Forwards at the Kentucky Expo Top 250 part 1
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After going over my notes it appears the Guards are going to have to wait a little longer than I had originally planned. Apparently, I have enough in my notes to write three articles on the Forwards I saw at…
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Continue ReadingAfter going over my notes it appears the Guards are going to have to wait a little longer than I had originally planned. Apparently, I have enough in my notes to write three articles on the Forwards I saw at the PGH Top 250 Expo a few weeks ago. I know nobody wants to wait, but in the meantime, there will be some solid coverage of other players to read.
Unlike the last two weeks, I am not being severely overworked by the overlap between all of the various seasonal jobs I do to feed, clothe, and house myself. So I might actually get all of them written and cued up and ready to post before things pick up again. Finger crossed. Enjoy the read.
Returning for her Senior season, West was Louisville Male’es leading scorer and rebounder last season playing for a very deep team with tons of speed and talent. As a rebounder she is a star collecting the ball in every way possible. In the paint she grabs the ball with strength and power, she hustles after the long rebounds all the way to the corner and os a quick leaper woth good hands.
West is very adept at starting the break with the outlet pass or on the dribble. Her Guard skills make her a player that could potentially play Guard on the next level later in her career. But she is such a solid interior player I almost can’t imagine a Coach ot wanting to keep her at the 3 or 4 on the next level. At the 250 she made at least one assist on the up the street pass to a streaking teammate for an easy layup.
She probably hasn’t had as much interest from college coaches as she should, which can only please the coaches that have seen her. I a business where everybody seems to know everybody in the game the coaches in on West have a diamond hidden away from the rest of the world. Which… they probably don’t want me to say this but the Coaches that don’t know will be happily surprised to find this kind of talent available.
Highlights
Shropshire is making most of her strides by developing a more aggressive approach to the game she was lacking in the past. This renewed effort is paying dividends that will turn more heads among college coaches. At the 250 she made an explosive drive from the right wing for a layup and scored another layup by running the floor hard on the break. I have seen some of these kinds of developments all summer while she was playing on the PGH Circuit.
Shropshire has such a long frame and a good skill set but didn’t have the inclination to really mix it up on the court. Last season she tended to play a very perimeter oriented game on offense as a perimeter shooter. The frontcourt of her school team was loaded but hse tended to shy away from contact too much to really shine. If she will keep up this kind of effort and step it up a notch she is going to be rewarded with offers.
Highlights
Deere made an impression as a Rim Runner by sprinting the court for a couple of layups. Her speed was impressive and she made excellent cuts to get open for a short jumper in the lane on a baseline inbounds play that looked like an actual play. But with the 250 being more or less a pick-up game you have to know it was just her basketball IQ and that of the Inbounder. At the time, I think I was actually convinced it was a play.
looking through her school stats from last season, Deere would have made 31% of her three-point shots if she had just made two more of them. That suggests she is going to be an excellent shooter if she continues to put in the work. Her athleticism is excellent, she is long fast, and sleek, but probably needs to keep hitting the weights to really elevate her game and her attractiveness to Coacehs seeking her type of player.
Highlights
Eaglin was the only other double figures scorer on a team that featured the 2nd leader scorer in the Commonwealth last season and stands to inherit a ton of tounches that went to her and the rest of the Senior class. She shot almost 38% from three-point range, and almost 65% at the free-throw line last season and is the 2nd leading returning rebounder on the team.
At the 250 she played hard, diving on the floor for the ball, made a great rip and go drive from for a layup despite being fouled hard. She also stepped to the line to demonstrte her abilities there. As a player entiering her Sophomore season with skills to play all over the court Easglin is setting herself up to draw some serious interest from College Coaches over the next three years. If she is willing to keep putting in the work, like what she has already shown in trimming down since last season I would expect to see her in the running for some full ride options o the next-level.
I asked aloud at one point “Why is it I recognize this player? Where does she go to school?”, speaking to the scorekeeper at the table. Little did I know within earshot was who I assumed to be her father who answered, “Breckenridge County.” I immediately realized this was Huffines, who I had seen last season at a Christmas Tournament. I thought I had used her photo for the article I had written about that event but it was another player. So I had another face in my head attached to her name.
At the 250 she made a nice shirt corner jumper from the left side. She also penetrated to the basket from the short corner for a 4 footer after quick pivot turnaround move to create the open shot. She also demonstrated her ability to run the floor and crash the glass for offensive rebounds that had impressed me so much last winter.
This winter she will be her teams returning leading scorer and rebouder after making 46.1% of her field goals. Her school team has lost 3 of their top 4 rebounders and 3 of their top 5 scorers from a year ago giving Huffines a chance to expand her role this season. I hope I get a chance to see her play sometime late in the year after she has established her new role on the roster. But if not I will get more chances later since she will only be a Sophomre this winter.
Highlights
Day did an excellent job of making herself available to the pass for Guards that drove the lane at the 250 and that helped her to make an impact scoring in the paint. But what was most impressive was when she buried her defender deep in the lane to open herself for a lob pass on the leftside lowpost. She turned that pass into a score through hard contact with an inside turn power move.
I don’t know much else about her right now. She only played in one Varsity game last season on a loaded school team. But I expect she will find more time on the court if she can contibute like she did at the 250 this winter.
Caroline Eaglin Caroline Eaglin 5'9" | SG Newport Central Catholic | 2025 State KY 74-5