Recapping NXT LVL Hoopfest from Nashville, Tennessee
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It’ll be a short recap from Nashville, where I watched nine games over three days. There were plenty of kids to talk about, so let’s get right into it. Gracie Grzesk Gracie Grzesk 6'0" | SF Green Bay Notre Dame…
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Continue ReadingIt’ll be a short recap from Nashville, where I watched nine games over three days. There were plenty of kids to talk about, so let’s get right into it.
The Wisconsin commit was relatively quiet in the Triton’s first game in Nashville. Granted, they didn’t need much against Rockvale, but she put her stamp on the semifinal and championship game at the NXT LVL Hoopfest. Her ability to cut, pass, score in the post, rebound, and shoot was evident over the three-day event. She performed like the best player from start to finish. You couldn’t ask for any more from her.
Syriah Daniels
In Auburn’s final game in Nashville, Daniels went down with an injury, and first and foremost, I hope everything’s okay with her. I hadn’t seen Daniels play before seeing her Tigers team down in Nashville, and it was understandable why Auburn University sees so much potential in her. She’s six feet tall, runs the floor like a track athlete, makes tough shots, and has a knack for getting to the free-throw line. She’ll create problems for any defense.
There’s a world of talent in the 6-3 post from Northern Kentucky. Whenever she gets to her left shoulder, few people in the country can stop her from scoring around the basket. She takes plenty of contact from smaller players and plays through it without complaints. I also loved her energy when she’s rested and how well she gets up and down the floor.
Brooke Hallman
Whenever I see people talk about shooters, it feels like most are talking about standstill or spot-up shooters. I feel Hallman brings her value as a movement shooter. The Auburn guard does an excellent job organizing her feet and using the threat of her shot to get to the rim or score from the mid-range area. I’m sure she thinks she could’ve made a few more shots this weekend, but if Hallman made zero shots this weekend, it would’ve been clear to see that she’s a threat to get going from the perimeter.
Kaia Waldrop Kaia Waldrop 6'0" | C Notre Dame | 2026 State WI
Last season, I talked about how much Waldrop means to Notre Dame, and I think that value for the Tritons doubled this season. What the Triton sophomore can do dominating the paint on both ends of the floor allows her team to be a more versatile group by allowing Greszk to be an inside-out kid who can play wherever on the floor and not be the sole presence for the Tritons. How well Waldrop does staying out of foul trouble could determine a four-peat or not.
Emma Holtzapfel
In general, Notre Dame Academy is incredibly fundamental, and Holtzapfel is no different. She closes out shooters in textbook fashion, has her hands up on defenses, runs the floor no matter the situation, and has excellent form on her jumper, which hurt a few teams in Nashville. The sophomore from Northern Kentucky is an athletic wing with the ability to shoot teams out of games. She’ll be a prominent player for the Pandas for the next two-plus seasons.