Spooky Nook, The Final Battle – Beast Mode

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The last tournament of the summer turned out to be one of the best. The energy, atmosphere, and overall skill these 5 athletes showed were unmatched. While it may have been some athlete's last AAU tournament ever, the mark they made will not be forgotten. Let's take a look at the beast mode 2023s and 2024s, and sprinkle in a 2027 as well...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6302c8092621e","name":"acf/evaluation-block","align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6302c83b2621f","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["446541"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":483436,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A scrappy ATHLETIC post who's a D1 prospect. Doran is a kid you u003cemu003eneedu003c/emu003e on your team. She is a 6'1 post who has the ability and athleticism of a big guard. She does a great job of sealing her defender on the block for an easy lay, or a turnaround jumper. When at the high post, she does an excellent job driving to draw the defense and kicking out to her teammates. If help side doesn't dig in, whether Doran is by her defender or not, it's going to be an easy two points. Her ability to flat out score the basketball allows her the opportunity to kick out to her teammates due to the defense paying so much attention to her. I must've saw Doran do this at least 20 times, and she does it u003cemu003ewithout hesitationu003c/emu003e. Her athleticism is beyond impressive, and it allows her to grab multiple rebounds on both ends of the floor. She legit just out jumps everyone, and her secondary jump for the shot still allows her to tower over the defense for an easy bucket. It's ridiculous u003cstrongu003ehow easyu003c/strongu003e it looks for her. On the defensive end, Doran is solid and can keep her defender in front even while guarding out to the perimeter. Even with her size, she is able to guard smaller players as she uses her length to leave little space for them to get through. Overall, I u003cemu003eREALLYu003c/emu003e liked Doran. I think she already is a D1 prospect and will cause u003cstrongu003eabsolute havocu003c/strongu003e at both ends of the floor this winter and spring.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["361825"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_player_featured_image":483493,"_player_evaluations_1_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-weight: 400;u0022u003eA strong athletic power forward who's u003cstrongu003ea beastu003c/strongu003e. Kaplinski gets the job done on the boards despite her size, pulling them down strong and going right back up for the bucket. When I saw Kaplinski in Chicago, I watched her go up against a D1 6'2 post player and she held her ground. Kaplinski played good, consistent containment D on her, and didn't let her bury her inside. She kept her contained without fouling, and did an excellent job at keeping her from going off. On offense, Kaplinski has a good dropstep inside to the middle, which creates space for her to finish with her left. She powers up to make space off a move or just goes straight up strong to the basket. Towards the end of Spooky Nook, I saw her start to look for her mid-range shot a bit more, and boy was I happy about that. This piece of her game opened up numerous driving opportunities from the high post, or she just had the open shot. It was great to see. When grabbing down boards, Kaplinski fights for the ball, and I mean u003cstrongu003efightsu003c/strongu003e. She is strong and will rip it down when in traffic. She then will use a power dribble to create space and put it back up after the offensive board. Overall, I had the pleasure of getting to see Kaplinski play throughout the summer. Her progression and development transcended her play, and any college team would be lucky to have her compete for them.u003c/spanu003ernu003cblockquoteu003eu0022Faye was an absolute pleasure to have on the team this year. She does so many little things that at times go unnoticed, but she is always there for a boxout, communicating on the offensive and defensive ends, and an overall great teammate. What really excited me this year about her game was her offensive abilities to knock down the outside shot, and scoring the ball with both hands. When she is putting her offensive game with her defensive game, she is a REALLy strong player from start to finish.u0022 - Brian Medeiros, CT Starters Coachu003c/blockquoteu003e","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"C'India Dennis","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"5'3u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"12123","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Bearcreek Middle School","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"FBC United Youngunz","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"A well-developed quick commanding PG who is a 2027 u003cemu003edemonu003c/emu003e. Dennis is a 2027 graduate who was playing against a bunch of 2023s. Never would I have guessed this kid was still in middle school. u003cemu003eNeveru003c/emu003e. She has a great handle that she uses to get by her defender. She has a quick first step and can get into the lane without disruption. She will either go all the way to the basket or take the PUJ, which was dangerous due to her speed. She read the defense really well in transition, knowing when to take it all the way or pull it back to run the offense. She has eye-catching vision when attacking downhill, and did an excellent job at reading when the opposite block was open. Even at a young age, Dennis was commanding her teammates on where to be and what they should be doing for a play. She was a great leader for her team which I think is something special for a kid so young. Overall, I am shocked at how young Dennis is and am so excited to see what she does once she finally gets to high school. I'm afraid for those opposing teams, she's going to u003cstrongu003ewreak havocu003c/strongu003e.rnu003cblockquoteu003eu0022C'India Dennis is tough, when she goes we go. We rely on our point guard. She is very crafty, small, but very crafty with a high IQ. She just finds a way to get it done..she leads and the girls follow her. She is very vocal and understands the game of basketball.u0022 - FBC United Coachu003c/blockquoteu003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["184116"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_player_featured_image":483557,"_player_evaluations_3_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"A long athletic post who is a matchup nightmare. Oh, and she's 6'4, enough said there. Gruber bodies her defender inside and has a nice drop step spin to get her defender on her back. She keeps the ball high and can finish with both hands with contact. She easily shoots over the defense due to her height, but can also facilitate from the low post. Her athleticism shined in Spooky Nook when I saw her make a one-handed wrap-around pass to her teammate on the opposite block. On the defensive end, it's no surprise that Gruber deters and blocks shots. It's just not fair to her opponents. But, even with her size, she was still able to guard the guard spot out to the perimeter, keeping them in front and using her length to cut off their angles. Overall, Gruber is a great player and it is no surprise to see all the attention she gets from the D1 level. I'm excited to see where she ends up.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["415009"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_player_featured_image":483602,"_player_evaluations_4_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"An overall solid guard who is u003cstrongu003eunderratedu003c/strongu003e. Franchi plays for a very good NY Havoc team with high D1 prospects. Sometimes her ability and impact on the game can go unnoticed. Personally, I think Franchi can compete at the mid-major level. She is a knock-down shooter with a quick release from beyond the arc. She also has a smooth floater to her game that she just kisses off the glass or just hits the net with when driving baseline. She has a quick first step and is looking to attack off the catch. Her game is u003cemu003esmoothu003c/emu003e, whether it is from attacking the basket to hitting the 3, Franchi is u003cemu003esolidu003c/emu003e either way. On defense, she is a scrappy defender who isn't afraid to guard the best player. She does a nice job of keeping her player in front, playing solid containment D. Overall, Franchi's ability to score from all three levels, consistently, is what makes her u003cstrongu003esneaky dangerousu003c/strongu003e. While she may go overlooked at times, I can see her making a name for herself at the right school in college. Someone is about to get u003cemu003eluckyu003c/emu003e.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Beast Mode 5. Wow, were they fun to watch. Their ability to flat-out get the job done was great to watch. Their skill-set, defensive tenacity, and championship-winning efforts were what set them apart from the rest. They're going to make some noise this coming high school season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:table --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Athlete</strong></td><td><strong>Class</strong></td><td><strong>State | AAU</strong></td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='446541' first='Brennan' last='Doran']</td><td>2024</td><td>ME | Maine Attraction</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='361825' first='Faye' last='Kaplinski']</td><td>2023</td><td>CT | CT Starters</td></tr><tr><td>C'India Dennis</td><td>2027</td><td>GA | FBC United</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='184116' first='Lizzy' last='Gruber']</td><td>2023</td><td>ME | Maine Attraction</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='415009' first='Bella' last='Franchi']</td><td>2023</td><td>NY | NY Havoc</td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption>Spooky Nook - Beast Mode </figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:table -->