NE Top 250-Expo: Team 1 Evaluations
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The PGH Nebraska Top 250-Expo brought together some of the best athletes in the state to come compete under one roof in Bellevue, Nebraska on Sunday. There were 45+ players, split up into 5 teams, that went out and gave…
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Continue ReadingThe PGH Nebraska Top 250-Expo brought together some of the best athletes in the state to come compete under one roof in Bellevue, Nebraska on Sunday. There were 45+ players, split up into 5 teams, that went out and gave it everything they had competing in 3-4 contests throughout the day . Below I am going to give my evaluation of each player on Team 1 and how they look going into the high school season.
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#154 – Jakhia Holmes – 2025 – 5’0 – PG – Lincoln High School
When things go wrong and everyone else is down, there are always some players that bring some skill and a positive attitude to the court. One of the best players doing this at our Top 250 Expo on Sunday was Jakhia Holmes. Holmes was out there competing her tail off. She was diving on the floor for loose balls, helping up her teammates who may have fallen down, and most importantly-she was a positive influence to everyone around her when things went wrong. Not to mention, that she displayed a quick dribble coming down the floor in transition, with the ability to change direction and pace on the drop of a dime. If you are looking for a player out there, that is going to give it her all and keep everyone on their team in a positive mindset, look to further than Jakhia Holmes.
#160 – Leah Robinson – 2027 – 5’6 – PG/SG – Elkhorn North High School
One of the more complete and in-control players that stepped onto the floor at this Expo was Leah Robinson. Robinson is a Point Guard that won’t kill you with flashy and crazy moves but she will have her teammates in the right places coming down the floor every time and she is always looking to get the others around her involved in one way or another. There were several times at this event when Robinson’s coach was screaming for her teammates to give her the basketball, so she could set up some action and get things going on the offensive side of the floor. I think Robinson is going to be a consistent producer over the next 4 years on the high school floor but we will have to wait and see. From everything I have seen so far, she is a player that I would trust to run my team out there, if I were her head coach.
#165 – Jada James Jada James 5'8" | PG Duchesne Academy Of The Sacred Heart Omaha | 2027 NE – 2027 – 5’7 – PG/SG – Duchesne Academy High School
Jada James Jada James 5'8" | PG Duchesne Academy Of The Sacred Heart Omaha | 2027 NE has a signature move but she also does a good job of mixing up what she is doing out there. On Sunday, James was using her patented pound-dribble pull up to kill her opponents on the offensive side of the floor. There were multiple games when James was stepping back and hitting shots over players because they would either close out low or not have a hand up to contest. Over the next few years, James will have to progress to go both ways with her step back but at this point, she has a great foundation for it and it goes in a lot. I’ll be excited to see what she can do this winter at Duchesne Academy in Omaha. From what I saw on Sunday, she can definitely score the rock.
#201 – Addison Naughton – 2026 – 5’7 – SG – Abraham Lincoln High School (IA)
Someone that was lighting it up from three and displaying great shot form while doing it was Addison Naughton. Naughton shows that she is always ready to let it go from deep. She has a beautiful shooting stroke that comes from balance, great footwork, and the knowledge of what moments she shoot the ball compared to when she should pump-fake it and get to a better spot on the floor, for an open look at the hoop. There were a lot of good players at this event, with a lot of specific skill sets. I would say that Naughton was one of the best shooters there, while also being one of the more complete guards. This will all fair well for her moving forward on high school floor this winter, no doubt about it.
#204 – MaCardyn King – 2026 – 5’8 – SG/CG – Westview High School
MaCardyn King is lengthy guard that displayed a little bit of everything on Sunday. King has length, speed, and smarts when she is out on the court. She knows where her defender wants do go and does a great job of getting in the way, eventually stopping that offensive action. At this point. I think you could put King in at the 1, 2, or 3 spot and she will contribute in some sort of way. She may not blow you away with a certain skill but players that are versatile on the floor are needed in every program, both high school and college. I’m interested to see how this high school season is going to go but by all accounts on my end, I think she is going to have a solid Sophomore season at Westview.
#212 – Delaney McGrane – 2026 – 5’11 – SF/PF – Westside High School
The natural length and speed of Delaney McGrane is something that needs to be talked about. McGrane stands at around 5’11 but moves like a flash of lightning. Everytime down the court, McGrane is running for an open look at the rim and if she doesn’t receive the pass, she moves to an open spot on the perimeter in attempts to spread out the floor for her teammates. On Sunday, McGrane was working off of the ball at a high rate and catching her opponents sleeping for easy looks near the basket. I’m hoping she can build off of this momentum and use it for her high school season this winter at Westside. I think her mixture of length and speed, accompanied with her basketball skill-set could put up some numbers for her Sophomore season but we will have to wait and see.
#214 – Ani Leu Ani Leu 5'11" | PG Lincoln North Star | 2026 State NE – 2026 – 5’11 – PG – Lincoln North Star High School
This is the first time I had the chance of watching Ani Leu Ani Leu 5'11" | PG Lincoln North Star | 2026 State NE up close and I was surprised by what I saw. Leu is a Point Guard but she has great size and pace of play. There are sometimes when I wish she would push the pace down the floor a bit more, but overall she makes good choices with the ball in her hands, so I can’t blame her too much on that. Leu is fantastic at seeing the floor and that was evident by how she preformed on Sunday. She was dishing out passes before her teammates got to the space and showed a lot of foresight for what was about to happen next out there. I think Leu has a bright future on the court. I’ll be around to watch her this high school season and I’m expecting a dominate performance.
#232 – Grace Linder Grace Linder 5'11" | SF Wes Des Moines Valley | 2025 State IA – 2025 – 6’0 – SF/CG – Valley High School (IA)
Grace Linder Grace Linder 5'11" | SF Wes Des Moines Valley | 2025 State IA did, what Grace Linder Grace Linder 5'11" | SF Wes Des Moines Valley | 2025 State IA does at this Expo. Linder is a 6’0 SF/CG, that is becoming more and more versatile as she gets older. She possesses some size already and she moves well for that size. There isn’t many situations where her opponent beats her down the court and if they do, Linder can usually recover for a big block or tip, prior to the shot going up. I’ve seen Linder a lot recently and I know she is receiving some college interest from the D3/D2 level. I’m not sure where she will end up when her high school career comes to a close but I think she is going to produce wherever it is. She is a hard worker that listens and understands live game situations extremely well. She could definitely help at that college level somewhere.
#234 – Taryn Otteman – 2025 – 5’11 – PF – Johnson Brock High School
Taryn Otteman had her moments in this event and when she did, she looked really smooth doing it. Otteman stands at 5’11 with some muscle mass to go along with that. She does a good job of using her physicality near the basket at a consistent rate coming down the floor each possession. Defensively, she is someone that other teams have to worry about. If a guard were to beat their original defender off of the dribble, they need to know that Otteman will be there on help-side or else it’s going to become a block party for the Power Forward from Johnson Brock High School. Looking onward, there is something to build on here. If she is used in the proper way on the high school floor, she is sure to make a positive impact.
#235 – Sierra Thomas Sierra Thomas 6'0" | PF Omaha North | 2026 State NE – 2026 – 6’0 – PF – Omaha South High School
Thomas is a player that made the First Team for this event and for good reason. Thomas was a dominate force in the paint. She handled her matchups with ease whenever she was thrown the ball, making the most of her opportunities. I ranked Thomas as the #1-2026 Player out of Nebraska and after seeing her compete on Sunday, I stand by that until further notice. She is a force down-low, that has a handful of good moves to pull out if a defender can stop her, on her first attempt at getting an easy bucket. Thomas has good size and strength to pair along with that size, helping her in most situations that call for physicality near the basket. Right now, Thomas has a great base and foundation to build on. If she continues to work on the correct things, she is going to be a college commit before you know it.