Kansas City PGH Top 250 Expo Review : Team #6

Enjoy this look at Team #6 players from the Sunday, October 3, PGH Top 250 Exposure Event at Hy-Vee Arena, Kansas City, Missouri. The evaluations of all ten teams are blends of notes from my colleagues Earl Austin, Phillipe McCree, and me. Two players, [player_tooltip player_id="335940" first="Breona" last="Hurd"] and [player_tooltip player_id="156310" first="Addison" last="Schletzbaum"], earned spots on the all-event team. [caption id="attachment_335621" align="alignleft" width="130"]<img class="wp-image-335621" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/89-Sa_yere-Banks.jpg" alt="" width="130" height="173" /> St. Michael the Archangel 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="335947" first="Sa’yere" last="Banks"]. Photo: Prep Girls Hoops.[/caption][caption id="attachment_337485" align="alignright" width="140"]<img class="wp-image-337485" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/39-Cyrenity-Hardy.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="186" /> Lawrence 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="335961" first="Cyrenity" last="Hardy"]. Photo: Prep Girls Hoops.[/caption][player_tooltip player_id="335947" first="Sa’yere" last="Banks"], 5’10", St. Michael the Archangel (MO), 2022 - Banks is a nice combination of size and athleticism. She has good strength and physicality as well as handles to create off the bounce. Banks also has a nice ability to create the extra pass on the break. [player_tooltip player_id="335961" first="Cyrenity" last="Hardy"], 5’6", CG, Lawrence (KS), 2024 - Hardy showed consistent transition speed and an ability to knock down perimeter shots on both sides of the arc in flow with a quick release. [player_tooltip player_id="194406" first="Breona" last="Hurd"], 6’2", C, Waynesville (MO), 2024 - Hurd has a very advanced offensive game. And with her size, strength, speed, handles in transition and creating in the half court, and movement without the ball she is a very difficult player to match up with. She plays very good off-ball defense to disrupt cutters and interior passes. With all she can do what most impressed me was her hands and strength to go up quickly off the catch to finish. could go off on Hurd’s size, strength, speed and handles in transition, movement without the ball, and off-ball defense to disrupt cutters and passes. Bigger post players really challenged her ability to defend block game post-ups. [caption id="attachment_285698" align="alignleft" width="160"]<img class="wp-image-285698" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/05/1F43F3D8-5716-4537-A20F-413E350D5D2C.jpeg" alt="" width="160" height="120" /> Waynesville 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="335940" first="Breona" last="Hurd"]. Photo: Courtesy of Prep Girls Hoops.[/caption][caption id="attachment_335607" align="alignright" width="150"]<img class="wp-image-335607" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/65-Addison-Schletzbaum.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="200" /> Atchison Community 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="156310" first="Addison" last="Schletzbaum"]. Photo: Prep Girls Hoops.[/caption][player_tooltip player_id="156310" first="Addison" last="Schletzbaum"], 5’9", PF/SF, Atchison Community (KS), 2023 - Schletzbaum showed an all-around game on both ends of the floor. She used her frame, strength, and leaping ability effectively to overpower similar sized opponents on the glass. She also elevates well on mid-range jumpers and when finishing at speed with length. Can play the shooting guard spot as well with her due to having solid handles and her being a perimeter threat. [player_tooltip player_id="335921" first="Luci" last="Smith"], 5’4", PG, Bonner Springs (KS), 2024 - While Smith had some struggles controlling the ball against quicker defenders she is a strong, resilient competitor. She showed some quickness of her own on both ends and that she is solid shooter. [caption id="attachment_335566" align="alignleft" width="160"]<img class="wp-image-335566" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/8-Luci-Smith-300x290.jpg" alt="" width="160" height="155" /> Bonner Springs 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="335921" first="Luci" last="Smith"]. Photo: Prep Girls Hoops.[/caption]<strong>Madilyn Soeken</strong>, 5’7", SG/SF, Central Plains (KS), 2025 - Let it be known that Soeken made it very clear she is a player to watch in the 2025 class. With her hops, strength to rip the ball away, finishes with length, and competitiveness on both ends she just plays bigger than 5’7". She is active without the ball and makes good fakes with it to create scoring opportunities. [caption id="attachment_335580" align="alignright" width="150"]<img class="wp-image-335580 " src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/32-Sara-Springer.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="200" /> Wamego 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="192792" first="Sara" last="Springer"]. Photo: Prep Girls Hoops.[/caption][player_tooltip player_id="192792" first="Sara" last="Springer"], 5’5", PG, Wamego (KS), 2024 - Springer is a high IQ player who does a solid job of playing within herself. Against a deep field with many quick-handed guards she showed handles to get an edge off the bounce, an ability to get the rim and find teammates, and that she is a perimeter threat not to fall asleep on. Springer works well off of screens as well. [caption id="attachment_339534" align="alignleft" width="150"]<img class="wp-image-339534" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/24-Brookelyn-Williams-2022-Heights_cropped-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="200" /> Heights 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="191203" first="Brookelyn" last="Williams"]. Photo: Prep Girls Hoops.[/caption][player_tooltip player_id="191203" first="Brookelyn" last="Williams"], 5’9", SF/PF, Heights (KS), 2022 - It had been a year since I saw Williams play and she not only showed the game I remember but also that she is quicker at doing everything. Right away she established an ability to put together multiple post moves and string them quickly. Williams showed terrific transition speed, shot blocking ability, activeness in the passing lanes and good hops. Offensively she also finished with length on both sides of the basket with either hand and hit the mid-range jumper well.     <em>Featured image: Central Plains 2025 [player_tooltip player_id="335932" first="Marilyn" last="Soeken"]. Photo: Prep Girls Hoops.</em>