Impact Freshmen Open Up Season
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I wrote about New Faces At New Places last week and mention the Fab 4 Freshmen at Desoto who already had multiple D1 offers on the table before their first high school game. In an era of even more “sleight…
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Continue ReadingI wrote about New Faces At New Places last week and mention the Fab 4 Freshmen at Desoto who already had multiple D1 offers on the table before their first high school game. In an era of even more “sleight of hand tricks” with social media, self-promoters, and new “know-it-alls” popping up daily, the portal will continue to be overflowed because of the nonsense many college coaches believe, it’s sad yet it’s true and more importantly I said it would happen years ago, in fact over a decade ago.
Rieyan Desouze Rieyan Desouze 5'7" | PG Desoto | 2026 State TX , Amari Byles Amari Byles 6'2" | SF Desoto | 2026 State TX , Kamora Pruitt Kamora Pruitt 6'2" | SG Desoto | 2026 State TX , and Amayah Garcia Amayah Garcia 5'11" | CG Desoto | 2026 State TX will be in Houston this week for the Lady Gander Tournament in Baytown and I anticipate them meeting possibly the best 6A team in Region 3, Summer Creek, who has an impact freshman of their own, I’ll come back to her, but here are some players that have already shown up and out to start the season in their first year
Kobe Johnson- 6’0 SF (North Shore)
Johnson gets the cover photo for a number of reasons, mainly because I caught her in her debut and got her picture yet one more time, she should have been on the initial 2026 Watchlist yet she isn’t, that will be corrected. Her game is nowhere near the finished product, which is scary because she’s “long and athletic” and elevates off the ground not only for her jumper, mid to long-range, but to rebound, on both ends. I loved her DESIRE in the opening game as she just wouldn’t back down
Salena Carrasco Salena Carrasco 5'7" | PG Boswell | 2026 State TX -5’8 PG (Boswell)
Carrasco is heady, poised and deliberate at running the 1 and when you factor in she understands her role as well as what it will take to help her young team continue to progress. Yeah, she can score both off the dribble as well as from outside, mid to long-range, but she also understands how to “control the tempo” as well as see the floor. Her court vision alone continues to stand out as she threads the needle as good as a master seamstress, plus she handles the ball with ease under pressure
Kennedy Simpson Kennedy Simpson 5'6" | CG Summer Creek | 2026 State TX -5’8 CG (Summer Creek)
Simpson is starting for arguable the Region’s best 6A team, I said arguable because they just beat one of the areas top teams by 50 to open it up. I guess “open it up” works in other ways as she is something to see in the open court and watching her handle the ball under pressure to score attacking the basket and using great body control is equally impressive as seeing her drop the stop and pop jumper on a dime, with a hand in her face. She plays solid defense and plays the passing lane. I’ll catch her against Desoto this weekend at the Lady Gander Tournament in Baytown as well as the Texas Invitational the following weekend
Jamari Milton Jamari Milton 5'4" | PG North Crowley | 2026 State TX -5’4 PG (North Crowley)
Milton is also starting at the 1 for one of the states possible sleepers at making a run. She’s surrounded by star studded talent yet her explosiveness with the ball as well as her mindset has already caught the eyes of many. She understands when to push it and when to set it up, in case you didn’t get what “control the tempo” meant, there it is. She also sets the defender up nicely to drop the jumper from outside, as well as attack and finish acrobatically. Her team is one of the favorites next weekend at the Texas Invitational, I’ll catch them on Friday against Summer Creek
Jacy Abii Jacy Abii 6'1" | SF Frisco Liberty | 2026 State TX -6’1 PF (Frisco Liberty)
Abii took her game to yet another dimension over the summer and it’s no surprise she “lit it up” this past weekend in Dallas. She may be the top 2026 in the state as she has continued to progress each season. Size, body, hands and footwork, check, double check and triple check, but you better check her off the top because the 3 ball is looking good and since she can handle it from the wing, she scores off the dribble. Factor in she rebounds on both ends and defends both in and outside the paint