PGH Great Lakes Kickoff: 15U Sunday Afternoon Standouts

Here are several 15U prospects who made a major impact for their teams and caught my attention during Sunday's games at the Great Lakes Kickoff.    Keagan had the ball on a string for [program_tooltip program_id='712446' first='Chicago' last='Hoops Express'] 15U on Sunday at the Great Lakes Kickoff. Her craftiness, shooting, and active defense stood out on the court. She picked off a pass on the defensive end, created space with quick crossover dribbles, then dished out an assist to the corner. Keagan showed off her accuracy from downtown, burying a straightaway three off the catch and another smooth triple from the wing. She leaped up to bat a pass down on the perimeter for a steal and knocked down a pull-up jumper from the elbow off a DHO.     Lola was dominant in the paint for [program_tooltip program_id='712446' first='Chicago' last='Hoops Express'] 15U on Sunday at the Great Lakes Kickoff. Her length and mobility gave opposing forwards fits. She protected the rim, swatting multiple shots away, and relentlessly crashed the glass to secure several offensive rebounds. Lola scored many putbacks, including a strong and-one finish and another off two feet over a contesting defender. She forced the defense to send her to the free throw line and knocked them down efficiently.     Heavenlee picked up a steal, dribbled up the sideline with her left hand, got the angle, then scored a strong and-one. Her quick feet and gritty defensive effort generated many steals. She looked to set up teammates, made great entry passes, and dished out assists, including a difficult jump pass over a defender in the paint. After stealing the ball, Heavenlee raced up the court with explosive speed in transition using both hands, charged through the lane, absorbed contact, and finished at the rim. She takes the ball through gaps like a running back. Heavenlee knocked down a tough, contested jumper in the paint and converted free throws at the line. Her defense, ability to get downhill, and effectiveness as a facilitator stood out at the Great Lakes Kickoff with [program_tooltip program_id='712446' first='Chicago' last='Hoops Express'] 15U.     Kylah has length, athleticism, a smooth perimeter jumper, and finishes through contact. She caught a pass in the paint, used a drop step, absorbed the contact, and finished strong for the and-one. Kylah made her presence felt on the defensive end as well. She closed out hard to block a shot on the perimeter, then swiped the ball away, used a sweet high-pick-up euro step to avoid a defender, landed on two feet, and scored in traffic. She used her length to disrupt shots and was active on the boards. Kylah secured a rebound, showed off her speed by pushing the ball the length of the floor, and finished off two. She fired a deep go-ahead three from the slot that found nothing but net--string music. Kylah converted free throws efficiently from the line and is a must-see guard-wing prospect with [program_tooltip program_id='1605164' first='4C' last='Sports Academy'] 15U, who made a huge splash at the Great Lakes Kickoff.     [player_tooltip player_id='1231936' first='Collins' last=''] finished a tough shot at the rim against a long defender. Her speedy dribbles and crossovers beat full-court pressure. She weaved through the defense to create wide-open shots for teammates inside and on the perimeter. [player_tooltip player_id='1231936' first='Collins' last=''] knocked down her free throws and shot the ball confidently from beyond the arc, drilling two smooth triples from the wing. She threw a dime for an assist off a sideline inbounds play and was very impactful for [program_tooltip program_id='871458' first='Illinois' last='Spartans'] 15U at the Great Lakes Kickoff on Sunday.     Jazzy made a great impression with [program_tooltip program_id='1605164' first='4C' last='Sports Academy'] 15U at the Great Lakes Kickoff with her relentless rebounding effort. She worked for positioning inside with an endless motor and scored multiple putbacks once she grabbed the rebound. Jazzy scored an and-one jumper through contact on the block, then completed the three-point play at the line. Her pressure in the backcourt forced a turnover, and Jazzy secured an important defensive rebound down the stretch with strong hands.     Avery was a defensive stopper for [program_tooltip program_id='871458' first='Illinois' last='Spartans'] 15U, and her relentless hustle made her impossible to miss at the Great Lakes Kickoff on Sunday. One of her highlights happened when Avery hustled to save a loose ball going out of bounds, then sprinted right back into the play to block a shot attempt in the paint with authority. She closed out hard to block shots on the perimeter, picked off passes from the gap, and turned a steal into a speedy layup in transition. Avery split defenders with a dribble burst on her drives to earn trips to the free-throw line. She made great entry and kickout passes for assists.     Just watching the game, you'd have no idea Elizabeth was playing up a grade. She was poised against full-court pressure, aggressive, and a multidimensional contributor for [program_tooltip program_id='715984' first='Illinois' last='Defenders'] 15U from start to finish. Elizabeth shot the ball confidently from beyond the arc, burying open threes from the wing and the corner. She pursued rebounds on both ends of the court and changed hands comfortably to create space from defenders. Elizabeth used a quick crossover, shifted gears, and blew by to score before the help could arrive. She swiped the ball away, beat a double team in the backcourt, then finished with a fancy fake pass layup. Elizabeth dished out assists and penetrated gaps with her hard drives. She had a stellar Sunday at the Great Lakes Kickoff.     Maliyah has length, strength, and versatility that make her an impactful inside/outside prospect. Her athleticism and high motor stood out at the Great Lakes Kickoff with [program_tooltip program_id='1605164' first='4C' last='Sports Academy'] 15U. She stepped outside to bury a wing three, drove hard to the rim, finished strong inside, knocked down key free throws, and worked hard to secure rebounds.     Tess contributed in every area of the game for [program_tooltip program_id='871458' first='Illinois' last='Spartans'] 15U on Sunday at the Great Lakes Kickoff. She played hard on both ends and was the team's court general, effectively facilitating the offense. Tess had a burst on her drives, kept her dribble alive under pressure, and fired quick, crisp passes to open teammates, which led to many assists. She drained a smooth straightaway triple off the bounce and another three in the corner. Tess created space to attack with her shifty inside-outs and crossover combinations. She split defenders and accelerated to the rim for layups. Tess crashed the glass to secure multiple offensive rebounds and generated steals with her scrappy pressure. She scored an and-one layup in top gear with her left, turning in a complete performance.     Allison immediately popped out on the court with her length, skill, and confidence at the Great Lakes Kickoff. She has deep range and ripped the net with threes from the slot and up top. Allison crashed the boards to secure offensive rebounds and forced a foul with perfect box-out technique. She handled the ball well with both hands, changing directions with a variety of crossovers and between-the-legs combinations. Allison reverses the court and creates wide-open looks for teammates with her sharp skip passes. Her instincts as a facilitator led to many assists. Allison has length, handles, perimeter accuracy, and IQ that give her a high ceiling as a guard at the next level. She'll be a prospect to follow on [program_tooltip program_id='715984' first='Illinois' last='Defenders'] 15U this spring.

Here are several 15U prospects who made a major impact for their teams and caught my attention during Sunday's games at the Great Lakes Kickoff.