Neville Jones Invitational: 2025 Standout Forwards/Center

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New faces are always a plus yet a couple I have watched multiple times continue to elevate their games </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='884174' first='Evangeline' last='Treece']-6'1 C (Lady AE Red-Amerisports) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Treece gave me a good look and based on her standing over the magic number and showing agility to go along with the ability and a solid skill set, she was able to grab my attention early, in case you didn't know, that magic number is 6'0, and virtually assures a spot somewhere at the next level with a few intangibles here and there. First of all, her hands and footwork created problems for the defender as she scored around the basket after contact. She also scored on putbacks, yes she rebounded and ran the floor on both ends of the court but I was also impressed with her interior defense </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='644124' first='Alyana' last='McGarity']-5'9 PF (2025 Stat Elite-Brittany)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McGarity brings a lot to the table starting with she's "long and athletic" and in case you missed it even though I say it over and over, that is the base because not only do I enjoy evaluating that particular profile, but so do next level coaches ad they offer opportunities to play. She plays taller than her listed height and rebounds strongly in the paint, on both ends yet her DESIRE stands out when I see her going after the ball off the rim. She showed she could not only handle the ball afterward but her court vision in transition was solid, well in the halfcourt as well. She also showed explosiveness off the dribble to attack and finish strongly after contact</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='678722' first='Caleah' last='Kennedy']-6'2 PF ([program_tooltip program_id='716243' first='Lady' last='Sharks'] United)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kennedy has elevated her game from a back-to-the-basket player that rebounded and blocked shots to a legitimate offensive threat from anywhere on the court. She's also "long and athletic" and yes that's still the base yet I expect her to blow up soon because of her variety of intangibles. She can handle the ball in the open court after rebounding as well as after playing the passing lane but watching her show the "stop and pop" jumper through the season was a plus, so was her creating her shot and hitting the mid to long range in the set. She scores off the dribble as well as in the paint and her defense both in and outside the paint has gotten better </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='620583' first='Yaheira' last='Battise']-5'8 F ([program_tooltip program_id='715146' first='SETX' last='Elite'])</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Battise plays much taller than her size and her blue-collar mindset is something you can't teach because you will not outwork her and that includes inside the paint. I love watching players who remind me of those from another era and I spoke about much of<strong><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/03/breakout-hs-players-ladys-first-invitational/"> what she does in an earlier article</a></strong>. This time around, she did a good job of playing defense inside the paint as well as stepping outside of it to guard her man. She also played the passing lane and made good decisions after the steal. she even dropped the short jumper </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aaliyah Jones-5'9 F ([program_tooltip program_id='714866' first='Burner' last='U']) OK</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones understands how to use her body inside the paint and she not only scored over taller players, she rebounded on both ends by getting good positioning. Her defense was solid, she did a good job attacking the basket using a deceptive first step to score off the dribble and finished strongly but she also created her shot and dropped the midrange </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->