My Notebook ‘Notes From the 2021-2022 Season’
Have you ever been scrolling through one of your social media accounts, and you come across someone doing a photo dump from an event or a vacation? Well, welcome to ‘My Notebook,’ where I will share my notes from this…
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Continue ReadingHave you ever been scrolling through one of your social media accounts, and you come across someone doing a photo dump from an event or a vacation? Well, welcome to ‘My Notebook,’ where I will share my notes from this season. Here are a few players I took notes on at the #RumbleInTheSouth.
Nakaiyla Lockett (5’9/Combo Guard/2024)
School: Noxubee County HS
Instagram: _tootiem24
Twitter: @kaiyla_na
Nakaiyla is a high-volume shooter, which is required from her with her squad. She was aggressive early, looking for her shot, and even though she struggled early, she did not allow her struggles to cause her to shrink back. To have to carry the load in the manner that she does, and only being a sophomore, shows her potential and her coach’s expectation level. Despite the struggles, she still was able to show her ability to score the rock.
She was hitting her defenders with a hesitation move that kept them off-balance and kept driving lanes open.
She showed that she can finish through contact, and at the rim is where she was the most productive. This was my first time seeing Nakaiyla, so I am not sure if what I saw was more of a norm or if she just truly struggled that game. I also have to take into consideration that she hurt her arm early in the game and played through it. Her stat line against MRA was 15pts (6-22, 27% from the field; 0-5 from behind the arc), 6-steals, and an assist to turnover ratio of 4 to 8.
Jadyn Ragland (6’0/Center/2025)
School: Brandon HS
Instagram: c3rt1fied.4x
Twitter: @jadyn16001
The Rumble had some exciting young talented post players on display throughout the day. When talking about the players, you have to add Jadyn to the list as she is a young freshman with a lot of potential. She has good length and uses her long strides when running in transition. When she got paint touches, she was efficient and productive at finishing around the rim. Jadyn hasn’t even scratched the surface yet as she is an emerging prospect to monitor.
If she continues on her current trajectory, she will be a sought out player in a couple of years.
As she expands her game outside the paint and adds a consistent 15-footer and beyond jumper, her versatility will cause her stock to rise. Her 28-minutes show that she is getting meaningful minutes on the varsity, and it looks as though she is soaking up the opportunity and the lessons she is learning. Her stat line against Raymond HS was 12pts (4-8, 50% from the field) and 6-rebounds.
Leah Roberts (5’8/Guard/2023)
School: Raymond HS
Instagram: Ihoop_leah
Twitter: @1eahroberts_4
Leah has nice size at the guard spot and was one of the toughest covers I saw the entire day. She was adamant about getting to rack off the bounce, and when she got going downhill, there was not much anyone could do to stop her. In my notes, I wrote the following, ‘tough off bounce,’ ‘tough off bounce,’ and ‘tough on drives’ over the duration of the game against Brandon HS. She not only showed her skillset as she created scoring opportunities, but she did it with a lot of energy that was contagious throughout her team.
She was one of the best natural scorers I saw throughout the day.
Her aggressive nature off the bounce put a lot of pressure on defenders, which ultimately caused foul trouble for Brandon’s player, and several trips for herself to the line. She is dominant right, and even though the direction she was going was obvious, Brandon had no answer for her. She finished the game with 19pts (6-14, 43% from the field; 7-8, 88% from the line), 3-steals, and an assist to turnover ratio of 0-7.
Rhema Pegues (5’8/Shooting Guard/2022)
School: Olive Branch HS
Instagram: theerhemaapeguess
Twitter: @RhemaPegues
Rhema was looking to score the rock early in their match-up against Meridian. Despite Meridian’s energy level early in the contest, Rhema still looked to be aggressive on offense. When you look at her stats from the game, you would conclude that she just had an off night from the field, which is true, but Meridian’s defensive energy had a lot to do with the subpar performance from the field for the entire Olive Branch squad. Rhema tried to keep her squad in it by attacking the paint, but Meridian was contesting everything.
Rhema was able to create scoring opportunities and capitalize on them.
She finished with 10pts (3-17, 17% from the field; 1-6 from behind the arc), 9-rebounds, and 2-steals. When watching players compete, you can tell when the talent is there, and it is there with Rhema. Evaluating her game on just this game will not do her justice, so I will revisit Rhema’s overview when I have had another chance to catch her before the season is out.
Elyshah Huntley (6’2/Center/2024)
School: Holmes County Central HS
Instagram: reckless._lee
Twitter: @ElyshahHuntley2
Elyshah is one of the young emerging post prospects that I saw at the Rumble. Her offensive game is still developing, while her defensive ability and strength on the boards is her current calling card. She moves well on both ends of the floor, and on the defensive end, she is mobile in the paint, which helps her contest and block shots. She has good size for a sophomore and protects the rim; however, she is still learning how to contest without fouling, as she nearly fouled out in the contest against Northwest Rankin.
She finished the game with 3-blocks but altered numerous shots.
She was strong on the glass as she grabbed 8-rebounds. Her ability to make strong outlet passes that got her team out in transition was impressive, and if she can have an off-season where she focuses on her offensive skillset and add tools to her toolbox, she will be a player to keep an eye on.
Check back soon as I may drop a few more players from My Notebook in the next 24 hours.