City Rankings: Top 2023 Impactful Players in St Johns County

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below is a list of 2023 players in St Johns county who will make an impact on their respective teams. [player_tooltip player_id='91656' first='Aja' last='Pollard'], [player_tooltip player_id='400790' first='Camryn' last='Robinson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='352602' first='Kayla' last='Kastor'] will have larger roles to play on their teams, but all the players listed below had very productive seasons in the 2021 - 2022 season. Creekside will likely have 4 seniors in the starting five or at least in heavy rotation. They were one of the surprise teams last season, but they will catch no one off guard this season. Look for an exciting season this upcoming season, and the players below will play a huge part in making that happen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong> [player_tooltip player_id='91656' first='Aja' last='Pollard'] /   5'10" SG - SF /  Bartram Trail </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pollard is one of the top 23 players in St Johns County and on the First Coast. She has a verse versatile skill set with tons of athleticism to go along with it. With the departure of  Dylan Hannah, Pollard becomes the leader of the team. She has always been a statistical leader on the court, but now as a senior, she will have that role on and off the court. Pollard can shoot on the outside and she can also drive the ball. She can really get to the basket and is physically able to play through contact. She also is deadly in the mid-range area. She can handle the ball in space and can really get down the court with the ball in her hands. She also does a good job of filling the lanes on fast breaks. Defensively, Pollard does a good job of playing the passing lanes and she knows what to do with it if she gets a steal. She is one of the best at taking the ball coast-to-coast. Pollard has the size, strength, and quickness to defend 3 to 4 positions on the court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='400790' first='Camryn' last='Robinson']   /  5'6" CG  /  Nease </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Robinson is a high IQ player who provides great leadership on the court. In the past, she was able to share that role with last year's player of the year, Sidney Gomes. Now, Robinson will be the main leader of the team. She can shoot the ball on the outside and she's very crafty with the ball in hand. Robinson is not the fastest player, but she can get to the goal and finish on the left or right-hand side.  She is also crafty at drawing fouls and no doubt Robinson learned a few tricks from Gomes before Gomes departed. Robinson got to the free-throw line 62 times last year.    She had very impressive stats as a Junior,  averaging nearly 15 points per game and knocking down 55 threes for the season.   She is poised to have another stellar year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='352602' first='Kayla' last='Kastor'] / 6'0" C  /  Creekside </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kastor solidified herself as one of the top players in the 23 class last year during the season and also during this past AAU season. She averaged right at 10 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game. She is literally a walking double-double. Kastor got the job done in multiple categories, including steals and assists. She is a tough defensive player and a hard-nosed player in the paint. Anyone who gets the best of Kastor will have to work for it. Kastor consistently gives full effort on both ends of the court. Creekside is looking to ride the momentum it gained last year and Kastor will play a major part in that plan.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Erica McBrayer  /  6'0" PF  /  Tocoi Creek</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McBrayer averaged nearly 7 points per game and also averaged nearly 10 rebounds per game.   She was really solid over the summer and had a lot of power in her game.   I was really impressed at her ability to shoot from the outside,  her ability to get up and down the court, and the aggressiveness that she played with.   McBrayer is poised to have a good season and with the addition of [player_tooltip player_id='426338' first='Kaitlynn' last='Weaver'], Tocoi Creek will have a front court to be reckoned with.    </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='247153' first='Ronnie' last='Hannah'] / 5'6 " SG /  Menendez </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not only is Hannah one of the best 3-point shooters in St Johns County, but she is one of the top three-point shooters on the First Coast.   Last year Hannah connected on 42 threes and shot an amazing 40 percent from behind the arc.    Hannah is a heady player that does a good job of setting herself up for open threes and also dishing to teammates for open shots,   Hannah does a good job of handling the basketball.  She can fill in at the point guard, but her main spot on the court is anywhere behind the three-point line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Melissa Epting  / 5'7" PG  /  Creekside </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Epting Had a very solid season last year. She averaged 10.9 points per game, 3.3 assists per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, and an amazing 4.3 steals per game as well.   Epton even recorded a triple-double with double digits in rebounds, points, and steals. Epton is a high-energy player who plays at one speed the entire game. Offensively, she attacks the basket and loves to draw fouls. Last season, she went to the free-throw line nearly four times per game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='247232' first='Emily' last='Andres'] / 5'3" SG  /   Creekside</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year Andres only played a partial season and still managed 10 threes for the season.  Andres looked healthy during the AAU season and is poised to play a major role on a Creekside team that played very well last year. Andres can shoot the three-ball with consistency and gives her team a legitimate inside-outside game with [player_tooltip player_id='352602' first='Kayla' last='Kastor'] on the inside. Andres provided leadership off the court for the majority of the year last year and this year she will get to take that attribute to the court.   Andres plays good on-ball defense and plays with heart and desire.    Creekside was on the verge of something special last season and Andres might be enough to put her team over the top.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mary Grace Walters  / 5'10" SF /  Creekside</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Walters averaged nearly 10 points per game and connected on 35 threes for the season and in one game she knocked down 6 threes.  Walters was solid on defense last year, averaging nearly 3 steals per game. She can guard on the wing and also defend in the post on occasion.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->