Hoop Life: Top 48 Middle School Showcase - Team Purple Eval

Last weekend was the first Top 48 Showcase presented by Hoop Life in Ankeny, Iowa. In this showcase, there were a number of high end recruits in attendance from all across the Midwest, split up across eight teams, all invited to compete under one roof. In the article below, we highlight all of the prospects that competed with the Purple Team throughout the day.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!   [player_tooltip player_id='880909' first='Kami' last='Clark'] (IA) - 2028 - 5'8 - PG/SG - [program_tooltip program_id='712377' first='All' last='Iowa Attack']   Starting off our purple team is someone that has a lot of potential moving forward on the hardwood and that is [player_tooltip player_id='880909' first='Kami' last='Clark']. Clark is a Guard, that can mix between the Point and Shooting Guard position with the drop of a hat. Whatever her team needs from her, she can do and that is important because when you look at elite level high school and collegiate systems, the more versatile you are, the more of an opportunity you are going to get to see the floor and show your worth. It's also really important to be able to stay productive off of the ball and Clark demonstrated that she can do that to a T in this Showcase. Iowa has a lot of promising young stars coming up through the ranks right now and Clark is in that conversation.   [player_tooltip player_id='880919' first='Faith' last='Perpich'] - (IA) - 2028 - 5'9 - SF/CF - [program_tooltip program_id='712377' first='All' last='Iowa Attack']   I like what [player_tooltip player_id='880919' first='Faith' last='Perpich'] brings to the table as it pertains to length, understanding, and willingness to learn. In her Purple team's contests, she didn't touch the ball every play but she did a good job of making her presence know in the opportunities in which she did. The thing that stands out right away about Perpich is her natural length. It seems like she can cover a lot of space in a hurry on both sides of the floor. Offensively, she does a good job of finding her space in the open floor. While defensively, she can be a tyrant with her on-ball defense. At this age, everyone's progression matters if they want to become a good player for the high school/collegiate levels. If Perpich continues to grow, while she gets more confident in herself. She is going to into a productive talent before her basketball journey comes to an end.   [player_tooltip player_id='867871' first='Amiyah' last='Gulley'] (IL) - 2028 - 5'6 - SG - [program_tooltip program_id='712679' first='Midwest' last='Elite EYBL']   [player_tooltip player_id='867871' first='Amiyah' last='Gulley']'s game can be described as lightning in a bottle because of how electric she is while attacking her defender off of the dribble. In this Showcase, it never ended. Whenever Gulley had the chance to attack her opponent, she did. Usually ending the position with an open look of some sorts. I'm not sure if I would consider Gulley more of a PG or a SG at this time. She has the potential to play both. Her best ability is her handle but the space and way she can create is next level. If she ever wanted to become a pass-first PG, on a really good team that had other prospects who could score the ball, she would be a PROBLEM. As for this Showcase, she did her thing and it was obvious that she was one of the most offensively gifted competitors in the building.   [player_tooltip player_id='1224390' first='Natalia' last='Sandoval'] (IA) - 2029 - 5'0 - PG - [program_tooltip program_id='712377' first='All' last='Iowa Attack']   [player_tooltip player_id='1224390' first='Natalia' last='Sandoval'] is a going to be a player in the future to know about once she gets to the high school level. Sandoval was a prospect that made the most out of her chances at this event. She may not be the tallest player on the floor but that doesn't change the fact that she is willing to go in and create contact at the rim at any given moment. It's really simple. When Sandoval is at her best, she is attack her defender off of the dribble. She is quick enough to sneak past most that step up to guard her but if not, she is also pretty crafty once she gets to the middle of the lane. Like I said, Sandoval is going to be solid once she gets a few years older. She just needs to continue to work in the meantime and it'll all work out for the best.   [player_tooltip player_id='879727' first='Yanni' last=''] Smith (IL) - 2028 - 5'6 - PG - [program_tooltip program_id='712679' first='Midwest' last='Elite EYBL']   The talent level and potential of [player_tooltip player_id='879727' first='Yanni' last=''] Smith is very high. If she were to have the right guidance and mindset moving forward, she is going to be another player with a lot of high end offers coming out of the city of Chicago. Smith has a smooth and polished game for being a player going into their Freshman year. The things she is able to with the ball are quite impressive and she is someone that is only going to get better with experience. The more she hoops over the next few seasons, the more natural it will all be and that goes for anyone trying to become better. Offensively, she can get to any spot she wants and she has no problem scoring from all three levels either off of the catch or dribble. Defensively, when she moves her feet and plays smart, she looks really solid. She isn't the type of player to stick out because of poor defense or bad body language. Instead, she always has her eyes up and she is always willing to adapt to a situation. At the end of the day, the sky is the limit for a player like Smith at this stage in the process.   Albany Reinke (IA) - 2029 - 5'9 - CG - [program_tooltip program_id='712377' first='All' last='Iowa Attack']   Albany Reinke is a sound defender, who rebounds at a high rate and finishes really well around the rim. Reinke has some pretty nice size for her grade level and she isn't afraid to use it. More times than not, she is making a smooth move underneath the basket for an easy finish off of two feet. If the defense tries to double her, she is smart enough to understand where the double is coming from and where she is going to be able to make a pass too. In most situations in this showcase, if she ever had to make a choice, she usually made the right one and kept it simple. From an evaluator stand-point, there is a lot of like about Reinke's play-style moving forward.   [player_tooltip player_id='880921' first='Callie' last='Stull'] (IA) - 2028 - 5'5 - SG - [program_tooltip program_id='712595' first='Kingdom' last='Hoops']   95% of the game of basketball is played without the ball. Every time you can produce without the ball in your hands, the better. It forces a coach to get you and keep you on the floor when crunch time is dwindling down. With that being said, you also need to make yourself available for the ball at any given moment when you are out there and someone who did a great job of that at this event was [player_tooltip player_id='880921' first='Callie' last='Stull']. Stull isn't going to blow you away with a crazy skill move or anything like that. Instead she is going to stay fundamental and work hard, killing her opponent in the simplest of ways. It's going to be fun to see this 2028 Class grow into their own over the next few seasons and that's including Stull. There are a ton of talent players. If they stay dedicated and in love with the game, they have only scratched the surface of their true potential.   [player_tooltip player_id='867873' first='Keniya' last='Todd'] (IL) - 2028 - 5'11 - F - Mac Irvin Fire   The ceiling of [player_tooltip player_id='867873' first='Keniya' last='Todd'] is a high one and that was on full display at this event in several different ways. Todd has height, athleticism, and pretty good knowledge of the game as it pertains to the X's and O's side of things. In an event that had several top end recruits at the Forward position, Todd looked like one of the most compete. She demonstrated balanced footwork, an aggressive but calculated demeanor on the offensive side of things, and a plethora of skill moves every time that she touched the ball with her back to the basket. Another thing to note is that she never tried to force any action that wasn't there. She did a good job of being disciplined throughout the entire day for the most part and that led her to a lot of overall success.

Last weekend was the first Top 48 Showcase presented by Hoop Life in Ankeny, Iowa. In this showcase, there were a number of high end recruits in attendance from all across the Midwest, split up across eight teams, all invited to compete under one roof. In the article below, we highlight all of the prospects that competed with the Purple Team throughout the day.