GameChangers at the Missouri Freshman Showcase (Guards)
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This content is sponsored by GameChanger – The Official Scorekeeping, Stats, Team Management & Technology Partner of Prep Girls Hoops Missouri. The Prep Hoops Missouri Freshman Showcase was held on Saturday at the Principia School in St. Louis. There was…
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The Prep Hoops Missouri Freshman Showcase was held on Saturday at the Principia School in St. Louis. There was a talented group of players who participated in the showcase event, including several who emerge as college prospects at all levels. There were many talented guards and wings who really showed out on Saturday. Here is a look at five of those perimeter players who were Game Changers at the Prep Girls Hoops Missouri Freshman Showcase.
Jordyn Haywood Jordyn Haywood 6'0" | SF MICDS | 2027 MO (MICDS): The 6’0″ 2028 guard was dominant at both ends of the court with her athleticism and overall feel for the game. Her grasp of the fundamentals and poise make you think she is much older than she is. In the first game, she got her team jump-started with three steals on three consecutive possessions which led to her getting three easy transition layups. She has a high basketball IQ for a player her age as she already understands pace and when to get her teammates involved and when to get her own shot. She can score at all three levels as well as get into the post to shoot over smaller defenders. She also dropped some nifty dimes to open teammates while on the move. She picked up an offer from Missouri on Friday, which was her second Power 5 offer.
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Amaya Manuel Amaya Manuel 5'7" | PG Lift for Life Academy | 2027 State MO (Lift for Life): The 5’7″ 2027 point guard is a dynamic floor general who combines her playmaking skills with her terrific scoring ability, and both were on display on Saturday. In her first game, she set the tone by scoring the first nine points of the game for her team. She attacked the basket with smooth drives in the lane and followed up with a 3-pointer off the dribble. She can get a shot any time she wants with her creative handles and variety of escape moves. She’s a three-level scorer who keeps the pressure on the defense. After getting herself going, she started spreading the ball around as she found open teammates with some excellent passing. She is also an aggressive rebounder who was getting offensive boards and putbacks.
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Grace Means Grace Means 5'10" | PG Troy Buchanan | 2027 State MO (Troy): It was my first time watching this talented 5’10” guard play in person and she was outstanding as a ball handler, passer and scorer. She has an heir of confidence whenever she has the ball in her hands as she is able to get wherever she wants to go on the dribble. I start calling her “Swaggy G” after watching her operate with the ball. She can beat defenders and create her offense with her smooth handles and she does it in an efficient manner without wasting a lot of motion. She can score on tough takes in the lane and she can also pull up from 3-point range to knock down the jumper. She was also a ball hawk on defense who was creating steals with her length and tenacity.
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(Shawnee Mission West): The 5’9″ guard from Kansas was one of the toughest players in the event to defend. She is a good athlete and one of the strongest players at the showcase. She was also a skilled offensive player who can score at all three levels comfortably. She established her drive game first as she was getting buckets on powerful takes in the lane. She was just getting started as she extended her game with a number of mid-range jumpers and transition buckets. She was also hitting 3-pointers in a variety of ways as she hit the step back off the dribble and the pick-and-pop off the catch.
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Sway Jones Sway Jones 5'9" | SG Battle | 2027 State MO (Battle): A 5’9″ guard from Mid-Missouri who has the size and skill level of a prototype shooting guard. She displayed a smooth shooting stroke from 3-point range and it was consistent throughout the course of the event. She raises up well on her shot and there isn’t much wasted motion. She was moving well without the ball and she was good at reading the defense and finding the open spots. She was getting layups with some nice backdoor cuts off the ball. She was also good at attacking close outs and putting the ball on the floor to compliment her shooting. She also hit numerous pull up jumpers in mid-range area. She was impressive on the defensive end with her length and anticipation to get deflections.
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Addie Cooley (Lutheran-St. Charles): A 5’6″ guard who was one of the most impressive perimeter shooters that I watched during the event. Her confidence level in her shot was very high as she was dialing it up from well beyond the 3-point line and shooting a very high percentage. Even when she seemed to be closely guarded, she would stare down her defender and if they didn’t react in a timely manner, she would let it fly and hit the bottom of the net with a long range jumper. She also moved well to make herself available to shoot it with a very quick release. She is also a very capable playmaker with the ball as she penetrated and found open teammates with her good passing skills.