Bigs Monday- Post Players of Week 1

This is another series of weekly articles discussing the Post players I have seen in the past week of covering Girls High School Basketball across the State of Kentucky.  This week and every week you will read about the best Rebounders, Shot Blockers, Post-Up Scorers, Interior Defender, and anyone else that fits that role of the Big for their team. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="106163" first="Tamesha" last="Dozier"]<strong> - ’22  6’3"/C - Butler</strong> Dozier is a long, shot-blocker and post defender with the ability to shoot the three to be a Stretch player in your offense and a Rim Protector on defense.  She made three-pointers from the top and corner, has good soft hands for catching tough passes thrown to her, and makes good passes for assists across the lane.  Defensively she also uses her long arms to disrupt passes and steal passes, secure tie-ups, and make two impressive blocks &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="164417" first="Samari" last="Taylor"]<strong> - '23  6'2"/PF -  Ballard</strong> Taylor pulled down an offensive rebound in the center of the lane during a teammates' missed free throw attempt which is very hard to do under today's rules.  She runs the floor, has a good drop step and turn move, and is a skilled passer making good dump down and kick out passes.  She finishes with both hands around the hoop, makes it a point to box out, and shoots the three well enough from the wing and corner to be a Stretch Player. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="254282" first="Noel" last="Smith"]<strong> - ’25  5’7"/C - Whitfield Academy  </strong> Undersized and not featured in her teams’ offense many would not think to include Smith in a series like this but they would be wrong.  She shows up for her team in the post lacking the best asset of a Big.  SIZE.  But she plays bigger than her body doing what she can with her athleticism to pull down 12 rebounds and defend larger players. This is a player to watch for the future when you show up to watch the outstanding talent on this team.  She plays hard and smart for a Freshman filling a role she is not built for but excels in.  Where will she be as a player in 4 years I cannot know.  But keep an eye on her.  I have a hunch she will be special. &nbsp; <strong>Breanna Jones - '23  5'10"/PF - Pleasure Ridge Park </strong> Jones is the youngest of a family full of athletes that have all moved on to play in College in one sport or another. and she appears to be next in line after recording a Double-Double with 14 points and 13 rebounds in the first game of the new season (a losing effort). I am not certain why she is not currently ranked because she could make a good addition to a Small College Basketball Roster in the near future. From what I have heard she also had a Double-Double in the last scrimmage and likely would have had one in each of her next two games if there had been enough playing time available (the Panther won the next 2 games 56-8 and 58-9) &nbsp; <strong>Ayanna-Sarai Darrington - '24  6'2"/C - Frederick Douglas </strong> Darrington is a dangerous scorer when she can get deep into the lane.  She keeps the ball high and seals off her defenders in paint to receiver the ball and convert it into points.  She can also make the short corner jumper and made an impressive high-flying blocked shot while I was watching. She logged 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting (75%), collected 5 rebounds, and sank 4 of 6 Free Throws on Saturday in a losing effort, &nbsp; <strong>Delaney Cooper - '24  6'0"/C - Assumption </strong> Cooper is an effective Post Player for a 5 Out offensive system.  She is long, mobile, and a good passer that finds open teammates in the post,  She can shoot from the short corner and the elbow and be an inside presence on defense.