Spooky Rushmore: Height of Her Power

Photo: Anna Kitch

Bash Hudson

April 27, 2022 @ 07:30 AM

Select Events "Live! At The Nook" was the perfect way to kick off the Spring Live Period. Every court was flooded with talented prospects and college coaches sitting on the sideline, resulting in a very entertaining event. There were many memorable individual performances, but these 4 stood out the most.   [player_tooltip player_id="406496" first="Aalyah" last="Del Rosario"] | New Heights|6’6’’|F| ’23 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-419878" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/5860B8A8-5D14-4D91-B994-4AB0D5390C06-crop-1365x897-1651028850-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Del Rosario was as dominant as anyone over the weekend, and it started on defense. I thought she was highly focused and locked in as New Heights’ defensive anchor and was an impactful force on the weak side. Del Rosario’s mobility from one side of the lane to the other, combined with quick reaction time, led to numerous blocks and altered shots. Offensively no one had an answer for Del Rosario around the basket. Del Rosario put points on the board in bunches whenever she caught the ball on the block and was scoring fluidly with either hand.   [player_tooltip player_id="406493" first="Angelica" last="Velez"] | New Heights |5’9’’| PG| ’23 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-419874" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/3711BFE3-A801-45C9-9A96-6615CC54DA2D-crop-1328x872-1651028461-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Velez, like Del Rosario, also dominated the weekend with her defensive prowess. She was an exceptional playmaker, throwing pinpoint passes through small windows. Velez was relentless in pressuring the ball and making the opposing guard uncomfortable. She ignited the break with perfect outlet passes leading her teammates to the basket, and set the table for them in the halfcourt as well as any player at Spooky Nook.   [player_tooltip player_id="392974" first="Riley" last="Weiss"] | LI Lightning| 5’10’’| SG| ’23 [caption id="attachment_419869" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/EA84FC84-7250-48CD-BE8A-CE82B013BFF8-crop-1440x946-1651028268.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-419869" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/EA84FC84-7250-48CD-BE8A-CE82B013BFF8-crop-1440x946-1651028268-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Anna Kitch[/caption] Weiss was impressive because she did most of her damage from the perimeter in the game I saw. She is as lethal as anyone in the gym. When behind the line, she needed limited space to cash in three after three. What makes Weiss a headache to defend is that if you run her off the three-point line, she has the slashing and shot-creating ability to kill you in the mid-range. Weiss moves well off the ball and comes off of screens hard and ready to shoot. It is exasperating trying to slow Weiss down on defense, and you have to hope she has an off night and misses.   [player_tooltip player_id="416089" first="Eva" last="DeChent"]| NY Extreme| 5’11’’| PG| ’23 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-419888" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/C9C1D49E-8FA9-443A-9D3E-EA369E2697B3-crop-1199x787-1651029612-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Over the weekend, I didn’t watch a more physically imposing point guard than DeChent. At 5’11’’, there was no one who could check DeChent when I watched her play. She has a beautiful jump shot that she can confidently shoot over the top of the defense. DeChent also controls the game at an elite level. Never rattled or sped up, DeChent will play at her pace and protect the ball at all times. She embraces physical, aggressive defense and ball pressure and combats it with her upper body strength and aggressive penetration.