Free Trial Special–My Prep Girls Hoops Story

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Girls Hoops is offering a free trial until 11:59 PM tonight, so it feels like the perfect time to release an all-inclusive compilation article for new subscribers to enjoy! In this special edition article, I share the story of how I became a scout for PGH Michigan with links and descriptions to some of my favorite articles these past two years!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Beginning</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In July of 2023, I was a second-year varsity head coach at Lapeer and an 8th/9th grade Language Arts teacher in the school district. The heart of my team was soon-to-be senior captain Alexis Norman. She was an imposing 6-footer with excellent footwork, smart passing instincts, a fierce rebounder, accurate mid-range jumper, and determined competitor. Alexis was one of my favorite students to coach, and although she loved volleyball more, I still believe she could have been an outstanding NAIA/D3 power forward or center. At the time, I had no idea that anybody wrote about high school girls' basketball in Michigan. My program wasn't a winning one, and we weren't located in a media-saturated area. The only time my team received coverage was from "The County Press", or post-game recaps I wrote on the athletics website. In June, I took my team to an LBI Summer League event, and Keith Wade noticed our 6-footer [player_tooltip player_id='860196' first='Jayla' last='Holiday']. He walked over to me and asked about her during our game, which I greatly appreciated. Keith included her in his event recap, and I remember how encouraging that was for me and our program to have a player receiving written recognition by a college scout. Later in June, Prep Girls Hoops published a couple of articles about Lexi, wanting her to attend their Top 250 Expo. I read screenshots of the articles, and decided to subscribe so I could see which prospects from our conference were also on the company's radar. In July, Danyle Bowers noticed Lexi while attending Northwood Team Camp, including her with a group of other top performers in an article (<a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/07/northwood-university-team-camp/">Read Here</a>). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1275744,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/07/Game-Day-Davison.png?w=791" alt="" class="wp-image-1275744" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Alexis Norman, 2024, Lapeer, Albion Volleyball.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I became a freshman and varsity girls basketball head coach to advocate/support female athletes playing the game I have always loved--basketball. Since childhood, I also loved writing, memorizing useless statistics about my favorite professional athletes, and reading about sports. The Prep Girls Hoops platform felt like the perfect place to advocate for high school girls basketball and help prospects be recruited by college coaches. I figured that with my coaching eyes, access to less-covered regions in the state, and educational background, I would be a great asset to the company. After a couple of great phone calls and a rough-draft write-up, I became an official writer for Prep Girls Hoops! The company gave me access to this amazing platform, and with the help of my teammate Danyle Bowers, I am proud of all we have accomplished for girls basketball in Michigan over the past two years. The quality of our content, reach of our coverage, credibility of our rankings, and reputation amongst the community have continued to evolve to the standard we have today. We have high expectations for our state's coverage, content, and experience. I'm excited for the future and thankful for the memories we've shared these past two years. With that in mind, I've selected several favorites from articles I've published these past two years. I hope our new and current subscribers enjoy the content!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">YEAR ONE</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/08/bell-ringers-david-barns-new-names-video-highlights-michigan-girls-basketball-guards/">Bell Ringers, New Names, David Barns, Video Highlights</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Description: My first article, which included the best hidden gem prospect I've ever watched--Larissa Gibson from Lakeville. We double and even triple-teamed her, but she still dominated. Larissa was a major inspiration to me because she didn't play travel basketball and wasn't being recruited by any colleges at the time. I wanted to make sure girls like her received media coverage and graduated with opportunities to play college basketball.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/08/green-light-shooters-3-pointers-michigan-basketball-shooters/">Green Light Shooters</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Description: This early article has a special place in my heart. My early articles often included Hudl or Twitter highlights because we did not have articles written about many of the girls I was writing about. Seeing is believing! Kylie was an exemplary student in 8th grade and a top prospect coming from Parker Middle School to the Howell Girls Basketball program. She moved right up to JV her freshman year, so I did not have the chance to coach her as a freshman in 2021-22. She was a crucial part of the Highlanders' success, a lethal three-point shooter, and a prospect who I felt was severely underrated. Lexi Ringley was one of the best players in the SVL during my time at Lapeer, and another prospect who I felt deserved more attention. The first time I saw [player_tooltip player_id='613424' first='Kendyl' last='Smith'] play was on the court at Mcbrook as an opposing coach. Her character and humility left a great impression on me in addition to her basketball skills. I didn't realize it fully at the time of the article, but our best offensive player was the prototypical wing college coaches are enamored by. Before I took the job at Lapeer, I watched film of Madison Spanicciati from her JV games. She chased down a breakaway layup like Tayshaun Prince and swatted the ball out of bounds. Maddie looked like a cross-country runner and had a competitive fire that you love to coach. The first year at PGH, I wrote from the perspective of an awe-struck high school coach, and that organic joy is palpable as you read the articles.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/03/d1-all-breslin-team/">D1 All-Breslin Team</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Description: The crowned jewel of high school girls basketball in Michigan is the semifinals and finals at the Breslin Center. Every year, upsets happen, shooting stars sparkle on the court, and a new prospect emerges to leave her mark. After my first year covering the games, I felt there needed to be an "All-Tournament" team. By selecting players from each division, the list became more inclusive. Sometimes a kid has the game of their life, and they lose in the semifinals. To make sure everyone reads their story, I include deserving players from the semifinals and finals in the All-Breslin teams.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>More Year One Favorites</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/08/freshman-showcase-bell-ringers-girls-basketball/">Freshman Showcase: Bell Ringers</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/09/upside-highest-platform-combine/">Upside Highest Platform Combine</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/10/preview-svl-north-teams-girls-basketball/">Preview: SVL North Teams</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/11/headliners-invitational-honors/">Headliners Invitational Honors</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/12/bluestreaks-leave-the-runway/">Bluestreaks Leave the Runway</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2023/12/a-week-for-the-history-books/">A Week for the History Books</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">YEAR TWO</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/08/michigan-jam-dynamic-duos/">Michigan Jam! Belleville, FGR, DCDHS Dynamic Duos</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Description: Inspired by the classic arcade game--NBA JAM, this is probably my favorite and most creative original idea for an article series at Prep Girls Hoops. Our graphics team created feature images for all of the dynamic duos, with custom ratings, and specific descriptions written for each player. Teams were placed into conferences, and the community participated in online polls to decide which duo advanced to the next round! Rockford won the championship and PGH coverage as a result. I'm excited to see who will win this year. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/08/pgh-freshman-showcase-awards/">PGH Freshman Showcase Awards!</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Description: A special feature of our PGH Circuit tournaments, and something everyone looks forward to, is the All-Tourney Team selections. The best performers from the tournament are included in a special post-event write-up, which often includes a special graphic with all the players on it. We decided to implement this same feature to our showcases. Danyle and I share our observations, then build an All-Showcase team. We each select an All-Showcase MVP based on our observations. How Danyle and I communicate, work together, and cover our showcases is something I am extremely proud of.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/12/michigan-player-of-the-week-dec-15th-21st/">PGH Michigan Player of the Week</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Description: Countless news companies cover high school sports during the winter season. That's actually why PGH coverage is so important and a unique resource for girls basketball. We cover the state weekly for 12 months of the year. Media/news outlets will typically have a regional player of the week. Prep Girls Hoops has a national Player of the Week throughout the high school season. However, I thought it would be fun and exciting to have a Michigan Player of the Week, so that's exactly what we did last year. Girls were nominated and one was selected as Michigan's Player of the Week for every week of the regular season. Those not selected were included as honorable mention. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/02/2025-senior-poty-finalists-pt-1/">PGH Michigan Senior Player of the Year Finalists Pt 1</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Description: News companies and coach organizations publish lists of all-state players, with one special senior receiving everlasting glory as "Miss Basketball". In the spirit of how college coaches evaluate by class and how we rank prospects by class, I thought it would fit our model to select a Player of the Year for every class. Players were eligible for consideration based on their success, and the success of their team. Only players whose teams ranked/rated amongst the best by reputable sources could be included as a finalist for Player of the Year. I found the criteria for individuals to be amongst the most valuable/productive in their class on the most successful teams to be a refreshing take on postseason awards. We recognized many players from each grade as finalists and selected two Players of the Year per grade. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/02/bells-best-teams-week-13/">Bell's Best Teams: Week 13</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Description: Other team rankings were being published during the 2024-25 season, so I decided to throw my hat in the ring. I saw some of the rankings being published, and since I was already watching so many games, why not publish my own weekly rankings for public consumption? A unique aspect of my rankings, and something I take pride in, is how the list evolves week to week. Key wins, key losses, and weekly results are included for each team in the rankings. This makes the writing process take longer, but also provides credibility to how teams are ranked. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/12/yooper-hoopers-week-two/">Yooper Hoopers: Week Two</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Description: I know I can be very outspoken about how important it is for writers/scouts to be in the gym. The U.P. is somewhere is a place that's very difficult to cover during the high school season because of distance, but that doesn't mean those schools don't deserve media coverage. Last season, I decided to create the "Yooper Hoopers" article series with one goal in mind--provide PGH coverage for prospects and schools over the bridge! Every week, I would watch game film of different teams and write about top performers. I enjoyed learning about new prospects, while helping our community learn more about U.P. hoopers as well. I've journeyed north to cover the girls in person the past two summers, and I'm very happy about the strides we've made to help girls receive college exposure!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">TOPICAL ARTICLES</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2024/08/michigan-rankings-explained-2/">PGH Michigan Rankings Explained</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/03/what-does-d2-look-like/">What Does D2 Look Like?</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/04/what-do-college-coaches-want/">What Do College Coaches Want?</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/02/bells-60-best-uncommitted-2025s/">Bell's 60 Best Uncommitted 2025s</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->