Upon Further Review: 2027s to Watch
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Closing the book on this past high school basketball season with a week spent in the “Film Room”. Identifying and helping to promote freshmen early in their high schools is a vital part of the job. Here’s some of the…
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Continue ReadingClosing the book on this past high school basketball season with a week spent in the “Film Room”.
Identifying and helping to promote freshmen early in their high schools is a vital part of the job. Here’s some of the fresh faces in the Class of 2027 that stood out in games watched over the last week.
Game Watched: vs FBC Academy, January 7th
It’s hard to pinpoint just one aspect of Minor’s game to praise. There’s the handles. The passing. The size. The speed. The shooting. She checks a lot of boxes, which makes sense given the buzz around her. She even had impressive, athletically snagging of rebounds. What made her rebound even better is how quickly she turned them into instant offense with outlets or pitch aheads in transition. There was even a quick read after securing an offensive rebound and immediately firing to an open teammate on the perimeter. The velocity and accuracy of her passes in transition and crosscourt were big time. Based on this one viewing, Minor is a complete threat who can impact the game in all facets. Simply put, she’s a big time prospect.
Game Watched: vs Union February 29th
The first note when watching Jewell actually came after she missed an early three. “Looks like a shooter”. Even with the missed shot, she stood out with how she quickly gathered and raised into a good looking shooting form. The note would prove to prophetic as she would quickly knock down her next two threes, proving that she truly is a sharpshooting specialist. Jewell comes off screens and other off the ball movements with her hands up and ready to pull. Shooting is always needed at the next level and after a good freshman campaign, Jewell is very promising going forward.
Game Watched: vs Union February 29th
Another freshman who can fill it up from distance, Wright is a shooting threat with a good all around feel to her game. She also saved of her bigger moments for the clutch, when she drilled a big three late. Then had a nice steal and assist to a teammate in overtime. Shooting, good positional size and a nose for the ball on the defensive end. It’s a great combination and building blocks for an impressive freshman.
Highlights
Game Watched: vs Del City, February 6th
Being newer to the girl’s side in Oklahoma, leads to some surprises when watching games. Right now, my process involves writing down the numbers in the starting lineup without familiarizing with the names on the roster till after the game has gotten underway. When watching Mac vs Del City, the notes quickly added up for “10” on Lawton MacArthur. With the way she scored and created I figured she was a junior maybe even a senior. Curiosity led to checking the roster while watching the game and imagine the shock when this skilled guard proved to only be a freshman.
In the Del City contest, Hughes is a creator who shined at pushing the tempo in the transition and dropping dimes in the halfcourt. Her scoring was strong as well, with good footwork and moves on drives to get to the rim. And she had a reliable mid-range jumper and even a smooth pull up triple. There’s a lot like about the freshman and the poise she plays with.
Game Watched: vs Locust Grove, March 7th
A shifty lead guard, Gibson was huge in the second half of Glenpool’s state tournament win. She’s tough and quick off the dribble, with the toughness translating to the defensive side with a big charge taken late in the third quarter. Along with smart moving off the ball, she’s a quick on the ball defender as well. While the lead guard has an unselfish style to her play, she can be aggressive when needed. Including a time later in the game when she split a double with her quick first step and eventual drew a tough foul. Gibson looks to be a very crafty finisher at the rim, capable of drawing fouls or finishing when avoiding contact.
Highlights
Game Watched: vs Glenpool, March 7th
Stokes is a promising freshman forward, with a big wingspan that she puts to good use on the defensive end with strong verticality principles. Offensively, she did her damage around the free throw with jumpers or the ability to put it on the floor with one-two dribbles and get to the rim. Along with the face up moves, Stokes had some more advanced flashes with spin moves, pump fakes, and even pushing it in transition, ending with a good finish at the rim. Against a quality opponent on a big stage, the small town standout never backed down and showed a great foundation of skills. With signs that the skills she showed are only part of a great offensive arsenal.