Guards Round-up - Assumption Christmas Tournament edition

Once again I have rounded up some guards to write about for the week. But this time I found them all on the same court at Assumption High School at their Christmas Tournament. It was good to see several of these players for the first time. After this, I have two more tournaments to write about that I haven't even started on and almost no time to write bout them. But I'll get something done. Enjoy this one for now.   [player_tooltip player_id="106142" first="Timothi" last="Williams"] - ’22 5’8"/PG - Great Crossing Williams is a great ball-handler but took a backseat at times to teammates, likely as a way to help develop the team around her demonstrating her willingness to be a team=player. And perhaps that frees her up to score more points, averaging 23 points and 3 rebounds during the tournament and making 87.5% of her free throws. She has the ability to get the ball through the defense and to the rim and force opponents to give her the shot or foul her and either way she makes them pay. She penetrated from the left wing on a curling drive to the right of the rim, a blow-by after a turnover for a layup and a corner drive with a spin move to finish with a corner 4 footer.   Diamond Gray - ’23 5’6"/PG - Paducah Tilghman Gray has great defensive footspeed she can backpedal as fast as many people can run forward. If basketball doesn't work out she should consider becoming a defensive back on a women's football team. I think she could do it. But that is not why we are here. Her offensive game involves the speed to blow-by opponents to score in transition and to push the tempo. Scoring from full court drives on the break and steals at mid-court for a layup off of the turnover is her specialty. In the press she turned a stolen pass into an immediate score. Quick strike. A one-woman fast-break. Not that she wouldn't pass but you will need a fast team around her to have anyone up the court with her to be passed to. She made 16 steals in the three games of the tournament. She averaged 18 points, and 5 rebounds per game during the tournament with a one-game high of 23 points. She can shoot the three, the pull-up short jumper, and plays with a ton of hustle. On one play she hustle back on defense to block a shot from a distance. She was called for a foul but I didn't see any contact. Maybe it was the shock of how quickly she flew into the action.   [player_tooltip player_id="222954" first="Rachel" last="Smith"] - ’23 5’7"/CG - Great Crossing Smith found an open teammate on a backdoor cut, secured a rebound, and with a dribble spin move quickly put it right back up for a score, and made a baseline inbounds pass assist. She averaged 9 points and 3 rebounds made a 6 footer in the lane and a mid-range 14 footer on the wing.   [player_tooltip player_id="158176" first="Hayden" last="Barrier"] - ’25 5’7"/SG - Montgomery Co Barrier averaged 16 points, and 3.7 rebounds while scoring 22 points in one game. She made threes for the right wing, right corner, and a 17 footer from the top. In one of the best moves I saw all day she made a curling drive to right elbow, then a spin move into a free-throw line jumper.   Nerjai Lewis - ’23 5’11"/CG - Holmes Lewis tallied two double-doubles during the tournament and averaged 15.5 points and 12.5 rebounds. She scored in the post, on a right elbow jumper, a straight line drive for a layup and layup in transition while running the floor. She also made an assist feed to a teammate in the paint and a drive from the wing for a layup.   Taryn Morriss - ’24 5’7’/SF - Assumption Morris finished game 1 and game 2 with 10 points and 5 rebounds but missed most of the third game with an injury. She made a strip and score near the hoop through contact, hit the free throw to follow, and nailed a corner three when I was there.

Once again I have rounded up some guards to write about for the week. But this time I found them all on the same court at Assumption High School at their Christmas Tournament. It was good to see several of these players for the first time.

After this, I have two more tournaments to write about that I haven't even started on and almost no time to write bout them. But I'll get something done. Enjoy this one for now.

Timothi Williams Timothi Williams 5'7" | SG Great Crossing | 2022 State KY - ’22 5’8"/PG - Great Crossing

Williams is a great ball-handler but took a backseat at times to teammates, likely as a way to help develop the team around her demonstrating her willingness to be a team=player. And perhaps that frees her up to score more points, averaging 23 points and 3 rebounds during the tournament and making 87.5% of her free throws.

She has the ability to get the ball through the defense and to the rim and force opponents to give her the shot or foul her and either way she makes them pay. She penetrated from the left wing on a curling drive to the right of the rim, a blow-by after a turnover for a layup and a corner drive with a spin move to finish with a corner 4 footer.

Diamond Gray - ’23 5’6"/PG - Paducah Tilghman

Gray has great defensive footspeed she can backpedal as fast as many people can run forward. If basketball doesn't work out she should consider becoming a defensive back on a women's football team. I think she could do it. But that is not why we are here.

Her offensive game involves the speed to blow-by opponents to score in transition and to push the tempo. Scoring from full court drives on the break and steals at mid-court for a layup off of the turnover is her specialty. In the press she turned a stolen pass into an immediate score. Quick strike. A one-woman fast-break. Not that she wouldn't pass but you will need a fast team around her to have anyone up the court with her to be passed to. She made 16 steals in the three games of the tournament.

She averaged 18 points, and 5 rebounds per game during the tournament with a one-game high of 23 points. She can shoot the three, the pull-up short jumper, and plays with a ton of hustle. On one play she hustle back on defense to block a shot from a distance. She was called for a foul but I didn't see any contact. Maybe it was the shock of how quickly she flew into the action.

Rachel Smith Rachel Smith 5'7" | SG Great Crossing | 2023 State KY - ’23 5’7"/CG - Great Crossing

Smith found an open teammate on a backdoor cut, secured a rebound, and with a dribble spin move quickly put it right back up for a score, and made a baseline inbounds pass assist. She averaged 9 points and 3 rebounds made a 6 footer in the lane and a mid-range 14 footer on the wing.

Hayden Barrier Hayden Barrier 5'6" | SG Montgomery County | 2024 State KY - ’25 5’7"/SG - Montgomery Co

Barrier averaged 16 points, and 3.7 rebounds while scoring 22 points in one game. She made threes for the right wing, right corner, and a 17 footer from the top. In one of the best moves I saw all day she made a curling drive to right elbow, then a spin move into a free-throw line jumper.

Nerjai Lewis - ’23 5’11"/CG - Holmes

Lewis tallied two double-doubles during the tournament and averaged 15.5 points and 12.5 rebounds. She scored in the post, on a right elbow jumper, a straight line drive for a layup and layup in transition while running the floor. She also made an assist feed to a teammate in the paint and a drive from the wing for a layup.

Taryn Morriss - ’24 5’7’/SF - Assumption

Morris finished game 1 and game 2 with 10 points and 5 rebounds but missed most of the third game with an injury. She made a strip and score near the hoop through contact, hit the free throw to follow, and nailed a corner three when I was there.