The Classic: Standouts (Part One)
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While I would love to say that I was able to watch every team and every division play this past weekend at The Classic, unfortunately, I could not. However, I did my best to spread things out and catch at…
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Continue ReadingWhile I would love to say that I was able to watch every team and every division play this past weekend at The Classic, unfortunately, I could not. However, I did my best to spread things out and catch at least 2 games from a number of different teams, all with players that are local to Kentucky. So, let’s look at some of the players that stood out to me in the class of 2023 and 2024.
Rachel Smith Rachel Smith 5'7" | SG Great Crossing | 2023 State KY | Class of 2023 | Kentucky ICE Select 2023
Smith is a competitor and her scoring ability is top-notch. She can really shoot the ball and she has extremely deep range on her shot. She also can knock them down with a hand in her face or with a defender running at her. However, she doesn’t simply rely on her outside shooting abilities, but rather, makes great drives and gets into the paint to either create for her teammates or put the ball in the basket herself. Smith makes great passes and has excellent court awareness. She has good ball handling skills as well and she can handle it with pressure.
Allison Spieker Allison Spieker 5'8" | SG Whitefield Academy | 2024 State KY | Class of 2024 | Kentucky ICE 2024
Spieker’s team was down 6 at half-time of their championship game, but they came back to win by 11. When I say she played a huge role in this comeback, I mean she was knocking down 3 after 3 after 3, along with clutch free throws. To add even more versatility to her scoring, she also made a lot of really solid drives. Spieker has deep range on her shot and she catches ready to fire. She doesn’t let a couple of misses effect her confidence and she stays ready to get out in the passing lanes on the defensive end.
Sydne Tolbert Sydne Tolbert 5'6" | CG DuPont Manual | 2023 State KY | Class of 2023 | 2023 LGR Kam
Tolbert plays so hard and so much bigger than what she is. She plays great defense both on and off of the ball. She handles the ball so well and she doesn’t let pressure effect her skills. She sees the floor and makes excellent passes, both in the half-court set and in transition. Tolbert also makes great drives to the basket. When help steps over, she’s aware and knows where to kick it. If help doesn’t come, she can put the ball in the basket and she can score through contact. She also can shoot the ball from 3.
Becca Wright | Class of 2024 | Arctic Rush 2024
Wright is such a solid all-around player. She played excellent defense every time I watched her play, but she was really good on the other end of the floor as well. She did a great job of pushing the tempo when she saw a scoring opportunity for her team. Wright handled the ball so well with pressure. She also made some great drives to get into the paint or to the rim. Once she got there, she could score or find the open player. Wright made good passes and mixed up her finishes so that the defense couldn’t predict what she was doing next.
Kylie Floyd Kylie Floyd 6'0" | SF Butler Traditional | 2023 State KY | Class of 2023 | 2023 Louisville Lady Trojans
I missed the beginning of the game, but once I started watching, Floyd immediately got my attention after she finished strong inside. However, it wasn’t just the strong finish that really drew me in. It was the fact that in the very next offensive set, she was facilitating the offense from the point guard position. Floyd did a great job of handling pressure and making tough drives to the hoop. She plays hard and defensively, she can guard any position.