Maine Top 30 Camp: Rundown and Top Standouts

Last weekend, I took a trip to Saco, Maine, for the "Maine Top 30 Camp." This showcase featured premier prospects in Maine, some of which happen to be the best players in all of New England. This is one of the most intense and competitive camps I have attended. Below is a rundown of the event.   Maine Top 30 Camp Champions: Team Green <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315582" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/fullsizeoutput_7cce-1-crop-1206x792-1628622433-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Maine Top 30 Camp Co-MVP’s: [player_tooltip player_id="184117" first="Sloane" last="Ginevan"] [caption id="attachment_315575" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8875-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1628622246.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-315575" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8875-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1628622246-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption]  [player_tooltip player_id="184118" first="Sierra" last="Carson"] [caption id="attachment_315578" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8873-scaled-crop-1659x1089-1628622309.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-315578" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8873-scaled-crop-1659x1089-1628622309-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption]  Maine Top 30 Camp All-Stars: <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/fullsizeoutput_7c28-crop-1237x813-1628621517.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315572" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/fullsizeoutput_7c28-crop-1237x813-1628621517-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="298626" first="Anna" last="Oliver"] <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315584" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8876-scaled-crop-1677x1101-1628622561-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="315377" first="Natalie" last="Beaudoin"] <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315586" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8874-scaled-crop-1654x1086-1628622628-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="184116" first="Lizzy" last="Gruber"] <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315588" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8878-scaled-crop-1666x1094-1628622690-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="263848" first="Sarah" last="Talon"] <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315591" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8880-scaled-crop-1664x1093-1628622948-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="315378" first="Addisen" last="Sulikowski"] [caption id="attachment_315596" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8881-scaled-crop-1606x1054-1628623622.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-315596" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8881-scaled-crop-1606x1054-1628623622-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="315376" first="Isabelle" last="Allen"] <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315594" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8877-scaled-crop-1619x1063-1628623560-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="184118" first="Sierra" last="Carson"] [caption id="attachment_315578" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-315578" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8873-scaled-crop-1659x1089-1628622309-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption]  [player_tooltip player_id="315379" first="Elise" last="MacNair"] <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315598" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8872-scaled-crop-1606x1054-1628623683-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="184117" first="Sloane" last="Ginevan"] [caption id="attachment_315575" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-315575" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8875-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1628622246-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="184112" first="Anna" last="Nelson"] <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315600" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8879-scaled-crop-1683x1105-1628623756-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Queen of the Court Champion: [player_tooltip player_id="263848" first="Sarah" last="Talon"] [caption id="attachment_315591" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-315591" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8880-scaled-crop-1664x1093-1628622948-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption]  Below is a breakdown of some of the top performers from the weekend. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315602" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8820-scaled-crop-1696x1113-1628623864-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="184117" first="Sloane" last="Ginevan"] - Team White - 5’10’’ - CG - ’23 From the start of camp until the end, finding a player more dialed in on both sides of the ball than Ginevan was hard. One of the versatile players in the class of ’23, Ginevan, has no problem defending 1 through 5. I have not seen many players that have the combination of lateral quickness, strength, size, and pickpocketing ability that Ginevan possesses. One possession, she would lock up the opposing point guard, then the next she is battling down low with [player_tooltip player_id="184116" first="Lizzy" last="Gruber"], who has about 5 inches on her. She is gritty, tough, and competes harder than most. What impressed me the most was how efficient on offense Ginevan is. She shoots with the utmost confidence to the point where every time the ball left her hand from three, I assumed it was a bucket. No one could stay in front of her, and she consistently punished whoever tried to defend her. Ginevan was nothing short of brilliant all weekend and well-deserving of camp Co-MVP. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315606" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8882-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1628624199-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="184118" first="Sierra" last="Carson"] - Team Green - 5’8’’ - CG - ’23 Carson received Co-MVP honors in large part due to her dominance on day 1 of camp. Her performance did not surprise me, because I have been driving the [player_tooltip player_id="184118" first="Sierra" last="Carson"] bandwagon since the Philly Showcase back in the spring, where she was one of the best players that I saw. Carson is very confident in her ball-handling and shot creation in the halfcourt. What gives that away is her body language and the way she carries herself on the court. Carson does everything aggressively and with purpose and fluidity. There is no hesitation or timidity off the catch; she goes into straight attack mode. Not only was she scoring at will, but every time I looked over to the court she was playing on, Carson was diving on the floor for loose balls, hustling and setting a tone for her team. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315612" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8883-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1628624419-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="263848" first="Sarah" last="Talon"] - Team Blue - 5’9’’ - CG - ’22 Talon is one of the most relentless players I have watched this year. If she smells blood, she will attack you repeatedly, which was made clear during the " Queen of the Court" competition. Going into the contest, Talon was the clear-cut favorite to win just based on skill set and style of play alone. When you add in her killer instinct and competitiveness, no one stood a chance. Whether she took her defender off the bounce going left or right, she put her opponent in the spin cycle. The craftiness, change of speed, and array of go moves in her arsenal make Talon unique. Talon continues to make a case for the class of ’22 top slashing guards. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315614" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8826-scaled-crop-1692x1111-1628624469-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="315379" first="Elise" last="MacNair"] - Team Green - 5’11’’ - SG/SF - ’23 Overall, MacNair was the 3rd best player in the camp behind [player_tooltip player_id="184118" first="Sierra" last="Carson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="184117" first="Sloane" last="Ginevan"]. If I had an MVP vote, it would’ve been for MacNair because of her consistency throughout the camp and her clutch performance on Sunday during the championship. Between the clutch three-pointers and timely pull-up jump shots, MacNair impressed me with her versatile scoring ability. She is a reliable wing who is mentally tough and does not make a lot of mistakes. MacNair is a disciplined shot-taker and wasn’t the flashiest player at the camp but easily one of the most effective. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-315616" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8817-scaled-crop-1683x1106-1628624530-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="184116" first="Lizzy" last="Gruber"] - Team Black - 6’4’’ - PF - ’23 Every time Gruber steps out on the court, it is fair to assume she will be one of the top performers. Her size and skill set are unparalleled, and her footwork is otherworldly. Everyone is aware of how elite Gruber’s basketball talent is, but what was on full display over the weekend was how much she impacts the whole team. One thing that stood out to me that Gruber did that I have yet to see another big do in her class,was anchoring the teams’ defense with communication and not solely her physical gifts. Gruber is a tremendous defensive rebounder and shot-blocker, but she always calls out screens, where the help defense is coming from, and directs traffic which only bolsters the first line of defense on the perimeter. Too frequently, I’ve seen guards get dilapidated by screens due to the big not calling them out, which creates chaos on defense. Gruber reading the court and communicating loud, early, and often helps maintain the fluidness of the defensive unit. This separates her from all the other talented power forwards in the region from the ’23 class.