iKHONICS AAU Preseason Exposure Camp: Saturday's Head-Turners

This weekend IKHONICS gym in Cedar Rapids, Iowa invited in over 30 players from all grade levels throughout two days to compete under one roof in a mixture of skill and competitive drills to help sharpen their abilities prior to AAU season.   In this piece we highlight six kids who showed up on Saturday and stood out over most. These athletes are ready to get on the road this AAU season and show everyone watching what they can really do.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    The clean movement, the effortless flow, and the vision that [player_tooltip player_id='502096' first='KeaOnna' last='Worley'] competes with is impressive. Worley moves into AAU season as the #6 rated prospect in the 2027 Class in Iowa and she had her arsenal on full display in this one. Worley always makes it look easy. No one can stay with her dribble, she understands her change of pace like no other, and she hits open buckets when the ball comes back to her. I know it's hard to believe that this is the #6 ranked prospect for her Class but it's not when you consider that the Top 20-25 players in that Class are going to be scholarship players at the collegiate level. I'm sure that the recruitment trail takes off this upcoming Spring/Summer for Worely. If she plays to her full potential, she should be returning this Fall to CR - Prairie with a bunch of offers.     Over the past twelve months, [player_tooltip player_id='502095' first='Emily' last='Larsen'] has been one of the hottest topics of conversation in the recruitment world out of Iowa. Larsen is debatably the best shooter in the state out of the 2026 Class. She can let it go from any distance and it always seems like it's going to be good. When she competed in this event, she did a great job of switching things up. She didn't just shoot. She drove, facilitated, moved into space, and ran some good overall concepts while on offense. Defensively, she showed some growth in my opinion. She showed off that she can stick with bigger or smaller opponents, it's really whatever is needed of her at that time. I'm excited to stop in and see Larsen with her Missouri Phenom - Iowa 17U team this Spring. They will have 4-6 D1 players on roster so hopefully they can make some noise.     Kelbi Hodges is a name to know for girls basketball out of the state of Iowa. Hodges is a 5'7/5'8 PG out of the 2031 Class with a shifty skill-set, a quick dribble, and a ton of natural instincts. She also demonstrated today that she has a DEEP bag of moves she can pull out offensively if she needs too. In this Showcase, there were prospects from the 2031 Class, all the way to the 2026 Class and Hodges shined as one of the best on the day. It'll be exciting to see this one grow in this game. If she figures out how to unleash her full potential in high school, she is going to be nationally ranked by several companies before you know it. She has that much promise at this moment in time.     This was the first time that I had the chance to really see [player_tooltip player_id='883553' first='Quinn' last='Pershing'] shine in a 1v1 environment. Pershing competes with the recent 3A State Champs - Mount Vernon so this past Winter she was on the varsity team but didn't see the floor a whole lot. I expect that to change moving forward. On Saturday Pershing displayed that she was one of the most skilled prospects in attendance. Offensively, she demonstrated that she can take her defender off the dribble going either way, she can finish at all three offensive levels, she can hit her defender with multiple counter moves if she is stopped, and she is a willing passer to other open teammates. Defensively, her length is sneaky. She recovers to the ball really well if she or a teammate is ever beaten and she never gives up on a play until the whistle blows. I know Pershing has a high work ethic in her off-time and I'm sure that's going to come to the forefront throughout these next twelve months. It sure was obvious on Saturday.     Clinton is going to come back DANGEROUS next season because of their talented roster. Someone from that group, that shined Saturday to all the coaches in attendance was SG - [player_tooltip player_id='1220516' first='Alli' last='Haskell']. Haskell is a knock-down shooter, who can also put it on the group and finish in a plethora of different ways when she attacks the basket. From what I saw, she is really lethal in letting it go from deep but she also doesn't settle on that. If a few don't go in, she will adapt and get a better look for herself or a teammate. I'm excited to see where Haskell goes from here. Her high school team is going to be a favorite to make the 4A State Tournament next Winter and she is going to play a vital role in making that happen.     The natural height and strength that [player_tooltip player_id='1143194' first='Sira' last='Doumbia'] provides on the floor is second-to-none. Doumbia comes in between 6'3-6'4 and she would be categorized as a bruised in the middle underneath. She is a lefty that is very good at going through contact and finishing next to the bucket when the chances present themselves. She has soft hands, good coordination, and great balance for her height and that's noteworthy. I would be shocked if Doumbia didn't receive a ton of attention this AAU season with her [program_tooltip program_id='715980' first='Team' last='Iowa'] 2027 E40 program. You can't teach height and that's what we have here. She is still very raw in her skill-set in the game but if she gets the correct guidance moving forward and keeps it simple over everything else, she will be a college basketball player before you know it.

This weekend IKHONICS gym in Cedar Rapids, Iowa invited in over 30 players from all grade levels throughout two days to compete under one roof in a mixture of skill and competitive drills to help sharpen their abilities prior to AAU season.