Brawl At The Palms: "Big" Stockrisers

Players near, at, or taller than six foot are and always have been at a premium in girls basketball. This is especially the case if they haves skills to go along with it. As more girls pick up the sport in huge numbers each year it has become almost like an arms race for program directors of AAU teams. Several players, at multiple positions, that fit this description and their games shined in the Florida heat at Brawl at the Palms. These players each brought different skills unique to them, but all had positive impacts for their teams.    Jelayna's explosiveness off the floor was very apparent, very quickly as [program_tooltip program_id='1237402' first='HER' last='Elite'] 17U EYCL played their first game at the event. She is a tall player with a long wingspan that definitely passes the eye test and to see her get up in the air had my interest early on. She did a very good job rebounding the basketball playing in somewhat of a stretch four role on both ends and was rewarded with more than one offensive board and put back. She showed soft hands and touch catching and finishing around the rim. Her ability to take off from several feet out without a lot of momentum and yet still high enough and able cover a lot of ground in getting closer to the rim was impressive. Stewart's guard skills were on display as well coming up to relieve opposing teams' pressure as she was being guarded by defenders who did not have the mobility to stay in front of her. The rankings for the 2028 class in Georgia will be updated this week and [player_tooltip player_id='1823304' first='Jelayna' last='Stewart']'s name will be on that list.     Kennedi is a young player I have seen with Newton High School, a power in Georgia girl's basketball over the last few years. She played against [player_tooltip player_id='967982' first='Layla' last='Adams'] multiple times in region play as well as great competition in Insider Exposure events and the She Got Game Classic. I had seen flashes of what her potential could be with some very impressive moments on the court as a freshman. She has a really high ceiling with very good size, length, and athleticism. I saw the same flashes at the Brawl with Kennedi showing excellent footwork and agility on the wing and good finishing ability from 12 feet in shooting the ball out and inside the painted area. Playing at the level she does in high school and now playing up two years on an EYCL team only bodes well for her future. She has been playing against much older kids the last year and some very good ones. She now belongs in the group and when the times comes and she is playing kids her age, then it could be a serious problem for opposing teams. She is very skilled already, but I still believe her best playing days are way ahead of her. She could easily become a legit high-major college prospect in a few years.     France's ability to score the ball inside and out at almost six foot tall and versatility to defend multiple positions with no problems at all made her standout to me as a player college coaches should be aware of and tracking. France has the ability to knock down open and contested jumpsuits from the perimeter and midrange. She is not just a shooter however. On another play, Riley let her point guard bring the ball to her side of the floor before setting up her defender with a quick v-cut and then slashing backdoor for a tough layup in traffic over the help defenders. France played with a high iq and was responsible with the basketball with very few turnovers and no forced or bad shots to my recollection. She made several very astute and difficult passes quickly, under pressure as well.     Elle had a very good event for [program_tooltip program_id='973333' first='Team' last='Genesis'] 17U team, especially after losing [player_tooltip player_id='874206' first='Bianca' last='Hall'] to injury who recently picked up a division one offer Morehead State and is the reigning FACA 2A District II Player of the Year. Elle recently picked ur her own division one offer from Rider after playing very well in Ohio. Deegan had already put up impressive scoring numbers before Hall hurt her left hand/wrist and was unavailable their last games. She continued to score at a high clip afterwards, both inside and out, with confidence, intelligence, and looked smooth doing it. Deegan knocked down shots from behind the three point line as well as a few feet inside the stripe and got to the rim and scored consistently. Deegan is a strong kid and used her power to get through contact at the basket. She shot the ball well from the free throw line showing good form. Deegan looked cool and confident when she handled the ball and did a good job keeping her head up and advancing the ball to open teammates when the opportunity presented itself. She partnered very well with [player_tooltip player_id='1766835' first='Jaslyn' last='Easley'] as well as the two exchanged multiple cross court passes and assisted on several of the other's baskets.     The fluidity and ease that Clark moved with on the court immediately jumped out to me to go along with her great size and length. That doesn't always translate into games with players, but with Ke'Nya it was evident quickly that she had game to go along with the physical gifts she has. She challenged shots at the rim with very good effect, blocking and altering some while deterring players from taking others. She elevated very well and showed very good speed in quick bursts getting up and down the court. Offensively, Clark was efficient with her opportunities around scoring the basketball around the basket on quick dump offs from teammates and put backs on offensive boards. She is a definitely a player with a place on the next level, the question is where will that be.

Players near, at, or taller than six foot are and always have been at a premium in girls basketball. This is especially the case if they haves skills to go along with it. As more girls pick up the sport in huge numbers each year it has become almost like an arms race for program directors of AAU teams. Several players, at multiple positions, that fit this description and their games shined in the Florida heat at Brawl at the Palms. These players each brought different skills unique to them, but all had positive impacts for their teams.