The Clash: WV Thunder Smith vs Duval Elite Recap

I had his game circled on the schedule before I left Georgia as both teams are loaded with a serious talent and neither team disappointed in what was a great game. Several players stood out, particularly [player_tooltip player_id='741323' first='Nylah' last='Brooks'] and [player_tooltip player_id='747656' first='Shelbie' last='Mills'], who got big buckets several times when their teams need points. I look forward to seeing both teams play again in July.    I have seen Nylah play a handful of times and she is a very talented player with a multitude of skills to go along with her great size at the point guard position. Nylah was in complete control of the offense for [program_tooltip program_id='931970' first='Duval' last='Elite'] running the point. She was able to get downhill past defenders with her speed, but also around defenders with a smooth handle off the bounce. She was excellent distributing the ball to her talented teammates, but looked like a real Alpha scoring the ball down the stretch for her team with poise and confidence including one tough, turnaround fadeaway from 10 feet near the block. This was the best I have seen Brooks play and by a wide margin. Her high school team is very rarely in close games, so for her to perform as well as she did on the big stage against great competition raised her stock with me exponentially and I thought very highly of her heading into the game.     Falisa is another player I have seen a number of times and her potential as a player has always been very high, so it was not surprising to see her put together a very strong performance against a frontline from West Virginia Thunder full of future Division One players. Falisa knocked down a smooth shot from distance with confidence on one play and a few trips later put a smaller guard on the block, caught the ball, and bullied her on the block before scoring off the glass. White was good defensively as well creating steals and then pushing the ball on the break with pace at 6'2. If White can consistently put together performances like that over the course of the next year, she could be a future division one player herself.     Mills scored the ball in just about every way possible against the long and athletic defense of [program_tooltip program_id='931970' first='Duval' last='Elite']. She was in constant motion throughout the game off the ball running defenders ragged and when she did catch the ball her ability to slash and cut to the basket was very impressive. Shelbie is an excellent shooter from deep and she did that as well as she normally does knocking down multiple shots coming off down screens and off the bounce. One play in particular was extremely impressive as she jabbed left, drove right with the ball and hit a one handed floater near the baseline over a much taller defender with a hand in her face. She also through a 3/4 quarter court dart off the balance with one hand that hit Kinner in stride for a beautiful And One play in transition.     Sometimes players with the biggest impact in the game aren't the ones scoring the ball. Claybrook was impactful as any other player for either team as she totally dominated the paint on both ends of the court rebounding the ball and was excellent defensively blocking shots, including one that ended up out of bounds after she came over from the help side and swatted it clean. She had several other blocks as well as altering shots and being an overall deterrent for the [program_tooltip program_id='931970' first='Duval' last='Elite'] players trying to score inside. Her sprinting in transition to get rebounds may have been the most impressive thing she did getting extra shots and possessions for team and preventing others for [program_tooltip program_id='931970' first='Duval' last='Elite']. She has great size and strength but is also extremely athletic which she showed sprinting down the court as mentioned and exploding off the ground with her vertical leap. Claybrook holds nearly twenty scholarship offers currently and I expect that list to double by this time next year.     Kinner who is also an excellent volleyball player was like the old energizer bunny on the court for WV Thunder darting from spot to spot and seemingly finding her way into the middle of the action on the majority of the game. Her athleticism is obvious enough for people in the stands next to me that I could overhear say she must play volleyball because of how high she was jumping as she snatched rebounds and finished at the rim. Kinner played excellent on ball defense and was active and aware in the passing lanes. She has the ability to quickly to turn defense into offense when opposing teams turn the ball over and she did that in multiple games over the course of the event. She looked like a wide receiver catching a 3/4 court dart from Mills in stride and scoring through contact at the rim for the And One play.     Gesner used every inch of her 6'3 frame to affect the game on both ends for WV Thunder while showing excellent footwork and the ability to move quickly at that size. Gesner was an active rebounder and pursued missed shots rather than waiting on the ball to come to here and relying on her size. She showed excellent ball skills and soft hands on offense around the basket and also stepped out to the perimeter and knocked down a big three between the wing and top of the key in what was a very tightly contested game. There is a reason she holds multiple Division One offers, including from schools like Colgate and Cornell. She is a very good player already, but is far from the finished product.

I had his game circled on the schedule before I left Georgia as both teams are loaded with a serious talent and neither team disappointed in what was a great game. Several players stood out, particularly Nylah Brooks Nylah Brooks 5'9" | SG/PG Booker T. Washington | 2027 State FL and Shelbie Mills Shelbie Mills 5'5" | PG Knox Central | 2027 State KY , who got big buckets several times when their teams need points. I look forward to seeing both teams play again in July.