AC Standouts: Star Alignment

Below are some of the standout prospects from New York who I saw at the Atlantic City Showcase.   [player_tooltip player_id="434771" first="Arianna" last="Lopez"]|NorthStar|PG|'24 [caption id="attachment_434775" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/76595A5A-44BC-4189-A81A-6A08168E15D8-crop-1537x1010-1653476150.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-434775" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/76595A5A-44BC-4189-A81A-6A08168E15D8-crop-1537x1010-1653476150-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Anna Kitch[/caption] I kicked off the Atlantic City Showcase watching North Star, and Lopez was the first player to get my attention. She got into a rhythm offensively early in the game and asserted herself with aggressive drives to the basket. She obliterated the perimeter defense with her quick first step and was an efficient finisher in traffic.   [player_tooltip player_id="434773" first="Grace" last="Kennedy"]| NorthStar|SG/SF|'24 [caption id="attachment_434777" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/84FF2BAB-BB46-4826-9A61-971F344FFC67-crop-1302x855-1653476360.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-434777" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/84FF2BAB-BB46-4826-9A61-971F344FFC67-crop-1302x855-1653476360-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Anna Kitch[/caption] I liked Kennedy's aggressiveness and shot selection in Atlantic City. She showed various ways to score, including an outside shot, floater package, and tough finishes inside. Even though Kennedy is a guard, she will battle inside and be a force around the basket, whether rebounding or scoring. I like Kennedy's motor, and her opponent had trouble keeping up with her because Kennedy does everything at full speed.   [player_tooltip player_id="384536" first="Madison" last="Lopez"]| NorthStar|PG|'24 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-434779" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/1769E3FB-5D98-485B-B17C-CAF568B9465D-crop-1440x946-1653476463-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> North Star faced a significant deficit vs. Team Providence and got back into the game because Lopez shifted the momentum with her play on both sides of the ball. She dug in on defense, forced turnovers, and was dynamic in transition. When Lopez cranked up the intensity on defense, it sped the Team Providence guards up enough resulting in costly turnovers. Lopez proved to be a game-changing point guard in a short burst of time, and her efforts almost helped propel North Star to a big comeback win.   [player_tooltip player_id="416205" first="Madison" last="Carlo"]| NorthStar| SG| '24 [caption id="attachment_434783" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/F9A951D4-869C-49EA-BBCA-608280EA0B4B-crop-1495x982-1653477015.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-434783" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/F9A951D4-869C-49EA-BBCA-608280EA0B4B-crop-1495x982-1653477015-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Anna Kitch[/caption] Carlo can shoot the lights out, and I like her offensive approach. She was great at running the floor, beating the defense down the court, and spotting up from around the arc. Even if Carlo misses a couple of shots, she still plays and shoots with confidence and shows good body language. Carlo also showed that she could put the ball on the deck, get into the midrange, and convert off the dribble. She has a good feel for the game, moves well without the ball, and works hard to get open.   [player_tooltip player_id="384796" first="Olivia" last="Schmitt"]| SI Bulldogs|PG|'24 [caption id="attachment_434769" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/495407F1-7AC5-45CE-A704-73107D4D3306-crop-1537x1010-1653475951.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-434769" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/495407F1-7AC5-45CE-A704-73107D4D3306-crop-1537x1010-1653475951-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Anna Kitch[/caption] Schmitt's playmaking was electric, and she set the table for her teammates beautifully vs. Fencor. She was responsible for being the primary scorer and playmaker for her team while controlling the game from start to finish. Schmitt's court vision is insane, and she gave her teammates easy shot attempts at the basket all game long. She also broke down her defender constantly and got into the mid-range and paint effortlessly.   [player_tooltip player_id="384530" first="Issy" last="Lebron"]| Exodus|PG|'23 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-434765" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/9E70146D-F000-4971-A104-B3EA9682265E-crop-1299x853-1653475550-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> LeBron is the kind of scorer who can get red hot in the blink of an eye and quickly fill up the scoring column. That is what happened in a win against the CT Starters last Saturday. She was torching the defense from the outside, and the degree of difficulty of her attempts was high. A couple of LeBron's threes were contested, and she still got the shot off confidently and ripped them through the net. It is worth noting that even though LeBron isn't the biggest guard, she still is capable of being a big-time shotmaker even with little to no daylight.   [player_tooltip player_id="414932" first="Aniya" last="Rowe"]| XGEN Elite|PG|'24 It is hard to ignore Rowe's size advantage at the point guard spot. She is a legitimate 5'8'' strongly built floor general, and her size proved to be too much for defenders to handle. Rowe's passing stood out to me the most over the weekend. Her accuracy is excellent, and she made a terrific cross-court pass with her left hand that hit her teammate right in the shooting pocket. Rowe's head is always up scanning the floor, and I thought she did a good job facilitating XGEN's offense when she was at the helm.   [player_tooltip player_id="414927" first="Kyla" last="Hayes"]| XGEN Elite|SF|'25 [caption id="attachment_434767" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/E6533B91-F526-492F-AB98-0A9926361FCD-crop-1537x1010-1653475793.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-434767" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/E6533B91-F526-492F-AB98-0A9926361FCD-crop-1537x1010-1653475793-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Anna Kitch[/caption] Hayes does a little bit of everything for XGEN. Her versatility and high-level impact in multiple facets of the game shined over the weekend. She is a terrific rebounder who is comfortable pushing the ball in transition. Hayes punishes defenders around the hoop, can create shots off the bounce, and can step out on the perimeter and knock down shots. Hayes can defend multiple positions and be an impactful two-way player with her size and athleticism.