The Best 2029's & 2030's I Saw in Atlantic City

These youngsters showed up and showed out in Atlantic City! They looked poised and seasoned during this May live period. The following hoopers are rising stars in my eyes who made the most of their time this weekend. Be sure to keep an eye out for them in the future because I have a feeling some will become household names!   Denyla Handy | West Virginia Thunder | 2029   At times, she absolutely took over! She ran the show as the primary PG, pushing the tempo and playing the role of scorer and facilitator. She kept a scorer's mentality but played selfless basketball, dropping off some impressive dimes to her teammates around the basket. She wowed me with her drive-and-kick, attracting all the attention from the defense, then finding shooters settled around the perimeter all while charging full steam ahead. Quick-thinking, smart decisions in real-time. Crafty off the bounce. Fluid mover without the ball; did a great job cutting to the basket and having the defense scramble trying to stop her.   Madison Mais | Kwiet Storm | 2029   Calm and collected running the point against a scrappy Shoreshots team.Great job directing traffic and finding shooters spaced out around the floor. Well-placed entry passes, whether a bounce, chest or high pass. She knew exactly how to get it to the post players.   Shelby Parsons | Central Xtreme | 2030   Hard to believe she's just a 7th grader! Nice size at 5'8" playing the guard position. Did a great job also attacking from the wing and taking on more of a small forward role. Pretty step-through to get around defenders down low. Vocal on the court; called for the ball and encouraged her team whether they were winning or losing. Pretty strong physically. Executed plays from the high post; pick & roll.   [player_tooltip player_id='1247945' first='Mia' last='Pratola'] | NJ Rebels | 2029   Small (5'3") yet scrappy. She took bumps in transition and was able to finish through contact around the rim, completing the and-1 on multiple plays vs Central Xtreme. She did a really nice job on defense as well, guarding the bigger opponent near the mid-post on the switch.Very solid help-side defense. She ran the floor hard on fast breaks she sparked; got the steal and beelined to her basket.   [player_tooltip player_id='1259150' first='Naima' last='Solivan'] | [program_tooltip program_id='714654' first='NJ' last='Shoreshots'] | 2029   Lengthy size; made an impact on the interior. She caught high entry passes and converted quick turn-around buckets. Very fluid running the floor; big strides in the open court. She kept up with the flow of the game and never really looked gassed.   [player_tooltip player_id='1259152' first='Natalie' last='Whitehead'] | [program_tooltip program_id='714654' first='NJ' last='Shoreshots'] | 2029   Long-range sniper! Such a smooth delivery off the catch. She put herself in a position to score; not afraid to pull the trigger from 2 feet+ behind the arc. Some of her 3's were released so quickly, way before the defense even had the chance to properly set up. What a canon!   Cassidy Negrete | Team Pennsylvania | 2029   At 5'2", she's small in size but big in game! Pull-up rainbow 3-pointers; she arched it high to avoid getting her shot blocked. Against the Shoreshots, she was really good at drawing the primary defender out near half-court, waiting for the screen and going to work! Aggressive and fearless on the drive.   [player_tooltip player_id='1259155' first='Gabriella' last='Hollins'] | [program_tooltip program_id='714664' first='Team' last='Sharp'] | 2029   The smallest on the floor (5'0" is generous) vs Top Notch but by far the biggest personality. Very vocal calling out plays and holding teammates accountable for defensive breakdowns. Super scrappy PG who moved the ball really well; strong passes. Although a pass-first approach in this game, still popped a few shots of her own. Locked in from start to finish with her game face on!   [player_tooltip player_id='1259157' first='Ava' last='Britt'] | [program_tooltip program_id='714664' first='Team' last='Sharp'] | 2029   Ava looked comfortable stepping into her shot from the mid-range. Very athletic with nice length at 5'10". She took on the role of both scorer and facilitator vs a feisty Top Notch squad. She did her best to make an impact on the glass and was successful in pulling down a handful of rebounds; the opponent was very physical crashing the glass. I think she's barely scratching the surface of what she's capable of! With more consistency, her mid-range jumper could be her bread + butter shot in the future.   [player_tooltip player_id='1247947' first='Ava' last='Parra'] | United NJ | 2029   Very clean-looking straight-away 3. Emerging handles; she gave a glimpse of how she's able to keep the ball despite the press. Ava found difficult angles on layups going full steam ahead with defenders positioned by the basket. She initiated contact on the drive on several plays; very smart guard mentality to recognize that 9 times out of 10, they were going to foul.   Niya Daniels | The System | 2029   Great size at 6'0" tall playing the 3/4 positions. Strong grabbing her own rebound and going back up with it. One of the tallest on the floor vs United NJ; used her size well to rebound (both defensively and offensively) and anchor the interior defense. Solid job slicing through the defense and positioning herself near the basket, ready to receive the pass. Aggressive at the rim which earned lots of trips to the FT line.   [player_tooltip player_id='1245588' first='Olivia' last='Lunsmann'] | United NJ | 2029   Excellent job moving the ball and facilitating; pushed on the break and saw her teammates up ahead of the play. Dribbled with her head up to scan and survey the floor. Quick change of direction to get the defender off-balance and give herself space to create. Excellent defense late in regulation.   [player_tooltip player_id='340831' first='Avery' last='Bollin'] | Bay State Jaguars | 2029   Few players, especially in the Class of 2029, can make my jaw drop. Avery is one of those players.! A 6'3" Swiss-Army knife of talent who can play multiple positions; the body and strength of a post player with the shooting prowess of a guard; elite size and skillset posed a match-up nightmare. She dominated inside and out, going on an absolute heater on Friday and knocking down triples in rapid succession. She's skilled off the bounce or catching and shooting from the corners and the wing. Stout defender with a sturdy foundation; not easily moved off her base. Locked down the paint and also stretched out to cover the perimeter. I can't imagine there are many players better in her Class across the country.   Na'Kera Melbourne | Sideline Cancer | 2029   Talented and athletic guard. Instinctive play-making at its finest this weekend as she commanded both the 1 & 2. Reliable 3-level scorer who pushed the tempo and thrived in a fast-paced environment. Her ability to both distribute the ball and score at a high level secured the close dub over Empire State on opening day. Dynamic motor which really sets the tone on both sides of the ball. Strong defender, especially locking down the perimeter and leave the ball-handler stuck, forcing the pass. She did a tremendous job reading where the ball came off the rim to jump in for rebounds.

These youngsters showed up and showed out in Atlantic City! They looked poised and seasoned during this May live period. The following hoopers are rising stars in my eyes who made the most of their time this weekend. Be sure to keep an eye out for them in the future because I have a feeling some will become household names!