She Can’t Hold Me-Game 4-Team Buckets
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As I close out the coverage from yet another Pass Tha Ball event, I was excited to see so many new faces that are already showing next-level potential along with the progression of others I already knew about, including the…
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Continue ReadingAs I close out the coverage from yet another Pass Tha Ball event, I was excited to see so many new faces that are already showing next-level potential along with the progression of others I already knew about, including the ones that I have labeled #D1Lock. Everyone doesn’t have that gift, but I do and since the nurse slapped my daughter at birth and my daughter slapped her back, I knew she had quick hands, so with almost a decade in the WNBA, I guess was right even back then but here ya go
Da’Niyah Lewis (2026) was one of the most impressive new faces I hadn’t seen or seen enough of but watching her attack the basket powerfully off the dribble and finish after contact was very nice. She has good court vision, both in the set and in transition plus she threw some fullcourt touchdowns in traffic before I left at the half. Her pull-up jumper was also nice, as was her defense
Kobe Johnson Kobe Johnson 5'11" | SF North Shore | 2026 State TX (2026) no notes are needed because all I look for is her on-the-court progression, everything is embedded in my memory. She’s setting the defender up better on the wing to attack off the dribble with either hand, her body control is even better as she’s drawing contact and finishing after plus the midrange pull-up is hard to handle. Her timing and rebounding, on both, also stood out, along with her defense both in and out of the paint
Rhylei Hendrick (2024) was one of my surprise sightings over the club season and she had already gotten an intro to me from her new high school coach who asked me to take a look. Well, I did but I expect her to make some noise in her senior year as she’s one of the most underrated players in the area. The pull-up jumper, the acrobatic finishes, as well as the “on the ball” pressure, were all on display
Lyllian Walton Lyllian Walton 5'7" | SG Kinkaid | 2025 TX (2025) aggressiveness has picked up and it showed on both ends as she did a good job defending in the set, recognizing the switch, and using her length to alter shots. On the flip, she attacked the basket stronger with either hand and even saw the floor off the dribble. She created her shot under pressure and dropped the jumper while being defended
Avery Valentine (2026) is an athletic guard who uses her athleticism on both ends and she was one of many at the event that showed me that. Her on-the-ball pressure in the full court helped create not only havoc but turnovers but she also used her hands to come away with steals. She stayed under control with the ball going full speed to score or make nice passes
Arionna Patterson Arionna Patterson 6'0" | CG Walker | 2025 State LA (2025) LA continues to drop the mic with an exclamation mark but mark my words from a couple of years ago, I told you so. I love her ability to just take over games offensively, both in the paint as well as from outside, and watching her finish with players literally hanging on her shows how much stronger she has become. She has legitimate D1 offers on the table now so calling her a #D1Lock years ago was, how can I say this, an understatement
Nyila Botello (2027) exciting is one of the words I used when I first saw her yet saying she was on the verge of being a #D1Lock at my friend Cynthia Guillory’s event was somewhat prophetic. Cynthia is no longer with us but the talented players I had a chance to see are there in the search bar and Botello continues to elevate her game. She handles the ball effortlessly under pressure and watching her variety of moves which she does instinctively gives her the option to drop the jumper, mid to long range, or score off the dribble. Her court vision is also very good
Chandler Caver Chandler Caver 5'9" | CG Hightower | 2025 State TX (2025) had me smiling when I asked her what high school she would be attending after seeing her competing in a high school showcase and her “I’m in the 7th grade” still has me teasing her. Poise under pressure has always been there and now she has extended her range to NBA distance so with the flick of her wrist, she can drop it but she also attacks from multiple angles and finishes after contact but peep this, she wants the ball in crunch time and she delivers
Raquel Hawk (2025) goes hard defensively off the top is one of the first things I ever wrote about her and nothing has changed as her pressure can be smothering at times. She also goes after the ball off the rim, as well as loose balls on the floor yet some things have actually changed like her attacking the basket off the dribble and finishing stronger, along with scoring not only around the basket but facing the basket