’22 Top 150: New Faces

<span style="font-weight: 400;">This past summer and early fall have been filled with watchlist prospects who played at an extremely high level the last few months, earning them a spot in the top 150 rankings. Below are some of the prospects who popped the most. </span> &nbsp; <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-327547" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9976-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1631884170-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="326875" first="Milena" last="Walker"] - Waterford High - 5’11’’ - SF</strong> <strong>’22 Rank: #70</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">I saw Walker play for the first time at the Hoop Mountain Fall Showcase, and physically, she jumped out at you. Walker is an  athletic ,strongly built combo forward who is a confident shooter from the outside. One minute she will raise up and drill a three in the defender’s face, and the next, she is grappling down low for post position looking to dominate on the block. What makes Walker dangerous is that she can also put the ball on the deck and create a scoring chance off the dribble. There is a lot to like about Walker’s game, and her offensive versatility has a ton of value.  </span> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_327545" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_8823-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1631884016.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-327545" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_8823-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1631884016-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="184102" first="Mikenzie" last="Melendez"] - Thornton Academy - 5’4’’ - PG</strong> <strong>’22 Rank: #125</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Day 2 of the Maine Top 30 Camp the first week of August, I thought Melendez was one of the best guards of the day. She was super aggressive on offense and scoring in bunches in the games that I saw. She is a tough guard, and even being on the smaller end, she can still find a way to knife into the paint and score. Melendez is yet another point guard from the ’22 class who has a good feel for the game and looks in control. </span> &nbsp; <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-327543" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/K6SG7VSNuRx2JYciULYw-scaled-crop-1283x842-1631883816-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="263963" first="Abby" last="Lockhart"] - Barnstable - 5’3’’ - PG</strong> <strong>’22 Rank: #131</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">I saw Lockhart at the beginning of summer then again at the end of August, and her improvement in facilitating really impressed me. Her passing accuracy, especially in the pick and roll, is what elevated her into the top 150. Lockhart drops the bread right in the basket when attacking off a screen, and most importantly, she is not loose with the ball. I never saw her get out of control or make careless turnovers. If you combine that with her scoring ability, I think we can expect a huge winter season for her. </span> &nbsp; <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-327540" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/fullsizeoutput_8071-crop-749x492-1631883650-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="263940" first="Tatiannah" last="Fevry"] - Dracut - 5’6’’ - CG</strong> <strong>’22 Rank: #132</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Fevry’s athleticism is off the charts. When she asserts herself on offense, there are not many defenders who can contain her one-on-one. She uses her quickness and leaping ability to create dazzling finishes at the rim and is excellent at creating contact and getting herself to the free-throw line. Fevry also uses her elite athleticism to make an impact on defense. She can make the opposing ball-handler uncomfortable with her defensive intensity. If she gets beat, she shows the recovery speed and effort needed to get back into the play and make something happen. </span> &nbsp; <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-327542" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9986-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1631883761-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="326867" first="Kayliana" last="Salazar"] - East Catholic High - 5’4’’ - PG</strong> <strong>’22 Rank: #144</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">I first saw Salazar play in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Chicago before seeing her at the Hoop Mountain Fall Showcase last weekend, and she was impressive in both showings. I like Salazar’s body language on the court. She is in total command of the moment, and when Salazar is on the floor, she owns the place. She is a good decision maker with the ball, can knock down threes, and gets after it on defense. Her lateral quickness and athleticism stood out to me the most. Salazar is a player that I think can make some noise this fall because of her skill set plus intangibles. </span> &nbsp; <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-327566" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/fullsizeoutput_80ac-crop-1197x786-1631888159-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="288732" first="Mikayler" last="Patch"] - Norton - 5’9’’ - SF</strong> <strong>’22 Rank: #148</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">I have watched Patch at showcases over the last few weeks and liked her aggression on offense. She is a stretch forward with a nice three-point stroke but will also take it hard into the paint for a bucket. I also had the opportunity to watch her in practice, and she does everything at game speed. Whether she is coming off screens hard ready to shoot or digging in and playing tough-nosed on bal defense, Patch takes practice seriously and it translates into the games.</span> &nbsp;