Scrimmage Report: Oklahoma Fusion
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Last Sunday I was invited out to watch the Oklahoma Fusion scrimmage at Titan Sports in Tulsa and there was a ton of talent on the floor. In case the wall of college coaches on the end line didn’t give…
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Continue ReadingLast Sunday I was invited out to watch the Oklahoma Fusion scrimmage at Titan Sports in Tulsa and there was a ton of talent on the floor. In case the wall of college coaches on the end line didn’t give you an indication of the skill out on the floor, the eyes in the gym who were turned toward the court when they got running full speed should have. They put on a show. Here are a few notes on the stand-out players that I saw out there for you coaches who weren’t able to make it out.
Jadyn Buttery Jadyn Buttery 5'11" | SF Tahlequah | 2024 State OK | 5-11 G/F | Tahlequah | 2024 | @jadynbuttery3
Jadyn stands out immediately when watching the Fusion play for her great size and length, but that is definitely not the limit of what makes her stand out. She is a vocal leader who encourages her teammate with light-hearted banter, yet keeps everyone on task. She passes the ball with pace and intention and is a fierce competitor. A great rebounder, she can score it from all three levels consistently and looks like the heart of this very good squad. I had her circled on my notes as possibly the best player on the floor and that is saying a lot.
Catyn Graham | 5-8 SG | Pittsburg | 2023 | @Catyn16
Graham is a good shooter who is vocal and encouraging to her teammates. She has yet to make her debut on the rankings, but after seeing her in person, it shouldn’t be too long. For her to be so young and to already be a leader on this very good squad bodes very well for her future. Catyn can handle the ball and on the defensive end can more than hold her own. She fits the Fusion mold of a good player who does the little things and can fill it up from deep. Graham is a lot of fun to watch.
Elliot Geer Elliot Geer 5'6" | PG Grove | 2024 State OK | 5-6 PG | Grove | 2024 | @ElliotGeer
Perhaps the single most athletic player on the court for Fusion, Geer looks like a CrossFit athlete who happens to be very good at basketball. She is absolutely jacked! Where she really makes a name for herself is on the defensive end with her very quick hands. She racks up the steals and with great quickness, Geer does a tremendous job of staying in front of her opponent and blocking their path to the rim. Like the rest of her Fusion squad, Elliot is very young and having seen her play several times I can say that she is improving by leaps and bounds. The future is very bright for this young player.
Annaston Brown Annaston Brown 5'10" | SF Tahlequah Sequoyah | 2024 State OK | 5-9 G/F | Tahlequah | 2024 | @AnnastonBrown
In our initial 2024 rankings we had Annaston ranked in the top-20 and though she struggled at times finding her rhythm last Sunday in the scrimmage, I feel like she is still a high D-II or with the right development a low D-I player. She is an interesting hybrid player with good size (she looks taller than her listed 5’9″ to me) who is strong and well-built, has a pretty lefty shot and can fill it up from outside. She can guard all five spots on the floor and offers a lot of options on the offensive and defensive end for a coach who knows how to use her skill set. It will be interesting to see how she continues to grow with both Fusion and a very good Tahlequah squad.
Chloee Smith Chloee Smith 5'10" | CG Stigler | 2023 State OK | 5-10 F | Keota | 2023 | @ChloeeSmith10
Ranked No. 55 currently, I made a note as soon as I came back from the scrimmage that Chloee needs to move up in the next rankings… A LOT! She is an absolute baller. She is not only tall and long, she can flat out shoot it. It was fun to watch as she got hotter and hotter shooting it from long range and then glance over at all of the college coaches as they quickly flipped through the books provided by the Fusion to figure out who this tremendous player was. As the scrimmage progressed, I realized that she was not only a shooter and the reason she is listed as both a three and a four is that she is a very, very good rebounder. She does a good job of putting a body on someone, then searching out the ball. Last season she averaged 11 pts and six rebounds per game and I have a feeling those numbers are only going to get better and better. Chloee Smith Chloee Smith 5'10" | CG Stigler | 2023 State OK is a star and should probably be top-25 (at least) in our rankings.
Emily Robinson Emily Robinson 5'10" | SF Caddo | 2023 State OK | 5-10 G/F | Caddo | 2023 | @emilyyrobii
Speaking of top-25 players, Emily is our No. 16-ranked player in the class of 2023. She was an All-State Honorable Mention player as a freshman and her numbers have only gotten better and better. She is a three-level scorer who averaged almost 14 points per game last season and during the scrimmage she showed off all of that ability. She used silky handles to get to the rim with ease and finish strong. She also showed some stop and pop from long range. She is a vicious defender who loves the one-on-one battles. She has a little bit of that softball mentality where she doesn’t mind getting in there and getting dirty and taking some bumps. The kind of player that every coach wants on their team.
Kori Rainwater Kori Rainwater 6'1" | C Tahlequah | 2024 State OK | 6-0 F/C | Tahlequah | 2024 | @kori_rainwater
Another player who plays for both Tahlequah and Fusion and is a hybrid of sorts, Kori is a big who often plays like a guard. She moves really well and – though she can score it inside – does a great job of scoring from the elbow and out. She is bouncy and rises up to get off good shots with a nice high release. She has the size to play inside and clearly does (five rebounds per game last season) as needed. She has Division-I size and I firmly believe that finding the sweet spot between battling inside for rebounds and defending in the paint and knowing when to step out and shoot will garner plenty of attention from big schools by the time 2024 rolls around. Tahlequah is going to be must-see basketball this season and clearly, the Oklahoma Fusion will be when the grassroots season comes around again.
Miller Weast Miller Weast 5'7" | PG Inola | 2024 State OK | 5-6 G | Inola | 2024 | @MillerWeast
Yet another high-ranking player from a small school on this Fusion squad, Weast has always stood out no matter where I have seen her play. Last Sunday, it was her slashing that really jumped off the page. She is long and strong and goes really hard to the rim. Stand in her way if you dare. She has very good handles and despite her long arms she does a very good job of keeping the ball tucked in tight to her body and not letting it get out there into a defender’s range. She protects it well even when slashing through the paint. Weast can shoot it, too. A fun player to watch, Miller Weast Miller Weast 5'7" | PG Inola | 2024 State OK is part of a very good Inola squad who finished with a surprisingly good record last season and could really surprise some people this season.
Tristyn Napier Tristyn Napier 5'9" | SF Shawnee | 2023 State OK | 5-8 G/F | Shawnee | 2023 | @NapierTristyn
One of the newest additions to the Fusion squad, Tristyn was ranked No. 50 in the previous iteration of the rankings. That will be changing. She is a great player. A solid guard, she has good height and goes hard all game long. Though just getting together with her new squad, her basketball IQ was evident during the scrimmage as she clearly was able to read the defense well and makes the right pass at the right time. She is a willing passer who definitely sees herself as a facilitator and even in a scrimmage wants to make the right play to help her team to win. Napier can shoot it and does a good job of rebounding for a guard – or for anyone for that matter. She is a great addition for this team and is definitely going to be one to keep an eye on!
Ellie Martin | 5-8 G/F | Sallisaw | 2023 | @elliemartinn_
I have seen Ellie play a few times before and to be honest, I have no excuse for why she isn’t on the 2023 rankings. She goes hard every time I see her and no matter if it is with her school or with Fusion, she is a standout player. She is tall and strong and does a great job of getting to the rim and finishing through contact. She racks up the rebound because she always seems to be around the rim. Even if she is shooting from outside, she crashes the rim and is there to gather up a miss – in the event that she rarely misses. She is strong and does a good job of putting a body on a body and securing the ball. She protects the ball well and is just an all-around very good athlete. Martin is a great player and will most definitely be making her rankings debut next time around.
*Coaches – feel free to send me your practice schedule or invite me out to scrimmages or tournaments. At the very least, send me tape to review. The goal is to get the word out there about as many players as possible. I am here to help!*