Sunday Standouts: Pre-Holiday Tournaments edition

I spent most of the week 30 to 45 minutes away from home in what in some ways will have been a shortened week of watching basketball before the long grind of the Holiday Tournaments. I saw tons of talent that you can read about for the rest of the week and below are three standouts that really impressed me. The first two are already committed but the I believe the third is still considering her offers. Maybe your school should be among them.   [player_tooltip player_id="157946" first="Riley" last="Neal"] - ’22 5’11"/SF - North Oldham "She has some of the best footwork around. Which gives her the ability to play bigger than she is against the Centers and quicker against the Wings and Guards," says Head Coach Mac McIntosh of Neal. And the footwork shows up in her ability to appear slow for a second while she is trying to feel out her best option once she has the ball and then she explodes to where she is going. Many times I saw her go from somewhere outside the three-point line patiently waiting, like an ambush predator waiting to strike until suddenly she is in the lane scoring. She finished up totaling 24 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 2 of 3 from three-point range and making 4 of 5 free throws. She probably could have scored more if not for her team running some stall offense against a 2-3 Zone that was content to let them stall. But then the game might not have been close with an exciting finish either. Besides I love a well-timed stall mid-game and it definitely enabled the comeback. It's not hard to see why Neal is the 5th Ranked player in the state. On the season she is averaging 19.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and making 41.6% of her threes. In the game, she drove from the right corner and made a jump stop before a left-handed hook from 5 feet away. She also took the ball into the heart of the zone to face a great shot blocker on a post-up turnaround, a baseline drive to the rim, and a catch and shoot in the paint right over the top of an outstretched hand. On the perimeter, she nailed threes with a high release from the corner and top right and drove from top right to finish through contact and making the following free throw. She also made a 15-foot corner jumper and a 17 footer from out top.   [player_tooltip player_id="336892" first="Alyssa" last="Lindsey"] - ’22 5’7"/SG - Central Hardin Lindsey out an all-out assault on the glass on both ends of the court it was quite the athletic display finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds. She would grab the defensive rebound and drive it up the court around or through defenders for layups. Or fly to the ball as an out-of-zone rebounder, to grab the ball and put it in the hoop. She also spent a good portion of the game in the high post distributing the ball, making the free throw line zone buster, penetrating from the line for a left-handed hook shot at the hoop, and making all 6 of her free throws. For the season she is averaging 15.5 points, 11 rebounds, and 34.3% three-point shooting. If this is the 37th ranked player in the class of '22 I will be seeing some great basketball for the rest of the season.   [player_tooltip player_id="164402" first="Dezirae" last="Bryant"] - ’23 5’7"/SG - North Hardin Bryant scored 21 points mainly by moving expertly without the ball and shooting the three (hitting 3 of 5 threes). She scored on a V cut from the wing, a great cut on a wing pick and roll, and by positioning herself in the lane to receive the ball from a penetrating teammate. She also pulled down 5 rebounds and made 4 of 5 free throws. On the season Bryant is averaging 13 points, 7 rebounds, and shooting 32% from three-point range and 69.5% from the free-throw line. She found many ways to shine in a losing effort against a difficult match-up for her team.

I spent most of the week 30 to 45 minutes away from home in what in some ways will have been a shortened week of watching basketball before the long grind of the Holiday Tournaments. I saw tons of talent that you can read about for the rest of the week and below are three standouts that really impressed me.

The first two are already committed but the I believe the third is still considering her offers. Maybe your school should be among them.

Riley Neal Riley Neal 5'11" | SF North Oldham | 2022 State KY - ’22 5’11"/SF - North Oldham

"She has some of the best footwork around. Which gives her the ability to play bigger than she is against the Centers and quicker against the Wings and Guards," says Head Coach Mac McIntosh of Neal.

And the footwork shows up in her ability to appear slow for a second while she is trying to feel out her best option once she has the ball and then she explodes to where she is going. Many times I saw her go from somewhere outside the three-point line patiently waiting, like an ambush predator waiting to strike until suddenly she is in the lane scoring.

She finished up totaling 24 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 2 of 3 from three-point range and making 4 of 5 free throws. She probably could have scored more if not for her team running some stall offense against a 2-3 Zone that was content to let them stall. But then the game might not have been close with an exciting finish either. Besides I love a well-timed stall mid-game and it definitely enabled the comeback.

It's not hard to see why Neal is the 5th Ranked player in the state. On the season she is averaging 19.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and making 41.6% of her threes. In the game, she drove from the right corner and made a jump stop before a left-handed hook from 5 feet away. She also took the ball into the heart of the zone to face a great shot blocker on a post-up turnaround, a baseline drive to the rim, and a catch and shoot in the paint right over the top of an outstretched hand.

On the perimeter, she nailed threes with a high release from the corner and top right and drove from top right to finish through contact and making the following free throw. She also made a 15-foot corner jumper and a 17 footer from out top.

Alyssa Lindsey Alyssa Lindsey 5'7" | SG Central Hardin | 2022 State KY - ’22 5’7"/SG - Central Hardin

Lindsey out an all-out assault on the glass on both ends of the court it was quite the athletic display finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds. She would grab the defensive rebound and drive it up the court around or through defenders for layups. Or fly to the ball as an out-of-zone rebounder, to grab the ball and put it in the hoop.

She also spent a good portion of the game in the high post distributing the ball, making the free throw line zone buster, penetrating from the line for a left-handed hook shot at the hoop, and making all 6 of her free throws. For the season she is averaging 15.5 points, 11 rebounds, and 34.3% three-point shooting.

If this is the 37th ranked player in the class of '22 I will be seeing some great basketball for the rest of the season.

Dezirae Bryant - ’23 5’7"/SG - North Hardin

Bryant scored 21 points mainly by moving expertly without the ball and shooting the three (hitting 3 of 5 threes). She scored on a V cut from the wing, a great cut on a wing pick and roll, and by positioning herself in the lane to receive the ball from a penetrating teammate. She also pulled down 5 rebounds and made 4 of 5 free throws.

On the season Bryant is averaging 13 points, 7 rebounds, and shooting 32% from three-point range and 69.5% from the free-throw line. She found many ways to shine in a losing effort against a difficult match-up for her team.