2024-2025 'Next Gen' Player Of The Year

A little while back, there was a poll taken for 'Next Gen' POY and the outcome was a lot closer than initially anticipated. There were 5 girls nominated, but only one was able to be rewarded with the title. The girls elected are some of the top young players around and were all worthy of the recognition. However, the one coming away with the title is [player_tooltip player_id='1217992' first='Nicolette' last='Hayes']. The rising star guard had an awesome high school season and is deserving of the honors. This is a testament to the hard work she's been putting in over the year. Many are raving that she's the next young guard that'll make big waves in the region. Congratulations Nicolette and good luck to all those nominated in the upcoming months. Keep the momentum going.    Nicolette has been one of the best performing 8th graders that played on the high school scene this year. There's no debating, Hayes' potency for Bellingham, despite her youth. Sometimes it may be forgotten that she was in the c/o '29 with the way she supplies her team with timely playmaking. There was a plethora of attributes that stood out through the course of her first season. She checked many boxes for her team and they looked to her to affect the game. Hayes has a nice inside & out game; she's a player that understands the spots she'll be most effective in. Nicolette makes quick decisions with the ball in her hands better than most upperclassmen. The '29 guard is also an underrated defender. She has remarkably fast reactionary skills, especially when shooting the lane to disrupt the flow of the offense. In transition defense, Nicolette picks up players on the spot and has shown many times that she can get a stop when numbers aren't in her favor. She'll be playing with the Bay State Jags, competing in a rigorous schedule that'll surely sharpen her tools even more. Again, congratulations, the impressive play doesn't go unnoticed.     [player_tooltip player_id='1218012' first='Jaylin' last='Frye'] (2029) | 5'10 Wing | MCW Starz   Jaylin is a player that means business. She's had a tremendous year growing as a player and has contributed to St. Mary's getting a championship. Frye works hard and gets straight to the point, without all the extra fluff. She understands how attack the lane, has a few go-to-moves that are savvy enough for her to get past defenders, sports a goodlooking jump shot and can hold her own guarding a few different positions. Frye was tied for second in the voting.     [player_tooltip player_id='1217935' first='Jaliah' last='Duplessy'] (2029) | Wing | Team Sims   Another championship player mentioned here, Duplessy was phenomenal for an extremely young Brimmer team. She was relied upon heavily to provide 2-way production night in and night out. She's an unforgiving talent attacking the basket, plus she has a nice pullup jumper that gets great lift, so defenders can't affect the ball. The defensive ability should be noted as well. Jaliah slides her feet well and also closes the gap conscientiously. Playing with a stately Team Sims squad, Duplessy will be interesting to keep following through the rest of Spring/Summer.     [player_tooltip player_id='1041076' first='Gianna' last='Porazzo'] (2029) | 5'5 Guard | Team Sims   One of the best kickout options on the perimeter in the class, plus she's shown she can get her own shot off in tight spaces, Gianna has excelled in her role. Porazzo brings illuminate shooting to any lineup and is likely to get going with just one quality look. Gianna is another Team Sims member that's had a great year. She'll be an intriguing watch as the AAU season progresses.     [player_tooltip player_id='1226845' first='Kristina' last='Dallas'] (2029) | 6'3 C |   Although Kristina didn't get any votes in for the nomination, it doesn't take away from what type of prospect she is. She's one of Boston's better younger prospects. The 6'3 big is one of most physically imposing bigs within the class. She's consistently a matchup nightmare when playing amongst her own age range. Dallas also has the physicality plus the skills to compete within the post outside of her class too. She snags loose rebounds, gets off the floor quick for a player her size and just understands where to be on the floor to have the biggest impact. Not to mention her soft touch allows her catch as well as finish well defended layups. Keep a watch out for the Dallas name.

A little while back, there was a poll taken for 'Next Gen' POY and the outcome was a lot closer than initially anticipated. There were 5 girls nominated, but only one was able to be rewarded with the title. The girls elected are some of the top young players around and were all worthy of the recognition. However, the one coming away with the title is Nicolette Hayes Nicolette Hayes CG Bellingham | 2029 State New E . The rising star guard had an awesome high school season and is deserving of the honors. This is a testament to the hard work she's been putting in over the year. Many are raving that she's the next young guard that'll make big waves in the region. Congratulations Nicolette and good luck to all those nominated in the upcoming months. Keep the momentum going.