Guards at the Kentucky Top 250 Expo

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were several talented Guards at the Kentucky Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo and it is finally time to discuss them in this series covering the event. After a long delay, I have been able to type up this article before leaving for work this evening and get it out to you. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing about these girls. All of them have made an impression on me over the course of the past year and if you get the chance to see them play you absolutely should. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_633db775a9833","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["167106"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Rowe has more than a handful D1 offers and if you have seen her play before you know why. She is extremely quick with and without the ball and has a huge bag of tools on how to evade defenders and penetrate into the paint. To stay on her is very difficult but if you back off of her she will make you pay with her outside jumper. It is a total pick your poison situation for any defender. rnrnAt the 250 I think she was trying to prove something to me. In a past article I mentioned her only weakness was maybe she just wasn't as good with her left hand as her right as the only criticism I could give her. Not that her left hand wasn't also very good, just that she was right hand dominant, which is hardly a criticism. I met her parents at the All u0022Au0022 Classic last season and her Father told ne that Rowe was using that as motivation. rnrnTo everyone that has to play her now... I'm sorry. rnrnI am starting to wonder if she was always lefthanded now and maybe I just got in wrong in the previous article OR did she really get so much better with her left due to that extra motivation. Did she purposefully play lefthanded in the game I saw and the 250 to prove a point? I am not sure, but think she did. ","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["372465"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Armstrong is a patient and hard-nosed Point Guard that is excellent at running an offense and pushing the tempo on the break. She is a pass first type of player that I have never seen hunt for her own shots. When she does score it is obvious that she is making the decision within a team concept and she has gained an advantage that could not be passed up. This could hurt her own glory but is exactly what many Coaches want from a Point Guard. rnrnArmstrong has good speed, but you may need to see her play a full game to witness it very often because she plays under control. She excels at stopping penetration and finding the ball by being oppotunistic on defense. She is not tall but has a strong body that allows her to play bigger than she is. She uses her frame to shield the ball, box out on the glass and deny post scorers position when she gets caught inside. rnrn","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["502115"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Knox has an explosive first step, gets low, and makes very long strides when she drives to the hoop. She also moves well without the ball and scored a layup on a dive cut to the hoop, made a tough catch and a strong finish. rnrnHer school team made it to the semi-finals of the Sweet 16 last season and is so loaded with talent that Knox was not even on the roster. Think about that, a team with the luxury of not needing a player this talented on the VArsity team. That ought to make more than a few Coaches jealous. ","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["502130"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Stamper is a great balhandler, she has an ability to use hesitation in her dribbling thatis very rare. It almost looks like she has a magnet in her hand and the ball allowing her to left it up from the top side when she needs that extra bit of time to let the play develop. In reality, it is just expert timing that hse uses to great effect. rnrnShe is not flashy per se, but she makes great pass after great pass and finds ways to move the ball on the dirbble in ways that are different than most good ball handlers. She is less shifty and more direct, finding the edges and angles to push herself through with the ball with an explosive couple steps while keeping her body low to the ground. It is a bit unorthodox in modern basketball but it is very effective. rnrnShe is not even a High School student yet and has already been the starting Point Guard on a team that made the Sweet 16 last season. The sky is the limit for this very young prospect. How will she continue to devlop? This is one you might need to make introduce yourself to early Coach. ","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["250278"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"I just recetly heard that Spieker score over 1,000 points in Middle School, wo seasonswhich is impressive but not so surprising since she is only 29 points away from scoring 1,000 points in High School after only two seasons. Not bad for a player that was the 3rd Option in the Offense last season. rnrnSpieker is a scoring machine that can put the ball in the holw reliably in numerous ways. She regularly shoots the three from more than a few feet past the line, penetrates to score off uo layups and floaters, but she will need to improve her free throw shooting to really make herself unguardable. She has excellent footwork and situational awareness that she uses to make crisp passes to open players when she is denied the opportunity score. rnrnShe is also an oppotunistic ballhawk that collecets a few steals each game, usually in the halfcourt defense, but ocassionally on the press. This player is just starting to peak the interest of Coaches on the next level and will be playing for somebody in College. If you need a Three and D option that can be more than that who can drag a Zone out of shape to open up an Interior game this is a player you need to see. ","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["326295"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Playing for a team that lost their top 2 Guards to graduation, Duck stands to inherit a ton of minutes this winter. She has earned them, but the question remains as to what position she will fill in the backcourt. She is a good enough shooter to be the 2 and a good enough ballhandler to be the 1, and she is a great free throw shooter meaing you would want the ball in her hands late in games. Determining where to put her is the good kind of problem to have. rnrnShe is an excellent prospect with a ton of skill and a strong basketball IQ that she uses to impact the game in numerous ways. Her defense is excellent for stopping penetration and she uses her hands like surgeon. She avoids the foul but still finds a way to poke away the ball with a light touch. Watch you wallet (joke) because if there is player that could pick it clean Duck is that girl. Her lateral quickness is perhaps more impressive than any of her other physical traits. ","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"edit","anchor":"acf-block-66101a96464d5"} /-->