Atlantic City Stock Risers: EJ’s Gr8 Eight

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Championship Weekend in Atlantic City hosted by Hoop Group had the Convention Center rocking from Friday through Monday! This monumental event brought in teams from the Tri-State and beyond, with coaches representing over two-hundred colleges and universities such as UConn, Tennessee, Michigan, Baylor in attendance. Hoopers from the Garden State truly saved the best for last in this final live period weekend of the 2023 AAU season and showed off their sweet skills &amp; "dog" mentality. With yours truly in attendance, eight players stood out from the rest and made waves with sensational performances game after game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["591477"],"_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":"With UConn Assistant Coach Jamelle Elliott in attendance, the recent commit showed off her ferocious two-way game and made it clear she's next-level ready! Gandy did what she does best; an enforcer under the rim! On offense, she imposed herself early on and muscled her way up fighting through double and sometimes triple teams. The beneficiary of many post-entry passes, she controlled the low post with phenomenal footwork, strong hands and a soft touch to lay it in. Defensively, she was a nightmare for opponents driving into the lane. Her agility and the way she floated up and down the court at 6'5u0022 was something to truly marvel at. She rejected a ton of shots under the rim but also stretched out and successfully defended the perimeter as well, which stood a testament to her versatility and ability to adapt. Her potential is at stratospheric levels and her game is eerily reminiscent to that of UConn All-American Aaliyah Edwards.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["662072"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Mia's electricity and speed was tough for opponents to handle and it felt as if she was everywhere all at once. She got to her spots around the perimeter quickly and shot the ball with high confidence and high efficiency. Her range proved lethal game after game, as she splashed in the 3 ball at a high rate. What impressed me the most, however, was her ability to thrive as a primary ball-handler and keep a low, tight and controlled dribble even while being heavily pressured by defense up near half-court. Mia shielded and protected the ball to avoid turnovers and avoided traps with her quickness and anticipatory skills. Something tells me that a major senior season is upon us when Mia takes the court with her Secaucus squad.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["559080"],"_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":"You only have to watch Jordan play once to see what all the hype is about! She's long, lean and wildly athletic, with extreme versatility and a dynamic skill-set. Her ability to score it at all three levels can drive the defense crazy and cause breakdowns on set plays. An electric rim-runner, she floated across the court and finished at a high level, absorbing contact in the process. She lit it up from the mid-range and behind the arc, elevating over defenders and getting her shot off quickly and efficiently. Her effectiveness with the dribble penetration and ability to create off the bounce was impressive against the Riverside Hawks. The level of physicality she exerts coupled with her length was problematic for teams to try and contain.","_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='588094' first='Anna' last='O'Keefe']","_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":"5'6u0022","_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":"Lawrenceville","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"CJ Hawks Mayo","_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":"If you're looking for a stone cold 3-point assassin, look no further! In games against defensive juggernauts such as Berks-Lehigh Panthers, Riverside Hawks and CT Warriors, Anna did what she does best and buried the long ball in rapid succession. Anywhere from 15 feet and beyond was basically automatic range in her arsenal. Her shot was tough for defenders to successfully guard because of her ultra-quick release when spotting up or off the catch-and-shoot. When the zone defense pressured her behind the arc, she simply used her quickness and court vision to either create off the dribble or dish it out to cutting teammates. All in all, it was quite the arduous task to prevent Anna from being efficient whether scoring it or facilitating.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["559819"],"_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 speed demon with solid size and sheer athleticism. A stifling lockdown defender. A game changer. A fierce competitor. It goes on and on when trying to describe Whitney's exceptional game. Anyone familiar with her playing style knows she can flat-score it in a number of ways, but what really stood out to me this past weekend was her defensive prowess. She moved extremely well laterally and kept the ball-handler in front of her at all times. In a game against the mighty Mid-Atlantic Magic, I never once witnessed her get beat to her spot. Her anticipation and disruption of passing lanes stood out to me right away. Whitney applied pressure, shut off driving lanes, denied dribble penetration and stifled opponents into turnovers. The way she converted scrappy defense to quick hitting transition offense time and time again was a key part of the Shoreshots' ultimate success.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["488662"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Dacia was one of the toughest, most competitive players I laid eyes on in Atlantic City! A high motor hooper with a ton of strength who plays much bigger than her 5'7u0022 frame, she was fearless crashing the glass against bigs and pulling down boards on both ends. She was a handful in multiple ways and has tremendous speed which she used to blow by defenders on her way to the basket. She was a flash of lightning in transition offense and lead the pack each and every time. Gritty, aggressive and tenacious on defense. A guard of her caliber is a headache for opponents because she can easily bully smaller guards with her physicality and get around post players with her quickness and impressive mobility.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["583758"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"One of the best u0022positionlessu0022 players of the weekend, Nila stood out from the pack due to her versatility and willingness to both play and defend 1-4. Officially listed as a stretch 4, she opened up the court with her length and scored the ball from just about everywhere. She plays a style of basketball that I refer to as u0022big guard bully ball,u0022 even though not labeled as a guard on paper. She possesses all the qualities of a guard, from her quickness, to her impressive handles, to her knockdown shooting from the mid-range and beyond the arc. Her front-court instincts kick in around the rim, however, the way she bodies players, commands the low block and posts up with authority. Her aggression crashing the glass is second to none and she is a ferocious rim protector, sending back shots to those who dare attempt a shot in her space. A match-up nightmare if I ever saw one!","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["559084"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"u0022That girl sure is special,u0022 is a lot of what I heard from coaches, scouts and spectators alike. The weekend standout had a knack for getting to the rim at will; gliding across court like a gazelle and finishing strong though contact. Her length and ability to stretch the floor was the cause of many headaches and frustration time-outs. Defensively, she applied pressure and used her long reach to stifle, disrupt and attack the passing lanes. Sophie forced a considerable amount of turnovers which lead to many points scored in transition as a result. When all was said and done, her impact on both ends was significantly felt. She had her way with opponents as they pretty much had no solution on how to stop her. With top-tier footwork, tremendous strength and an ever-evolving two-way game, she is a D1 lock in my book.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":8,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64c1305559bea"} /-->