Battle In The Sunflower 14U Day Top Performers- Day 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So many players stood out that will be on the All-Tournament squad so as to not be repetitive, let me drop other standouts from opening day. Thanks to all who sent in rosters</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ziyah Darden-5'5 G (Jenks) EYG 2028 [2028] Oklahoma</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Darden was "dartin" by defenders with ease to score or assist off the dribble. Her body control was nice and so was her defense as she applied pressure baseline to baseline and that helped create turnovers. She also did a good job of reading the floor and playing the passing lane which also led to points going the other way</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='892369' first='Ella' last='Gruenbacher']-5'3 G (Quinter) [program_tooltip program_id='715500' first='Magic' last='Basketball'] Lohman-Fuller [2027] Kansas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gruenbaccher saw the floor very well, both in the set as well as in the open court but watching her hit teammates in transition going full speed was nice as she threaded the needle in traffic. She also showed a deceptive first step to attack the basket and finished strongly, body control played a part in that and she played the passing lane </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nahla Sand-5'5 G (Lincoln Northeast) VRLY Storm 2027 [2027] Nebraska</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sand played the passing lane, which always excites me when I see players doing it simply because I don't see enough of it. Not sure if her listed height is correct yet I'm giving her the #THROWBACK hashtag for understanding positioning to outrebound taller players. She played solid defense and scored off the dribble </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Avery Stokes-5'10 PF ( Cassville) [program_tooltip program_id='713014' first='MO' last='Legacy'] 2027 [2027] Missouri</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stokes immediately showed she was effective inside the paint and when you show me power inside consistently, that's big. She rebounded strongly on both ends, and she also ran the floor on both ends but watching her maneuver around the basket to not only finish but finish after contact was solid and so was her defense</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751128' first='Aubrey' last='Loman']-5'1 G (Wilbur) B2B Elite [program_tooltip program_id='712424' first='Kansas' last='Bluejays'] 2027 Miller [2027] Kansas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Loman gets the #sizedontmatter hashtag because she can definitely play and watching her battle for loose balls, in the air as well as on the floor is part of it. Another part was her defensive pressure baseline to baseline which helped create turnovers which is always good. Another big plus was her court vision as she hit teammates for "gimmes" and when you add she could score off the dribble...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='566807' first='Lilly' last='Lund']-5'9 F (Blue Valley) [program_tooltip program_id='715643' first='Kansas' last='Elite'] 2027 [2027] Kansas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lund is long and athletic and please remember that is the base. It's one of the profiles I love to evaluate, and so do many college coaches and they offer next-level opportunities. She did a good job of not only rebounding but handling the ball afterward and going coast to coast to finish was nice. She also scored and (or) dished off the dribble yet her playing the passing lane was also good</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jalyn Brown-5'8 G (Benton) [program_tooltip program_id='715853' first='Southside' last='Elite'] 2027</strong> <strong>[2027] Missouri</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brown was a fan favorite and after going back over my notes, she found ways to put the ball in the basket. She finished strongly, contact didn't matter and she did it either by attacking the basket, she used a deceptive first step, or around the basket as she showed she could rebound on both ends. She also did a good job defending </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Viola Seals-5'4 G (Union 8th Grade Center) Identity Elite 2027 [2027]</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seals scored off the dribble and after contact, nice body control was part of it yet she understands how to create her shot under pressure. Speaking of pressure, she showed she could take charge down the stretch and her 3 with a hand in her face was nice but she also showed the midrange as well as solid court vision</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->