Mt. Rushmore: Hoop Mountain Fall Showcase

Saturday afternoon, I attended the Hoop Mountain Fall Showcase in Sudbury, Massachusetts. With 135 participants and over 50 Division 2 and Division 3 coaches, this fun-filled event was as competitive and action-packed as any showcase I’ve attended this year. I got familiar with new talent that I have never had the opportunity to watch before, along with premier prospects from the class of 2022 through the class of 2025. There were even some up-and-coming players from the 2026 class! In one of the hardest Mt. Rushmore’s to determine, the 4 top performers from Hoop Mountain are below.   <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-326223" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9952-scaled-crop-1585x1041-1631582678-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="264332" first="Natalia" last="Hall-Rosa"] - Bridgewater Raynham/ Bay State Jaguars - 6’0’’ - SF - ’24 Whenever Hall-Rosa steps onto the court, her presence is felt, and a trend I am noticing is that she sets the tone with a hard rim run and easy two points every game. It’s as if Hall-Rosa was shot out a cannon when bursting down the court, blowing by the defense in transition. Right when you think you’ve seen it all, the 6’0’’ wing pulls another trick out of her sleeve. I am not speaking in hyperbole when I say that Hall-Rosa made one of the best passes I’ve seen so far this year. Standing at the top of the key, she tried to penetrate the lane, and the defender cut off her angle. Hall-Rosa resets, backs up behind the arc, takes three size-up dribbles, and completes a bounce pass to the backdoor, cutting ’23 guard [player_tooltip player_id="267137" first="Hannah" last="Smith"] for a reverse layup. The pass was so special because Hall-Rosa fit it through a tiny window, and the margin of error was so small. To put the right velocity and touch on the pass and to lead Smith in stride was a thing of beauty. Hall-Rosa’s court vision has become one of the most improved parts of her game, and she is developing into one of the best all-around players in her class.   [caption id="attachment_326226" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9951-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1631583075.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-326226" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9951-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1631583075-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="263802" first="Elizabeth" last="Blinn"] - Concord/BDS - 6’2’’ - PF - ’22 Blinn started her fall season picking up where she left off from the summer by being one of the dominant power forwards in her class. The double-double machine from Concord has been more than just buckets and rebounds but a reliable defensive anchor whenever she is in the game. At 6’2’’, Blinn has ideal size and patrols the paint as well as anyone I have seen. Her timing was impeccable on Saturday, constantly altering shots and layup attempts. Blinn’s offensive game got everyone’s attention because most would assume she would be a back-to-the-basket big, but she is anything but that. Blinn can score at all three levels, will handle the ball on the outside comfortably, and is never stagnant on offense when playing off the rock. Come Wednesday’s rankings update, no one made a more significant leap than Blinn, and I believe she can continue to climb up due to her unique skill set.   <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-326228" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9954-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1631583326-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="269130" first="Armani" last="Rivera"] - Scituate/ RI Basketball Club - 5’4’’ - PG - ’24 Rivera is an absolute pitbull on defense. Rivera should be the first person on your list if you need someone to go to battle with because she will fight, claw and scrap until the bitter end. The effort she gave her team possession after possession was unreal. Every loose ball, she was diving for it. Every rebound, Rivera’s 5’4’’ frame was crashing, trying to get the ball in her hands. Don’t even get me started on her on-ball defense! When Rivera gets in her stance, she gets in the ball handler’s shorts and suffocates them. High energy and high octane all the time from Rivera, and she made a case for best perimeter defender in the ’24 class on Saturday. Not to mention she was a walking bucket all day long too. She has three-point range and attacks the basket with fury using her blinding quickness to get to the rack.   [caption id="attachment_326230" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9953-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1631583474.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-326230" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9953-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1631583474-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="325468" first="Abby" last="Bradbury"] - Valley Regional/D4S - 5’10’’ - CG - ’23 Up until Saturday, I had only watched Bradbury’s games on livestream. In-person, Bradbury is one of the most physically imposing combo guards in the ’23 class. She is a big guard at 5’10’’ who can handle the ball and control the tempo as well as anyone. The first few times down on offense, she separated herself from the rest of the showcase participants. The fluidity in her shot creation and shooting confidence popped out at you. The strength and aggression attacking the basket were unfathomable. With defenders draped all over her, Bradbury somehow absorbed contact while staying composed enough to finish through all the hacking and holding. I thought she was the most unstoppable force on the court at the Fall Showcase, and I do not believe there was anyone who had a prayer in containing her. Too big, too strong, and by far one of the toughest players in the gym. Locked in from beginning to end, no one came close to being on Bradbury’s level when it came to impacting a game.