R4R Championships: Players that stood out to me – Part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My ability to catch the OV Dragons was rather limited at the Kentucky Expo Center, however, it didn't stop me from taking a look at the 2024 squad and walking away impressed with several young ladies: Here are the players I caught in Louisville: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='496329' first='Allie' last='Ellyson'], 2024 OV Dragons - Martin, PG, 5-4, Jr. </strong>- It seems like I am writing about this young lady every week ... but it is for a good reason: She keeps getting better each time on the floor. Playing up a level in Louisville, the past few days were no different for Ellyson. She displayed a repertoire of acrobatic finishes down the lane. Twisting her body into great shapes, she laid the ball in while facing tough circumstances. One of my favorites came shortly into the morning session Sunday, she drove down the lane and twisted her body in two different positions as she snuck past two defenders and ultimately drawing the and-one at the rim. She further impressed with her court awareness. She always knew where to be on the floor, her shots were on target wherever she was, and she gave her teammates easy scoring opportunities with crisp passes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='379508' first='Martina' last='Howe'], 2024 OV Dragons - Martin, SG, 5-9, Sr.</strong> - Howe needed a strong summer to get ready for her job of leading the Robert C. Byrd Flying Eagles following the graduation of Avery Childers. So far, she's right on track. Her shot looks incredible, she's attacking the basket and not getting beat on the defensive end of the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='416202' first='Hannah' last='Polumbo'], 2024 Northstar Exodus, W, 6-0, Sr. </strong>- The biggest thing that stood out to me about Polumbo was the use of her pivot foot. Post play may be dying, but not for Polumbo. Every time she picked up her dribble, she still had great options thanks to her great spin moves. DJ's would be jealous. She spun around and around in control, making so many great plays when a lot of kids would panic. Her passes were incredible, she shot the ball out of the pivot with no dribble. She just looked comfortable needing to make decisions in a heat. If there is anything I would like to see, I would like to see her get stronger and quicker. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='410476' first='Bryn' last='Hunt'], 2025 OV Dragons, W, 5-9, So.</strong> - The Minutemaid showed a flair for the dramatic during her time in Louisville. She nailed a half-court buzzer beater casually. She calmly dribbled up the court, cocked the shot, and let it fly. It was her second buzzer-beater in less than eight months. She also nailed the buzzer beater that led her high school team to a win over Sissonville back in December. She is a cool customer when the going gets tough. She gets her shot off quickly and has some growing left to do as a sophomore. If you are in the market for a smooth athlete with a cool head, check out Hunt. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kayllyn Vannoy, 2024 OV Dragons - Martin, W, 5-8, Sr. </strong>- Vannoy stretches the defense with her ability too shot from anywhere on the floor. She shoots the 3-ball at a high clip, even when there are defenders in her face. I watched her connect on 3 separate treys, two challenged, during eight minutes of playtime. Each time, the defense stretched out more and more, but she kept shooting. She isn't just rooted behind the arc. She did put the ball on the floor and hit several mid-range jumpers. Coaches, if you are looking for someone who can get hot and score points in bunches, you should take a look at Vannoy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->