Summer’s Biggest Stock Risers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This season of travel basketball was truly one for the books! Teams representing the Garden State brought the fire and racked up Championships from April to July at events from New Jersey, to Ohio, to Kentucky and beyond. Every weekend saw standout players finding themselves on my "stock risers report," displaying toughness, grit and bringing the intensity on offense and defense. The following five players represent my chosen best of the summer. From big numbers on offense to tenacious defense, these players did it all and racked up major offers in the process.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["591477"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"One of the most ferocious competitors I laid eyes on this summer, Gandy kept her foot on the gas and had a massive breakthrough this season. The recent UConn commit u0026amp; U17 Irish National Team member made life miserable for opponents with her tenacious two-way game. Standing 6'5u0022, few players were able to match up with her size and level of physicality and bang in the post alongside her. Her versatility and ability to stretch out and defend the perimeter has taken her game to new heights. She is an emerging superstar with a game reminiscent to that of current Husky Aaliyah Edwards. With her back to the basket, Gandy is flat-out dominant. Disciplined footwork and strong hands make for lots of buckets scored under the rim. In the high post, she's crafted her face-up game into something fierce and added an extra layer of offense to her ever-evolving game. Defensively, she imposed herself early on in every game and sent shots flying into the stands (and on occasion, onto other courts) while deflating the confidence of those trying to attack the rim. With a tremendously high ceiling, her game will only continue to improve and grow, which spells trouble for girls far and wide in high school u0026amp; aau basketball.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["587999"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"With shifty shake-and-bake handles and electric guard play, Maya broke down opponents from April to July and caught the attention of coaches and scouts alike. As the primary ball-handler, she executed set plays and ran the offense with extreme efficiency. She got to her spots quickly and scored the ball at all three levels, which had defenders scrambling trying to cover. Even the help defense couldn't fully contain her explosiveness. And speaking of defense, this season she emerged as a super scrappy, stifling lockdown defender. Whether applying on-ball pressure or heckling opponents trying to cut and get open, Maya enforced a u0022ball-and-chainu0022 style of defense and never let girls out of her sight. She was BBA's spark plug through and through, providing bursts of energy and making big plays down the stretch. She kept her two-way game locked and loaded as the season progressed and the competition got tougher.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["414340"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"With Sabrina Ionescu-like firepower from 3, Macie is in a league all by herself when it comes to scoring it from behind the arc. Her sniper-like accuracy and high efficiency never let up this season, sometimes knocking down almost double-digit 3-point field goals! Of course, with this mastery, it's easy to get caught up in her scoring prowess from deep. However, this summer her game evolved into much more than solely being a 3-point specialist. She handled the ball with control and used her speed and quick first step to split defenders. She was aggressive and attacked the rim with authority. Playing with an added level of strength and physicality, Macie absorbed contact well and did a phenomenal job getting to the charity stripe multiple times per game. Defensively, she stalked ball-handlers and disrupted passing lanes to force an impressive amount of turnovers and convert them into buckets going the other way. She remained true to her game while expanding her skill-set and elevating her basketball acumen. The rising junior is set to unleash u0022Macie 2.0u0022 when the high school season commences later this year.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["414293"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Jaida has been booked and busy this summer. From traveling the country with her Shoreshots squad or touching down in Puerto Rico to represent the U17 National Team, she has truly made a name for herself in 2023. She brought fire and intensity on both ends and terrorized teams with her tenacious two-way game. One of the zippiest, most electric players I had the privilege of watching, Jaida was practically unstoppable once she turned the jets on and got after it. She ignited fast breaks and floated coast to coast, blowing by any and all defenders in the process. Her mid-range game was smoother than butter on a bagel! Precision timing and adequate spacing made for highly efficient shots 15-17 feet from the basket and put her team in a great position to win games throughout the season. Impressive behind the arc, Jaida's spot-up 3-point shooting was tough to contain, because she proved equally as efficient left open as she did with a hand square in her face. She kept a competitive edge, a high motor and never once let her foot off the gas.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["325223"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"This hooper has been on an upward trajectory since her very first game of the grassroots season. Madison's growth has been a joy to watch as she's taken the circuit by storm and helped to put Rise As One on the map. Racking up offers from schools such as Buffalo, St. John's, Bucknell and Seton Hall, she displayed flashes of brilliance and showed off her extremely versatile game. She was the ultimate match-up nightmare for opponents, with great size to dominate the low post, efficient face-up game, stamina and agility to run past players in transition and an impressive shooting prowess from 3. Her two-way game blossomed into something magical and she was a terror on the glass. In fact, she averaged a double-double for most of the season! In the past I've referred to her as a u0022positionlessu0022 player because of her versatility and ability to successfully guard and defend multiple spots on the floor. With this newfound confidence and elevation in her overall game, scary hours may be upon us all when she takes the court with Morris Catholic in her upcoming senior season.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64c95e42b2cb8"} /-->