OK Turnpike TOC – Standouts: Part 2
In this article:
I probably should’ve mentioned in “Part 1” of these “Standouts” pieces that these really aren’t in any particular order. My goal is to write about as many players as possible, who caught my eye, so I’m not trying to rank…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingI probably should’ve mentioned in “Part 1” of these “Standouts” pieces that these really aren’t in any particular order. My goal is to write about as many players as possible, who caught my eye, so I’m not trying to rank anybody here or anything. I’m just telling you what I saw. All I ever want to do here is try to get college coaches and evaluators talking about players who deserve it and here in Oklahoma, we have a lot of players who deserve to be talked about!
The first thing you notice when watching this Swarm team play is their toughness and tenacity, and Marissa is pretty much leading the charge as far as that goes. She fits a lot of strength and “controlled aggression” into her 5’9″ frame and is unafraid to get to the rim and score. She is an “and-1” machine. The main note beside her name in my notebook was “INVOLVED IN EVERYTHING.” She is everywhere, on defense, on offense. Sandlin is just one of those players that is a nuisance in the worst way for the other team and the best kind of way if you are her coach, teammate, or future college coach.
Highlights
Speaking of tough players, let me tell you about Mea. She wasn’t on my roster, but after I saw her fight for a loose ball and fall flat on the court for what could have been a very bad head injury (where she instead bounced back up, fixed her hair, and kept battling), I knew I needed to find out who she was. After the incident where she fell on her back, she responded by scoring consecutive baskets. She can shoot it from deep or drive and she showed good handles to weave through traffic. Her defense is tough, with quick hands that popped the ball loose on the regular. Ginn is a hard-nosed player that is incredibly fun to watch and I can’t wait to see her at the next level!
Highlights
It seems like anytime you go out to watch Midwest City play, you’re going to see something special from their guards and you can go ahead and add Mar’kia to that list. She’s a slasher that’s on a whole other level. Her handles are silky and her basketball IQ is top notch. She understands what the defense is doing and uses that to help her to not only get to the rim, but kick it out to the open shooter when she feels too much pressure. Pratt is extremely athletic and seems to relish the one-on-one challenge of defending her fellow ballhandler. The Bombers are going to be “must-see” this season and Mar’kia is a big part of that!
As I’ve mentioned before, I was out of the game for a little over a year while I finished up some college stuff of my own. Some players I had seen before and knew they’d be pretty big “stars” when I came back. Some players I saw this weekend and wondered how I missed them the first time around. Henley is one of those. A player that is 6’4″ is going to play somewhere, we all know that. But West may very well be a D-I prospect when all is said and done, when you add in the fact that she can shoot it from deep, showed great hands down low for receiving dump ins, and finished despite the beating that “bigs” take inside. As she learns to dish it down low (on defense) as much as she takes it, she’s going to be a one-of-a-kind prospect.
MacKenzie Lovett
MacKenzie Lovett
MacKenzie has great height and length for a PG and she did a really good job of running the point for her Playmaker Express squad when she was called upon. She has the handles to take her defender one-on-one and can shoot off the dribble once she earns any little amount of space. She showed really good vision and kept all of her teammates involved. She also uses her size to crash the boards and picked up a lot of rebounds on both ends of the court. Everytime Playmaker Express played, Lovett was the one that jumped out at you. She is an absolute baller and one that you are going to want to keep an eye on, coaches!