PGH Freshman Showcase Review: Teams 1 & 8 #pghfreshmantx

Between myself and Coach Monica @GoCoachMo, we hit on countless players and if not mistaken, we hit a HUNNID between us so I'm mixing up team evals because that's what I do, mix things up, here ya go. If I missed something, hit me up @girlzprepreport on everything   TEAM 1:    If you know me and pay attention, you already know that one of my favorite hashtags is #sizedontmatter with the amendment, when you can play. She was solid in the 3 on 3 yet she kept it rolling when the fullcourt games started. Her first step is nice, she scored from multiple angles yet she also saw the floor and made good decisions. Her defense was also good, nice upside     Smith is an athletic guard who uses her athleticism on both ends of the court. Her "on the ball" pressure helped create turnovers yet her attacking the basket strongly and finishing after contact was nice, body control played a part in that. She's another #sizedontmatter player and her stop-and-pop jumper was solid, she also saw the floor and made tough passes look easy and she played the passing lane     Farris had me dizzy at times as if I had been on a FERRIS wheel because she's so crafty with the ball and goes hard on both ends. Her first step was among the best and her powerful finishes after contact were impressive, yes body control helped. She dropped the jumper and even followed her shot, but she also applied pressure defensively both in the half and full-court     Rossini is becoming more than just a prototype point guard and since she understands how to not only run a team but also control the tempo, while being pressured, good things are in store. Her court vision is a big plus, so is her being heady, like following her shot and she stood out in the 3 on 3 as well<a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/09/3-on-3-attack-and-dishers-pghfreshmantx/"> see evaluation here </a>     Loften grabbed my attention early by going AFTA everything in the 3 on 3 <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/09/3-on-3-inside-the-paint-standouts-pghfreshmantx/">see evaluation here </a>and with her playing as if she was at "the magic number" is worthy of a #THROWBACK type of player. She's "long and athletic" and showed she could defend baseline to baseline as well as do what I love to see, play the passing lane     Fox just continues to impress me with her progression and she made the All Showcase team <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/09/2028-freshman-all-showcase-team/">see evaluation here</a>     Benavides was yet another #sizedontmatter guard who could play and her comprehension of the simple things will turn out to be huge as her "on the court" progression continues. She handled the ball and saw the floor under pressure. Her deceptive first step got her to the basket to score or dish. She created her shot for the jumper and she played solid defense     Bolton is tough, I wrote about her going hard in the 3 on 3, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/09/3-on-3-inside-the-paint-standouts-pghfreshmantx/">see evaluation here </a>as well as her coming back to play in the 5 on 5 games after I thought she was done but she showed me she was far from it. She goes AFTA the ball relentlessly off the rim, in the air as well as on the floor, yeah let me drop #THROWBACK however her interior defense needs to be mentioned, along with her scoring around the basket     Cantu is another player who plays taller than she is but peep this, she has that "you won't outwork me" mindset, yeah, that deserves the #THROWBACK as well. She understands positioning and this helps her outrebound taller players yet she also plays within herself and does a good job getting hers in the flow. She scored around the basket, she made good passes and her defense was solid    #TEAM 8    Marshall was another athletic guard who had me smiling watching her apply pressure on both ends of the court. She attacked the basket from, well everywhere to score or dish yet her court vision in the set as well as in transition was also nice. She did a good job defensively across the board and she created her shot and dropped it from the outside     Robinson had me wondering "WHO IS SHE" after watching her during the "3 on 3" games, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/09/3-on-3-inside-the-paint-standouts-pghfreshmantx/">see evaluation here </a>yet her ability to control the paint, on both ends stood out during the 5 on 5 games. Her interior presence on defense was tough yet on the flip, she showed me a #THROWBACK that I don't enough of, the "hands and footwork" to score     Robertson stood out in the "3 on 3" with her ability to attack and score or dish, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/09/3-on-3-attack-and-dishers-pghfreshmantx/">see evaluation here</a> yet her seeing the floor in the backcourt needs to be mentioned as she threaded the needle in traffic from 20 plus feet several times. Her "on the ball" pressure baseline to baseline was also solid and she did a good job creating her shot as well as space to drop the jumper     Morrison is heady and plays within herself, meaning nothing out of the ordinary to look flashy. She was steady with the ball and did a good job of not only handling it under pressure but also seeing the floor while being defended tightly. She was another athletic guard who used her athleticism on both ends, applying heat "on the ball" and scoring off the dribble     Soto was all over the place before the games even began and watching her go hard in warmups knew I needed to keep both eyes wide open. One of the smallest guards in attendance yet one more time #sizedontmatter when you can play and she showed she could play by coming from out of nowhere to get steals, either using her hands or playing the passing lane yet her defense was solid "on the ball" she saw the floor and made good decisions plus she dropped it from outside     Peterson had me smiling when I saw her because I had received a heads-up up she might not make the event because had been under the weather. That had me keeping a close eye on her during the 3 on 3 and although she too was #sizedontmatter, that didn't matter because she took defenders with ease off the dribble to score. She did the same thing during the 5 on 5, played solid defense, showed court vision, and outrebounded taller players     Fairchild was also, you guessed it, another #sizedontmatter guard who just got after it on both ends. Her defense stood out in the 3 on 3, as well as her court vision, and that stayed the same when the 5 on 5 games began. Here's the deal, she extended the heat "on the ball" in the full-court and saw the floor in transition. She also did a good job attacking the basket to score or dish     Berger gave me a glimpse of what was coming during the "Inside The Paint Standouts" during the "3 on 3" games,<a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/09/3-on-3-inside-the-paint-standouts-pghfreshmantx/"> see evaluation here</a> but I love her UPSIDE because she's athletic and does everything fluidly. She has a college-ready frame, stands above "the magic number" which is 6'0 and she showed she could defend outside the paint. Peep this, her "hands and footwork" are going to create some major problems for defenders

Between myself and Coach Monica @GoCoachMo, we hit on countless players and if not mistaken, we hit a HUNNID between us so I'm mixing up team evals because that's what I do, mix things up, here ya go. If I missed something, hit me up @girlzprepreport on everything