PGH Midwest Extravaganza: Saturday Standouts At The SportPlex

Saturday I had the chance to walk around the Community SportPlex to watch some action from each grade level for our PGH Midwest Extravaganza event. In this piece we highlight five hoopers that really stood out to everyone watching on the day. Each player is someone was vital in their team's success in the grand scheme of things.   Thanks for tuning in!    Being a mid-range specialist is a lost art but [player_tooltip player_id='1219936' first='Maya' last='Krutul'] of [program_tooltip program_id='715556' first='Illinois' last='Dream'] 16U is bringing it back. Krutual is a natural in the departments of handling, creating, and in the catch-and-shoot game on offense. When she gets it, if she has any space for a lead in dribble, she is hitting that into a pull-up jumper every time. She demonstrated that time and time again in her team's contests throughout the day on Saturday. Not only did she hit these shots with ease, she also created and hit others for clean assets when those opportunities presented themselves, while also being someone who could bring up the ball and break the full court pressure of the opposing team. I loved watching Krutul and her Dream Team play. They do things the right way and everyone on the team seems to be extremely selfless. Something you don't see too often now a days.     [player_tooltip player_id='743604' first='Hayden' last='Fahy'] was the best overall player that I saw Saturday morning in action. Fahy might be a smaller guard but she is a handful. Offensively, she started things off by hitting a couple three pointers off the catch in the first half. In the second, she demonstrated that she is a complete PG. Someone that can score at the bucket in every way imaginable with either hand or she can create and hit others for a classy assist. Defensively, this is the type you ask to pick up in the full court for you and she will always have success. The athletic ability for her size is impressive and she sticks on her assignment at a high rate. This 16U Mac Irvin Fire team is loaded with college talent and Fahy is in that conversation. She put on a show Saturday morning and I can't wait to see how she follows that up moving into Sunday.     Example Academy 2026 Wolfpack started their action on Saturday afternoon with powerful post play. Their main source of production being from 6'0 PF - [player_tooltip player_id='598837' first='Morgan' last='Baptist']. Baptist is physical, balanced, coordinated, and she doesn't like to take no for an answer. She is a hooper than you always have to get a body on or else she will continue to consistently rebound over you until you do. When she has the chance to work with her back to the basket, she makes strong and efficient moves. The type that you'd see at the next level. I'm not sure where Baptist has interest from for the future but she is definitely an able producer at this point in time.     There are some players out there that just understand how to make things work. Doesn't matter the objective or task at hand. They make it happen. [player_tooltip player_id='897680' first='Mia' last='Quaranta'] of Big3 17U gets to the hoop at such a steady rate on offense, it's almost shocking. Every time I had the chance to turn around on Saturday to watch, Quaranta is attempting another interesting look at the bucket in some form or fashion. As you can imagine, after she gets down-hill going toward the bucket she is extremely hard to get in front of. She understands how to put her body in-between the ball and defender, usually leading to free throw attempts at the very least. She also seems to be very vocal and situationally aware as a recruit in general. There is a lot to like about Quaranta. She did her thing this morning and that was noteworthy!     [player_tooltip player_id='834925' first='Kylah' last='Patterson'] of Example Academy 2027 UA has a non-stop motor. When you combined that along with her physical strength and natural height at 5'11/6'0, you get a producer on both ends. Patterson is strong enough that it doesn't matter if you contest well enough at the rim or not. She is still going to get the shot up and she is still going to make it a majority of the time. Patterson was the "X-factor" in her team's 18 point comeback on Saturday morning. She was relentless while going toward the bucket and no one could stop her. She also played respectable defense, rebounded adequately, and she didn't seem to make too many mistakes when it mattered. I'm going to evaluate a lot of solid hoopers this weekend and I'm sure that Patterson will be one of the best I see. The natural gifts she has been given are second-to-none. Now she just needs to keep working.

Saturday I had the chance to walk around the Community SportPlex to watch some action from each grade level for our PGH Midwest Extravaganza event. In this piece we highlight five hoopers that really stood out to everyone watching on the day. Each player is someone was vital in their team's success in the grand scheme of things.