PGH Freshman Showcase Review: Teams 2 & 7 #pghfreshmantx

The mix of talented players showing next-level potential always excites me and there were many who not only stood during the event, many who are the verge of breaking out, and an abundance of players I already knew about who were showing "on the court" progression but here's the breakdown of a couple of other teams   TEAM 7    Felan immediately showed me "on the ball" pressure and just went hard each time I caught her, on both ends of the court. She also showed how strong she was on her finishes after contact yet her court vision attacking, in the set, as well as in transition were all nice. She created her shot from outside and showed good timing for a #sizedontmatter guard to make things happen     Doonan gave me a lot and made the Inside The Paint Standouts from the 3 on 3, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/09/3-on-3-inside-the-paint-standouts-pghfreshmantx/">see evaluation here </a> , yet when the bright lights came on, aka the 5 on 5, she gave me even more. Her interior defense already stood out yet she stepped outside the paint as well to guard her man. She also finished strongly around the basket     Steed did a good job defending both inside and outside the paint. She also hit the boards on both ends and even showed she could handle the ball after the defensive rebound. Her first step was nice, either using a slight HEZ or just attacking strongly, plus she finished after contact. She also dropped the jumper from outside, this includes the "catch and shoot" 3     Ibarra was so effective in creating her shot, yet just as importantly, she also did a good job of creating spacing to get her shot off. Her pull-up jumper in the set was nice, and so was her "stop and pop" in transition yet seeing her drop the "catch and shot" from deep JUST DID IT for me. Her defense was solid, she scored or dished off the dribble, court vision across the board was solid     Burdick scored, however, she wanted during the "3 on 3" games see <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/09/3-on-3-attack-and-dishers-pghfreshmantx/">evaluation here </a>and gave me much of the same in the "5 on 5" action. I think her hitting teammates in transition was one of her big pluses but she showed she could create problems in multiple ways, including getting hers in the flow     Hill as in "climbing up the" continues to show "on the court" progression but after all, she has the "long and athletic" guard thing going for her. She also can outbound taller players, and can't teach desire, especially when you understand boxing/blocking out. She scored off the dribble, dropped the jumper, catch and shoot included, and played solid defense     Blackmon is, you guessed it, another #sizedontmatter guard yet when you factor in she's "long and athletic" Well that's known as the base. Her crossover in the set as well as in the open court was nice, and so was her change of pace, both helped her get by the defender to score, with either hand. The defense was solid, and so was her court vision     Birely was among a long list of #sizedontmatter guards who showed me a variety of intangibles, most important was the fact that she can play. She attacked the basket fearlessly and finished or dished off the dribble yet her court vision in the set was also nice. She handled the ball and created her shot under pressure, and even gave me the "catch and shoot" with a hand in her face    TEAM 2    Coker falls into that #sizedontmatter group and immediately showed me she could play during the "3 on 3" games. She's heady as well as steady with the ball, even under pressure, and showing good court vision along with making the right decisions was nice, and so was her scoring off the dribble. She also did a good job defending "on the ball"     Lindsey gave me a glimpse of what I was in store for by her scoring off the dribble while finishing strong after contact as well as playing the passing lane in the "3 on 3" games. During the "5 on 5" games, her midrange game looked really good, that's a lost art by the way. She also took the defender baseline to score a few times and showed good timing to block shots     Lee was active inside the paint and her understanding of how to get positioning helped her outbound taller players. Her defense was solid inside the paint yet she showed she could also guard her man outside of it. She was another player who had me smiling by using the "hands and footwork" to score, I just love #THROWBACK things     Reed showed her UPS numerous times, either going AFTA everything off the rim or altering someone's shot but she also used it to score around the basket. Her versatility stood out as she went coast to coast to score while being pressured, her "hands and footwork" inside the paint was effective, and so was her scoring off the dribble, body control was a yes. Her defense was good, she also played the passing lane     Alexander stood out early and kept standing taller as she made the Freshman Showcase team <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/09/2028-freshman-all-showcase-team/">see evaluation here</a>     Jacobo-Redding falls into that #sizedontmatter category I love to hashtag, yet she also falls into another group, "You won't outwork me". She uses her athleticism on both ends, "on the ball" pressure was smothering at times, yet she also read the floor and played the passing lane. Her court vision was solid, and she scored off the dribble, yet watching her drop the jumper, including the "catch and shoot" from deep was nice     Reynolds falls into that #sizedontmatter group and she seemed to be everywhere at times. Her baseline-to-baseline heat coupled with her quick hands created turnovers, she also got steals playing the passing lane, yet her first step gave defenders a problem as she blew past them to score, she had nice body control on her finishes and she saw the floor both off the dribble and in the set     Williams grabbed my attention early and kept me smiling. She made the All-Showcase team<a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/09/2028-freshman-all-showcase-team/"> see evaluation here</a>     Campbell showed she could score off the dribble during the "3 on 3" games and nothing changed when they went to full court. Her slight HEZ was nice to get the defender off balance so she could attack and her body control after contact on her finishes was also solid. She played the passing lane and dropped the "catch and shoot" from deep

The mix of talented players showing next-level potential always excites me and there were many who not only stood during the event, many who are the verge of breaking out, and an abundance of players I already knew about who were showing "on the court" progression but here's the breakdown of a couple of other teams