CT Top 30 Showcase: All-Middle School Team

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The beginning of the Connecticut Top 30 Showcase featured the budding talent from the ’26-’28 classes. Through drills and scrimmaging, I had an opportunity to look at some of the young prospects from the area. Below were 5 that caught my eye. </span> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_353073" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0117-crop-1537x1010-1637174948.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-353073" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0117-crop-1537x1010-1637174948-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="352994" first="London" last="Powell"] - Harborside Middle -5’3’’ - PG - ’26</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">I really liked Powell’s scoring prowess during the Top 30 event. She wasn’t just efficient shooting the basketball, but her decision-making is what popped out to me the most. Powell is cognizant of when to attack the basket and when to use her mid-range pull-up. It was impressive to see Powell create countless scoring chances with her tight ball-handling, shoot with the utmost confidence, and not be intimidated by bigger forwards. Powell’s finishing arsenal is deep, and she had no issue scoring in traffic.</span> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_353071" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0049-crop-1537x1010-1637174848.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-353071" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0049-crop-1537x1010-1637174848-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="352996" first="Iyanna" last="Hodge"] - Springfield International - 5’0’’ - PG - PG - ’26</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Hodge was a fun point guard to watch Saturday morning. Observing her through drills alone was captivating because of her excellent ball handling. Due to her size and quickness, staying in front of Hodge for a defender is difficult. When you see Hodge’s quick crossover and ability to handle with either hand easily, makes it more challenging for a defender to keep Hodge out of the paint. </span> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_353069" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0030-crop-1537x1010-1637174684.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-353069" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0030-crop-1537x1010-1637174684-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="352997" first="Zola" last="Cudjoe"] - Immanuel Lutheran - 6’0’’ - PF - ’26</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Cudjoe is an intriguing prospect that I will keep an eye on to see how she develops because physically, she is ahead of the game. A tall, long, athletic forward who plays defense at a high level will always get my attention. She is a raw athlete but has a high defensive IQ considering her class. I liked her defensive instincts. Cudjoe deflected a lot of passes, and her ball denial was excellent. She used her length well to disrupt and impact the game on that side of the ball all morning. </span> &nbsp; <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-353067" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0058-crop-1537x1010-1637174617-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="352998" first="Taelor" last="Arnold"] - East Hartford Middle -  5’2’’ - PG - ’26</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Arnold was one of the hardest-working players from Saturday. She played extremely hard and went 100% every drill and every possession when they scrimmaged.  Arnold also controlled the tempo and showed good command of the game during the showcase. There is a leadership intangible that Arnold has that draws you in as an observer.  Her mental makeup and game approach gives off the vibe that she can galvanize a team and lead. With her shotmaking, shot-creating, and impressive floater package, Arnold is a PG prospect that should be on everyone’s radar.</span> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_353065" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0010-crop-1537x1010-1637174541.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-353065" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0010-crop-1537x1010-1637174541-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="352995" first="Alexa" last="Huckaby"] - Green Hills - 6’1’’ - SF - ’26</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">In my opinion, Huckaby was the best middle school prospect at the Connecticut Top 30 Showcase. When I see a 6’1’’ wing, I am never concerned about their scoring capabilities but more about how they impact other areas of the game. Huckaby is one of the most unselfish players I have seen. She was always looking to get her teammates involved and get them shot opportunities, which many young players struggle to do at her age and position. The fact that Huckaby can handle the ball and looks up the floor at her size automatically elevates her ceiling higher than most. Huckaby runs the floor beautifully too. Her rim running is off the charts good, and I think her potential is limitless.</span>