Select Roulette: Roman Empire

Below are a handful of Northeast prospects who popped in Atlantic City.   [player_tooltip player_id="435913" first="Madison" last="Roman"]|Empire State|6’0’’|PF|’23 [caption id="attachment_435915" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/0EC15362-B055-4EEE-A95B-6D5251547DAA-crop-1440x946-1653665812.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-435915" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/0EC15362-B055-4EEE-A95B-6D5251547DAA-crop-1440x946-1653665812-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="355399" first="Anna" last="Kitch"][/caption] It is hard not to be a fan of Roman after watching her play in Atlantic City. She is a big with a confident handle and mid-range jump shot, but Roman’s IQ and intangibles stood out to me the most. She is a high-level communicator and intelligent on the court. Roman understands spacing, doesn’t clog up the lane and isn’t stagnant in the half-court. Her game and skill set complement guards because she can stretch the floor and impact the game without monopolizing the basketball.   [player_tooltip player_id="300448" first="Sierra" last="Jean"]|Mass Elite|5’8’’|CG|’25 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-435916" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/2F412D27-8D03-4B6D-9AF8-50B5CEF56285-scaled-crop-1660x1090-1653665851-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Jean looks like she has gotten stronger since the last time I saw her play. She was always physically ahead of the game at the guard position and used her muscle to be a force on defense. Punishing box-outs and tenacious on-ball defense were two examples of Jean using her physicality. She absorbs contact like a sponge when players aggressively drive on her, and Jean always stands her ground.   [player_tooltip player_id="376646" first="Madelyn" last="Topa"]|CT Starters|5’9’’|SF|’25 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-435918" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/46A0546A-3A24-43FE-938B-F1E376175612-crop-1440x946-1653665949-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Topa was excellent on both sides of the ball vs. the NJ Raptors. I liked her aggressiveness on defense and her IQ. She showed a great sense of help-side principles and fought through screens constantly. Her length and size allowed Topa to defend multiple positions, and she also was valuable on the boards. I like Topa’s offensive game too. She showed good shot selection, and Topa has range extending beyond the three but won’t settle for those shots.   [player_tooltip player_id="298229" first="Isys" last="Dunphy"]|Team Providence|5’10|PF|’25 [caption id="attachment_435920" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/3CF7516B-75DD-4302-8BDA-5C35967046BC-crop-1537x1010-1653666237.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-435920" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/3CF7516B-75DD-4302-8BDA-5C35967046BC-crop-1537x1010-1653666237-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="355399" first="Anna" last="Kitch"][/caption] Dunphy is a game-changing defender, and when she is on the court, you feel her presence. She isn’t your prototypical forward who is 6 ft plus, but Dunphy possesses the athleticism and motor to have the impact of a forward of that nature. She is very springy, secures rebounds at a high rate, covers a ton of ground when Team Providence is pressing, and has good mobility when patrolling the paint to alter shots.   [player_tooltip player_id="435922" first="Emma" last="Roberts"]|Team Providence|5’111’’|PF|’24 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-435923" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/FE110AD5-5150-4F74-9287-E5DBA9322860-crop-1537x1010-1653666394-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Roberts was a security blanket for the Team Providence slashers providing timely mid-range catch and shoot jumpers last Friday. She never tried to do too much with the ball and played her role. Roberts gave her team several second-chance opportunities and displayed a soft touch on putbacks.   [player_tooltip player_id="435926" first="Audrey" last="Ferlan"]|NE Storm|5’9’’|PF|’25 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-435927" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/AFCD4F2E-D563-43E3-A4EF-D7E2547B730D-crop-1302x855-1653666580-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Ferlan never had an easy defensive assignment throughout the weekend because she was at a significant size disadvantage. Constantly matched up against players north of 6’1’’, Ferlan battled down low and was an impressive rebounder. She gives up height but still has the strength, motor, and aggressiveness to be a factor around the basket. I appreciated the effort and her fight in the trenches, and Ferlan consistently plays with that energy level every game.   [player_tooltip player_id="288652" first="Elyse" last="Ngenda"]|NE Storm|5’8’’|CG|’25 [caption id="attachment_435929" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/EC9DE7C4-694E-4679-A369-4DB0A40F6751-crop-1440x946-1653666657.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-435929" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/EC9DE7C4-694E-4679-A369-4DB0A40F6751-crop-1440x946-1653666657-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="355399" first="Anna" last="Kitch"][/caption] Ngenda has taken her game up a few notches since I last saw her in the fall. Her passing and decision making is where I see the most growth. Against tough competition, she still found a way to break down her defender, get into the second level and set up her teammates for open looks. In the open court, Ngenda was dynamic also. She is more of a polished finisher with both hands and was seeing the floor well in transition hitting her teammates in stride to the basket.   [player_tooltip player_id="414933" first="Leah" last="Middleton"]|I-90 Elite|5’11’’|SF|’23 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-435931" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/66F626F4-7844-4277-8D56-B880D1767EDB-crop-1302x855-1653666727-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Middleton was one of the more vocal prospects I watched in Atlantic City. She was calling out screens and directing traffic on defense throughout the game. Middleton has good size and crashes the glass relentlessly. She emphasized putting a body on someone whenever a shot attempt went up and had a good nose for the ball off the rim. Middleton will also put the ball on the floor and create offense for herself on the wing.