Standout Forwards at Deep South Classic: 17U Division

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of talented prospects participated in the Deep South Classic tournament and the State of Florida was well represented. The guard play was impressive, the wings were super athletic, and the bigs from the Sunshine State held things down in the paint. In this article, we highlight the 2023s and 2024 forwards who played in the 17U division. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='331713' first='Nia' last='Blocton'] / 2024 PF / Ridgeview / MHD Elite </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["331713"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":643672,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6448780045d8f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blocton continued her stellar play at Deep South Classic. The Power Forward plays with the power but also has finesse and speed to her game as well. She has the ability to control the game just on her rebounding abilities alone. As a Freshman, Blocton was nationally ranked in that department, and seeing her pound the boards at Deep South Classic reminds you of her talent in the rebounding department. Blocton plays hard and excels in a lot of areas on the court. She got buckets during the tournament and averaged nearly a double-double per contest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='460873' first='Michelle' last='Ugwah'] / 2023 PF / DME Academy / DME Travel</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["460873"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":643827,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6448780045e4c"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Really liked the athleticism of Ugwah. She plays aggressively and fast and loves to get the rim. She is strong on the inside and uses good strength and excellent footwork to create her shots. At 6'2, Ugwah is a very good and versatile defender who can and guard wings on the outside and hold her ground on the inside against post players. Ugwah runs the floor well and loves to score in the transition game. She was a standout at the Deep South Classic. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='221681' first='Janyia' last='Donaldson'] / 2024 SF, SG / The Benjamin School / BGH Ligers 2024 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["221681"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":643909,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6448780045ecf"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Donaldson was impressive with her three-level scoring ability. She has a good feel for the game and how to put the ball in the basket. Donaldson can really shoot the long ball and she was very accurate and efficient at the Deep South Classic. In addition to the long ball, Donaldson has an effective mid-range game and also gets to the basket on drives. Donaldson played very solid defense and was able to defend in space and in the paint. Donald's team only had 5 players, so Donaldson found herself defending positions 1 -4 at various times of games. Her versatility showed on the defensive end as much as it did on the offensive end. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='506042' first='Destinie' last='Gordon'] / 2024 PF / Colonial HS / OBT</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["506042"],"_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":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6448780045f39"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The way Gordon gets up and down the court is impressive. She is the type of player who doesn't force it, just lets the game come to her. Gordon runs the floor very well and can defend all over the court - inside and out. On defense, she plays the passing lanes very well. Her defense in transition is very good. One play that comes to mind is when an opposing guard grabbed a rebound and Gordon sprinted from one basket to the other and knocked the ball out of the guard's hand before the guard could make a move to the basket. She can get you a bucket, a rebound, or a defensive stop, but it is her confidence, composure, and athleticism that stand out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='643867' first='Aubriyonna' last='Felder'] / 2024 PF / Vero Beach HS / BGH Ligers 2024 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["643867"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":643978,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-644886bae52b3"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Felder was solid at Deep South Classic as the power forward had arguably the best jumper of the ten players on the court. Felder had guard-like skills and often got her team into their offense. She also handled the ball in transition and also when escaping the opponent's pressure. Felder definitely fits the bill of a stretch four, but she did more than stretch the defense. She was shooting so deep, she broke the opponent's defense. Defensively, Felder gave up height against the opposing forwards, but battled them on defense and on the offensive boards. Felder was very confident throughout the tournament and stood her ground all tournament long. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->