More Opening Day Standouts

It was opening day for a lot of teams across our state! It was definitely an exciting way to start the season for some teams! I love being able to go back and watch games online. This provides us the opportunity to cover more prospects! A special shout out to all of the high school online basketball streams. We spend a lot of time in the gym, combing through highlights, and watching games online. The athletes mentioned below definitely left it all out on the court for their teams!

Below are a few more opening day standouts:

Isabel Garcia | 5’11 | PF | 2024 | Cookeville HS

Forget the 2024 rankings already. Seriously though, How did we miss Isabel Garcia? One may call this a break out game for Isabel. For everyone that doesn’t know her name, they do now! She was dominate in the post! Shows great footwork and finishes at the rim with ease! Has a good mid range shot too! Defends at a high level and runs the floor exceptionally well! Garcia truly was a monster in the half court set. Scored numerous baskets back to back. If Garcia continues to dominate in the post like she did, her recruitment is going to take off!

Molly Masingale Molly Masingale 5'9" | SF McMinn Co. | 2024 State TN | 5’9 | 2024 | McMinn Central

What more can be said about Molly Masingale Molly Masingale 5'9" | SF McMinn Co. | 2024 State TN ? Molly hit the game winner in OT. Are you surprised? I can’t say that I was. As soon as Molly got to her spot and lifted, I think everyone in the gym knew that her shot was in! A true triple threat scorer that is hard to guard. Scores at all 3 levels consistently. Defends at the highest level! Masingale’s basketball IQ is extremely high! Wofford got a GREAT player. Will Molly help bring home a championship to her team this year? Stay tuned because it could happen!

Brady Branam Brady Branam 6'2" | PF TKA | 2025 State TN | 6’2 | PF | 2025 | TKA

Branam is a walking double double. There is no better way to describe her because she is going to get her team buckets and rebounds on any given night. Despite the loss to Heritage, Brady was great on both ends of the court! Numerous blocked shots that will eventually help her reach that triple-double mark too! She was definitely flirting with one against Heritage. Elite rebounder, Elite 3 point shooter, Elite Player! Brady will have TKA competing against anyone!

Carsyn Swaney Carsyn Swaney 5'11" | PG Heritage | 2025 State TN | 5’11 | PG | 2025 | Heritage HS

Carsyn Swaney Carsyn Swaney 5'11" | PG Heritage | 2025 State TN was a killer on the court. A PG that can truly do it all. Scores, facilitates, defends, and the list can go on and on. Swaney is a knockdown shooter. Has great size and length. Who wouldn’t love to have an exceptional 5’11 PG? A true all around playmaker for her Heritage squad. Drives and facilitates better than most. I love Carysn’s game a lot. Highly skilled and fun to watch! Swaney also shows a great change in direction. This one is deadly with the ball in her hands and she has the ball most of the time. Good luck to opposing teams stopping Swaney. We are all about to witness a break out junior season from this one!

Bella Winningham SG | 2026 | White County HS

The question that was asked preseason was, “Will Bella Winningham be able to knock down the open shots?” After all, we know that her teammates are going to draw a lot of attention. Bella answered the question after game one with an exclamation point behind it! Yes, she will knock down the open shots! She will actually knock down a lot of them! Winningham has a nice 3 point shot and I won’t be surprised when she continues her behind the arc success! The future for Bella is extremely bright!

Sydney Wilhite Sydney Wilhite 5'9" | SG Cumberland County | 2027 TN 5’8 | SG | 2027 | Cumberland County HS

FRESHMAN ALERT! Wilhite put on a scoring clinic in her opening High School debut! We don’t keep stats but unofficial reports had her at 28 points. That is one amazing feature for a freshman debut! We are talking about a freshman coming out and knocking down shots. Sydney finished at the rim and seemed to have a niche for always finding the open spots. Her teammates found her too! Defends at a high level! Another guard that turns defense to offense fast! Expect to hear more about Sydney Wilhite Sydney Wilhite 5'9" | SG Cumberland County | 2027 TN and her Cumberland County team!

Kinley Loveday | 5’4 | PG | 2024 | Sevier County HS

Loveday is a point guard that is going to lock you up and make you work. A really good on ball defender. Quick feet and hands. Loveday gets to the rim and seems to always know when and where to drop the dime! If she isn’t passing, she is getting the score herself! Extremely basketball savvy! Kinley is going to have a huge senior season for her Sevier County team. This guard is an exciting one to watch!