Akiem’s Long Island 2025 Players to Watch (Part 4)

When one considers areas in the northeast that is certainly plentiful in terms of high school girls basketball talent, Long Island certainly has to be somewhere in that discourse.    From Southampton to LuHi and from Glen Cove to Freeport, the counties of Nassau and Suffolk comprise an area that is chock full of hoops talent. It is fitting given how passionate New York State is about basketball.    We at Prep Girls Hoops have been shining a spotlight on many of the area's standout 2025s in a series of articles. Here are even more seniors that will soon take to the areas courts for the final time this season at the preps level.     One more season awaits for Hines to sport the green of Elmont. She already played her final AAU season and did so with [program_tooltip program_id='714728' first='Riverside' last='Hawks'] which played a scheduled centered on New York and New Jersey. She is listed at 5-foot-10 and a coach could place her at either of the three spots in the frontcourt. That versatility can particularly be a worthwhile attribute on defense as perimeter defending is part of her overall skillset. That almost six foot stature also enables her to be a headache to game plan against in terms of scoring and rebounding. Hines is also difficult to score on with her shot-blocking capabilities.     Meyn's athletic plate has been very full throughout her high school career. Lacrosse, volleyball and basketball are the three sports she has exceled in, but she will put her full focus behind lacrosse in college as she has committed to Maryland. The hoops scene will miss Meyn given she averaged a robust 19.1 points per game in 2023-24 for Bayport-Blue Point. The Phantoms had not claimed a county championship in nearly 40 years and Meyn's Bayport-Blue Point assembling came agonizingly close to snapping that cold spell last season. In 2024-25, Meyn and the Phantoms will look to finish the job.     We move from one Ava to another Ava. Vadyak is another who has had a full athletic schedule throughout her career. Alongside basketball, she has also excelled as a field hockey player as well as within flag football – including leading Sayville to the inaugural Division II state championship game against Bishop Kearney. If Vadyak gets out in transition, she is particularly difficult to contain and she compliments that element of her game with a knack for playing stout defense. Her height combined with her length can also clog up an opponent's passing lanes. Vadyak will also deliver strong finishes at the rim with either her right or her left hand.     One can also notice Harris excelling either as a basketball player or as a flag football player at Longwood. Two seasons ago, Harris' Lions took part in the Long Island 2A championship game against Baldwin. Long range shooting ability is only one aspect of what has become a well-developed skillset. Her activity on defense can place in position to collect steals and create additional offensive possessions for her team. Ball-handling capabilities are another strong point of her game. Harris is an efficient floor runner and rim attacker. She can give a team worthwhile minutes at either of the guard positions in the backcourt.

When one considers areas in the northeast that is certainly plentiful in terms of high school girls basketball talent, Long Island certainly has to be somewhere in that discourse.