Rhode Island All-State: Juniors to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Providence Journal released its <a href="https://www.providencejournal.com/story/sports/high-school/sports-awards/2023/04/18/all-state-girls-basketball-team-2023-providence-journal/70104073007/">2023 All-State selections</a>, revealing huge talent in a tiny state. Among the 12 players selected between the All-State First and Second Teams, several were juniors entering the final seasons of their high school careers and set to graduate with the class of 2024. Let's take a look at the juniors selected to the team, and discuss what they bring to the basketball court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Grace Martone","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12124","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"La Salle","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"I really enjoy Martone's (First Team) toughness and poise on the court. Her versatile scoring abilities allow her to excel close to the basket, in the midrange and beyond the arc. Her quickness and athleticism allow her to accelerate to the basket, creating scoring opportunities for herself or for her teammates. Martone's prowess isn't limited to the offensive end of the court, though, and her defensive abilities contribute to her all-around game. With her junior season cut short to injury, expect Martone to come back with something to prove during her senior season.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"Ella Pierre-Louis","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"12120","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"Ponaganset","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Ella Pierre-Louis (First Team) has elevated her game to elite big status. Her ability to finish near the rim and pull down rebounds on both sides of the court make her an invaluable member of the Ponaganset roster. She is tough, athletic and makes her presence felt when she's on the court. I'm excited to see how she improves her game over the summer and what she brings to the high school season in 2023-24.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["283111"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"A skilled combo guard, [player_tooltip player_id='283111' first='Maddie' last='Gill'] (Second Team) can both bring the ball up the court and be her team's playmaker, or pull up to get buckets of her own. Maddie's quickness and court instincts also allow her to get stops on the defensive end, disrupting opposing offenses. Expect Maddie to step into the key leadership role for Barrington during her upcoming senior season.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"Jaina Yekelchik","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"12125","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Ponaganset","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Jaina Yekelchik (Second Team) is a name to remember this upcoming season. An elite shooter, she has the ability to put a lot of points on the board, and in a hurry. She is also a strong ball-handler and intuitive playmaker. Her quickness and efficiency make her an indispensable member of the Ponaganset squad, and don't be surprised if you see her name as a First Team player next season.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["446563"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"A true shooting forward, [player_tooltip player_id='446563' first='Liz' last='Gresian'] (Second Team) offers a balanced attack when she's on the floor. Not just a clutch shooter, Gresian can also compete with larger bigs in the post. During her junior season she demonstrated that she can rack up the points, contributing key offensive input during West Warwick's run in the D2 Tournament. Entering her senior season, Gresian will be key to the success of her Wizards squad.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64751101c2822"} /-->