"The Finale": Friday Notebook, Part 1

The last NCAA "live" period of 2024 is upon us, and for the 2025 class, it's the last grassroots tournament most of these ladies will play in their careers. Indiana prospects have traveled to Rockhill, South Carolina, Chicago, Illinois, and Louisville, Kentucky, for tournaments, while I've followed a large group to Hamilton, Ohio, for "The Finale". Here there is a regular tournament, the Under Armour Finals, and the UA Rise Finals. Friday, the GUAA teams and the UA Rise teams participated in a 1-day/1-game "showcase" event, before they start tournament play Saturday, while the teams in the true "The Finale" began their tournament play. Below is a look at several prospects who I felt stood out throughout the first day of games.   .    Maren's team played in an Under Armour "showcase" game on Friday against an incredibly tough matchup that included a 6-5 prospect she often had to defend. But Maren looked confident, poised, and more assertive than she was all Spring. She made shots at all levels, she was active on the boards, and she even handled the ball a little in transition and in the half-court. While she could still stand to add a little strength to her frame, she has tremendous length, fluid athleticism, and the potential to really help a small college program sooner rather than later.     I know I've written about Olivia a lot this Spring & Summer, but as I've said before, if prospects continue to perform and play with such an outstanding motor as hers, then I will continue to write about them. This time, I want to focus on a lot of the "little things" she does, and if you are paying attention, you will see them too. She is an active and physical screener. That can be crucial for a smaller guard, and Homestead guards are often great screeners. She is an active rebounder, and she cleaned up a lot of "scraps" Friday. She is also very talkative and informative during dead balls, and I would think that's something many colleges want in their point guard.     Kassie's group had a tough matchup in their Under Armour "showcase" game on Friday, facing off against the top [program_tooltip program_id='712550' first='IGB' last=''] GUAA team. But at no time did Kassie look phased. She played with a nice motor, she was constantly encouraging her teammates to keep playing hard, and she was aggressive herself without forcing too much of the action. She is a strong, physical guard/wing, she has some ball skill, plus she can score it in a variety of ways from all three levels. When she exercises this kind of shot selection, she can be highly productive, plus she always defends and rebounds with effort.     Macey entered high school with some excitement, but she has unfortunately dealt with injuries throughout her first two years. Friday, she looked healthy, strong, and athletic, and she made some really nice plays throughout their game against an explosive Cincinnati group. She showed touch from the perimeter, the ability to drive the ball, plus she had a couple of nice post-up scores. She has some length, an athletically strong frame, and she moves well in most directions. She's definitely a kid who could continue to significantly raise her recruiting stock over the next couple of years.     It took me a moment to recognize Riley, because she continues to incrementally gain strength, she was more aggressive and physical inside of the arc, and she is starting to affect the game in more ways now. She has always had tremendous length, fluid athleticism, and the ability to make plays off the dribble. You can call her a shooting guard, a point forward, whatever, but ultimately, she is a well-rounded basketball player. As she continues to get stronger, look for her productivity to continue to rise, plus I think she could become a better defender with her length, as she can maintain a lower, wider stance for longer periods of time.     Brooklynn's team had a matchup Friday they should have won easily, and they did, plus she didn't have anyone who could match her in terms of height and length on the other team. However, she didn't use that as an excuse to take plays off, and she attacked it as she would any opponent. I appreciated how dialed in she was, she worked for rebounds, she scored it consistently around the rim, and she even knocked down a couple of contested jumpers. Additionally, she had to sit down and defend smaller, quicker wings from the other team, and she did a nice job of that.     Ellisyn is a very intriguing young prospect, and this was my first time watching her at length. She is an extremely long, wiry, fluid, and fairly bouncy front-liner. You can tell she is still most comfortable around the paint, but she showed the ability to play facing the basket at the elbows and in the short corners. She was also solid in pick-and-roll situations. She is an active defender, she can guard the perimeter, but she can also use her length and bounce to protect the rim. I think once she gains a little more strength, she will be able to produce more consistently as she absorbs contact better.

The last NCAA "live" period of 2024 is upon us, and for the 2025 class, it's the last grassroots tournament most of these ladies will play in their careers. Indiana prospects have traveled to Rockhill, South Carolina, Chicago, Illinois, and Louisville, Kentucky, for tournaments, while I've followed a large group to Hamilton, Ohio, for "The Finale". Here there is a regular tournament, the Under Armour Finals, and the UA Rise Finals. Friday, the GUAA teams and the UA Rise teams participated in a 1-day/1-game "showcase" event, before they start tournament play Saturday, while the teams in the true "The Finale" began their tournament play. Below is a look at several prospects who I felt stood out throughout the first day of games.