5th Annual TTP Middle School All-Star Game: Standout Performers

Bakersfield, CA - This past Sunday, March 22nd, I attended the 5th Annual Middle School All-Star Games, featuring the top girl and boy players from the South Valley of the Central Section. The girls game featured 20 players from various schools in Kern County, which was won by Team Bailey over Team Amya, 59 to 45. This article takes a look at 8 standout players from Sunday's girls all-star game and includes the following information: players name, height, grad class, relevant statistics that I kept, how they played in the game, and their skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Presley Carter.   Presley Carter |5'9| 2031   Carter was not much of an impact in the first half of the girl's all-star game, but had a monster second half to help lead Team Bailey to the win, 59 to 45, after being down one at intermission. Carter would end with a team-high 18 points to go along with 5 rebounds. Carter showed good court awareness around the basket, has nice touch on shots within 15 feet from the cup, is active on the boards, and finds openings in the defense to get open for drop off passes. Carter runs the floor well, gets ahead of the defense, and is accurate with the mid-range shot. Carter has a bright future ahead of her as her skills develop over the next few years and into high school.    Amya Curry |5'2| 2030   Curry has solid handles, shifty moves to get her defender off balance, plays with good pace and feel for the flow of the game, and a quick burst of speed off the bounce. Curry had a solid showing in the girls all-star game, as she would score 8 points and generate 3 steals, which displayed her ability to impact both sides of the court. Curry gets to her shot spots, showed she can open the court with the 3-ball off the catch, and has the court vision to find open teammates when on the attack off the drive and kick pass, which resulted in her dishing out 3 assists. Curry will have a chance to play at the varsity level next year, depending on where she attends.     Taytum Hammond |5'2| 2031   Hammond got it going in the second half for Team Amya, as she would score all 7 of her points after the break, connecting on a 3-ball to show she can space the floor from the perimeter. Hammond displayed quality lead guard skills, the handles to control the pace of play, the court vision to find open teammates attacking off the dribble, a crafty scorer around the basket, with touch on the floater, and a relentless motor, diving on the ground or tying up her opponent for the jump ball.   Adri Martinez |5'8| 2031   Martinez displayed her ability to impact the game on both ends, in particular, her offensive skill set as a play maker and shot maker, putting up a monster stat-line and earning Most Outstanding Player honors for the winning Team Bailey. Martinez would go for 13 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals, providing the scoring punch needed to keep her team within striking distance in the first half, then dishing out dimes in the second half as her teammates started to heat up. Martinez has solid handles, uses the crossover and spin-move to create space from her defender, has the strength to score through contact at the basket, and was accurate with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line. Martinez crashes the boards on both ends, has the handle to push up the court, limits the opposition to single shot possessions, and has active hands to get into her opponents dribbling space or deflect passes to create steals and turnovers. Martinez was the most versatile player in the girls all-star game and being only a 7th grader, she will be an impact player as soon as she hits the high school hardwood.   Kiley Phillips |5'6| 2030   Phillips was one of the more intriguing prospects in the girls all-star game, with her athleticism, long wingspan, and ability to play lock-up on-ball defense. Phillips was one rebound shy of a double-double, as she would go for 10 points and 9 rebounds, to go along with 2 steals, connecting on a 3-ball to show her ability to spread the floor and open up driving lanes. Phillips has good lateral quickness, stays in front of her opponent, active hands to poke the ball out or deflect pass, turning defense to offense, and uses her length and bounce to control the boards, with the ability to push the ball up the court. Definitely one to keep an eye on the next four years.    Avery Rodriguez |5'9| 2030   Rodriguez was an absolute force in the paint on both ends in the girls all-star game, putting up an eye-popping stat-line that showed her ability to impact a game without scoring much. Rodriguez only scored 3 points, but it was her activity on the glass and her high-level rim protection that stood out most. Rodriguez pulled down 9 rebounds, getting good positioning on the box out, using her length to tip the ball to herself, and kept the ball at her chin to prevent smaller players from poking the ball out. Rodriguez displayed her ability to be a true rim protector finishing with 5 blocks, using her wingspan, good timing, and quick movement to swat the ball away. She runs the floor well in the open court and has good touch around the basket, but does all the things that help a team have success.   Bailey Smith |5'9| 2031   Smith has emerged as one of the top scorers in middle school in the South Valley and she had her offensive arsenal on display, especially in the second half. Smith had 5 points in the first half, including a 3-ball off the dribble, but really got it going in the second half, scoring 13 of her team-high 18 points after the break. Smith has solid handles, uses the crossover, hesitation, spin-move, and Euro-step to keep her defender off balance, has the body control to score through contact down the lane, and is accurate with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line. Smith showed she can score in volume, but also displayed her ability to create for others with the ball in her hands, and the court vision to find open teammates on the drive and kick pass, as she would end up with 5 assists to go with her scoring. Smith will be one of the top prospects in her class when she gets to the high school ranks, but will continue to develop her skill set and scoring arsenal for now.    Aaliyah Valenzuela |5'5| 2030   Valenzuela put on a shooting clinic and led the girls all-star game in scoring and 3-point shooting. Valenzuela would drop 20 points, connecting on 4 threes in the process, and was knocking down shots from the college 3-point line in Bakersfield College's old gym. Valenzuela has solid handles, the moves to create off the perimeter, fluid off-ball movement to get to her shot spots, and can light it up from beyond the arc, which opens up the court and driving lanes for her or her teammates to attack. She also showed she can score amongst height in the paint, and has a smooth mid-range jumper. Valenzuela will likely be a varsity player next year, and with her shooting ability, could make an impact immediately.

Bakersfield, CA - This past Sunday, March 22nd, I attended the 5th Annual Middle School All-Star Games, featuring the top girl and boy players from the South Valley of the Central Section. The girls game featured 20 players from various schools in Kern County, which was won by Team Bailey over Team Amya, 59 to 45. This article takes a look at 8 standout players from Sunday's girls all-star game and includes the following information: players name, height, grad class, relevant statistics that I kept, how they played in the game, and their skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and we begin with Presley Carter.