AAU Preview: Philly Belles 16U Gumbs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have another AAU preview for you and this AAU preview is of a team that is based in the Philly area, but has plenty of New Jersey talent: Philly Belles. Not all teams that are part of the Belles have players from the Garden State, but a few do, including the 16U Gumbs team that has three New Jersey players. Here's a quick preview.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Noelle Thomas - 6-2 C, Shawnee (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thomas has limited playing time for Shawnee in her career, playing in 11 total games, with 10 games played as a sophomore where she averaged 3.4 PPG and 1.2 RPG. She's going to be a player who will get increased playing time come next season after [player_tooltip player_id='321564' first='Nia' last='Scott']'s departure, and this summer with the Belles will be a big one toward that continued improvement. Her height is a massive advantage off the bat, and her wingspan should allow her to get plenty of rebounds in the lane and get ample offensive opportunities down low.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='525409' first='Darby' last='Chhabria'] - 6-0 G, Camden Catholic (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chhabria is a player who will be getting significantly more playing time with the departures of [player_tooltip player_id='134752' first='Aaryn' last='Battle'] and [player_tooltip player_id='155448' first='Kassidy' last='Thompson'] next season, and she has the pedigree of someone who is bound to break out for Camden Catholic. A strong defensive player with the height to make plays in the interior, but her passing has improved tremendously as has her overall defense for the Irish. All-around improvement will be what's on the docket for her, but if she can take that next step offensively, she's going to be a problem come next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='414232' first='Alexa' last='Henry'] - 5-6 G, Lenape (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Henry made massive strides as a freshman for Lenape, but took a bit of step back last season as she gained more experience and maturity on the floor. That doesn't discount the pure talent that she has on the floor, with ball-handling skills that rival the best players in the state. She's going to jolt back into the spotlight with [player_tooltip player_id='404209' first='Kaitlyn' last='King'] graduating for Lenape, which should spread out the floor much more for her. AAU ball is going to be great for building back up confidence and refining her passing and defensive skillset.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->