Coach Al’s May Notebook- Top Defenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at some of the top defensive stars I had the pleasure of watching over the past month at various events. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1251325' first='Maya' last='Pitts'], GLP, 2026 Combo Guard </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I caught one of Maya's games at Mid Atlantic Madness. She showed off excellent footwork, quick hands and she applied real ball pressure. For a guard she has excellent timing on her shot blocks. She has good length and speed and was really disruptive to ball handlers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Zikora Etolue, Frederick's Finest, 2027, Wing</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I saw Zikora in the winter while playing for Urbana for the first time and was very intrigued. Her athleticism really stood out and she has great length. I got another look at her at the Park School and she can really strap up on defense. She's strong and fast and hard to get around. Her lateral movement is good and she uses her natural ability to clear rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Laniya Martin, DMV Hoops Academy, 2027 Wing </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laniya is an explosive athlete with a college ready body already. She is super competitive and likes the challenge of being a stopper. She mostly relies on and speed and athleticism to thwart attacks by offensive players, but she does have some good lateral movement and instincts as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1121153' first='Layla' last='Woodward'], Power Move, 2026, Guard </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When Layla is locked in, she is one of the best on ball defenders in the state. She had an impressive run as a defender during the MPSSSAA playoffs, and she has continued to impress during the spring evaluation periods. She plays tough deny defense and has good instincts. She is tough to get around and has great recovery speed. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='569089' first='Camille' last='Nesmith'], Team Thrill, 2026, Forward </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Camille is racking up D1 offers due to her size and skillset. At 6'3" she has legit length and she knows how to use it. In addition to having great shot blocking ability, she can guard on the perimeter and is a solid post defender as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->