Spruced Up Pt. 2/2: ME – VT Challenge – ’24 + ’25 Standouts

Spruced Up Pt. 2/2: ME &#8211; VT Challenge &#8211; &#8217;24 + &#8217;25 Standouts

Cody Quattrocci

July 25, 2023 @ 11:26 AM

Upperclassmen edition, pt. 2!   Jazmine Pingree, 5'9 G/W - Spruce Mountain H.S. Class of 2024   Jazmine's skill and court awareness got it done. Pingree's a scorer who knocks down shots at each level with serious efficiency off the catch. Yet she reads closeouts well and has a good shot fake, able then to slip by defenders and make plays in the second layer. Jazmine's awareness defensively was on display too. Pingree's rotations when scrambling in the press were spot on, often forcing turnovers when coming from the weak side. Jazmine's smarts and shooting are easy to appreciate.   [player_tooltip player_id='654918' first='Merrill' last='Jacobs'], 5'9 W - Champlain Valley Union H.S. Class of 2024   With Merrill it's a ton of high-IQ basketball. Jacobs was crafty as ever with her finishing around the rim. She showed excellent patience and elite footwork to find angles and finish the play inside. Additionally, Merrill exploited gaps against the zone, hitting high-post jumpers and spreading the floor + attacking from the weak side with precise decision making. On the defensive end, it's all the little things. Jacobs always found a body to box out, her weak side defense was timely, I believe she took a charge(!), and she blocked cutters and disrupted passing lanes. So solid.   [player_tooltip player_id='645704' first='Kaitlyn' last='Jovell'], 5'8 G - Champlain Valley Union H.S. Class of 2025   The combo-guard was sharp and to the point. Jovell's off-ball movement consistently put her in position either to score or be a pressure release. She hit her open shots and made the basketball play, culminating in hockey assists and beautiful team basketball. She orchestrated the offense a bit too, and her ability to get out in transition and make plays around the rim was a consistent feature. Defensively smart, Kaitlyn was effective and reliable on both ends.   [player_tooltip player_id='649635' first='Neveah' last='Parrish'], 5'5 G - Champlain Valley Union H.S. Class of 2024   Nev's facilitation greased CVU's offense. Parrish organized in the halfcourt and made smart, simple decisions to get her team going. As others distributed more and Parrish moved off ball, she found holes in the defense. Neveah hit her open jumpers, worked the ball to keep the defense scrambling, and finished plays. Defensively she showed nice awareness and choked up offensive flow. Solid outing from Parrish.   Marissa Groleau, 5'9 W - Mount Mansfield Union H.S. Class of 2024   Groleau demonstrated her 3&D capabilities. Due to her off-ball movement and utilization of screens, Marissa was knocking it down from range, particularly off the catch. She served a bit as a ballhandler and distributed well in the halfcourt too. On the other end, Marissa is versatile. She showed the footwork to defend the perimeter and the toughness to battle inside as a rebounder and rim protector. Groleau's rebounding and defense shined through.   Riley Small, 5'10 F - Spruce Mountain H.S. Class of 2025   Every team needs that player who does the little things, and for Spruce, that's Riley Small. Riley's work doesn't produce big numbers in the box score, but it does produce winning basketball. Small protects the rim with smart positioning and nice length, getting to spots early as a rotator and forcing kick outs. She rebounded the rock at a high clip, and once the outlet was made, Riley was running her lanes to get ahead of her defender for easy transition buckets. A solid role player who plays her position to a tee.

Upperclassmen edition, pt. 2!