Brady’s Day Two Notes: PGH Champions Challenge
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Over 13 hours on Day 2 of the Champions means plenty of players were worth talking about due to their play. However, I’m going to spread these kids out throughout the week. So today, I’m highlighting five kids who stood…
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Continue ReadingOver 13 hours on Day 2 of the Champions means plenty of players were worth talking about due to their play. However, I’m going to spread these kids out throughout the week. So today, I’m highlighting five kids who stood out that I want to highlight before Monday.
Amaya Bridgewater Amaya Bridgewater 5'10" | CG Pius XI | 2024 WI -Let it Rain 2024 Black
There isn’t a traditional role that describes what Bridgewater does on the floor. She does too many positive things in the paint to be a typical guard, and she’s not a back-to-the-basket post. The variety in her game stood out on Saturday night. She knocked down a few first-half 3’s and used her ability to put the ball on the floor to get to the rim and force the defense to either let her go or foul her. The sophomore is a unique talent, and it’ll be interesting to see how she gets the most out of herself over the next few years.
Gracie Gopalan Gracie Gopalan 5'4" | PG Waupun | 2024 State WI -Wisconsin Impact 2024 Kelley
For college coaches who want to keep the wins rolling and coaches looking to turn their program around, recruit Gracie Gopalan Gracie Gopalan 5'4" | PG Waupun | 2024 State WI . Everywhere she’s been from middle school up to today has won loads of games. People who may not know Gopalan well enough may chalk it up to luck, but that’s not true. I’ve only seen her play for seven months, and I’ve already gathered what she does leads to incredible amounts of winning. Even on her state champion high school team with multiple future Division 1 players, I don’t believe they win that title without her. She may not score or do anything with too much flash, but she’ll get the most out of her teammates, defend with intensity, and bring a winning mindset to a program when she steps on campus. I could write a 20-page paper on why she’ll succeed at the next level.
Ella Mason-Great Northern Elite
The second Mason shot her first jumper. I knew she was an elite shooter. The guard is an excellent athlete who gets plenty of lift on her jumper. Even with her 5-foot-8 height, kids will always have an issue getting a serious contest on her. Mason’s comfort zone in the game I saw was the left elbow. When she got to her spot, I almost immediately chalked it up as two points mentally. Her athleticism will jump out to any coach who goes back and looks at her games on stream.
McKenna Kramer McKenna Kramer 5'7" | SG Benton | 2024 State IA -212 Basketball Academy
Kramer’s team went down early in the game I watched. However, Kramer and her team did not quit. They sliced a 20-point deficit to double digits in the second half. In that half, Kramer felt nothing short of automatic. She hit some big shots to give her team momentum and make a run in the second half. Although they couldn’t make it all up, it says a lot about who Kramer and her teammates are as players. They kept doing what they did best when times were tough and made the most of every possession.
Melanie Meinert-Chapman Basketball Academy U17
The Kettle Moraine Lutheran guard isn’t a kid I’ve talked about much, but I should. In the game I watched her play, she stood due to the pressure she put on the ball. She makes people uncomfortable. I know the moment it clicked to me that she is a good defender. Meinert and fellow 5-foot-1 guard Cadence Xiong Cadence Xiong 5'1" | PG West Bend East | 2023 State WI shared a backcourt and smothered opposing guards early in the first. I’d like to know about any other 17U backcourts in AAU play as good defensively as those two did.