Sunshine State Showdown Night 1/Day 2 Standouts

One of the biggest early tournaments on the travel ball calendar, the Sunshine State Showdown presented by SUTS (Stars Under The Sun) Report and Roundball Academy, got under way Friday night from Wesley Chapel, Florida. With the number high profile teams and players in the event, a lot of attention will be paid to the results in some big matchups. Several players, many from All Iowa Attack who had multiple teams play on night one, stood out with their performances. Day Two started off with even more highly ranked players and their teams taking the floor.    Tanny was not the leading scorer and she missed several shots that she probably normally makes in the game versus [program_tooltip program_id='1214895' first='MBJ' last='Elite'], however she made more plays than anyone else. Tanny has great size and length which she utilized to her full advantage throughout the game. She rebounded the ball very well while harassing ball handlers defensively and getting steals and deflections after jumping in passing lanes. Tanny did not hesitate after recording a defensive rebound or steal and immediately put pressure on [program_tooltip program_id='1214895' first='MBJ' last='Elite'] by attacking them on the dribble with numbers on the break. She pushed the ball with great pace at times and kicked ahead some long, but accurate passes to teammates sprinting in transition. Tanny's ability to slash to the basket and dictate pace at her size was very impressive. She got to the rim a number of times, including converting a nice floater in the middle of the paint after going left from the right wing.     GiGi looked confident, in control, and like she was having a lot of fun running the show for [program_tooltip program_id='931970' first='Duval' last='Elite'] on night one. She threw a pass from half court with one hand off the dribble that hit [player_tooltip player_id='741734' first='Sienna' last='Williams'] in who was cutting to the basket in stride for an easy layup. You are not throwing that pass in traffic if you are not playing with a lot of freedom and confidence. GiGi was very effective at the point guard position and did a nice job spraying the ball around the courts to her open teammates on offense, passing up shots she would have normally taken in the past playing the wing. She is a very talented and skilled player who is very good putting the ball in the basket so it was a nice surprise to see her play completely different position and change her game to fit that role. If she can consistently demonstrate her ability to play the point guard position like she did on Friday, then her opportunities at the next level will increase dramatically.     Evelyn showed everything you would want to see from a young player with her size- great mobility, soft hands, and a willingness to play with great effort. Borcherding gets up and down the floor with good speed and consistency and made plays in transition for AIA the first two days of the tournamen. Her ability to move in tight quarters with the ball without committing turnovers was a bonus as she went over and around the smaller defenders she faced in the game. Evelyn finished with several offensive rebounds, many of which came as the trailer on the break. Defensively, she also impacted the game with several blocked shots and altering multiple others. Offensively, when she got the ball on the perimeter she did a nice job making one quick move, getting the defender to react, and then driving past them to the basket. A very bright future ahead for Evelyn, no doubt.     Sofia is always in attack mode with the ball in her hands whether it is getting down hill to score or draw the help defender and find an open teammate. She is also a threat to score from behind the three point line in both catch and shoot situations off of dribble drive action that coach Wesley Arocho likes to run or by creating space off the dribble to create her own shot. She has cat-like quickness and competes hard at both ends of the floor. She scored the ball several times in several ways for [program_tooltip program_id='1214122' first='White' last='Tigers Elite'] versus the always very good All Iowa Attack. Her stock should rise after an efficient night scoring the ball and playing with control and pace versus one of the best teams in the country. Her teammates looked to her for leadership throughout the game and she stayed positive and encouraging throughout.     Sears was a player I had only seen highlights of prior to Friday night games, but I knew she was a very talented player who was highly thought of by a lot of evaluators. It was clear after a couple minutes why her stock is so high in the eyes of so many. Adrienne was strong and confident on the ball, using some sneaky ball handling to evade traps and her speed to blow by and through them. She attacked the basket and scored several times showing a lot toughness on one play right before the half as she pushed the ball up the court, hit a hesitation move at the three point line freezing the defender, and then casually strolled to the basket and waslaying the ball up before coming down hard on her ankle. She was back in action in the second half doing more of what she did so well in the first, rebounding the ball and pushing the ball in transition of ready buckets. Sears showed her shooting prowess from deep and was deceptively quick. She is a player who was not afraid to assert herself in the game and I look forward to watching her play again.     It didn't take long for [player_tooltip player_id='1226988' first='Peyton' last='Frazier'] to show why she is one of the best "bigs" in Georgia regardless of class, and one of the players in the state with the best college potential. Peyton could be on the verge of a breakout Summer when the rest of the country sees what she can do. I saw it up close and personal five times during the high school regular season and her stellar play continued Saturday morning. Offensively, Frazier looked confident and was aggressive, knocking down two midrange jumpsuits in the paint after making an initial move to create space between herself and the defender. One of Peyton's biggest strengths is her ball handling and she demonstrated again the ability to elevate and snatch a rebound on the defensive end at over 6 feet tall and turn it into a one man fast break by pushing the ball in transition herself. She is a matchup nightmare for opposing bigs on defense as she has the ability to score inside and out while moving with great fluidity.     Mya impacts the game in so many ways simply due to her activity level on both ends of the court. She was in the middle of the action on almost every play and the uptempo style that AIA plays with could not suit her better. She was strong pushing the ball in transition at every opportunity showing off a very smooth handle and a lot of confidence weaving in and out of traffic. Wilson also has excellent vision and timing and made several impressive passes, especially kicking the ball up the sideline on the break or driving, drawing the defense, and the dishing the ball to a teammate when the help came. Wilson went after every loose ball and got her hands on a lot of them and also was huge asset for AIA rebounding the ball. Wilson did not shoot the ball like she is capable of on days one and two, but still impacted the games in a big way. I very much look forward to watching her play again.

One of the biggest early tournaments on the travel ball calendar, the Sunshine State Showdown presented by SUTS (Stars Under The Sun) Report and Roundball Academy, got under way Friday night from Wesley Chapel, Florida. With the number high profile teams and players in the event, a lot of attention will be paid to the results in some big matchups. Several players, many from All Iowa Attack who had multiple teams play on night one, stood out with their performances. Day Two started off with even more highly ranked players and their teams taking the floor.