15U Forwards Who Stood Out at Sunshine State Showdown
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McKenzie Neal McKenzie Neal 6'2" | C Okeechobee HS | 2025 NY , 6’2” PF/C (ECU Family 2025) pictured above. Neal was a force in the middle at Sunshine Showdown. She showed a lot of mobility and a versatile skillset…
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Continue ReadingMcKenzie Neal McKenzie Neal 6'2" | C Okeechobee HS | 2025 NY , 6’2” PF/C (ECU Family 2025) pictured above. Neal was a force in the middle at Sunshine Showdown. She showed a lot of mobility and a versatile skillset this weekend. She was fierce in the paint and did a good job of posting up and keeping her opponent on her back. Neal’s footwork was a thing of beauty at times. Neal received a lot of passes after sealing her defender and catching the pass directly under the basket in perfect scoring position. Neal was impressive at flashing to the open spot in the paint and she provided some good targets for her guards. Her high basketball IQ was evident and you could see her setting up scoring opportunities for herself and anticipating the opponents’ and teammates’ next moves.
Alessandra Bonilla Alessandra Bonilla 5'7" | SG Monsignor Edward Pace | 2025 State FL , F (Miami Suns) Guard/Forward . Has really good length was really impressive on the courts at the Showdown Tournament. Offensively, she can shoot from long range, play in the paint, put the ball on the floor, and pull up for a midrange. She was an impressive – versatile player who could score the ball from anywhere on the court. Defensively, Bonilla defended in space and also mixed it up in the paint as well. She has the ability to defend multiple positions on the court, once again speaking to her versatility. Bonilla also moves well without the ball and does a good job of getting open. Bonilla was successful at the top-of-the-zone defense. She can run the floor and can really pass the ball. During one sequence, she caught a ball on the fast break and made a touch pass to a teammate for a fastbreak basket. This one play showed her speed, court vision, and basketball IQ.
Jaida Civil Jaida Civil 5'11" | PG Palm Bay | 2025 State FL , F (ECU Family 2025 ) was outstanding during the showdown and once again was probably the most athletic person in the building. She was scoring in the midrange area and that is where she thrives as an offensive player. Civil also sprinkled in a few long-range threes and athletic attacks to the rim. Defensively, Civil was on a different level and she can defend multiple positions on the court. At times she was on the ball defending the one position, and then you would see her in the paint denying the post. Her speed is unmatched and in the final moments of regulation against Miami Sun, it was on full display. With the ball in her hands, Civil was able to get from one end of the court to the basket in only four seconds and came within inches of making the game-winning layup.
Jade Parks F (New Wave). Parks played on the New Wave 2023 team and stood out as one of the main players on the team. Parks was very athletic and really attacked the basket with purpose. She was very physical and didn’t back down from an overly aggressive team. Parks embraced the physical play and continued attacking the basket and making tough shots. Parks also rebounded well on both ends of the court. The most impressive part of watching Parks perform is that she was handling business and the physical play against girls who were two years older than she.
Sariah Johnson Sariah Johnson 5'9" | SF Dr.Phillips | 2025 State FL , F (J Sizzle). Johnson was one of the most athletic and best players in the 15U division at the Sunshine State Showdown. She practically did everything on the court. She runs the floor with the best of them and can really handle the ball in the open court. She has the ability to weave in and out of traffic at a great rate of speed and get in the paint and finish. She has a patented spin move that frees her up for a lot of good shots in the paint. She gets the defender flowing in one direction and then with incredible footwork, she spins in the opposite direction for the bucket. She also uses that great footwork and agility to free herself up for open midrange jumpers. She has a really quick jump and secures a lot of offensive rebounds and put-backs as a result. She also uses that jumping ability to block a lot of shots. She is a versatile defender who can play multiple positions. A few times she was playing at the bottom of the 2-3 zone defending the bigs and then she would defend the guards, on the ball and off the ball. She was also at the top of the press defending ball handlers and applying the pressure.