Apache Memorial Showcase: Standout Defenders
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The Apache Memorial Showcase was held this weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee as one of the first live tournaments on the calendar. Schools from all over the country were present to compete in front of college coaches and show their ability…
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Continue ReadingThe Apache Memorial Showcase was held this weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee as one of the first live tournaments on the calendar. Schools from all over the country were present to compete in front of college coaches and show their ability to play at the next level. While offensive plays may get you more highlight tapes, I wanted to start with some players who played well on both ends of the court, especially putting a lot of pressure on their opponents on the defensive end. Here are some of the standout defenders I saw over the weekend.
Ailani Collazo Ailani Collazo 5’7″ | SG Apex Friendship | 2025 NC hustled back on defense sliding in front of her defender to draw the charge. She’s incredibly vocal on the court communicating with her teammates, and she continues this energy when she’s getting a break on the bench. She was scoring on all levels showing off her range knocking it down from deep. She doesn’t shy away from attacking the basket embracing contact to get her some points.
Endia Smith
Endia Smith
Endia Smith showed off her long strides getting around her opponents driving in the paint and rolling the ball off her fingertips into the hoop. She’s a tough on ball defender, too, making her opponents struggle to get the ball past her around the perimeter leading to many cheers from the stands as she puts the offensive plays to a stop.
Carrington Jones Carrington Jones 5’8″ | CG Bartlett | 2024 State TN was all over the court getting rebounds and putting the shots back up from midrange. She can knock it down from deep or attack the basket for some points through contact. She was constantly getting in the way of her opponents while playing defense deflecting passes and grabbing steals.
Sadie Badgett
Sadie Badgett
Sadie Badgett was causing all kinds of problems on defense getting back to back steals and points off the press. She made some nice bounce passes across the court in transition, too, finding her open teammate. She was directing her teammates where to go and put the ball in the open spaces.