Nike Nationals: 17U Stockrisers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On&nbsp;<strong>July 18^th-21^st,</strong>&nbsp;the&nbsp;<strong>Nike Tournament of Champions</strong>, presenting&nbsp;<strong>EYBL&nbsp;</strong>and&nbsp;<strong>Nike Nationals</strong>, took place in&nbsp;<strong>Chicago</strong>. The event consisted of over 800 teams spanning all 50 states as well as parts of&nbsp;<strong>Canada</strong>. I was able to check out several teams in action during the 4-day event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Here, I look at some of my stockrisers from the Nike Nationals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='673100' first='Tamia' last='Pietila'] <strong>([program_tooltip program_id='1276371' first='Southwest' last='Premier'] Red 17U EYCL</strong>) – Pietila continued to impress in Chicago with her stellar floor game and playmaking ability. She was hard for opponents to keep out of the paint, and when she got there, it was often good results.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='614984' first='Lamaiya' last='Woodberry'] <strong>(Peak-Patricia)</strong> – Lamaiya was in attack mode the entire weekend with her downhill game. When she mixed that in with some outside shooting, she was a tough cover. Woodberry also showed that she can run the point when needed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='608451' first='Aaliyah' last='Rogers'] <strong>([program_tooltip program_id='1276371' first='Southwest' last='Premier'] Black 17U EYCL)</strong> – Rogers was in her playmaking mode during the event. She was able to get by her man consistently and create good looks for her teammates. On defense, she had her hands in a bunch of deflections and steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='558946' first='Mackenzie' last='Buckner'] <strong>([program_tooltip program_id='1276371' first='Southwest' last='Premier'] Black 17U EYCL)</strong> – Buckner was in the conversation for the best in-state player that I saw. She did a variety of things, from bringing the ball up court to operating on the low block. I know coaches took notice of her performance game in and game out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='754705' first='Ashley' last='Shaw']<strong> ([program_tooltip program_id='1276371' first='Southwest' last='Premier'] Red 17U EYCL)</strong> –<strong> </strong>Ashley continued to shine with her play. The lefty played with confidence and was a bright spot for her squad. She did a good job of getting to the mid-range and creating for herself and her team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='754856' first='Jayla' last='Freeman'] <strong>(Desert Dream Elite 17U) </strong>– Jayla was easily one of the more explosive players that I saw during the event. She got to pretty much anywhere on the court that she wanted to. She constantly had defenders on their heels.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='749674' first='Braya' last='Neal-Tiffany'] <strong>(Desert Dream Elite 17U)</strong> -Whatever her team needed from her at that moment, Braya seemed to provide it. If it was a bucket, an assist, a defensive stop, clutch rebound, she was often there to provide it. Her stock continues to rise heading into her junior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->