Phenom Hoops Queen City Showcase: 2029 Top Performers

As April 2026 reaches its conclusion and transitions to May, we are roughly a month into the year's grassroots basketball season. We recently exited one of the more ballyhooed points of the travel schedule – the first live period.    A number of events took place across the country and one of those emanated from the Palmetto State. The Queen City Showcase utilized three venues in the Rock Hill-Fort Mill area – the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center, Bleachery Field House and Nation Ford HS.    We at Prep Girls Hoops were on hand at the home of the Falcons for the Saturday slate of girls contests. After spotlighting a number of 2027s and 2028s, we shift our focus to the 2029 class.     The Wildcats of 5A West Ashley have been a team on the rise in recent years and Crowe is poised to be a name to watch as her high school teams looks to continue said ascent. Team Charleston was matched up against Team Mack Regional 2028 and her 10 points helped lift her travel assembling to a hard-fought victory. She can find minutes either as a point guard or a shooting guard – primarily because her accuracy from distance is indicative of a two guard. Crowe connected on two of the team's five attempts from deep in Saturday's game. She played in 20 games this past season for West Ashley.     The old adage of sports and life will always be true that it is not how one starts but how one finishes. Weaver finished strong on Saturday afternoon for her Team Charleston 16U when it matched up against Team Mack Regional 16U. Team Charleston earned the 48-41 victory in large part because of Weaver's second half production. She scored seven points – all of which occurred in the second half. Weaver had a pair of field goals and also connected on three of her free throw tries. She is looking to translate the momentum from SCISA 4A First Baptist winning its first state championship since 1980 into a solid grassroots campaign.     Rosowski did not have far to travel to arrive at the Phenom Hoops Queen City Showcase considering she calls 5A Division 2 Catawba Ridge her athletic home. She is a multi-sport athlete who has also played soccer throughout her athletic career. Rosowski understands the art of transition basketball and is not afraid to attempt shots over taller defenders. Her footwork can be key in getting those taller defenders off balance. Defense is where she particularly can display her high basketball IQ as she constantly keeps her eye on the ball. Rosowski can also finish at the rim with her left hand.     Nelson was one of a quartet of freshmen that wore the signature green hue of NCISAA 4A Charlotte Country Day this past season. For the Buccaneers she is listed as a small forward and the fact that she stands at 5-foot-10 can give her a useful height advantage over many of her peer frontcourt foes. In addition to her height, her length can clog up an opposing team's passing lanes. She played in 19 games this past season for Charlotte Country Day and also displayed her prowess as a rebounder. Nelson also played at the varsity level as an eighth grader.     Russo has been a multi-sport athlete throughout her athletic career as she has also tried her hand at lacrosse in addition to what she gets accomplished on the basketball court. She maintains a high degree of activity even when the ball is not in her hand and can deliver finishes with either her right or her left hand. Russo will also take advantage of her height, spacing and interior presence to be on the receiving end of pick and rolls. A good number of occasions where Russo converts on layups can result in her drawing contact and taking her chances at the free throw line.     A great deal of the early efforts for Team KB against Carolina Queens Elite were keyed by Bharti. She is another that can put points on the board with consistently from behind the 3-point line as she connected on a pair of her tries from distance in that contest. Team KB had four successful attempts from 3-point range in that game's first half. Bharti also places plenty of emphasis on taking care of the ball to limit turnovers and effectively run a team's offense as a point guard. A midrange jump shot is also part of her skillset. Bharti was one of four freshmen for the Buccaneers last season.     One may take a look at Itegie's build and automatically assume she is a three forward. Itegie thrives as a three but her game goes beyond that. She will attempt to give her team a 3-point shooting dimension to a team's offense. Itegie will also displays leadership skills on defense that are not always present in players with her experience. She has no issues going to her left to attack around a defender. In half court sets, she will cut through defenders and receive the ball, leading to strong finishes at the cup – or occasions where she will head to the free throw line. The ability to make accurate passes is another element to her game.     Page was a key reason why 1A Great Falls emerged out of nowhere to win this past season's Upper State championship. She remains quick on her feet at virtually all times and her defensive pressure can negatively impact the trajectory of an opposing ball-carrier's shot attempt. Her 5-foot-10 stature is another element to her game that helps her greatly. Rebounding is another element to her game that is a plus. Page would compete in 24 games this past season for the Red Devils and would average 8.4 boards, eight points, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest. With its young core, one could classify Great Falls as a team of the future.     Coach Kenny Orr is used to having players go through his program so they can depart from 5A Rock Hill college-ready. Dean could be another of those names. Dean found playing time in 24 games in her freshman campaign as a Bearcat. Defensively, Dean understands how to get her hands in an opposing ball-carrier's face to negatively affect the trajectory of said ball-carrier's shot. Dean will also regularly find herself in iso situations. Her versatility displays itself in her ability to operate either in the backcourt as a guard or in the frontcourt as a forward. Dean previously played her middle school ball at York MS.     When going up against a team with Harris on it, one has to account for the tough, hard-nosed defense she plays. Not only can Harris match an opposing ball-carrier virtually step for step and move for move, but she does not leave much breathing room for said ball-carrier to operate. A 3-point shot is also an element to her overall offensive repertoire. Harris stands out as a talented 2029 on a Team EAT assembling that has a decent mix of sophomores, freshmen and eighth graders. Harris stands at 5-foot-3. Her team may have been on the wrong end of a 39-37 defeat to York County Lady Legends, but Harris kept her squad in a great spot to get in the win column.

As April 2026 reaches its conclusion and transitions to May, we are roughly a month into the year's grassroots basketball season. We recently exited one of the more ballyhooed points of the travel schedule – the first live period.