Top Performers- BeYOUtiful Classic Day 1- part 1
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I was given a heads up about this tournament from Memorial head coach Jyusef Larry a few months ago regarding some of the teams that were participating, it was a no-brainer yet I’ve always been about “more than basketball” and…
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Continue ReadingI was given a heads up about this tournament from Memorial head coach Jyusef Larry a few months ago regarding some of the teams that were participating, it was a no-brainer yet I’ve always been about “more than basketball” and the event also covered something very important, mental health. On opening day, there was a special presentation from host school Austin Bowie’s head coach Vickie Benson who brought in several speakers on the subject including Texas legend Fran Harris who has won championships at every level, and the bottom line was to let the kids know ” there is nothing wrong with asking for help” and trust me, in this era, that needs to be instilled but after being overwhelmed with that, I decided to break the Top Performers into a couple of parts
2022
Ashlon Jackson Ashlon Jackson 5'10" | SG Hardin Jefferson | 2022 State #22 Nation TX -6’0 G (Hardin Jefferson)
Jackson can score at will, which has been proven against some of the top talents in the country yet the Duke signee also continues to show how complete of a player she is by not only playing multiple positions yet her ability to make those around her better, that’s when you go from good to great and her passes on the money for assists coupled with her defensive presence added to her scoring from outside and off the dribble
Dyamon Griggs-6’2 C/PF (Waco University)
Griggs will be updated to the Top 100 in a huge way after her performance against one of the top teams in the country. From watching her just after middle school to seeing what she has become has been a thrill yet her powerful scoring on the inside combined with her soft touch facing the basket in the paint as well as the midrange was nice, so was her rebounding and handling the ball
Zariya Smith-5’6 SG (Waco University)
Smith added some offensive punch for her team to help take some of the pressure off Griggs, she also saw the floor and hit teammates for assist opportunities but her ability to handle the ball under pressure and trust me, there was some heat coming at her, also helped yet she did a good job of not only creating her shot but knocking the shot down from mid to long-range
Aniyah Burke-5’6 G (Vista Ridge)
Burke was so explosive off the dribble at times, she was an “and one” waiting to happen yet not only does she blow by defenders in te set, she understands how to set them up by creating her shot and her pull-up jumper in the set as well as the stop and pop in transition helps give her options but her ballhandling going full speed and being able to make the right pass was nice as well
Kiersten Johnson Kiersten Johnson 6'3" | C Duncanville | 2022 State TX -6’2 C/PF (Duncanville)
Johnson is always a Tip Sheet waiting to happen ad the Oklahoma signee can not only score just about whenever she wants, but she also can do it however she wants and standing out defensively in the first half while her teammates were dropping the long ball. In the second half, she went completely off scoring double digits in a variety of ways yet seeing her drop the jumper always makes me smile
2023
Victoria Flores-5’7 SG (Duncanville)
Flores dropped 5 or 6 threes, IDK, I quit counting but as close as she was to the line, I’m going to give her 10 on the deep two pointers but seriously, she is one of the best shooters in the state, she will be added to the PGH Top 100 on my next update
2024
Tajanae Gooden-5’10 G/F (Duncanville)
Gooden dropped 4 three pointers in the first half, 2 or 3 went in and out so yeah, she too is one of the best shooters in Texas and she too will be added to the Top 100 yet her poise, her college-ready frame and ability to score off the dribble just sets it off
Kendall Sneed Kendall Sneed 5'7" | CG Hardin Jefferson | 2024 State TX -5’9 CG (Hardin Jefferson)
Sneed is so poised under pressure that whether she is facilitating to assist or scoring in the clutch, she is definitely ready yet her upside is so scary and that combined with her BB-IQ are pluses in themselves but let me not leave out her being vocal on the court to go with that jumper
2025
Saylor Bourland-5’6 G (Vista Ridge)
Bourland is one of 3 talented freshmen on her squad, I’m going to come back and drop and All-Freshmen team so I’ll definitely be repeating her name however her ability to see the floor under pressure was very good, so was her scoring off the dribble yet her upside is very good