Next Gen Hoopers:Coming To A Court Near You!

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The late great hip-hop artist Earl Simmons, you may know him as DMX, has a song called “ Who We Be.” The lyrics of the chorus go “ They don't know, who we be.” That song came to mind when I started to think about the up and coming young pups that will be heading into their freshman year this upcoming fall. Year in and year out, our state graduates talented young ladies, when that class moves on, insert another talented crop of student athletes. From training to playing travel basketball, we are starting to see girls come in as freshmen making an impact right away. They've been thrown into the fire, sharpened by being in situations earlier on in their careers, girls coming into their freshman year aren't waiting in the wings, rather than coming in ready to contribute to their prospective high school club right away. The game is getting better all the time. Fierce competition brings new rivals, which equates to an exciting brand of basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Don't get me wrong, it is too early to come up with a ranking for the 2027 class. Shoot, we aren't even through the summer travel ball season yet. I must say, I have seen some pretty good and talented young ladies lace em up and complete thus far this grind season. Girls playing at a high pace. Fearless, relentless, and just getting after it. These girls coming up will surely be lethal contributors moving forward.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the year goes on, we will be sure to cover these young ladies as they ascend to a gymnasium near you. Until then, here is a list of rising 8th graders who will become household names over the next four years in the state of Tennessee. Get your popcorn ready and enjoy the next wave of talent this great state has to offer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>(Girls are listed in no particular order. Nor are they ranked based on their skill level.)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='821620' first='Lauren' last='Hassell']- Chattanooga Christian&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='821657' first='Marley' last='Spiers']- Clarksville Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='793953' first='Addie' last='Wilhoit']- Providence Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='821681' first='Aubriyana' last='Camp']- Chattanooga Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='583370' first='Skylar' last='Walden']- The King's Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Haylen Ayers- University School of Jackson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='817921' first='Mattie' last='Beard']- Mt. Pisgah Christian Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='818215' first='Danae' last='Kennedy']- First Assembly Christian School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Azyua Blair- Knoxville Webb</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='821670' first='Jade' last='Watson']- Rockvale</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='821728' first='Alayna' last='Duhart']- Brentwood Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kay Strayhorn-Dyer Co.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nylah Johnson- Nolensville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='821775' first='Ashley' last='Brent']- Westview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='821748' first='Lilly' last='Teague']- University School of Jackson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='620459' first='Olivia' last='Loveday']- The King's Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='822250' first='Shania' last='Ruff']- going to Briarcrest</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jayden Brown- White Station Middle School (High School TBA)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->