Swing and a Miss: Some Freshmen That I Missed On
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I try to be really good this…I watch a lot of games, talk to a lot of coaches, scour through stats, etc. Even with my best efforts, I still occasionally (if not often) swing and miss. Here are a couple…
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Continue ReadingI try to be really good this…I watch a lot of games, talk to a lot of coaches, scour through stats, etc. Even with my best efforts, I still occasionally (if not often) swing and miss. Here are a couple kids I missed on:
Lyde just has something to her game that is special…instinctual…she just has “it.” You can tell that at this stage in her career, she’s just playing off instincts, and once she truly understands the game, the sky is the limit for her. She has the length and athleticism to be a game changing defender and rebounder. Offersively, Lyde is deadly from the mid-post–turning, facing up, and attacking bigger PF’s. She slithers to the rim, and draws fouls at an absurd rate. ( I watched her shoot 12 FTs in a Christmas tournament game). She’s averaging 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. She’s shooting over 50% from two
Wilson Central has been a nice surprise this season, and perhaps Fly the biggest part of that puzzle I missed on. She is averaging 9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1.5 blocks. She’s been a consistent force in the middle for WC all season on both sides of the ball. She’s been shooting around 50% at the rim all season, and most importantly–just consistent. Consistency from a freshman is hard to find…but Fly has been a player all year long.
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Johnson has been a steady guard presence for a really good Nolensville team all season long. She’s averaged 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. She doesn’t allow herself to get hurried, she handles pressure well, great at controlling and changing tempos, and a really strong role player. Slides into whatever Nolensville needs in the moment.
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I knew about EB coming into the season, I just missed on how good she was going to be for a Lebanon team thats ranked in the top 10 in the state. McDonald has been an incredibly solid presence on both ends. Offensively she’s averaged 9 points a game, and has been a threat to score on multiple levels. She’s been amongst the best freshman 3pt shooters according to MaxPreps. She’s also a high level defender and rebounder. Kid plays way older than a ’27.
Coach Barrett does as well as any coach in the state getting his underclassman ready to play.
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Naleiya Walker
Naleiya Walker
Walker has been another ’27 that contributes to the top 10 Lebanon team. She’s averaging 5 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Has an assist to turnover ratio approaching 2:1. She’s another kid that just plays the game like an upperclassman. Walker is a two-way kid that impacts the game big-time defensively with her grit, competitiveness, and enthusiasm for the game. Fun freshman to watch!
I’m going to keep writing about Lilly Woodruff Lilly Woodruff 5’8″ | SG Sweetwater | 2027 State TN until somebody notices. I’ve coach her. I’ve coached against her. I’ve watched her……and nobody knows just how good the Woodruff hiding out in Sweetwater is. While the team has struggled a bit, Woodruff is averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds while playing spots 1-4 on offense, and guarding 1-4 on the other end. If Woodruff is on a different team, and perhaps she’d be getting more notoriety. I’m telling you……this kid can play.
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Wilson Central’s ’27 class is the class that just keeps on giving. She’s been in WC’s rotation all season, and has averaged 8 points, 4 rebounds, and a steal with nice efficiency numbers. I really enjoy watching this Wilson Central team as they are young, but their sophomore and juniors have played a lot of basketball. They are a young team that is also experienced. And really well coached.
Parsons has been a nice surprise for an upstart Grundy team. She’s tough, competitive and battles. She’s averaging 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and block. She’s a player who shows up all over the stat sheet, and she projects as a really high level high school player. Incredibly tough and fundamentally sound.