THA Middle School Showcase-2028 NEW FACES

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I write about certain hashtags I love to use and I use them for a reason but the first one I ever used involving girl's basketball was #talentiseverywhere yet it had to be amended to "if you know what you're looking at" so with the countless players I catch year after year, that hashtag is still correct, so here ya go </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='756283' first='Gabrielle' last='Shepherd']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shepherd has "UPS" written by her name in CAPS so watching her elevate to grab the ball off the rim on both ends was very nice, no CAP. She also soared over defenders to score, body control was nice yet her powerful finishes are going to be a problem because she's strong and athletic and uses her athleticism on both ends and showed she could defend both in and outside the paint</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lynnden Smith</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith blew by defenders with ease both in the drills and games yet her going full speed and hitting teammates is huge at this stage but her court vision also stood out in the set. She attacks the basket strongly with either hand, finished after contact and her body control played a part in that yet she also has the FLOATA down pat. She also showed the change of pace, COP, and that will have defenders "calling the law " for help</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Narigha Guiterrez</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Guiterrez falls into another hashtag that I started using way over a decade ago and that's #sizedontmatter because she can play. What impressed me immediately was her being heady and under control, and that, along with handling the pressure that was being applied said a lot. Her court vision in the set as well as in transition was solid, she also used a deceptive first step to attack the basket </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Karneshia Smith</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith was another athletic guard at the event who used her athleticism on both ends of the court and watching her "on the ball" pressure on defense was really nice as it helped to create turnovers which led to scoring opportunities the other way. She also showed she could get hers "in the flow" and patiently set the defender up to attack the basket and finish </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sydney Ashby</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ashby does one of the things I love to see and that's "playing the passing lane". Her first step was very nice and that got her past the defender to score and with her being athletic, her off-balance shots looked easy. She also showed she could create her shot and knock it down from the midrange while being defended yet her "seeing the floor" was also a big plus </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Taylor Chorazy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chorazy falls into that "long and athletic" profile I call the base, yet her being a guard doesn't matter because it still fits. She has a deceptive first step to get the defender off balance and her body control helped her make tough shots look easy but hold on. She does a really good job of not only creating her shot from outside but elevating on her jumper and since her release is quick, her upside is very good</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='882398' first='Jada' last='Perez']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perez falls into that #sizedontmatter category because, one more time, she can play. Her defense stood out almost immediately as she applied "on the ball" pressure baseline to baseline yet she also did a good job defending in the halfcourt. She patiently waits for her opportunity to attack the basket, she finishes strongly yet her court vision both off the dribble and in the set was nice </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Coley Lankford</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lankford closes out my coverage and her wearing 51, my daughter's number, had me smiling. Her energy level on both ends stayed the same, her defense was solid but watching her outrebound taller players JUST DID IT for me because she understands positioning. She also handled the ball after grabbing it off the rim and saw the floor yet her attacking the basket from multiple angles and finishing after contact was also nice </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->