Midwest Extravaganza: Jeremy’s Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throughout the weekend I kept a notebook full of small notes that I took for each athlete, as I watched them compete live and in-person. In this article I highlight five prospects and go over the notes that I had written down about each athlete, as I watched them compete on the hardwood. These notes are just a more simple or brief way of explaining what I was seeing in that moment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#5 - [player_tooltip player_id='311381' first='Divine' last='Bourrage'] - 2025 - 6'0 - CG - [program_tooltip program_id='834910' first='Example' last='Sports'] 2025 GUAA (IL)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"A great showing during this event in all categories. Bourrage commended the offense, ran the floor in transition scoring buckets at a high rate off of nifty assists, she rebounded on both sides of the ball, she defended in both the half court and full court, and she jumped to help side to impact the play when she was guarding off of the ball defensively. [program_tooltip program_id='712375' first='All' last='in'] all, a solid weekend for herself and her team as a whole."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#11 - [player_tooltip player_id='879727' first='Yanni' last='Smith'] - 2028 - 5'7 - CG - Midwest Meanstreets 2027 EYBL (IL)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"Over the next couple of years, [player_tooltip player_id='879727' first='Yanni' last='Smith'] with have a chance to be a star at the high school level. She is a prospect that is smooth in all of her movements and that was on full display this weekend. Smith had a lot of good looks over the few days of this event and she converted on a decent amount of them. She just needs to keep working relentlessly. If she continues to do that and she works on being consistent with the simple parts of the game, she is going to be killing it on a collegiate court before you know it."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#2 - [player_tooltip player_id='335739' first='Destiny' last='Jackson'] - 2025 - 5'6 - CG - [program_tooltip program_id='834910' first='Example' last='Sports'] 2025 GUAA (IL)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"One of the first times that I've had a chance to see Jackson compete and she was impressive. A crafty playmaker that is very lethal on the attack once she gets down hill. She is very good off of the dribble and she understands when she should attack the bucket compared to pulling up for a midrange pull-up/floater or running the offense. She understands how to control the pace of play for her team on both sides of the ball, usually making great choices throughout a contest with the b[program_tooltip program_id='712375' first='All' last='in'] her possession."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#11 - Kneiya Ellison - 2025 - 5'10 - PF/C - Michigan Lady Playmakers 2025 (MI) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"A tough Post player that loves to play with her back to the basket. Her team knows to feed her once she establishes her back to the basket and she does a pretty fundamental job to make a quick move, looking to score on either side of the basket. Defensively, she can stick with a prospect that may be smaller than her or she can play physical with anyone who could be bigger. A solid showing and prospect in the grand scheme of things."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#20 - [player_tooltip player_id='623995' first='Lucy' last='Hynes'] - 2025 - 5'8 - CG/SF - [program_tooltip program_id='715556' first='Illinois' last='Dream'] 2025-1 (IL)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>"An inevitable-type prospect. She can attack off of the dribble, she plays off of two feet once she gets into the teeth of the defense, she doesn't force any unnecessary action with the b[program_tooltip program_id='712375' first='All' last='in'] her hands, she is always willing to pass to open teammates, and she is willing to finish the play herself if the chance presents itself. Hynes is someone that can make the rest of her team GO and that's something you can't always teach."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->