I35 Showcase: Saturday's Impact Forwards

The promising small town wing started her Saturday looking the part as a floor spacing, shooting specialist. She opened the contest with an early barrage of threes with her text book shooting form. While the rest of the game wasn't quite as loud scoring wise, watching her in person gave a better indication of her movement profile and capable perimeter defensive abilities.     In a tough loss for the the Swarm the strong and mobile forward prospect flashed a few different times. She has good hands and is a fluid finisher around the basket, while also able being to use her strength to take contact around the basket. Smith plays with her head on the swivel on defense, and runs the floor hard. An example of this came when she deflected a pass, sprinted down the court and got the ball back for an easy score.     Miss Productive for JYD was her usual self in a Saturday morning win. She knocked in three pointers, while also going to work around the paint. Her patience in the midst of chaos allows her to draw fouls, or use a pumpfake or angle to come out of a scrum with a clear shot at the rim. Which those shots went in much more often than they didn't. Slagle is an unique prospect who will be a "bet on production" for college coaches down the road. And it's likely to be a successful bet for those coaches.     Sometimes it's most interesting to see a prospect when an aspect of their game isn't clicking. In an early Saturday afternoon game, the sharpshooter could not buy a three pointer. But Adkisson was undeterred and the wiry forward proceeded to battle inside. She ran the floor for hard for transition opportunities, while also cutting smartly and hard for in the half court. Her finishing around the rim was solid, but in this particular contest there were a couple misses that were the difference between a good and great game. Add in some connector type feels on offense, her long arms working as a rim deterrent and it's easy to see why her recruitment picked up this spring.     Another viewing of Smith and another example of her outstanding motor as a rebounder. Anytime a shot went up, the 918 forward had the mindset of "that's mine." From ending possessions by tracking down defensive rebounds to finding ways to get her hands on offensive ones, her effort level was special. The grinder like mentality of Smith serves her well, likely will help her get college opportunities. Then once at the next level, help her find her way onto the floor.     Highlighting a Kansas star who shined against an Oklahoma program, Askew is an athletic, do everything wing. From bombing away from deep, to flying around on defense and the glass. She's not only a high leaper, she's quick off the floor which was evident when she snagged an offensive rebound off a missed free throw. With an inside-outside game, Askew was one of the more entertaining watches of the day.