Not from Texas Standouts 6th Grade #NBC22
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I wanted to break this down into a couple of parts because with so many teams and so many players, I have a system on how to catch as many of them as possible. One more time, I am a…
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Continue ReadingI wanted to break this down into a couple of parts because with so many teams and so many players, I have a system on how to catch as many of them as possible. One more time, I am a REAL evaluator and I can spot things many can’t very quickly and I’ve been doing it for quite some time so let me drop players from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri that is showing a whole lot of potential and promise from the 2028 class as they head to the 7th grade
Samaiya Johnson (MO Grind Elite 6th Grade)
Johnson falls into that “long and athletic” category I speak about over and over because that is THE BASE. She adds playing the passing lane and being able to handle the ball in the open court afterward to either finish or dish yet her court vision stands out in the set as well. She has a nice first step to take the defender off the dribble and she’s heady on both ends
Lecia Martin (MO City Elite 6th Grade)
Martin is also “long and athletic” and I’m playing back her relentlessness on the boards as she went after everything that came off the rim. She finished on putbacks, she finished around the basket and she also scored off the dribble yet her baseline to baseline defense plus she too plays the passing lane has me smiling about her upside
Kaila Dailey (Arkansas Lady Hawks)
Dailey is, you guessed it, “long and athletic” and yes, her first step is explosive and her body control enabled her to finish acrobatically yet she plays the passing lane, I LOVE THAT and she has some impressive timing at this stage of her career as she blocks, alters, and (or) deflects shots. She also handled the ball and saw the floor under pressure
Talia Collins (Arkansas Lady Hawks)
Collins has me thinking I should have just called this a “long and athletic” tip sheet and what she adds is her ability to create her shot, under pressure. Her deceptive first step allowed her to get the defender off balance and attack the basket or just elevate over the defender for the jumper. Her pull-up jumper in transition, aka the “stop and pop” was also nice
Jayden Travis (Oklahoma Aces 2028)
Travis uses her size nicely and she showed it on opening day with nice moves around the basket plus she rebounded on both ends and ran the floor in transition. On #SiminatorSaturday, she added something else, her timing, as she got a few blocks and changed some shots from the offensive player
Bailey Guthrie (Oklahoma Aces 2028)
Guthrie also used her size nicely on the interior showing that “hands and footwork” I love to see yet she also showed she could put it on the floor and take the defender from the wing, as well as straight down the middle. Her rebounding on both ends was solid, and so was her playing the passing lane, but her finishing after contact was equally impressive
Amira Harrison (Oklahoma Aces 2028)
Harrison falls into that #sizedontmatter I love dropping the hashtag on. She’s a FIERCE competitor that backs down against no one and her being HEADY and understanding how to “control the tempo” and set her teammates up for shots all play a part in why the game starts at the 1. She has good range. mid to long, she does a good job defending and her upside is intriguing, to say the least
Kalani Kindred (BTR 2028)
Kindred is on the cover for a reason, yeah “long and athletic” is not the only reason, it’s the numerous pluses she adds. Her timing is one of the best at the event, in fact at her age I’ve seen all club season but she plays the passing lane, which I love, and explodes off the dribble to attack the basket. She has the good body control and finishes after contact but watching her “spin” and leave the defender cemented JUST DID IT for me
Jordyn Richardson (BTR 2028)
Richardson is already showing “court vision” ahead of her years and threading the needle in traffic was very nice. She comprehends the game, plays within herself, and did a good job creating her shot as well as creating scoring opportunities for her teammates. She scored off the dribble and the pull-up jumper was also nice
Nadia Traylor (BTR 2028)
Traylor falls into that “never takes a play off” type of player and her smothering “on the ball” defense baseline to baseline created turnovers as she forced the offensive player to pick up her tribble and get trapped. She also showed nice hands and came away with steals, her playing the passing lane over and over had me smiling, and so did her scoring off the dribble, very nice first step
Amara King (BTR 2028)
King is another player that understands simple things, like positioning under the basket. She rebounded on both ends and she ran the floor. on both ends yet her finishing around the basket while using her body was nice, it was even nicer when she did it after contact. She defended both inside the paint and outside, but when you add “she played the passing lane” …