IE WarGames Super Scrimmages: Paint Presence

Some of the very best post players in Georgia made big impacts for their teams and looked primed and ready to play in front of division one college coaches next weekend when the first Live Period events takes place across the country. The youth movement in the group was very strong, consisting of mostly underclassmen. Guards are much more plentiful, making these players much more valuable and desired by big time college coaches. If their level of play continues, I expect these players to receive a lot of interest and scholarship offers at the end of the Summer.    Ojeme's play will only got better with more time on the court. She has all the potential in the world to be a major recruit for division one coaches. Akudo has only been in the country for less than a year, coming from Austria to play tennis. The mobility and agility, along with the footwork, has translated seamlessly to basketball. At 6'2 with a very good dominate left hand and elite athleticism, Ojeme is still learning the game but was by far the most improved player in the state from November until the Region tournament in February. She has a very soft touch around the rim, is an excellent shot blocker and rebounder who attacks the ball in the air. She is figuring out her offensive game on the fly, but she is a dynamic slasher to the basket with ball already and finishes well around the rim. She has the ability to step out and knock down shots from the midrange and from behind the three point line. Ojeme is one of the most exciting prospects I have come across in a long time. She is a very intelligent kid who wants to be a mechanical engineer when her playing days are over. If things continue the way they have the last 6 months, then that may not be for a while.     Daniels was very good for [program_tooltip program_id='713173' first='Wood' last='Elite'] 2028, dominating one stretch of a game I watched scoring in the paint and getting to the free throw line. Like the other players in this article, Daniels size, skills, and ability to move with fluidity and ease make her a player that college coaches will be very excited about. Daniels, like Ojeme, is fairly new to the state and I watched her for the first time this high school season. She is a match up nightmare for opposing defenses as her quickness and ball handling ability allows her to blow by slower defenders on the perimeter. Niya is equally as dangerous scoring against smaller defenders in the post. She has a very soft touch around the rim stretching out to about 10-12 feet, but is capable of making shots from three point range. Originally from New Jersey, Daniels first year in Georgia she had an outstanding freshman season at Commerce drawing rave reviews from other coaches in the region. Georgia's 2029 class is loaded with big name players and a lot of talent, but Daniels play and her potential has her right near the top of that list. She has a very bright future, starting with a big tournament in Ohio this weekend.     Layla did what she does this weekend in Charlotte on the court for [program_tooltip program_id='713452' first='FBC' last=''] United- block shots impressively and with authority, run the floor really well for her size, and showed very good touch shooting the basketball. Adams is a very intriguing prospect who has the physical gifts every player and coach dreams off and she uses it well. Layla is explosive around the rim and uses her wingspan to her advantage swatting balls out of bounds and clearing the boards on both ends of the floor. She has the ability to knockdown shots from the midrange pretty consistently from the times I have watched her and she does a nice job converting those offensive rebounds into easy put backs. There is a lot to love about Adams potential as a player. She is a player who has already drawn the interests of several programs in the Power Four conferences including offers from schools like UGA and Ole Miss. Her team will be on the main courts with some of the biggest crowds of major division one college coaches anywhere in the country at every live period event playing for Coach Mo, so the opportunity to shine and standout in front of the people you want to will be there. Layla has all the ability and size to draw more interest and earn more offers from the best women's college basketball programs in the country.     This was the second tournament in a row where I saw Wilson and her Southeast United team play multiple times and I came away equally impressed with her as a player each time. When looking at Wilson on the court, the last thing that popped into my mind was the thought that at her size she would be a very good shooter from 10-12 feet. Her size is impossible to ignore and she uses it very well attacking the glass, blocking shots, and scoring on the interior, however Tree's ability to shoot the ball consistently from the midrange and the free throw line (as good as any post I have seen in travel ball so far) will separate her from other posts in her class at national events during the live period. Her ability to stretch the floor shooting the ball outside allows her to blow by slower defenders who try guard her on the perimeter. She has been outstanding in the first two tournaments I watched her play and I expect that trend to continue and Tree to have a very big Summer for coach John McGraw.     This event without question was the best that I have seen Elle play. With her size and skill the potential has always been there for Sellers, but she has been stuck behind a log jam of talented bigs at Kell High school limiting her time on the floor. Sellers came out like a player on a mission starting in game one where she caught the ball, ripped it through with authority, and attacked the basket with controlled aggression scoring multiple times in impressive fashion. Sellers also showed that she can consistently make shots from the perimeter to go along with her excellent slashing ability. Sellers did a good job on the boards and defensively, as well as getting out and sprinting to the rim on fast break opportunities for NextUp. Elle and [player_tooltip player_id='1756360' first='Akudo' last='Ojeme'] have every good chemistry on the front line for that team and the two played well off each other whenever they shared the court.     Faruk played very well for Coach Pitts and his [program_tooltip program_id='713452' first='FBC' last=''] United team at Charlotte on the main courts against the best competition. She has an excellent frame at 6'2/6'3 with broad shoulders and very long arms. She plays with power and strength at times, others with skill and finesse. Faruk ran the floor really well and did a nice job finishing on the break for United. She was effective scoring the ball on the block posting up as well as slashing to the basket and converting offensive boards to easy points with multiple put backs. Faruk got to the free throw line and shot it well when she did. Defensively she blocked and altered shots while playing with a great motor and a lot of effort. Samira was no non-sense on the court and her demeanor was all business. She is another player who has been in the country for less than two years coming from Ghana to pursue to her dreams. With a Summer of continued consistency, those dreams should come true as she should have no problem finding a home to play college ball after her last season of travel and high school ball this year.     Jeanna looks like a college player right now, even compared to some of the biggest players at the event. She obviously has the height at 6'1, but her power and strength give her the look of a traditional, back to the basket post player. It was quite a surprise for me to see her step out to the three point line multiple times in each game to take shots from three point range. She looked good doing it. I have seen her play probably ten times the last 2-3 years and she took more three point shots this weekend than she did in every event combined before. She already holds multiple division one offers, including one from Wake Forest, but her stock will only continue to rise if she can continue to consistently pop out and be a threat to score from outside the paint as well. Scoring inside is something she has done well for a long time. She has soft hands catching the ball and finishing around the rim when targeted in the offense, but does a lot of her damage hitting the offensive boards hard getting easy put backs for herself or extra possessions for her team.

Some of the very best post players in Georgia made big impacts for their teams and looked primed and ready to play in front of division one college coaches next weekend when the first Live Period events takes place across the country. The youth movement in the group was very strong, consisting of mostly underclassmen. Guards are much more plentiful, making these players much more valuable and desired by big time college coaches. If their level of play continues, I expect these players to receive a lot of interest and scholarship offers at the end of the Summer.