Day of Champions rising stars

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Day of Champions was held last weekend in Portsmouth, run by the regions top basketball trainer Jim Clayton of Sports City U. Nearly 40 girls basketball players from all different ages worked on their skill development and took the day to become better basketball players and prepared for the start of the upcoming junior high and high school season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The next few days, I will take a look at some of them who participated in the event, starting today with the youngest of the bunch, the 2027 and 2028s. I will get more in-depth with the high school players, but here is a list of the middle school players who showed some good promise in the sport of basketball around Ohio with a small look at the future stars of Ohio.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2028</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Faith Ronnebaum, 5-7 Marion Local : she has a high motor and a solid basketball IQ. She rebounds well out of her area and defends at a high level. She finishes well inside and is a tough nosed kid!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liza Poeppelman, 5-2 Fort Loramie : good handles, fiery and can do a nice job at the PG position. Good court sense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marlee Schmiesing, 5-7 Fort Loramie : She has good potential to develop into a solid player for an amazing program. She plays with a very solid travel team the 2028 Dayton Metro and that group had several players at this event. Marlee is a hustler with a mindset to improve. Can use her size at a young age to be one of the better players on the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stella Patch, 5-7 Fort Recovery : Skilled and continuing to develop her game. Good footwork, can score and moves well without the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jolie Gudorf, 5-6 Brookville : She has a goof shot fake and is a strong finisher at the rim. High energy kid. Knows the game for her age. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Libby Bunsold, 5-4 Bellbrook : Another guard who has excellent skills. Can handle the ball and I look for her to continue to grow her game right into high school in the next couple of years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lexie Combs, 5-5 Breathitt County (KY) : I think she could develop into a nice prospect as she gains more experience. She has good skills, good movement and scrappy around the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anna Stroup, 5-5 Madison Plains : Rising standout for a team that has a good future in Madison Plains. Good guard with quickness and can shoot the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bryanna Shannon, 5-7 Portsmouth : She will be a key player heading into her eighth-grade season, she is a three-point threat and is athletic enough to make things happen. Good wingspan, has a good vertical.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='808268' first='Hayven' last='Carter'], 5-9 Portsmouth : Already with D1 offers, Haeyen really has an unlimited ceiling as she continues to grow her game. Her skillset is off the charts for her age, she can score from anywhere. Can push in transition and finishes at the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laila Kelley, 5-3 Piketon : She is small in stature, but she has a big heart for the game. Good handles and will battle with anyone on the court. She can get up and down the court and has good quickness. Her future looks bright.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->