Airport Showcase: Top Performers

On Monday, I journeyed southbound down I-275 to attend the 12th annual Airport Basketball Showcase Event in Carleton. This showcase provides a great opportunity for me to evaluate downriver prospects, while also giving new high school teams Prep Girls Hoops coverage. With games from 10 AM to 7:30 PM, there were plenty of games to watch throughout the day. The event was very well organized and operated by the host. Dozens of prospects emerged throughout the day, but these eight separated themselves as top performers.    Brenna came through in the clutch and gave Airport a spark with her perimeter shooting. She dropped in a baseline floater and drained a smooth corner three. Brenna ignited a fourth-quarter surge by the Jets by burying back-to-back corner threes. She was active on the boards and poured in 13 points with six rebounds.     Aliah was one of the most productive and complete players on the court at the Airport Showcase. She kept her feet moving and scored a tough opposite-hand finish off a backdoor cut. Aliah pursued rebounds and used a swift spin move during a free throw attempt to escape the box out and grab the offensive board. She buried a straightaway three, converted free throws, fired passes to open teammates, scored putbacks, and created steals. Aliah scored 12 points with nine rebounds, five steals, and five assists for South Lyon East.     Ella was the newcomer of the day at the Airport Showcase, and she's going to be the next great prospect coming out of Ida. Whenever you find an athletic 6-foot forward with ability and mobility, it's a successful day for a scout. Ella ran the floor well, maintained a strong stance in the post on both ends, deflected passes with active hands, and was a phenomenal help-side defender. She stunted at a ball-handler in a 2v1 scenario to force a travel and caused multiple turnovers as the last defender in transition. Ella closed out hard to block a shot out of bounds with authority. She muscled her way into position to secure offensive rebounds and scored putbacks efficiently off two feet. Ella showed good touch on her entry passes and fired a rocket pass up the court to a teammate for a breakaway bucket. Ella put up 13 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and two blocks in the win.     Spencer was one of the best forwards in the gym at the Airport Showcase, and her determination against a tough opponent didn't go unnoticed. Spencer took the ball strong to the hole and muscled her way into position to secure offensive rebounds. She powered through contact to score an and-one putback and added another strong finish through a foul on a drive. Spencer jumped a pass for the steal and took it the other way with pace to score a full-court layup off two feet. She dished out assists and protected the rim. Spencer poured in 18 points with 11 rebounds, four blocks, and three steals for Woodhaven.     Jillian will have a number next to her name in the next rankings update. Her playmaking against college-caliber guards at the Airport Showcase kept Carlson in the game and showed why she's a promising point guard prospect. Jillian pushed the ball up the court with speed in transition, using both hands. She used a quick crossover and finished the layup without slowing down. Jillian dropped in a high floater off the glass and buried mid-range pull-up jumpers off the bounce. Jillian used shifty, low crossovers and effective pocket dribble combinations to escape pressure. She chased down rebounds and stayed active to generate steals on the defensive end. Jillian had 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists.     Lila had a very productive day for Woodhaven at the Airport Showcase and left a great impression in the first game I've seen her play. She shifted into high gear, split the defense, and scored a graceful layup in traffic. Lila drove hard through contact and converted the layup, then swiped the ball away to score another tough, contested layup on a runout. She chased down a defensive rebound, used quick, low crossovers to navigate past defenders, and accelerated to score the full-court layup. Lila cut backdoor to score a strong and-one layup and switched hands on a full-speed drive-by for another layup. She led the team with 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds.     Olivia entered Monday's showcase at Airport eyeing an important career milestone. She turned in a gritty and determined effort to get it done. Olivia evaded a defender using a fake-pass euro-step move and converted the tough layup. She moved her feet quickly and walled up to block a shot. Olivia took a DHO downhill, changed directions with a crossover, then finished the tough and-one, plus the free throw. She turned on the jets and zoomed past defenders in transition to score her 1,000th career point in style. Olivia produced 13 points with five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in the win.     Halle is having a stellar sophomore campaign for Saline, and she was firing on all cylinders at the Airport Showcase. Halle stuffed the stat sheet and impacted every area of the game. Her determined pursuit of the ball led to many second-chance scoring opportunities for the Hornets. She crashed the glass and jumped up to snag rebounds at it's highest point. Halle distributed accurate passes into the post confidently using either hand. Her pressure produced steals on defense, and she attacked downhill with a burst to score layups. Halle went left all the way on a straight line drive and finished with her left off two feet. She has the versatility to play positions 1-3 and adapts to the needs of the team. Halle posted 11 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the win.

On Monday, I journeyed southbound down I-275 to attend the 12th annual Airport Basketball Showcase Event in Carleton. This showcase provides a great opportunity for me to evaluate downriver prospects, while also giving new high school teams Prep Girls Hoops coverage. With games from 10 AM to 7:30 PM, there were plenty of games to watch throughout the day. The event was very well organized and operated by the host. Dozens of prospects emerged throughout the day, but these eight separated themselves as top performers.