Cherokee Invitational: New Faces, Big Impacts

Several players I had not seen before from Georgia made big contributions to their teams at the tournament. They were tested against stout competition and accounted themselves well.    Brown looked very comfortable and confident on the court for Campbell, especially for a freshman. It didn't take long for her to show how good of a player she is offensively. Brown drove to the basket successfully on several occasions with good results. She scored on a nicely timed back cut to the basket and also knocked down a smooth step back three. Ariel played within the offense and made good passes. She played hard on the defensive end guarding the ball and in help side defense and also contributed on the boards.     Gaither caught my initially by how hard and how quick she was sprinting the floor in transition from defense to offense which ended in easy points for her. Gaither also made things happen with ball in her hands. On one play she caught the ball, squared up, and then took two dribbles left for a nice finish at the rim. Gaither competed hard in a very close game and showed a high basketball IQ playing a great floor game for Campbell.     Parent has good size for a wing player and did a good job using her strength to be physical on defense and rebounding the ball. She played very hard when she was on the court and ended up on the floor multiple times going after loose balls creating extra possessions for the Longhorns. Parent is a very good shooter, which she showed knocking down shots from three and the free throw line. She was especially effective shooting from the lower wing/corner. Parent valued the ball on offense and made good decisions committing very few turnovers in a high-pressure game.     Margiotta is a physically strong player who is also very quick. She picked opposing ball handlers full court and applied constant pressure. Margiotta showed that same toughness and aggressiveness when South Forsyth deployed their 1-3-1 half court trap. She played very unselfish on offense and made the right pass or play. She used her athleticism to get out on the break and score as well as driving by defenders and kicking the ball out to open shooters. Margiotta can be more of a factor scoring the ball and South Forsyth will need that during the state playoffs in February.     Price did some nice things on both ends of the floor for Hampton. Paris has great quickness and played with a good motor in the game I saw. On offense, Price got into the heart of the defense with her dribble multiple times where she was able to score or draw the defense and dish to open teammates. Price is a strong kid that handles the ball really well. On defense, Price used that strength and quickness to make ball handlers uncomfortable and cause turnovers for Hampton. Price made up for a lack of height with a big heart and great effort.

Several players I had not seen before from Georgia made big contributions to their teams at the tournament. They were tested against stout competition and accounted themselves well.