I-35 Showcase 2026 Standouts

I'm so impressed with players I've caught from the 2026 class that have solidified being on the initial Watch List I'll drop with Bella Flemings and Amari Byles have BCS offers on the table as I type yet from the numerous events I cover because I love seeing players in different settings, it was refreshing to catch so many talented players in San Antonio, many I was clueless about so here's the first of 3 segments from the MS session of I-35 Showcase <strong>Jera Salters-5'7</strong> Salters has the right last name because her game is salty as she sets the defender up nicely in half-court or just explodes past them in the open court but her finishing with power was ahead of her years because contact didn't matter, nor did a hand in her face on the jumper so throw in she "handles the ball under pressure" and sees the floor very well, she's definitely going to create some problems in HS <strong>Rebecca Robinson-5'6</strong> Robinson keeps showing me something different every time I catch her and catch is a good word because her "catch and shoot" looks pretty good right now so I can only envision what it will become. Let me drop something that's equally important, "she plays within herself and doesn't force shots" yet she can also take the defender off the dribble to score yet that range will definitely negate playing zone <strong>Arianna Davis-5'6</strong> Davis showed the pull-up jumper multiple times, starting in the 1 on 1 drill as she created her shot and dropped it with ease but when the games began, the stop and pop on a dime in transition was very nice, so was her coming off then screen but she also can mix it up and score by attacking the rim or she can drop the mid-range with a very nice step-back. Her athleticism brought heat on defense and she played the passing lane <strong>Yasmeen Schmidt-5'11</strong> Schmidt falls into that "college coaches love big guards that can shoot" and when you factor in she's just shy of "the magic number" which is 6'0 and also something they love. Look, I give you intangibles for a reason and she's adding more to her game than just a tall player with a pretty jumper, well that's consistent, and since she's consistently attacking the rim and finishing after contact, that will add to the appeal <strong><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Brittney Anderson-5'5</span></strong> Andreson is fearless, she has shown me that several times in a couple of years I've been watching her so watching her attack with either hand, finish with either hand and do it after contact doesn't surprise me nor does her jumper which coupled with her athleticism enables her to get it off whenever she wants. Her future is bright because of not only her ability but her mindset as she can man-up and play "on the ball: defense in a hunnid with anyone <strong>Janea Walls-5'5</strong> Walls showed the stutter-step in transition and I cracked up because it took me back many years ago, before my daughter, I'm talking about me, so yeah she understands how to get by the defender, nice HEZ works as well, so does her changing hands going full speed but she has a scorers mentality and finds ways to put the ball in the basket, that's huge at this stage, well at any stage and with her upside, she's definitely going to be on center stage <strong>Mackenzie Donald-5'6</strong> Donald showed the long ball off the bat and left me with a lasting first impression, not just because of her dropping it but the way she dropped it. She's poised on the court, pressure is irrelevant, and observing her get positioning to rebound on one end and go coast to coast to either score or assist was nice, she also did that by playing the passing lane but her defense was nice, she read the switch and came up with some steals with quick hands <strong>Rosanelly Pastrano-5'2</strong> Pastrano falls into one of the first SIMONISMS that I hashtagged when I started writing and evaluating and that is #sizedontmatter yet as the years progressed and the game changed, I had to amend it to "when you can play" and that she can and watching her handle the ball effortlessly in the open court while being defended and throwing passes on the money, the no-look included, had me get up because I love action yet her pull-up jumper, as well as her attacking off the dribble, were equally impressive as her seeing the floor <strong>Aniyah Shields-5'6</strong> Shields should have been on that Marvel show because I'm MARVELLED at the jumps she continues to make, on the court including her skillset so she's gone from just a player that defended and rebounded to one that scores off the dribble, and let me also add, the spin she made in the open court is making my head spin just thinking about it. I talk about intangibles, her diving on the floor for loose balls is definitely one as she does things instinctively yet that defense as well as rebounding against taller players still makes me smile