ATL Summer Slam – Home State Heroines (Part 2)

There were several places around the country where the eyes of travel and high school basketball fans were fixated on a few days ago. One of those places was Georgia – more specifically, the Atlanta area.    ATL Summer Slam took place at several venues throughout the area – including Suwanee Sports Academy. With it occurring around the time of a live period, a large number of college coaches were on hand to scout and evaluate talent.    We at Prep Girls Hoops also were on hand to take in the festivities and observe the exciting basketball that took place. With it taking place in the Peach State, a number of prospects from said state felt right at home in Atlanta.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/07/IMG_9724-scaled-crop-2475x1625-1658691877.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-466557"/></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id=’461960’ first=’Marina’ last=’Sippola’] – 2024 – North Paulding HS – North Metro Elite 2024 – Sippola is definitely a name that rings bells at Prep Girls Hoops as she was one of the stars among stars on the Triumph Region of the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit. She scored 12 points in a victory over PFA Lady Eagles. Sippola proved to be effective, per usual, on the offensive end, but also came up with key defensive plays such as steals. She showcased an ability to take care of the ball, shoot the 3-point shot and get from one end of the floor to the other. Deflecting passes as a defender and  making the right passes on offense are two other attributes that had to catch the attention of the many college coaches on hand in Atlanta.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/07/IMG_9727-scaled-crop-2316x1521-1658692015.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-466559"/></figure>   Kaden McCorvey – 2024 – North Paulding HS – North Metro Elite 2024 – Speaking of standouts from the Wolfpack, McCorvey was another key reason why the 7A North Paulding bunch from last season earned a winning record of 18-11. McCorvey will shoot midrange jumpers and will be ready to box out in case of an opposing player’s missed free throw. She can be counted on to hustle for loose balls and capture steals to create extra possessions for her team. McCorvey will also head out to the perimeter to disrupt the vision of an opposing player’s shot and will tip the ball off a miss to a teammate in case a rebound may be unlikely.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/07/IMG_9723-scaled-crop-2048x1345-1658692109.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-466561"/></figure>   Chloe VanDyke – 2025 – South Paulding HS – North Metro Elite 2024 – One of the other star players from North Metro Elite 2024 hails from the other side of Paulding County. VanDyke stands at 5-foot-11 and has also participated in track and field events throughout her athletic career. Defensively, she will have occasions where she has her hands and arms outstretched and will draw contact that can place her at the free throw line. VanDyke is a timely scorer that boasts an offensive skillset that includes ball handling skills. Another element of the game she puts plenty of emphasis on is rebounding and she gets plenty of those given the height advantage she has over other three forwards.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/07/IMG_9736-scaled-crop-2470x1622-1658692363.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-466563"/></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id=’335880’ first=’I’Ziah’ last=’McCutchins’] – 2024 – Trion HS – Wood Elite 2024 – McCutchins is yet another name that catches Prep Girls Hoops’ attention from her performances on the Triumph Region of the Circuit – particularly the Knoxville Knockout and the Triumph Region Finals. McCutchins combines speed and athleticism with an ability to find a lane to the rack with the ball in her hands. She is also a potent 3-point shooter. Any coach or scout is making a mistake if they overlook her simply because she stands at 5-foot-1. McCutchins finished with eight points in the latter portion of Saturday’s action as Wood Elite 2024 took on Heart of Illinois 16U Bluestar.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/07/IMG_9739.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-466564"/></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id=’428250’ first=’Julia’ last=’Geis’] – 2024 – Blessed Trinity Catholic – Wood Elite 2024 – Listed at 5-foot-9, Geis gets plenty of credit for why the Titans were a difficult team to contend against in its Region 7-AAAAAA conference last season. Geis’ knack for attempting 3-pointers is one element to her game. Another is how she keeps herself active when she does not have the ball in her hands – particularly on the defensive end of the floor. That activity as a defender also makes it likely she will come away with steals and create additional possessions for her team. She tallied seven points in her team’s late Saturday contest against Heart of Illinois 16U Bluestar.

There were several places around the country where the eyes of travel and high school basketball fans were fixated on a few days ago. One of those places was Georgia – more specifically, the Atlanta area.