Meet the New Faces at IMG Academy

By Michael Wholey November 30, 2022 5:00 PM   IMG Academy girls' basketball is ranked in the top 25 in a majority of the national rankings.  Last year's team 2021-22 squad featured the trio of McDonald's All American and Oregon signee Grace VanSlooten, Arizona signee Kailyn Gilbert and Harvard signee Gabby Anderson.  With last year's big 3 gone, IMG welcomes a number of new faces.  Let's take a look at the 2022-23 squad.      From their website, IMG Academy's girls basketball program supports a structured, challenging and motivating environment that focuses on total development and prepares our girls to perform at the highest level, no matter their starting point. With coaches who know the intricacies of training female basketball players due to their time spent inside every level of college coaching, student-athletes from all over the world, including the United States, Japan, China, Russia, and Australia, enter the girls' basketball program knowing their academic achievements take just as much nurturing as their on-court skills' development.   Access to college recruitment services and test-prep courses yield peak results, while a competitive schedule and showcases gain just as much traction. Our girl's basketball program uses a holistic approach to build elite-level student-athletes, which occurs through training specifically designed for females, including empowered female athlete courses, mental toughness and leadership training, and on-court development. Both national and local competition prepares each student-athlete for their next arena of play.   IMG Academy features one of the most impressive facilities and campuses internationally with access to strength and conditioning, nutrition, sports psychology, in addition to their academic and athletic programs.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/L7IDoWgpJnQ </div></figure>     IMG Academy's welcomed several new members to the program.      Class of 2023   [player_tooltip player_id='264587' first='Olivia' last='McGhee'] – 6'2 Wing/Forward – UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA   McGhee has a very impressive build and a versatile skill set.  Built like a front court player, the University of Virginia signee can handle the ball in the open court, knock it down from the outside, guard multiple positions and rebound on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.  She has a scorers mentality and does a good job using her strong frame, height and athleticism to score from the perimeter and get to the rim absorbing contact and getting to the free throw line.        [player_tooltip player_id='188583' first='Sarah' last='Rambus'] – 6'4 Forward/Center - UNIVERSITY OF OREGON   At 6'4, Rambus is one of the most front court players who is capable of scoring from all spots on the court.  Her combination of height, length, wingspan, and athleticism is elite and unique making her a major presence on the defensive end and the boards challenging shots both in the paint and on the perimeter and playing the role of rim protector consistently every time she steps on the court.  She transferred to IMG Academy from Michigan, where she was named first-team all-state after averaging 16.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 1.7 steals and 1.4 assists per game last season shooting 33% from 3 and 50% from the field.  She is expected to play a huge role in IMG Academy goal of getting back to the Geico Nationals.  Check out some highlights from this past summer of Rambus playing with Michigan Crossover on the EYBL circuit.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/3v9Jwik2I8c </div></figure>     Class of 2024   [player_tooltip player_id='851277' first='Heloisa' last='Carrera'] – 6'4 Forward   Carrera is a young post player that came off bench for spot minutes.  She has good bounce, pursued and chased down loose balls and rebounds, and selectively found opportunities to look to score.        [player_tooltip player_id='487612' first='Sienna' last='Dauer'] – 5'10 Wing   Dauer is a well rounded, highly skilled perimeter player who plays a ton of minutes.  She has good size for a perimeter player, is in excellent condition and competes and plays hard on both ends of the floor the entire game.  She is a 3-point threat from several feet beyond the arc, knocking down perimeter shots at a high percentage while also showcasing the ability to play off the shot fake and pull up off 1-2 dribbles or take all the way to the rim when defenses overplay her.      [player_tooltip player_id='314541' first='Wesleigh' last='Ferguson'] – 6'1 Wing   The young wing played spot minutes.  Her skill set and body are raw and undeveloped but there is a ton of potential.  Look for her role and production to continue to increase throughout the season.     [player_tooltip player_id='221702' first='Ciniya' last='Moore'] – 5'9 Guard     Moore has a strong build that looks ready to step on a college campus right now and compete with collegiate players.  The guard played limited minutes at the perimeter position.  She is a 3-point threat, able knock down open 3s both off the catch on penetrate and kick situations and off the dribble.  She typically is a volume shooter that puts up 10+ shots per game.  Her role on the talented IMG Academy will not entail her putting up as many shots as she has with her previous high school and travel programs, and it will be interesting to see how she adjusts to this role.  She is a talented offensive player who can help IMG Academy put points on the board.      [player_tooltip player_id='325200' first='Tayla' last='Thomas'] – 6'4 Forward / Center   Thomas was one of the biggest players in the gym all tournament with great size and mass. She had a big presence in paint, finishing at a high percentage in the paint on offensive put back and drop passes from the guards.  She was very active on boards, her strong base and mass made her challenging to move out of the paint and off the low block once she established low post position.     Class of 2025   [player_tooltip player_id='470470' first='Kelis' last='Fisher'] – 5'9 Guard   It does not take a rocket scientist to see that [player_tooltip player_id='470470' first='Kelis' last='Fisher'] is the REAL DEAL, it takes about 10 minutes watching her play to see that she is the total package!  Fisher transferred into IMG Academy from Roland Park High School in Maryland, where she averaged 8 points and 5 rebounds per game as a Freshman.  Fisher is long, athletic, highly skilled and likely will be the new # 1 player in the class of 2025.  She has deep 3-point range, plays under control and with composure and is very confident with the ball in her hands. You can watch some highlights from this past summer   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/kTsVKJeYUMs </div></figure>     Michael Wholey is the lead scout for Florida Prep Girls Hoop Florida and a former division one Assistant Coach at American University, University of Memphis, and Georgia Tech.  Wholey and the rest of the Prep Girls Hoop staff, seek to cover the entire state of player, keeping subscribers up to date with player evaluations, recruiting info, and statewide news.  Our audience often supplies us with some of our best information.  If you have any information on players, teams, or statewide news in the state of Florida, emailing Michael Wholey at <a href="mailto:WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com">WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com</a> or DM him through Twitter or Instagram @WholeyPrepHoops.

By Michael Wholey November 30, 2022 5:00 PM