#PGHMusicCityShowdown Day One Top Performers
Fresh off of a live period weekend, PGH has invaded the music city and is making its own sound in a city known for the sounds of music. Well, at #PGHMusicCityShowdown, many players were making beautiful medleys with their game.…
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Continue ReadingFresh off of a live period weekend, PGH has invaded the music city and is making its own sound in a city known for the sounds of music. Well, at #PGHMusicCityShowdown, many players were making beautiful medleys with their game. Let’s look at some of the top performers in the 2025 and 2026 classifications that were making noise…
Lesley Marie Burton (6’0/C/2026)
AAU Team: Hoop Phi
Instagram: @thatgirl_boogie__
Twitter: N/A
When you look back over day one at #PGHMusicCityShowdown and think about dominant players, Lesley has to immediately come into your thoughts. In the match-up against OTP, she showed that she was the best player on the court and showed that nothing that OTP threw at her was going to stop her. Whether OTP had all ten eyes on her on the defensive end, threw double teams at her, or even packed in the zone, nothing worked. She scored on paint touches often and at will.
She is a bruising center that is a force in the paint, and as she stays in the lab, she is definitely a player to keep tabs on.
Before I finish up talking about LB, let me just say one thing about her; when she was on the court, she played with attitude and, at times, was very physical with OTP players, which I loved to see at this age, as most post players at this age play timid. Off the court, she is a gentle teddy bear that likes to joke, as I got a chance to speak with LB, one of her coaches, and her mother. This will not be the last time you will hear about Lesley.
Alexis Amaya Taylor (5’8/PF & C/2025)
AAU Team: Tennessee Sol
Instagram: ad0re._lexis
Twitter: N/A
I just talked about perhaps one of, if not the most dominant player that I saw in the 2026 class on day one. Well, let’s jump right into one of, if not the most dominant player in the 2025 class. Alexis is an undersized post player that was absolutely unstoppable in her squad’s match-up against Bounce Nation. In her home state, she represented. She displayed her footwork on the low block, her ability to consistently finish at the cup, and her 15ft jumper that she had working.
She ate the entire game on the boards as she has a great understanding of how to leverage her body and trace the trajectory of shots.
Defensively she showed her versatility to guard the paint as well on the perimeter out in space. Now it will be important for Alexis and her inner circle to make sure she continues to expand her game to the perimeter and show her ability to be just as dominant, handling the rock and facilitating the show. If that part of her game catches up with what she already does in the paint, the skies the limit with her.
Bella Shepherd (5’4/SG/2026)
AAU Team: STARS Basketball Club (McLeod)
Instagram: Bella.sheph
Twitter: N/A
In a highly anticipated match-up against Team Ambition, Bella came out with a monster first-half performance as she set the stage for the entire game, letting all who were watching know that her squad came to play and came to win. Offensively,
Bella can get it done in all facets of the game.
Whether she is knifing her way to the cup, knocking down the trey ball, or getting to the line with a game that draws fouls, she was simply one of the best on the offensive end of the court, not just in this game but throughout the entire day. Her future is exceptionally bright as she is an exciting player whose emerging and has four years in front of her that could end up seeing her as a highly sought-after prospect.
Natalie Buck (5’5/Center/2026)
AAU Team: Outside The Perimeter (OTP)
Instagram: N/A
Twitter: N/A
Natalie is listed as a center, but when you look at the 5’5 height indication, it makes you scratch your head. Truthfully, when I looked at her profile after she completed it, I was scratching my head. Still, one thing I was not confused about was her performance against Richmond Heat, as she put on a shooting display that elevated her team’s energy and a come-from-behind victory. Make no mistake about it, if Natalie’s true position is at the center spot, you do not have to watch her play to conclude that she is undersized, but even though that may be true, she battled in the paint defensively and on the boards.
She was all heart and all fight throughout the entire game and infused energy into her squad with her play on both ends of the court.
Jocelyn Faison (5’8/CG/2025)
AAU Team: Vision Chasers Elite
Instagram: pyt_.jocelyn
Twitter: @JocelynFaison
Jocelyn is an intriguing young player because she is sitting on so much potential. If all facets of her game ever come together and merge into a complete package, watch out for this young lady because she flashed all the skills and intangibles needed to be a big-time prospect. The question is, will her development ever reach what is potentially there. She has good length that affects both ends of the court.
She can handle the rock, facilitate, score, pass, and defend.
As I said, she has it all, but all of it is not clicking simultaneously yet. There are no fancy words, adjectives, or quotes when it comes to Jocelyn; it is all about what she does in the lab the remainder of this off-season and over the next year or two, which will determine her outlook as it comes to the next level. I will be keeping a close eye on her development because she is a diamond in the rough, waiting to be polished so she can shine bright.
Stay locked in as more is coming from this fantastic event.