Best teams in NOVA: Private schools
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With the season fast approaching, I want to take an in-depth look at the private schools in NOVA that are really good. Bishop IretonLast year, Bishop Ireton got dealt a really bad hand when it came to injuries. They finished…
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Continue ReadingWith the season fast approaching, I want to take an in-depth look at the private schools in NOVA that are really good.
Bishop Ireton
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
Nyla Brooks
Nyla
Brooks
6'2" | SF
Bishop Ireton | 2025
State
VA
and
Desirae Ashton
Desirae
Ashton
6'1" | PF
Bishop Ireton | 2024
State
VA
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.
Nyla Brooks
Nyla
Brooks
6'2" | SF
Bishop Ireton | 2025
State
VA
argues for one of the best players in the state, and she’s an exceptional talent.
Desirae Ashton
Desirae
Ashton
6'1" | PF
Bishop Ireton | 2024
State
VA
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.
Tanah Gorman
Tanah
Gorman
6'1" | PF
Bishop Ireton | 2024
State
VA
is an athletic big who fits really nicely in this team and has risen a lot as of late.
Saniyah King
Saniyah
King
5'8" | CG
Bishop Ireton | 2024
State
VA
can play either guard position and knows how to score in bunches.
Kayla Washington
Kayla
Washington
5'10" | SF
Bishop Ireton | 2025
State
VA
and
Amirah Anderson
Amirah
Anderson
5'10" | SF
Bishop Ireton | 2025
State
VA
round out the nucleus of this team, and both these girls can score and shoot.
PVI
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
Laura Williams
Laura
Williams
6'2" | PF
Paul VI | 2024
State
VA
, a double-double machine recently committed to USC. They also have
Riley Hamburger
Riley
Hamburger
6'0" | SG
Paul VI | 2025
State
VA
, who will take a giant leap forward. They brought in
Demi Gilliam
Demi
Gilliam
6'1" | SF
Paul VI | 2026
State
VA
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
Ava Limcaoco
Ava
Limcaoco
5'2" | PG
Paul VI | 2025
State
VA
are returners who should both have significant roles.
Bishop O’Connell
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
Carly Sweazie
Carly
Sweazie
5'6" | PG
Bishop O' Connell HS | 2026
State
VA
, 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.
Eva Robertson
Eva
Robertson
6'3" | PF
Bishop O'Connell | 2025
State
VA
is another transfer, and she should add a much-needed presence in the paint.
Potomac School
Potomac School was excellent last year before
Catherine LeTendre
Catherine
LeTendre
6'1" | CG
Potomac School | 2025
State
VA
got hurt, and they only got better heading into this season. They added a special talent at PG in freshman
Sabrina Anderson
Sabrina
Anderson
5'8" | PG
Potomac School | 2027
State
VA
. They also added another freshman,
Sabrina Eldredge
Sabrina
Eldredge
5'9" | SG
Potomac School | 2027
State
VA
, who can shoot the ball.
Catherine LeTendre
Catherine
LeTendre
6'1" | CG
Potomac School | 2025
State
VA
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
Zoe Myslewicz
Zoe
Myslewicz
6'3" | PF
The PotomacSchool | 2024
State
VA
, 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.
Virginia Academy
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
Elyse Autrey
Elyse
Autrey
5'6" | PG
Virginia Academy | 2024
State
VA
and sophomore guard
Aliza Murray
Aliza
Murray
5'5" | CG
Virginia Academy | 2026
State
VA
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.
Aliza Murray
Aliza
Murray
5'5" | CG
Virginia Academy | 2026
State
VA
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,
Riley White
Riley
White
5'8" | CG
Virginia Academy | 2024
State
VA
, and
Alexandra Ashton
Alexandra
Ashton
5'10" | SG
Virginia Academy | 2024
State
VA
.