The Young Eaglets Were Soaring at Ball’in In the Bay

Some nice young talent was up and down the courts at Ball’in In the bay. Didn’t see too many 2025 games, but did get a chance to see some Middle School Action and got a glimpse of some 2026 prospects who will make an impact at their high school when they step on campus next year. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220522_121147-scaled-crop-1362x895-1653588917.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-435511 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220522_121147-scaled-crop-1362x895-1653588917-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>Kaytee Tyler (Lady Eagles 2026 ). Tyler played well and looked every bit of an elite player. She did everything on the court. Offensively, she shot it well from outside, including a few long threes. She definitely demonstrated the ability to get to the goal with some good handles and some strong finishes on the inside. Defensively, Tyler defended well on the inside and had some nice blocked shots. Tyler he also rebounded well. I n every instance after gaining possession on the defensive end, Tyler always looked up the court.   She did an excellent job of advancing the ball up the floor, either by pass. or by dribble. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220522_121154-scaled-crop-1362x895-1653589105.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-435515 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220522_121154-scaled-crop-1362x895-1653589105-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>Jovie Hayes (Lady Eagles 2027) Attacks the basket and really finishes strong.  She really played well, especially in transition.   She has a knack for drawing fouls and getting to the line.  I was also very impressed at her athleticism and speed on the court.  She has all the intangibles to be a very good player on the varsity level in a few years. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220522_1017580-scaled-crop-1362x895-1653589385.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-435521 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220522_1017580-scaled-crop-1362x895-1653589385-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>Jayla Grady (Lady Eagles 2026) played well at ball’in in the Bay.   She plays with a lot of energy on both sides of the ball.   She has nice shooting touch in the mid-range area as well as from behind the arc.    Grady can also handle the basketball very well.   What stuck out in the game I watched was her leadership on the court and her ability to communicate with her teammates.  She is a confident player and I look forward to seeing her on the high school level next basketball season. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220521_103607-scaled-crop-1362x895-1653589699.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-435525 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220521_103607-scaled-crop-1362x895-1653589699-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="430284" first="Deslyn" last="Nickell"]  (Lady Eagles 2025/ PGH #165). For the second week in a row, I got to see Nickell play and she was a “boss” on the court. She plays with a fire and tenacity that you can’t teach. She is all over the court and usually on the floor diving for a loose ball. She made some incredible shots going to the rim. Nickell did a good job of playing the point guard position.    She has good handles and she does a good job of distributing the ball to her teammates.  Nickell has a knack for putting the ball in the basket.  She came out of the nest last year and as a Freshman,  the young point guard averaged 11.5 points per game and reached the 25-point mark twice.  Nickell also averaged 3.5 steals per game on the defensive end.