Phenom Lady Rumble: Saturday’s 2022-23 Top Performers

It still may be early in the AAU season, but one would not know that judging by the high level of competition that is emanating from these grassroots teams. Following an exciting weekend get-together two weeks ago for the LBI March Madness event in Concord, North Carolina, club squads from both Carolinas returned to Carolina Courts for the first-ever Phenom Lady Rumble in the first weekend of April. We at Prep Girls Hoops were on hand throughout the weekend to catch a bird’s eye view of the competitive hoops that were played and the players and teams that made it all happen. As expected, South Carolina was well represented by its junior and senior classes. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="197053" first="Ashley" last="Farmer"] – 2022 – Clover HS – Charlotte Dream Elite 17U</strong> – Farmer will soon be closing out her preps career on the travel circuit – and she looks to do so with an exclamation point after coming back from injury. She is a great ball handler, is an accurate shooter from the perimeter and plays tough defense. Included in her being a tough defender is how she guards inbounds passes. She will take advantage of the attention she attracts from defenses to find open teammates and has the ability to get from one end of the floor to the other with the ball in her hand. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="196311" first="Kamari" last="Thompson"] – 2023 – Southside HS – FBC Carolina Hawks Elite 17U Parks</strong> – One of the best frontcourt players in South Carolina, Thompson’s Tigers made a deep postseason run in the 3A playoffs to the Upper State Finals. She will put plenty of points on the board and never takes a play off. Thompson also wins many a rebounding battle being an even six feet. Thompson is also tough to contend with on the defensive side with how aware she is even away from the interior and can get out in transition. She is difficult to score on in that interior as well. Thompson tallied 15 points in one of the better games of the day – a FBC Carolina Hawks Elite 17U Parks 44-43 win over Lady Phoenix Elite. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="197344" first="Lauren" last="Wearbon"] – 2023 – Mauldin HS – FBC Carolina Hawks Elite 17U Parks</strong> – Wearbon also plays for an upstate team with orange as one of its school colors that made a run to an Upper State Final. She assumes team captaincy duties for the Mavericks and will take (and make) plenty of 3-point tries. Her activity on defense enables her to come away with a number of steals and her skill for running the floor efficiently allows her to turn those opposing team turnovers into either extra possessions in the halfcourt or fast break opportunities in transition. Wearbon will also find ways through defenses and get to the rim. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="231023" first="Laila" last="Hankerson"] – 2023 – Rock Hill HS – Team United 17U-Calhoun</strong> – One cannot think about the last name Hankerson in South Carolina basketball circles without thinking Rock Hill – and one cannot think about Rock Hill without reflecting on the dominant 2021-22 coach Kenny Orr’s Bearcats put together which culminated in defeating Summerville for the 5A state crown. Hankerson is listed at 5-foot-6 and is versatile as she can make things happen as either a guard or as a forward. She is as gifted a passer as she is a scorer and can make things difficult for opposing offenses as a regular threat to steal the ball and get out in transition with the rock. Hankerson averaged 13 points, 3.6 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 steals for the Bearcats and recently shared that she received an offer from Johnson C. Smith University – a Charlotte-based HBCU.