PGH OK Freshman Showcase: First Team All-Showcase
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Today we got to witness some of the best young talent in Oklahoma going head-to-head at The Hive in Edmond and words can hardly describe how much fun it was. At times it was surreal to think that these teams…
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Continue ReadingToday we got to witness some of the best young talent in Oklahoma going head-to-head at The Hive in Edmond and words can hardly describe how much fun it was. At times it was surreal to think that these teams had just been thrown together hours before when you saw help defense force a turnover which moved into a fast break that ended in an out-of-nowhere pass to a cutting teammate. Everyone at the showcase today brought their “A” game, all of them, and these six athletes listed here stood out above the crowd. Congrats to our MVP, the First Team, and all of the other prospects in attendance!
Freshman Showcase MVP: Olivia Stokes Olivia Stokes 6'0" | PF Locust Grove | 2027 OK (6’0″, PG, Locust Grove)
The plan going in was always to have an All-Showcase First Team. I and every other scout there agreed within a few minutes of seeing Olivia play that she was probably going to be on that First Team. By the time the Showcase was over, we agreed that there needed to be some way to differentiate Olivia from the rest of the First Team. She was that dang good. Already at 6’0″ as an incoming freshman, she has the size to see over almost any defender. Not only does she see over them, she can SEE over them. Olivia has incredible vision and was hitting cutting teammates, open teammates, unsuspecting teammates… everyone. She can create her own shot with a bevy of moves and showed the ability to score from all three levels. I am not afraid to say, even at this early stage, that Olivia Stokes Olivia Stokes 6’0″ | PF Locust Grove | 2027 OK is going to be a Division-I basketball player, if she so chooses.
Highlights
From the first bucket of the very first game for “Team 1,” it was clear that Brinley was gonna be the one running the show. She oozed confidence and it rubbed off on her team, who were very close to making it through the day undefeated. The main thing that jumped out to me about Brinley was that she was absolutely unafraid. Unafraid to drive to the basket, regardless of the size of their post. Unafraid to pull the trigger from long range, should she get a little bit of room. Most importantly, unafraid to handle the ball. One-on-one, double team… it didn’t matter. It was almost like, “the more, the merrier.” She relished the opportunity to split the double team and show off her handles. She’s fun to watch and now, she’s an All-Showcase First Team performer!
Highlights
Trinity Boone Trinity Boone 5'8" | PG Casady Prep | 2027 OK
Trinity Boone Trinity Boone 5'8" | PG Casady Prep | 2027 OK
There’s things that Trinity did out there that just had people looking at each other with jaws dropped at times. Her sense for the tempo of the game and her ability to disrupt the timing of her defender when ball-handling are preternatural. She has skills that you can’t teach. It’s an innate sense of the game and to see that in an incoming freshman is a very, very exciting thing. Boone is a high basketball IQ player with a sweet stroke and a nice shooter’s touch. She’s a great facilitator and it was clear to see in her interactions with teammates that she is a likeable player. It’s clear in a short set of games that Trinity is a student of the game and the fact that she will improve even more from here is a very exciting proposition. She is definitely a high level prospect.
Lia Peters Lia Peters 5'8" Fort Gibson Public | 2027 OK
Lia Peters Lia Peters 5'8" Fort Gibson Public | 2027 OK
In these types of showcases where the teams are thrown together and maybe someone had an issue and didn’t make it, maybe it happens that you end up being the biggest player on your team at 5’8″. Did it matter to, Lia? Nope. Maybe it’s a thing at Fort Gibson to play positionless basketball, because I’ve definitely seen a lot of talented Tigers that can do it all. Whatever it is, Lia more than held her own against even the biggest post players at The Hive. While defending her butt off, she was also directing the defense and being a very vocal leader. On the offensive end, she lit it up from three, including one game where she was 5-for-7. Peters is a well-rounded, mature player and it will be exciting to follow her career at Fort Gibson through the years.
There was a theme at the Showcase this year of players who played with a basketball intelligence beyond their years and players who stood out as the leader of their team from the outset. Jaida was both of those things. She plays with a clear-eyed style that you don’t see in many 2027’s. Even if you didn’t know, you would assume from watching her on the court that she is a coach’s daughter. She’s seeing the game different. She’s driving into weaknesses in the defense that other players aren’t picking up on. Her changes of speed when handling the ball are typical of a point that’s been running things for a high school team for several seasons. She’s silky smooth and can score it in so many ways. No slouch on defense, it’s clear to see that Jaida is dedicated to perfecting her game and doing a dang good job of it.
Highlights
Tianna Butler Tianna Butler 6'0" | SF Sand Springs | 2027 OK
Tianna Butler Tianna Butler 6'0" | SF Sand Springs | 2027 OK
Sometimes I wish that Prep Girls Hoops would ask players what position they are when they enter their info to sign up for events like the Showcase. There’s a good chance that when we watch them they’re going to be playing a little out of position, maybe just playing where they’re needed. It’s good to know what position that they think they are. That being said, I just put Tianna down as a Small Forward because she can play every single position on the floor. She can handle the ball way too well for a post, but she rebounds and has some incredible hops. She defends well in the paint, but can step out and shoot it from deep. She showed great vision in the open floor and really understands help defense. Charles Page High has a good one on the way this year and I can’t wait to see her on the High School stage!