Best teams in NOVA: Private schools

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the season fast approaching, I want to take an in-depth look at the private schools in NOVA that are really good.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bishop Ireton<br></strong>Last year, Bishop Ireton got dealt a really bad hand when it came to injuries. They finished about .500 last year, but as soon as they got players like [player_tooltip player_id='302530' first='Nyla' last='Brooks'] and [player_tooltip player_id='312087' first='Desirae' last='Ashton'] back, they went toe to toe with a terrific PVI team that may have been the best in the state last year. Bishop Ireton's versatility is something I like. [player_tooltip player_id='302530' first='Nyla' last='Brooks'] argues for one of the best players in the state, and she's an exceptional talent. [player_tooltip player_id='312087' first='Desirae' last='Ashton'] is another player who exemplifies versatility. She can guard all five positions, is 6'1", and has the skill set to be a big guard. [player_tooltip player_id='568271' first='Tanah' last='Gorman'] is an athletic big who fits really nicely in this team and has risen a lot as of late. [player_tooltip player_id='471796' first='Saniyah' last='King'] can play either guard position and knows how to score in bunches. [player_tooltip player_id='239414' first='Kayla' last='Washington'] and [player_tooltip player_id='239417' first='Amirah' last='Anderson'] round out the nucleus of this team, and both these girls can score and shoot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PVI</strong><br>PVI was not a deep team last year. They played six players in competitive games, and 4 of those six are gone. They still have [player_tooltip player_id='238889' first='Laura' last='Williams'], a double-double machine recently committed to USC. They also have [player_tooltip player_id='312081' first='Riley' last='Hamburger'], who will take a giant leap forward. They brought in [player_tooltip player_id='579891' first='Demi' last='Gilliam'] from Gainesville, and that, along with a lot of the length and athleticism on this team, should make them elite defensively. They are inexperienced at guard, and it will be interesting to see who starts. They still have a lot of talent back there with players like Freshman Alyna Rachmat-Jones, who is a fantastic passer and shooter. Madison Nicholsen and [player_tooltip player_id='364761' first='Ava' last='Limcaoco'] are returners who should both have significant roles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bishop O'Connell<br></strong>Bishop O'Connell is one of the deepest backcourts in NOVA, and that will be the strong suit of their team. The Carlton sisters are much improved and can score and facilitate at a high level. Bishop O'Connell transfers should help them a lot. Senior Talia Astorga transferred from South County and should add scoring as a wing. They also added [player_tooltip player_id='474543' first='Carly' last='Sweazie'], who was previously at Stone Bridge. Carly can score at all three levels and has excellent quickness. She can play either guard position and is super talented. Carly is this team's highest-ranked player, so it will be interesting to see how they use all this talent in the backcourt. [player_tooltip player_id='615165' first='Eva' last='Robertson'] is another transfer, and she should add a much-needed presence in the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Potomac School<br></strong>Potomac School was excellent last year before [player_tooltip player_id='383500' first='Catherine' last='LeTendre'] got hurt, and they only got better heading into this season. They added a special talent at PG in freshman [player_tooltip player_id='633711' first='Sabrina' last='Anderson']. They also added another freshman, [player_tooltip player_id='670496' first='Sabrina' last='Eldredge'], who can shoot the ball. [player_tooltip player_id='383500' first='Catherine' last='LeTendre'] is 6'2" and can play guard, but I see her playing a lot wing/forward with the addition of both Sabrina's. Potomac School has two outstanding bigs in Skylar Giuliani and [player_tooltip player_id='361330' first='Zoe' last='Myslewicz'], who averaged almost 16 rebounds combined. Their starting frontcourt will most likely consist of 3 girls 6'1 and taller, and if they all stay healthy, they'll be challenging to deal with it. They also have some great role players who should make their impact.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Virginia Academy<br></strong>Virginia Academy is a team that has a lot of unknowns. So much of their offense came from Senior guards Joi Williams and Elena Bertrand. They are both gone, so they will need people to step up. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='800051' first='Elyse' last='Autrey'] and sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='376338' first='Aliza' last='Murray'] will do well in more prominent roles. I watched Elyse at DMVlive, and she was super impressive offensively. She has always been a tremendous defender and athlete, but I saw real maturity on offense from her. She gets to the rim and has an excellent mid-range game. She will be the team leader on offense, most likely. [player_tooltip player_id='376338' first='Aliza' last='Murray'] is a great jump shooter and is quick. She is a natural scorer and will provide offense to this team. Virginia Academy also has some returning players who should be very impactful, like Sarah Odoru, [player_tooltip player_id='815697' first='Riley' last='White'], and [player_tooltip player_id='398269' first='Alexandra' last='Ashton'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->