Notable Performers From UAA Session I
Today, we’re continuing to unpack UAA Session I. There are still players I’d like to highlight from Pennsylvania, and we’re continuing that this evening. Maya Kovacic Maya Kovacic 5'8" | CG Brookfield East | 2026 State WI Kovacic has always…
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Continue ReadingToday, we’re continuing to unpack UAA Session I. There are still players I’d like to highlight from Pennsylvania, and we’re continuing that this evening.
Kovacic has always had a bit of a throwback game. She’s a kid who likes to get two feet in the paint and pull up over a defender on their heels, which works for her. However, most kids, especially ones that don’t see her often, aren’t used to seeing someone play that way. Defenses that allow her to do that let her get into a rhythm, and at the first game I saw her Lakers group play, she got a few of those shots to go, and it allowed her to get to her perimeter game and make some shots from out there and give her initial defender plenty to think about. She’s a well-rounded offensive kid.
Jayden McClain
Fair or not, 6-5 players as young as McClain get looked at differently than guards by the wider public. Anyone that young is far from where they’ll be skill-wise in their junior and senior seasons in high school, but McClain has boatloads of promise. Nobody that young is comfortable with their body yet. I was 5-7 and still tripping over my two feet, and she’s a foot taller than I was. However, McClain has some innate tools that most posts don’t have. One is she knows how to use her size. You can tell she’s had solid coaching because McClain keeps her arms up, making herself look bigger to guards trying to get to the rim, and does a solid job catching and finishing in traffic. Far from the finished product, but it’s hard not to like what she brings.
Skyla Mastronardi
Team Thrill’s group was fun to watch as a whole. However, watching Mastronardi create in isolation was the most fun I had watching that group. She understands how to change pace and get kids on their heels. Usually, that meant her getting into a side-step or step-back shot, and when they go in, they’re as aesthetically pleasing as anything you’ll watch on a basketball floor. I was also impressed with her effort away from the ball. She constantly moves and understands how to use off-ball screens to get open, which will only improve with time. There are not many other players I enjoyed watching more than her at UAA.
Libby Bartz
The Hudson native will enter her first year in high school next season, and she’s physically ready for the BRC now. She’s a 5-11 physical kid with some solid touch around the basket and can stretch the defense beyond the three-point line. I think the way she plays will suit a Raider program losing talent in the 2024 class, and she’ll have a role to fight for next season alongside some uber-talented youngsters and possibly build something special over the next few years.