NE Jamfest Grab Bag Part 2: Swarm Behavior

Here are more standouts from last weekend’s New England Jamfest.   [player_tooltip player_id="428117" first="Ariana" last="Ingram"] | RI Swarm| 5’7’’| CG| ’25 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-428145" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/F3C34706-0CAB-4087-B921-9C6654046AC0-crop-1393x915-1652287731-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> It took me maybe 5 possessions to figure out how dynamic a two-way player Ingram is. I was really impressed by her defense, and Ingram’s combination of lateral quickness, upper body strength, and toughness that allows her to neutralize athletes at both guard spots. She gives the ball handler limited air space and speeds them up enough to make rushed decisions. Offensively, Ingram is an aggressive penetrator who absorbs contact and can bulldoze her way to the basket and get to the free-throw line.   [player_tooltip player_id="412220" first="Ella" last="Pelletier"]| Maine Firecrackers| 5’11’’|PF|’25 [caption id="attachment_428140" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/AD4E74B3-025D-4EB4-8F7D-5A347A09E64D-crop-1437x944-1652287631.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-428140" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/AD4E74B3-025D-4EB4-8F7D-5A347A09E64D-crop-1437x944-1652287631-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: JT Shotz[/caption] Pelletier gets better every time I watch her play. She has elite athleticism, which made her a handful to defend down low. Pelletier’s face-up game is solid, and she can be a threat from the wing and high post. Pelletier’s speed and athleticism come in handy when burning the opposing team up the floor with basket runs and protecting the rim. She did a good job altering shots consistently and protecting the paint.   [player_tooltip player_id="364179" first="Vanessa" last="Piscione"]| RI Swarm| 5’9’’|CG|’25 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-428137" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/D8A9BDC2-F7BA-4C16-BB69-B00694CCA2A7-crop-1434x942-1652287554-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Piscione has the size and feel for the game that makes her a valuable combo guard. She sees the floor well, makes good decisions with the ball, and delivers strong, timely, and accurate passes. I like that Piscione is a good shot creator and playmaker on the wing because it allows you to move her over to the 2 or 3. Her versatility gives the Swarm lineup flexibility because Piscione’s game fits different play styles.   [player_tooltip player_id="298751" first="Emma" last="Cochrane"]| NEX Elite| 5’4’’| PG|’24 Cochrane played excellent on-ball defense on Saturday and made opposing point guards work to get to their spots. She always competes hard and digs in on defense, but she was defending elite players at her position and played them aggressively. When guarding an explosive scorer, all you can ask from a defender is to make them feel uneasy and uncomfortable. Cochrane did that, resulting in her opponent taking out of rhythm shot attempts.   [player_tooltip player_id="300849" first="Olivia" last="Franciscus"]| NEX Elite| 5’8’’| CG| ’23 Franciscus has been playing good basketball all spring, and she carried that high-level play into Jamfest last weekend. She has been unconscious from three-point land and has been burying shots confidently with a hand in her face. I also liked her intensity on defense. She never takes a possession off and gives max effort every time down the floor.   [player_tooltip player_id="428153" first="Shelby" last="Companion"]| Lone Wolf| 5’6’’| PG| ’23 I’ve seen Companion play a few times over the past few weeks, and she elevates her game a little more each time she steps on the court. Companion is a gamer who you can trust in the game’s biggest moments to come through and make a play. She was slashing to the hole aggressively and, even at her size, didn’t struggle to finish over bigger defenders in the paint. Companion turned the corner with ease on the perimeter, the defense struggled to cut her angles off, and she shot efficiently from 15 feet and beyond.   [player_tooltip player_id="382340" first="Alina" last="Abdulina"]|Albany Capitals|5’11’’|SF|’23 Abdulina is so consistent and guarantees a monster rebounding game every time she’s on the floor. Most noticeably, on the offensive glass, Abdulina reads the ball off the rim well and uses her size and strength to get inside position. She also was dynamic in the mid-range, which is one of her greatest strengths. From 15 feet and closer, Abdulina can torture defenses.   [player_tooltip player_id="335464" first="Izzy" last="Orlando"]|MBC|6’0’’|PF|’25 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-428132" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/5F84C9BD-525A-4198-B0EE-12F94593FBE1-crop-1440x946-1652287468-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> I like Orlando’s potential and ceiling as a prospect because there aren’t many players at the power forward position who have her athleticism. Her vertical leaping ability is eye-popping, and she is quick off the ground with her first and second jump. Orlando’s shot-blocking ability was on full display, whether in the halfcourt or her tracking down the opponent on the fast break and emphatically swatting the ball out of bounds.   [player_tooltip player_id="428116" first="Lily" last="Sokal"]|RI Swarm| 5’11’’|SF|’25 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-428129" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/607FCADD-56F3-47F1-B6E4-0F0367AFD3BA-crop-1081x710-1652287389-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> The New England Jamfest was my first time watching Sokal play, and I thought she was a scoring machine. With the way she moves, the confidence in her jumper, and the fluidity in her offensive game, you can tell Sokal knows how to fill up the scoring column. Adding her near 6 ft frame adds another dimension to Sokol and gives her the versatility to play north the 3 and 4. When I watched Sokal, I saw a player who asserts herself and someone who wants to be active in the team’s offense right from the jump. I like her ceiling as a primary scoring option and playmaker not just because of her skill set, but her mentality.   [player_tooltip player_id="428118" first="Maddi" last="Krug"]| RI Swarm|6’2’’| PF|’25 [caption id="attachment_428122" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/A6AA3551-386D-4368-98BB-68C574322FAC-crop-1242x816-1652287252.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-428122" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/A6AA3551-386D-4368-98BB-68C574322FAC-crop-1242x816-1652287252-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: JT Shotz[/caption] Krug is another freshman big I am very high on because of her size and length. She also played tough and physical and made it difficult for the opposition to score inside at times. Krug is a prospect who I am eager to watch more of because she has the tools to be a very dynamic interior defender and scoring threat on the block.