from Sunday who shined the brightest. </span> https://x.com/BashHoopsNE/status/1414430605257936900 <b>[player_tooltip player_id="266787" first="Yirsy" last="Queliz"] - MCW Starz/St. Mary’s - 5’5’’ - PG - ’23</b> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/07/IMG_0454-crop-1176x772-1626271343.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-307496" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/07/IMG_0454-crop-1176x772-1626271343-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <b>’23 Rank: #8</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Queliz was one of the most fun players to watch play from the weekend. Sunday night, I pulled up to the court where her MCW team was playing because I knew Queliz would put on an entertaining show. She contributes to winning in multiple ways and is very dynamic in doing so. One possession, she will make an insane full-court pass leading to a layup, and then the next trip down, she is splashing a deep three-pointer in the defense’s face. Her hustle and heart were unmatched Sunday, and it had a trickle-down effect on her teammates. When Queliz puts on the #15 MCW jersey and steps on the court, she guarantees a fun winning basketball atmosphere, and in Chicago, she solidified her top 10 status. </span> https://x.com/BashHoopsNE/status/1414389293099986948 <b>[player_tooltip player_id="263839" first="Maya" last="Hilvert"] - Mass Mavericks/Medfield - 5’8’’ - PG - ’22</b> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-307498" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/07/IMG_0449-crop-1382x908-1626271403-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <b>’22 Rank: #35</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Hilvert wasn’t just one of the best players on Sunday, but I thought she was one of the best players that I saw throughout the whole tournament. She shot the ball better than I have seen her shoot it since the beginning of the spring. Her shot-making confidence was off the charts, and she complimented slashing backcourt mate [player_tooltip player_id="263849" first="Brianna" last="James"] with dead-eye accurate perimeter shooting. Hilvert was aggressive on offense, looked for her shot a lot, and kept the Mavericks’ offense flowing with quick ball swings and sound decision-making. She played tough on-ball defense and is one of the best communicators on the court. Whether it be on defense, offense, or from the bench, Hilvert is the loudest person in the gym; giving positive reinforcement, quarterbacking the offense, or being an on-court extension of the coach, Hilvert’s leadership never goes unnoticed. </span> &nbsp; <b>[player_tooltip player_id="281183" first="Amany" last="Lopez"] - Springfield Lady Ballers/Springfield Central - 5’9’’ - CG - ’23</b> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-307500" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/07/IMG_0440-crop-1376x903-1626271458-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <b>’23 Rank: #43</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">After the Springfield Lady Ballers lopsided win vs. the SW Stars, I concluded that Lopez could be a top 10 combo guard in the ’23 class if she can play at the level she did Sunday consistently. She is one of the most athletic guards I have seen and put the clamps on any player at the 1 or 2. Lopez’s quick hands and unreal defensive instincts led to countless forced turnovers, which led to many highlight-reel layups by the rising junior. Her finishing ability in traffic is impressive because she is springy and displays good body control when absorbing contact at the rim. If her off the bounce shooting continues to improve, Lopez can turn into one of the most dangerous two-way players in her class. </span> https://x.com/BashHoopsNE/status/1414233610920595459 <b>[player_tooltip player_id="273940" first="Gianna" last="Nichols"] - MA Huskies/Marianapolis Prep - 5’5’’ - PG - ’25</b> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-307494" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/07/IMG_0451-crop-1241x815-1626271272-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <b>’25 Rank: #8</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Nichols is a special talent. I made it a point to watch Nichols over the weekend because I needed one question answered about her game. At 5’5’’, can she shot-create and shot-make over bigger guards and forwards and do so efficiently? The Tournament of Champions was an excellent test for Nichols because the competition was no joke, and she had nothing short of an incredible Sunday. Nichols was scoring whenever she wanted, and what was most impressive was how well she utilized her mid-range pull-up and floater game to avoid the rim-protecting forwards. Her outside shot was money, she got into the paint whenever she wanted to, and her shot creation for the rest of the team was excellent. Whenever she was on the floor with ’25 standout [player_tooltip player_id="287659" first="Molly" last="Gahan"], Nichols did a good job setting her up with easy looks around the basket. The icing on the cake was how well Nichols played in the crunchtime. She hit a three that sent one game into overtime and then hit two big free throws down the stretch in the clutch also. Nichols has that "it" factor. I said a month ago she is a player that should be a name to know this summer, and as we head towards the second half of the live period, Nichols has to be on everyone’s watchlist. </span> https://x.com/lynn_molinari12/status/1414973931044413443