Grind Session: AZ Standouts
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On January 27th and 28th I attended the Duel in the Desert Grind Session at Dream City Christian in Glendale, AZ. I watched two of the talented prep girl teams and here were some of the standouts: Destinee Benway Destinee…
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Continue ReadingOn January 27th and 28th I attended the Duel in the Desert Grind Session at Dream City Christian in Glendale, AZ.
I watched two of the talented prep girl teams and here were some of the standouts:
Destinee Benway Destinee Benway 5'8" | CG N/A | 2028 AZ Phhoenix Prep
A sharp shooter with a quick release and range. The 7th grader can drive and kick it to a teammate and runs the floor well. She gives hard ball fakes and will dribble drive to the basket to score. Her poise for her age is extremely high and will only be better as she gets older.
Katelyn Best Katelyn Best 6'3" | C Northwest Christian | 2024 State AZ Phhoenix Prep
A bigger post player with good size and strength. She rebounds at a good clip versus other post players. She will score it in the paint with her left or right hand and can shoot it from 10-feet and in. She will block shots in her area and fight inside.
Nykyah Williams Phhoenix Prep
A jet quick point guard with real open court speed. She is a one woman press break and can dime her girls. She made the pass of the day by threading the needle to a teammate in super tight window. She is a ball hawk to pick pockets and can score from all levels. She can step back from her defender and let it fly and can rattle them off one by one. She can euro to the rim and is a good free throw shooter with deep three point range.
Caia Campbell Caia Campbell 5'8" | CG Gilbert | 2027 State AZ Phhoenix Prep
A crafty 8th grader is a natural combo guard who handles pressure and is a good passer. She has strength and uses her left hand to her advantage and will get downhill. She uses hesitations well to get to the rim and has the runner with her left and smartly cuts and moves without the ball. She will fight inside for rebounds and is very competitive.
Ahmya Thomas Ahmya Thomas 5'6" | SG Phhoenix Prep | 2023 State AZ Phhoenix Prep
A scoring senior guard is the team’s 6th man. She can catch and shoot from the three point line and is smart on defense. She will fight inside for rebounds and cuts off her opponents with quicker feet.
Izzy Anderson Izzy Anderson 5'6" | CG Hamilton | 2027 State AZ Phhoenix Prep
One more talented 8th grader for the Fire. She is a scoring guard who likes the runner and has a nice first step to get past her defenders. She runs the court well, gives hard ball fakes and can shoot it from the perimeter. Yet another who will get better and better.
Adeang Ring Adeang Ring 6'5" | PF Bella Vista Prep | 2024 State AZ Bella Vista Prep (Pictured)
A huge presence with length to control the paint for the tall forward. She grabs offensive rebounds and will score on put backs or hook shots. She is a very good passer out of the double team and a long shot blocker in and out of her area. This is where she excels. She has unusual length and fluidity to block or alter many shots per game.
Jyah LoVett Jyah LoVett 5'7" | PG Bella Vista Prep | 2023 State AZ Bella Vista Prep
A senior point guard is a three level scorer. She can step back off the dribble from the three point line or use her stronger upper body to handle contact getting downhill. She can pull-up off the dribble and made an incredible shot in the lane amidst heavy traffic with 19 secs to play to give them a 66-63 lead and the eventual win. She has a laundry list of top schools waiting to hear which one will she pick for next year.
Destiny Lunan Destiny Lunan 5'9" | PG Millennium | 2025 State AZ Bella Vista Prep
A fluid scoring guard is a step quicker then most. She is a plus athlete who likes attacking in transition. The lefty can shoot it from the three point line and runs past the defenders with the ball. She can cross over her opponent and rise up from mid-range impressively. This is an already college move and she looks to be one of the better soph guards in AZ.
Gal Raviv Gal Raviv 5'8" | PG Bella Vista Prep | 2024 State AZ Bella Vista Prep
A pure point guard who sees the court well. She can hesitate and get to the rim and finish with her left. She has a high IQ to throw a dime and can hit the three off the catch. She made a couple big triples when they were down that brought them back. Her feel and skill are high.
Adelyn Walker Adelyn Walker 5'8" | SF Bella Vista Prep | 2023 State AZ Bella Vista Prep
A thicker wing can catch and shoot from the three point line. She has a stronger build to fight inside versus the bigger players and will battle to grab rebounds and collect steals and plays with a motor. She is a good passer and has a sneaky quick first step and will throw a strike to a teammate for an assist.
Nikolina Vukcevic Nikolina Vukcevic 6'1" | PF Bella Vista Prep | 2023 State AZ Bella Vista Prep
A talented 6th man for the Bears. She is a sturdy framed power forward who can run the court for layups. She has skill and can step back off the dribble from the high post and has a high feel for the game. She moves without the ball and plays physical inside to rebound.