Top Sophomores That Caught My Eye This High School Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By Michael Wholey 3/17/23 7:00 AM EST</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>I was able to take in a number of high school games, events and tournaments throught the 2022-23 high school season.  Here are some of the top Sophomores from the class of 2025 that caught my eye.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["248694"],"_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":"McFadden simply got better and better each time I saw her throughout the high school season.  Her build, length, and athleticism jump out at you immediately when you walk into the gym and realize she is just a sophomore.  But watching her play and watching her progression and improvement, confirm my opinion that she has a chance to be special and one of the top prospects nationally.  McFadden has bounce and a wingspan that you can't teach and she uses it on both ends of the floor.  She flies in from the wing to grab rebounds out of area, she gets tips and deflections on balls, and she drives to the rim and soars above her defenders to finish high up on the glass.  Keep an eye on McFadden, St. Thomas Aquinas is back-to-back state champs, and if McFadden continues to progress in her game at the same rate, they are going to be a tough out of the next two years as well!","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["243896"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='243896' first='Jade' last='Jones'] is just a fun player to watch.  She is tough, gritty, aggressive, physical, works hard, talented, competitive, and is not afraid to do the dirty work.  Walk into a gym and it does not matter if Jones and her team are at center court in front of hundreds of people or in a back gym with 3 fans, Jones brings the same fire and energy every time.  In a culture where the younger generation is sometimes referred to as soft or lazy or play emotionless, Jones is a throwback! She wears her emotions on her sleeves, and she puts her hard hat and overalls on and goes to work every time she steps foot on the court!","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["243900"],"_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":"Barrett has some physical gifts that not many players in the state of Florida have and gives Barrett the opportunity to have a special career and high school and catapult it into college.  She is a versatile wing / forward who can play inside and out.  She can impact the game on both the offense and defensive ends, and she can score the ball in a variety of ways.  On the season she averaged 15.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting 43% from the field.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["244190"],"_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":"Kitts is a stock riser as she keeps getting taller and more productive on the offensive end.  At 6'3 she is extremely versatile.  Her strongest suit is that she can advance defensive rebounds to start break and can attack off the bounce and get to the rim as well as advance the ball up the floor to open teammates.  On the season she averaged 12.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game but showed up in the biggest games when her team needed her the most dropping 17 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the 2A semifinals game and then going for 10 and 10 in the championship, helping Faith Christian Academy bring home the 2A State Championship.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["243900"],"_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":"Barrett has some physical gifts that not many players in the state of Florida have and gives Barrett the opportunity to have a special career and high school and catapult it into college.  She is a versatile wing / forward who can play inside and out.  She can impact the game on both the offense and defensive ends, and she can score the ball in a variety of ways.  On the season she averaged 15.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting 43% from the field.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["409186"],"_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":"Harris was the other half of the dynamic duo that was u003cstrongu003eHolland Harrisu003c/strongu003e and u003cstrongu003eKylee Kittsu003c/strongu003e that created matchup issues and tormented opposing defenses all season.  Harris like Kitts is long, versatile, and tough to guard.  She can go inside and out and is impactful on both ends of the floor.  On the season she led the team in scoring and rebounding with 17.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.   And when the moment called for it, Harris stepped up, giving her best individual performance of the season in the semifinals in a back-and-forth duel between her and u003cstrongu003eTaliah Scottu003c/strongu003e of St. Johns Country Day.  In the end, Scott finished as the game's high scorer with 47 points, but Faith Christian Academy won the game and Harris dropped 35 points and then two nights later went for 15 points and 12 rebounds to help seal the victory and the 2A State Championship!","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='742509' first='Lourdes' last='Da Silva Costa'] ","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"6'3u0022","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"12122","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"Montverde Academy","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_6_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Lourdes has flown under the radar season as she is coming off the bench for arguably one of the country's top teams.  Watching her play in limited minutes, the bright spots are often, and the talent is obvious.  She is moves exceptionally well for size, has great length and mass, and she has soft hands, a high IQ, and excellent skill.  Players 6'3 and above are always in high demand and u003cstrongu003e[player_tooltip player_id='742509' first='Lourdes' last='Da Silva Costa'] u003c/strongu003ewill be no different as she will be coveted by college basketball programs all across the country.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64125bb7bd966"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Michael Wholey</strong> 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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->