Film Room Session: July

The film keeps rolling in! Over the past few days, my inbox has been flooded with parents, coaches and players themselves sending me film from events all around the country for the July live periods. Couple that with replays from livestreams on BeTheBeast and BallerTV and it's made for lots of hoops to be evaluated! After watching a few hours of game film, the following players caught my eye with notable performances:    Victoria went up against some excellent competition in Atlantic City (NEPA Elite, Team PA, Twin Tier Elite, SI Diamonds, etc.) and looked sharp. A barrage of offense came by way of a hot hand from 3, crafty moves to finish around the rim and run & gun transition. A quick trigger from long range made for a multitude of 3-pointers, getting the ball off her fingertips before the defender could fully establish position. She wasn't short on defense either! Using all of her length at 5'8"/5'9", she got after it on the glass and hustled to save possession. Strong two-way effort for a player who has continued to show growth from April through July.     I have Grace down as a Forward officially but she showed heavy Guard-like tendencies in AC this past weekend. Confident 3-point shooting saw her swish deep buckets from the wings and corners off the catch. In transition, she got downhill in quick fashion and was the beneficiary of outlet passes which she converted for points. She also put in work on the cut, setting picks in the high post then slicing backdoor. Her frame at 5'9" was a factor on the glass, able to hold her own and fight for rebounds.     Ava stormed into the Select Events Finale and tore up everything in her path! I've followed her progression closely over the years and especially this spring/summer, and my mind continues to be blown. In typical Ava fashion, she let her versatility do all the talking in Ohio! She has evolved into a Point-Forward type of player, evident in transition. She did a phenomenal job igniting the transition offense; handling the ball and getting downhill, decelerating if the defense set up and posting up to receive the entry touch. The times she took it the full length of the court all by herself, she displayed next-level footwork getting to the rim; impressive step-through. Multi-level scoring came complete with straight-away step-back and corner 3's and elbow pops. She showed the ability to play and defend just about every position on the floor!     This Panthers squad played a wickedly tough schedule in Atlantic City, facing juggernaut opponents in iDream, PV Thunder and LI Lightning. The name on the jersey, however, didn't phase Noelle. She was rock solid as a playmaker, doing a little bit of everything and being the glue girl this team needed. Crisp off-ball movement and quick rotations allowed her to get easy layups time and time again. She made the defender expend a lot of energy trying to keep up because she was never stationary or in one spot for too long; always moving, always working! Her 3 ball was clicking and at times, she looked like the best 3-point shooter on the floor. She moved the ball well around the perimeter, made use of the drive-and-kick and adjusted her defense accordingly to apply some pressure and force turnovers. Undeniable all-court effort.     Synai brought physical, assertive guard play to the table in Manheim and finish off the season strong with a 6-0 run to the Chip! She carved paths to the rim and battled through contact, absorbing hits and still managing to finish at a high level. She did a great job matching physicality against tough teams like Elevate NYBC, Mid-Atlantic Sports and Positive Direction. A skilled combo guard, she both dished and scored remarkably well, showing off very sharp court vision and knockdown shooting from 18 feet+. Aggressive glass-crashing saw her pull down rebounds over 4's and true bigs. If you're looking for a no-nonsense competitor, look no further!

The film keeps rolling in! Over the past few days, my inbox has been flooded with parents, coaches and players themselves sending me film from events all around the country for the July live periods. Couple that with replays from livestreams on BeTheBeast and BallerTV and it's made for lots of hoops to be evaluated! After watching a few hours of game film, the following players caught my eye with notable performances: