PGH Freshman Showcase: Alyx’s Player Evaluations (#289-298)

<p>The PGH Freshman Showcase brought a ton of talented 2027 players to Louisville this past weekend. All four of the PGH Kentucky scouts/writers were in the building and we all walked away very impressed by this class. There's bound to be players mentioned in multiple articles by different scouts, but every player deserves to have something written about them after their showing on Saturday. When I was trying to decide how to break down these articles, I ultimately decided to turn the notes I had for each player at the event into a series of articles. I'm putting them out numerically based on jersey number, so below you will find the notes I had down for #289-298.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Zo<strong>ë </strong>Gathright</h2>   <p><strong>5'9 | Forward | Louisville Collegiate School | [program_tooltip program_id='715742' first='Dana' last='Evans Elite']</strong></p>   <p>#289 - When I was coaching, this was the kind of player that I loved to have. Plays so hard and you never have to question her effort when she's in the game. Had multiple strong finishes around the basket. Good elevation allowed her to shoot over defenders. Moves well without the ball. Good rebounder. Secures them strong and made great outlet passes. Strong defensively and doesn't let anyone move her down low.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='743657' first='Caroline' last='McCurry']</h2>   <p><strong>5'9 | Guard/Forward | John Hardin HS | Firstep</strong></p>   <p>#290 - Good strength. Made multiple great drives to get to the rim. Stayed strong on those drives and took any contact that was thrown at her. Showed a lot of versatility throughout the day. Able to extend out to the perimeter to knock down shots or score down low. With the skills and strength she already has, I believe she's going to be a very tough matchups for opposing teams.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='743668' first='Kendall' last='Hemmerle']</h2>   <p><strong>5'10 | Forward | DuPont Manual HS | [program_tooltip program_id='715742' first='Dana' last='Evans Elite']</strong></p>   <p>#291 - Really remained solid throughout the day. Wasn't forcing offensively. Great movement defensively. Has good footwork and moves. Didn't force shots that weren't there. Made great passes out of the post and recognized where the open players were. Got in on the boards every possession and was a strong rebounder.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='739729' first='Macee' last='Hogancamp']</h2>   <p><strong>5'10 | Forward | Carlisle County HS | KEM Force 2027</strong></p>   <p>#292 - Strong overall and really strong on the boards. Love how well she secures the rebound every time it comes off the rim. Makes good passes, including long passes in transition. Plays so hard. Good defense down low - stayed straight up and got some nice blocks. Had some good finishes in the paint and finished through contact. Don't think there was a single game where she didn't grab 10+ rebounds and finished with a double-double in multiple games.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='739741' first='Lyla' last='Packer']</h2>   <p><strong>6'2 | Forward/Center | Bullitt East HS | [program_tooltip program_id='712592' first='Kentucky' last='Premier']</strong></p>   <p>#293 - So long, yet moves so much better than most players at her age with that size. Has really made huge improvements to her game this off-season. Always was a threat down low, but she can now extend all the way out to the perimeter where she forces the defense to make decisions because she has a good shot and can handle the ball. I only got to see her team once on Saturday, but she hit a 3 to start off that game and then continued to make good stuff happen on both ends of the floor. Really did a good job on the boards, grabbing rebounds off the rim and making good outlet passes. Was very disruptive defensively either blocking or altering shots with her length.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='743661' first='Evie' last='Hall']</h2>   <p><strong>5'10 | Forward | Woodford County HS | [program_tooltip program_id='715808' first='Lexington' last='Crossover']</strong></p>   <p>#297 - Strong player overall and didn't let anything rattle her. Stayed composed and showed she can dribble out of pressure situations until she can make the outlet pass. Did a great job getting in good spots to grab rebounds and secured them strong. Has good touch around the rim and had some nice finishes in the post. Love how hard she plays.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='743667' first='Kamilla' last='Marcum']</h2>   <p><strong>5'11 | Forward | Owsley County HS | [program_tooltip program_id='715899' first='Rise' last='Up']</strong></p>   <p>#298 - One of the most consistent young post players that I've seen. Runs the floor well. Stays strong defensively and doesn't give up easy basket. Has great hands. Posts strong and really seals off defense. Has good touch around the rim. Can force the defense to extend with her ability to knock down shots all the way out to the 3-point line. Rebounds strong. Consistently makes her presence known down low on both ends of the court and has a ton of potential.</p>

The PGH Freshman Showcase brought a ton of talented 2027 players to Louisville this past weekend. All four of the PGH Kentucky scouts/writers were in the building and we all walked away very impressed by this class. There's bound to be players mentioned in multiple articles by different scouts, but every player deserves to have something written about them after their showing on Saturday. When I was trying to decide how to break down these articles, I ultimately decided to turn the notes I had for each player at the event into a series of articles. I'm putting them out numerically based on jersey number, so below you will find the notes I had down for #289-298.