Lincoln Christian Scrimmages: Part 4 – Tulsa Central

There are coaches who care enough to email you a roster after you hand them the business card following their game. Then there is Coach Jimmie Walker from Central who cares enough to take your pad and pencil from you and handwrite the players’ names, numbers, and class for you. Some coaches just "get it" and know what it takes to help their players make it to the next level. Yes, good coaching and training are a big part of it. But, so is getting their name and information out there. A lot of time it is just a matter of getting them seen. You can work your butt off helping them become great players, but college coaches can’t be in every gym in the country. Help Prep Girls Hoops be the conduit for you to get their information to coaches at the next level. That’s what we’re here for. Thanks Coach Walker! <strong>Jahleah Smith | 5-6 G | 2022 | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15300534/Jahleah-Smith">Hudl</a></strong> Smith is a guard with great vision, though, with her ability to hit the spot-up jumper, she can definitely play the two as well as the one. She is quick getting up and down the court. Her handles are decent, but that isn’t where she makes her money. It is more with her jump shooting and her ability to get to the basket with quickness and finish strong. She works hard all game long on both ends of the court and always seems to be involved in every loose ball scrum on the defensive end, as she clearly really likes to mix it up. Some would call that being a "grinder," which we all know is a great thing to have on your basketball team. In the right offense, her ability to hit the open shot and play good defense would be a huge asset. I’m thinking probably most likely in the D-III or NAIA area. She definitely could play at the next level. <strong>Nicoe Knighten | 5-10 F/C | 2023 | <a href="https://x.com/NicoeKnighten">@NicoeKnighten</a></strong> I loved watching Nicoe play. She is exactly what every coach is looking for on a basketball team. A player with good size who makes up in areas where she may be lacking skill-wise with outright hustle and heart. She moves very well for a "big" and honestly never stops moving. She goes hard all game long and fights for every single rebound, every single loose ball, every single bucket. If you are an opponent and you know that you are going to be facing off with Knighten for the rest of the game, you better have your parents pack you a lunch - and probably your big girl pants - cause you’re about to have a battle on your hands. She can score it from inside with a variety of post moves and has to be one of the only players I’ve seen in my time scouting in Oklahoma that follows absolutely every single shot she takes. We hear it screamed at players a lot, rarely do we actually see it. It is clear from the outset when you watch Nicoe play that she just wants it a lot more than other players. ***There were several players not present or not playing at the scrimmage who are going to be big parts of the Tulsa Central team this year and I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention Adrianna Brinkley and [player_tooltip player_id="318199" first="Montay" last="Davis"] who I really look forward to seeing once the season kicks off. Several other young players stood out too, but because of a lack of information on the internet, I was not able to fully write about them. For that reason, I will just give you a quick look at my notes on each of them: Courtney Fortenberry (No. 23) is a freshman according to her coach. In my notes, I wrote that she moves very well with and without the ball and does a great job of running the offense as a point guard. She also has a good dribble drive. With her in the mix this season with Adrianna Brinkley, the offense could be a lot more dynamic than in previous years. TaNaria Keys (No. 30) is a sophomore guard who I wrote in my notes is extremely tough. She finishes strong inside through contact and can really handle the punishment it takes to get to the basket consistently. I definitely look forward to seeing more of her down the road - as well as the whole Tulsa Central squad!