Run 4 Roses Classic Day One: Palmetto State Standouts

July 10 was the beginning of one of the more ballyhooed live periods of the year. With college coaches and scouts on the road, talent around the country – and the world – are looking to bring their best in hopes of landing offers.    Arguably, the most anticipated event of the travel season is Run 4 Roses at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. Thousands of teams converge on Derby City for the huge event and it even garners national television attention from ESPN.    We at Prep Girls Hoops always have a robust presence in Louisville for Roses weekend – and this year is no exception. As always, South Carolina ensures it is well represented in the Bluegrass State. Here are a few Palmetto State primetime performers from Roses Thursday.     In 2024-25, Dates put together one of the signature eighth grade campaigns for anyone in South Carolina and displayed that once again under the bright lights of Run 4 The Roses. She got her weekend in Derby City off to a excellent start as her Lowcountry Premier Ballers 2028 team matched up against TN Rush 2028. Dates showcased an ability to make plays on both ends of the floor and translated her defense into offense. She displayed that she has no problems absorbing contact and can put points on the board from virtually anywhere on the floor. Dates averaged 15 points last season for 5A Division 2 Goose Creek.      This coming season's version of Wando will have a veteran core as its nucleus. One element of that veteran core was in full effect at the Kentucky Expo Center. She was representing SC Future at Run 4 Roses. Mazyck approaches every game she plays with a heads up attitude and is every bit as efficient a passer and ball-handler as she is a scorer. Mazyck has played at the varsity level since she was an eighth grader and has improved with the experience she has garnered. Her play in Louisville showcased why the 5A Division 1 Warriors were 21-5 last season – and why Wando should see plenty of time in the win column once again in 2025-26.      When thinking of rising stars who put together signature freshman seasons, Phoenix from 2A Burke certainly comes to mind. While Phoenix does thrive as a frontcourt stalwart, she displays how versatile she can be with her ability to make plays at the two and at the wing. Phoenix is a consistent rebounder who also comes up big on defense with steals. If the 5-foot-10 sophomore has the ball near the basket, there is a good chance it will mean two more points. She averaged 17.7 points, 8.6 rebounds 4.1 steals and 1.7 blocks per contest last season with the Bulldogs and was a major reason why Burke concluded the 2024-25 season with a record of 21-7.      One of the latter games of Friday's Roses play featured Lowcountry Premier matching up against a team Columbia Supreme 2028. Typically, this would mean another team from South Carolina but the Palmetto State adversaries hail from the other Columbia in Missouri. Griffin showed the Missouri team plenty in that contest. She displayed what she could done not only as a scorer but as a rebounder. Since she primarily plays at the two, it is appropriate that a 3-point shot would be part of her overall offensive repertoire. Defensively she can make plays as well – as evidenced by the 1.7 steals she averaged in her freshman season at 5A Division 2 Goose Creek. Griffin also averaged 8.5 points last season in her freshman campaign.      Johnsen – a standout of 3A Hanahan – was a key reason why the Hawks put together its most successful season since 2012-13. She is a fearless attacker of the rim and fuses together ball handling capabilities with speed and quickness that is difficult for opposing defenses to contain. Listed at 5-foot-7, Johnsen thrives in as a backcourt stalwart that will find driving lanes to the cup. She will also have games where she can compile plenty of steals. She displayed plenty of improvement in her sophomore season at Hanahan, averaging 9.5 points and 4.4 steals playing all 24 games for the Hawks.      Lowcountry Premier teams had impressive showings at Roses Thursday. One of the latter matchups for Lowcountry Premier Ballers' 2027 version was against Lady Focus 2027 based on the other side of the Ohio River in Indiana. Espinal was a matchup problem for the Hoosier State AAU assembling. Whenever she had the ball, it appeared as if two points was automatic. She consistently played with her back to the basket and effectively utilized the glass to convert on tough shots. More effective paint play from Espinal will be key to another deep playoff run for coach Calvin Davis and his Summerville Green Wave – last season's 5A Division 1 state runners-up.      Early on that Roses Thursday, a pair of standouts from 5A Division 2 Greenwood showed up big for FBC Next Up Lady Wolves 17U NE2K. One of those, per usual, was Oliver. Her team was matched up against Louisiana-based Livingston Ladies 2026 NE2K in one of the first games that day. The team from Louisiana came away with the 51-42 victory, but Oliver displayed exactly why she (and twin sister Cameron) are beginning to stack up college offers. Whether it is her ability to put points on the board from virtually any place on the court, her court awareness, veteran instincts or her willingness to lead by example, Oliver has what it takes to thrive at the next level.     Much of the roster for FBC Next Up Lady Wolves 17U NE2K is comprised of standouts from Greenwood – last season's 5A Division 2 runners-up. Despite the 51-42 decision that went in favor of Livingston Ladies 2026 NE2K, Johnson still ensured that the victory the Louisiana team would earn would be hard-fought. Her scoring and rebounding already make her a force to be reckoned with in the frontcourt and that is complimented by her ability to convert on tough shots. Johnson also understands that playing in the paint means playing physical – and that means drawing contact which can place her at the free throw line. She is a tall task to game plan for on both ends of the court – and not only because of her stature and interior presence.

July 10 was the beginning of one of the more ballyhooed live periods of the year. With college coaches and scouts on the road, talent around the country – and the world – are looking to bring their best in hopes of landing offers.