Defensive Difference-Makers On The AAU Hardwood

To be a defensive difference-maker on the AAU floor you have to be fast, disciplined, and knowledgeable of what type of prospect you are matched up against. In this article we highlight individuals who have been playing some of the best defensive basketball of their careers, while still being productive on the offensive end at the same time.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    We featured Kaylee Hanson a few weeks ago because of her effort during her team's first AAU tournament of the Spring season. Hanson was someone for Iowa Hoop Dreams that they could turn too. She made a lasting impact as a scoring threat by the hoop, while being a top notch rebounder and defender each contest. She also recorded a number of steals from her SG position and those steals turned into opportunities going the other way. It seemed like every time we turned to look the other way, she was either recording another steal, rebound, bucket, or assist. This is going to be someone to keep an eye on as we continue to move into the Summer. She has really nice size for being a SG out of the 2028 Class and she should continue to get better as she gets more experience under her belt.     You don't become the #1 prospect out of your grade level in your state at 5'5 without being able to get after it on the defensive end. That's the situation that Kinley Ford is currently in. She is the best 2029 in Nebraska at this time and that's because of her seasoned play style at the guard position. She is the type that is VERY talented on both sides of the ball but her main ability is making everyone else around her better. She does a good job of showing early on during games that she can get her hands on several tips/deflections as a contest wears on. Her quick feet and the way she reacts to passes coming her way is so natural that it looks effortless when she gets a steal and takes it down the other way. It's also important to note that she is good at working through screening action whenever it's put in her way because of how well she communicates. Ford is going to bring in a handful of D1 offers on the road this AAU season. She just has to do her thing and the rest will be history.     We haven't been able to see Hallie Vander Weerdt compete for almost a year now due to injury but she should be back this AAU season and whenever she takes the court, she is someone that you have to worry about if you trying to get into the teeth of their defense. Vander Weerdt is a 6'1 Forward with coordinated footwork, a soft touch, and better than average reach. She knows how to clean up the glass on both ends of the floor and she always makes a great effort of getting down the floor in the blink of an eye. Whenever you are competing against someone like that, you need to prepared for blocked shots to happen near the hoop. Vander Weerdt knows her size and knows that she doesn't need to jump to block someone's shot so she likes to stay down when the shot clock starts to tick down and that makes things very challenging for the opponent.     Jayda Nobles is a name to note out of the 2031 Class. I'm not sure if she is going to end up playing high school ball out of Iowa but wherever she goes, she is going to KILL it if her progression over the next few seasons stays steady. Nobles has an impressive knowledge of the game when it comes to X's and O's, she is a standout as a defender against ANY position as a Guard, she can score from most offensive levels already, and she seems like she plays with a chip on her shoulder. We have seen some really impressive middle school aged players these last few weeks and Nobles is definitely on that list. She is a lock down specialist and everything else within her game follow that notion. It's still extremely early in her career but you can tell that she is going to be a top prospect within her Class.

To be a defensive difference-maker on the AAU floor you have to be fast, disciplined, and knowledgeable of what type of prospect you are matched up against. In this article we highlight individuals who have been playing some of the best defensive basketball of their careers, while still being productive on the offensive end at the same time.