Legacy Region Finals: Saturday 16U Standouts

The featured image was provided by PGH Iowa scout Jeremy Brooks from action Saturday evening.   After a Spring of regional qualifying tournaments along the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit, grassroots teams have arrived at the finals in one of three regions...the Dynasty Region, the Legacy Region, and the Victory Region. I am in attendance this weekend at the Legacy Region Finals, hosted by the Community First Champion Center in Appleton, Wisconsin. Below is a quick look at a few ladies in the 16U division who stood out when I was able to see them during Saturday's action.   .    I saw Nia later in the afternoon Saturday, and despite being a 2025 prospect, she is young for her grade and still hasn't turned 17 years old. I believe she was also filling in for this 16U team since she qualifies in terms of her age. From what I was told, she was at Orr High School, but she has transferred to Proviso West recently. She is a long, very athletic prospect, but she's more so smooth and fluid than explosive. I think she is the type of kid who could eventually blossom in college with a little more work.     Megan was one of the more talented 2026 prospects on hand Saturday, and she looks as comfortable on the wing as she does in the mid-post. When she is outside, she acts as more of a point forward type, trying to facilitate and find open teammates. When she wanted to score, however, she flashed through the mid-post and had her way inside of 15-feet. She has a long, wiry-strong frame, she's fast and bouncy, and she is an impressive natural athlete who moves well in all directions. Megan can also sit down and defend bigger guards, wings, and forwards.     Taccarri brings a nice combination of strength and athleticism to the point guard position, and she stood out in both of their games I was able to see Saturday. She has a strong-for-her-age frame, she is very good off the dribble, she uses her strength to get by defenders and absorb contact around the basket. But where I think she excels the most is as a passer. Often times she would attack the basket, and as windows began to close, she would find a teammate through the smallest of windows, or she would make a highlight pass to an open teammate in a position to score.     Jazmyn is somewhat of a positionless basketball prospect, because she does several things fairly well. She can act as a point forward, push the ball in transition, and even initiate the offense in the half-court. She has some touch from around the perimeter and can run off screens like a shooting guard. She can also use her strong, physical, athletic frame to get into the mid-post, attack the basket, or collect rebounds. She will bring a lot of value to whatever team(s) she is on.     Almost instantly, you will notice that Onxy is a considerable athletic talent. She has broad shoulders, a long reach, and she was one of the better run-and-jump athletes I saw in the gym Saturday afternoon. She plays with a strong motor, she always seems to battle defensively and for rebounds, plus she'll get out and run in transition. She fights for her post spot, demands the ball, and as she continues to develop her back-to-the-basket offensive game, she could really turn into a nice dual-threat.     I had heard Melia had returned from a severe knee injury earlier this Spring, and you really couldn't tell with her strong play. She was aggressive at both ends of the floor, whether it was causing a deflection and coming up with a steal, or she was pushing it hard in transition and finding open teammates off the bounce. She has a really nice, versatile skillset, and she can play a point forward role, or she can run off screens and act as a primary shooter/scorer herself offensively.     Aniyah was solid in her team's opening game of the day, but it was an afternoon contest where she really stepped it up and stood out. She has an athletic frame, she is a solid athlete in all directions, and she has nice instincts as a point guard. Additionally, she shot it very well from the perimeter in the afternoon. She is one of those kids who might not necessarily be the best in any one category, but she is very good and skilled in most categories.     Rory was one of the more enjoyable watches on the day Saturday, and I think it's because she has a very natural and improvisational feel for the game. To begin with, she is long, wiry, quick, fast, and athletic. But she's shifty, crafty, and does a nice job of using the dribble to create space for herself. She displayed a quick, accurate shot from the perimeter and the mid-range, but she also got defenders off-balance and made her way through the paint to the basket.     Playing in the 16U division, I would have never thought Abby was just a 2027 prospect after watching her play. She has a unique veteran poise to her game, and she is on another level from her peers as far as her feel and understanding of the game goes. She is a long, fluid wing guard, she has nice touch around the perimeter, but she can also put it on the floor and get to the rim, plus she doesn't fear contact. She could still grow an inch or too, and she'll get stronger over time, but I like the fact that she tries to be physical.     Taressa is a very intriguing young forward who is a real problem around the basket. She was all over the boards Saturday, and she uses her height and immense length to get her hands on nearly every carom that ricochets off the backboard. She has speed and quickness in transition, and she often beats her matchup down the floor. Additionally, she has great hands, the ability to put it on the floor a bit, and I think she should continue to transition to the wing full-time rather seamlessly.     Rita was outstanding in the morning game I was able to see of her team. Her Playground Elite team is playing "up" this weekend, and you couldn't tell at all. Rita is a strong for her age, athletic, tough-nosed point guard prospect. She is heady and understands when to facilitate and when to take shots herself or create offense off the bounce. All in all, I was most impressed with her poise under pressure and her understanding of what the team needed in different situations.     Nyajuacni is an uber-talented wing prospect who has already drawn her share of high-major Division-I offers and interest. She put on a show Saturday, even casually tossing down a dunk or two at halftime of an afternoon game. She is extremely long, very bouncy, quick, fast, and likely still growing. She can handle it, shoot it, and she'll defend point guards. There isn't much she can't do, and the next four years of watching her against high school competition should be fun.

The featured image was provided by PGH Iowa scout Jeremy Brooks from action Saturday evening.