Rivers Open Gym Notes
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I attended Rivers open Gym. It was a lot of fun, and the team should be fun to watch this season. One of the key focuses during the Scrimmage was Stoping the ball. Here are notes on 6 players from…
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Continue ReadingI attended Rivers open Gym. It was a lot of fun, and the team should be fun to watch this season. One of the key focuses during the Scrimmage was Stoping the ball. Here are notes on 6 players from the open gym. Rivers is definitely a team to watch this coming season.
The Dartmouth commit Nina is definitely a player that should come to mind when thinking about this Rivers team. She put on a show at the open gym. She had many tough finishes in the scrimmage, and a couple of nice inside hand finishes. She can shoot from just about anywhere and is also a great facilitator and gets her teammates involved. She has a good feel for her game, and is a really good teammate. Yes she did what was emphasized before the scrimmage, stopped the ball in transition. Can’t wait to watch Nina this season in action.
Payton is a versatile Combo Guard, who does a bunch of things to impact the game. She has good length for the positions, and can guard multiple positions on defense. In the scrimmage I liked the rebounding I saw from Payton at the Guard position. Payton is a three level scorer, and is a smooth offensive player. She has a good understanding of the game, and can also run the floor.
Grace had a big season as just a Freshman and looks to carry that momentum into her sophomore year. I think Grace has the game to be a potential division 1 college level player. She was an ISL HM All star last year and had games with 18 points and 7 rebounds. She is a 6’0 who has the skill set to be a force down low, or constantly stretch the floor and knock down threes. At the open gym I saw her play tough inside, and also shoot from the outside. She has a high motor, with good length to match her skill set. She can create her own shot and has proven she can play with high level competition. She is only a sophomore and should keep raising her stock.
The first thing that stands out about Ana’s game is her shooting by ability. She is a sharp shooter, who is always a threat from the outside. She has a smooth shooting form, and a quick release. She has good size and also shows the ability to be a slasher on the wing. She is a tough player, with the potential to always get going from three point range. On defense she buys in, and plays good help side defense.
Watching Sopko at the open gym, I can already see how well she fits in with the Rivers team. She is another sharp shooter on the team, with the ability to attack the hard close out, or when the defense collapses pass it to the wing. She is an unselfish player and a good decision maker. She is not just a shooter, and has really diversified her skill set.
Highlights
Smith is ranked in the top 100 in the class of 2025 by top spot basketball. I think she has the potential to be a division 1 college level player. She is a high level talent, and was an impact player last season as just a Freshman. She is a playmaker in the half court and in transition. She may not be the biggest player on the court, but is able to create separation like none other. She can scorer or shoot over players much bigger in size with no problem. She has a nice step back and crossover move. There is a ton of potential in her game. She is a three level scorer. She can score from the outside, mid range, and at the rim.