Battle in the Desert: AZ Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This weekend I attended the live viewing period for the girls. It was the&nbsp;<strong>Battle in the Desert</strong>&nbsp;run by&nbsp;<em>West Coast Elite</em>&nbsp;at the Phhacility in Phx, AZ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched 15-17U and the local girls held their own versus some of the top talent in the West. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the AZ Standouts I viewed:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='590992' first='Destiny' last='Lunan'] Bella Vista Prep (WCE 17u GUAA Pink)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top scoring lead guards in the state. She is smooth on the break and can out race most on the circuit. She has a polished floater game, she will hit the catch three and can pull-up from mid-range. What actually stood out to me about her was her on-ball defense. She also threaded the needle for some dimes as well. A well rounded player.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='339069' first='Michaela' last='Fairwell'] Desert Vista (WCE 16 GUAA)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing defender who seems to be everywhere on defense. She collects steals in bunches with her length and quick twitch athleticism and literally shadows her opponents from the 1-3. Offensively she can hit the catch three, score in transition and straight line to the rim.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='462054' first='Olivia' last='Frankel'] Notre Dame Prep (WCE SoCal 17U GUAA Black)</strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard is a catch and shoot gunner. She can hit from mid-range and smartly knows where to go to get the defense off of her. She will straight line drive to the rim but the catch and shoot 3pter is her money spot. She splashed in some deep shots on Saturday and looks to have a big year for the Saints.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='558947' first='Maci' last='Hess'] Perry (WCE SoCal 17U GUAA Black)</strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A skilled wing forward with some toughness. She can pull-up off the dribble from mid-range and has a good burst to the basket. She is a good passer and can find teammates with a good handle. She shows high effort on defense as plays the passing lanes. The lefty has a high IQ for the game and will grab out of area rebounds and boxes out well showing a high motor and effort. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='582391' first='Aila' last='Kaibara'] Phoenix Country Day (WCE SoCal 17U GUAA Black)</strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A point guard with a shifty handle who can hesitate to get downhill and score thru contact. She is very tough and changes speeds well. She has quick and strong hands to collect steals. She has a quick release on her three point shot and will drive and kick it to a shooter. She changes speeds to create separation and lets it launch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='443661' first='Olivia' last='Owens'] Phoenix Country Day (WCE 17U GUAA Pink)</strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A defensive lead guard who is a natural facilitator. She is a terrific athlete who can defend multiple positions. She had a few live dribble perfect passes into a teammates shooting pocket. She can hit the occasional pull-up and catch triples plus euro her way to the basket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='205662' first='Katelyn' last='Best'] Phhoenix Prep (WCE 17u GUAA Pink</strong>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and taller post player plays bigger than her height suggests. She has a consistent mid-range jumper and will score on put backs plus even step out to the three point line.&nbsp;She bangs with everyone inside and lays it all on the line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='586382' first='Emma' last='Dasovich'] Valley Vista (WCE 17u GUAA Pink)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A highly skilled post player. She is a face-up four who stretches the defense out to the three point line. She is very hard to move for position and is a very good passer from the high post. She will make the read or shoot the elbow jumper if given the space. She is from Minnesota and is hearing from multiple D1 schools.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='588731' first='Irene' last='Noelle Guiamatsia'] Xavier Prep (WCE 15u GUAA)</strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A super strong post player with elite hands. She catches anything thrown her way and score on drop step moves and short jumpers from 10-feet and in. A super long defender who moves well in space. A rebound chaser and close to becoming an elite shot blocker. She was one of the biggest girls I saw over the weekend. On Sunday morning, a slew of D1 coaches were watching her. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='608219' first='Bella' last='Burcar'] Flagstaff (WCE 15u GUAA)</strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A taller wing forward has a little wiggle to her handle, she can shoot, pass and dribble. She can shoot from mid to the three point line and rattled off multiple threes on Sunday and made plays for her teammates. She grabs out of area rebounds and scores on put backs or gets fouled. She reads the court well and plays like a point forward. Her skill, IQ and toughness shined through.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='625055' first='Kinsey' last='Murray'] Valley Vista (WCE 15u GUAA/CA)</strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A very controlled incoming freshman will get the ball on day-1. She controls the tempo of the game and can score downhill and pull-up. She finishes off tough right hand layups in traffic and she is left-handed. Her hesitation dribble and burst are next level stuff. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='602941' first='Deja' last='Strong'] Valley Vista (WCE 15u GUAA/CA)</strong> <strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A highly skilled lefty forward with size and toughness. She can shoot it from mid-range off of a catch or pull. She can also hit the catch three and shows versatility to defend a guard then switch to a bigger forward. Her elbow jumper could end becoming a weapon she uses in college.    </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='659856' first='Izabella' last='Juarez'] Valley Vista (WCE 15u GUAA/CA)</strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good looking forward moves well from end to end. My first full look at her and she can shoot it from the perimeter plus rebounds well in her area. She has skill, size and some toughness. She can defend inside with taller players and cover guards on the perimeter.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='530980' first='Amanda' last='Wiley'] Yuma Catholic (Y Town Hustle 17) (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A versatile wing forward has good size for position and does a little bit of everything. She handles it well, rebounds at a high level in her area after a strong box out and can make plays. She can score on put backs, get downhill and defend multiple positions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->