Hoop Mountain PG’s: Jackie Hustle

Below are some point guard standouts from the Hoop Mountain Spring Showcase.   [player_tooltip player_id="296972" first="Jackie" last="Russell"] | East Hampton | 5’7’’| ’24 [caption id="attachment_404998" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/2041CC51-1141-4549-B5B0-4167B96C98E1-crop-1440x946-1648331067.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-404998" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/2041CC51-1141-4549-B5B0-4167B96C98E1-crop-1440x946-1648331067-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: JT Shotz[/caption] Russell is a very good all-around point guard who was dynamic in the halfcourt on Sunday. She excelled at penetrating, drawing the defense, kicking out shooters, or dumping the ball down to bigs. I liked the pace Russell plays at and how under control she is when handling the ball. Russell never seemed rattled by aggressive defense and has the athleticism to get by her opponents. I also liked Russell’s intensity on defense.   [player_tooltip player_id="289631" first="Grace" last="O’Gara"] | South High | 5’5’’ | ’23 [caption id="attachment_405000" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/BADEC535-4B12-4573-95F7-3EA55B6EC662-crop-1440x946-1648331149.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-405000" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/BADEC535-4B12-4573-95F7-3EA55B6EC662-crop-1440x946-1648331149-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Meredith Ryan[/caption] O’Gara showed the ability to play both guard spots effectively on Sunday. She was on the court with another point guard, so I got to see how well O’Gara could adapt without having the ball in her hands. Due to her shooting ability and high IQ, she could still add value to the team even at the 2 spot. When O’Gara did get the opportunity to orchestrate the offense, she set the table nicely for her teammates, and when she wanted to score, she had no trouble shot-creating.   [player_tooltip player_id="297237" first="Carlie" last="Marrella"] | Ashland | 5’6’’ | ’23 [caption id="attachment_405002" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/CF7BC6AD-48DF-4D0E-A4D9-86134D5760DB-crop-1440x946-1648331271.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-405002" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/CF7BC6AD-48DF-4D0E-A4D9-86134D5760DB-crop-1440x946-1648331271-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Meredith Ryan[/caption] Marrella is so electric when she steps on the court. She aggressively comes out the gate and wants to assert herself on offense early. Marrella shoots the ball well and is one of the better scorers off the dribble. Specifically, in transition, Marrella did a good job changing direction and keeping the defense back-peddling in pursuit of the basket.   [player_tooltip player_id="382667" first="Maddalena" last="Mannucci Pacini"] | Milford | 5’7’’ | ’22 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-405004" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/55CE027E-8D1C-4BE0-9AB2-33B6DA6B5AF6-crop-1537x1010-1648331330-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Mannucci Pacini’s speed and quickness with the ball helped her constantly get to the basket on Sunday. She attacked with purpose and had a couple of nice finishes at the rim. Mannucci Pacini has three-point range and a quick release, so she never had difficulty getting the shot off.   [player_tooltip player_id="269545" first="Carly" last="Dimento"]| Tyngsboro | 5’7’’| ’24 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-405006" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/F9FFD0D5-68DE-4CD4-8F38-7C6B29A3A6E2-scaled-crop-1709x1123-1648331406-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> DiMento’s wingspan and athleticism make her extremely valuable on defense. She was playing off-guard for the time that I watched her, and she defended wings well. I also love DiMento’s motor and effort. She works as hard as anyone on the floor, is tough as nails, and is the ultimate competitor on the court.   [player_tooltip player_id="269240" first="Jasmine" last="James"] | St. Mark’s |5’7’’ | ’24 [caption id="attachment_405008" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/3251A35B-D42A-4A6E-9251-81383EC2F5D1-scaled-crop-1709x1123-1648331475.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-405008" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/3251A35B-D42A-4A6E-9251-81383EC2F5D1-scaled-crop-1709x1123-1648331475-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Meredith Ryan[/caption] James is one of the better long-range shooting point guards in her class, but it wasn’t her sniping ability that got my attention. It was James’ in-between game that jumped out. I liked how smooth she was knifing her way into the paint. James also showed a variety of finishes, including a floater.   [player_tooltip player_id="404927" first="Bella" last="George"] | Lynnfield | 5’4’’ | ’23 [caption id="attachment_405010" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/6A367032-1F64-49DE-8026-1B872E7EAE50-crop-1322x868-1648331586.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-405010" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/6A367032-1F64-49DE-8026-1B872E7EAE50-crop-1322x868-1648331586-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Meredith Ryan[/caption] George was good on both sides of the floor Sunday. She was scrappy and active on defense and offensively controlled the tempo well. She pushes the ball up the floor quickly, and when she is off-ball, George runs the floor and fills the lanes well. George had an efficient shooting day overall and hit shots off the bounce. She also made smart, accurate passes to her teammates and kept the offense flowing in the halfcourt.   [player_tooltip player_id="296799" first="Alyssa" last="Bordonaro"] | Granby | 5’4’’ | ’24 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-405012" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/E9274496-6231-4E6B-8A85-FD487ED26AEF-crop-1440x946-1648331692-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Bordonaro was born to score. Her lightning-quick first step and fancy footwork when getting around defenders was all I needed to see to validate her shot-creating ability. I like her athleticism, confident jump shot, and decision-making while attacking. Bordonaro showed good court vision and was unselfish.   Maddie McCaffery | Merrimack | 5’5’’ | ’25 [caption id="attachment_405014" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/3E117B8B-5A95-40CC-A737-9C935E82CC39-crop-1302x855-1648331792.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-405014" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/3E117B8B-5A95-40CC-A737-9C935E82CC39-crop-1302x855-1648331792-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: JT Shotz[/caption] McCaffery’s elite ball-handling and shiftiness led to some creative playmaking throughout the day. Her change of speed and direction for a player her age is highly impressive, and it isn’t easy to stay in front of her on defense. McCaffery’s hesitation dribble always freezes her opponents, and she can get into the paint off that one move alone.   [player_tooltip player_id="269130" first="Armani" last="Rivera"] | Tolman | 5’5’’ | ’24 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-405016" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/FA67DC1B-46B1-43DD-B184-C85F9C312251-crop-1302x855-1648331879-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Rivera unsurprisingly stood out at Hoop Mountain mainly because of her intensity on both sides of the floor. Rivera does everything with purpose. Watching her push the ball up the court making dynamic plays was head-turning. I liked her decision-making and shot selection in transition also. Rivera stopping on a dime and pulling up from 15 feet with the defense on her heels was one of my favorite plays because it showed Rivera’s shot creativity and self-awareness. Understanding that she is not the biggest point guard and developing her game so she can still be explosive scoring the ball against bigger opponents.