AUF Lady Hawks’ U17s are Top-Caliber in South Jersey

Going through the AAU programs in South and Cental Jersey, we’ve now come to the AUF Lady Hawks, who have a number of talents players, several of whom are in our prospect rankings lists. The U17 team is arguably the best of the bunch and has some impressive talent on the roster. Here’s a closer look at the 17U squad. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="404449" first="Cadence" last="Anderson"] - 5-5 PG/SG, Palmyra (2024)</strong> Anderson, after a typical freshman season for most, turned in an All-Conference level season for Palmyra and quickly became one of the best players in the BCSL. Despite standing at 5-5, this guard can ball out on the floor and is one of the best shot-blockers from the guard position you’ll see in New Jersey. She can shoot from deep with ease, penetrate the lane well on offense and is just as good on defense if not better. You don’t see guards of her height that play that well of an overall game as she does, which makes her easily stand out amongst the crowd <strong>Jada Jacobs - 5-8 PG, Medford Tech (2023)</strong> Jacobs has gained a lot more confidence since transferring over to Medford Tech and looks like a complete guard that can easily run the point on any team. She exudes confidence at the top of the key and scopes out defensive schemes well. Her court awareness takes her game up to a level that not many others can reach. It allows her to drive the lane rather easily, finishing with aggression. That’s given her extra confidence to try to draw contact in the lane because not only is she a great shot creator, but she’s an excellent foul shooter as well. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="404215" first="Payton" last="Arnold"] - PG/SG, New Egypt (2023)</strong> Another strong point guard on this team, Arnold has really worked on her three-point shooting, turning into an incredibly reliable player in that role. Don’t think she’s restricted to hitting threes as this rising senior knows how to create offense and utilizes just about every part of the offensive side of the court. She definitely gives off the skillset of a three-and-D player, but she’s been working on her passing and has shown more aggression on the glass. Scoring is her strong-suit, but Arnold is working tirelessly to become a better all-around player. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="326949" first="Riley" last="Ahrens"] - 5-10 PG/SG, Delran (2023)</strong> One of the focal points of this team is Ahrens, who has turned herself into an All-Conference player after a complete junior year, one that saw her develop well on both sides of the ball. She’s tall enough to play in the paint as a forward, but has the skillset to run the point and she’s able to do both, adapting on the fly. Ahrens is a stretch four type player, showing maturity and poise while bringing up the ball and commanding the point, but can shoot, drive and defend well. Her shot-blocking prowess goes unnoticed frequently and her presence in the lane is more than enough to scare opponents. <strong>Ashley Adamson - 5-10 PG, Steinert (2023)</strong> Adamson, like Ahrens, is a taller guard, but that works well to her advantage, especially when shooting from the perimeter. It creates natural mismatches where a few inches of height make the difference when being guarded. She moves well off-ball, allowing her to get open often for shots. However, Adamson is able to just as well make that split-second decision, a quick fake or something of the sort, to make a defender miss and drive into the lane for a high-percentage layup.