Ladies F1rst 17U Practice

Monday night, I took a drive down I-69 East to Davison High School for Ladies F1rst 17U practice. This team features many promising underclassmen competing up a few grades and two rising prospects in the 2027 class. Head Coach and Program Director William Jones has been a familiar face in the state for decades now. He emphasizes fundamental skill development, mental toughness, and understands what tools his players need to add to their toolbox in order to succeed at the college level. Monday's practice included: footwork, ball-handling, shooting, pass/receive, defense, and offensive concepts. The skills a player does most often are what need to be prioritized in practice. Coach Jones tailors his training to prepare the girls for the demands of the game and is an effective teacher. Here are a few highlights of each player from Monday's practice.    Taylor kept the ball in her outside hand and made full rotations during the spin dribble buildup series. She kept a fast pace and maintained good balance. Taylor knocked down a smooth wing three off the hop during a Princeton action and was in her element during the 1 v 1 segment. Taylor showed balance and confidence when shooting push shots off two feet in the short range. She used a hip turn dribble to create a scoring angle for an inside hand finish and moved the defender with a quick double-crossover dribble, then spun to score the contested bucket. Taylor is a crafty guard who can distribute and play off the ball. She'll be a prospect to follow with Ladies F1rst 17U this spring.     Amiya is a strong forward prospect who stood out at Ladies F1rst practice. She pushed herself during the drills and maintained a low, athletic stance during the resistance band dribbling segment. Her power and explosive first steps stand out. Amiya fired overhead passes to cutters and demonstrated a high IQ off the ball, moving to the right spots naturally, screening, and set the standard for adapting her game based on instructions from the coach. She screened the spot where a defender would be, finished with a hard cut on a slip, caught the pass high, and finished high with a good transfer for the layup. Amiya knocked down two corner threes during a shooting drill, moved her feet well to defend drives, and never quits on a play. She'll be a forward to follow this spring with Ladies F1rst 17U.     Avery is a versatile wing prospect with length and promising potential. She did well during the hexagon ring split-dribble segment, maintaining control of the ball, while getting her feet to the correct position. Avery demonstrated speed/control when dribbling between her legs and showed a good pushout dribble against the resistance bands. She kept her hands low and swiped quickly to steal the ball away during 1v1, then scored using an effective crossover-spin combo move for a contested layup. Avery will be a prospect to follow this spring with Ladies F1rst 17U.     Ella started practice strong during the hex ring split dribble segment and spin dribble build-up. Her ball-handling speed, command, balance, and confidence were strengths throughout the session. Ella's ball-handling was synonymous with the word "quick", which appeared several times in my notes. She kept good posture and used low crossovers in the resistance band dribbling segment. Ella drove by with a burst for a layup and added a contested finish with her left hand during the 1v1 segment. She knocked down two straight free throws and added two corner threes during a shooting drill. Ella is an effective court general who can create, distribute, score, and also play without the ball. She'll be a prospect to watch with Ladies F1rst 17U this spring.     Addy made a great impression at Ladies F1rst 17U practice on Monday. She's a wing with length, an athletic frame, and a growing game that will make her a very productive player as a sophomore. Addy made good, full rotations during the spin dribble build-up series, kept the ball in her outside hand, and took long steps. She kept her eyes up during the resistance band dribble segment and was good at pushing the ball out with her left hand while taking an explosive first step. Addy showed her capability to threaten from the perimeter, sinking two wing threes during the Princeton action, then drained two more from the corner during a shooting drill. She made a good read during 1v1, driving left all the way to the rim for a layup, and practiced her left-handed drives throughout the drill. Addy is a promising prospect to watch on Ladies F1rst 17U.

Monday night, I took a drive down I-69 East to Davison High School for Ladies F1rst 17U practice. This team features many promising underclassmen competing up a few grades and two rising prospects in the 2027 class. Head Coach and Program Director William Jones has been a familiar face in the state for decades now. He emphasizes fundamental skill development, mental toughness, and understands what tools his players need to add to their toolbox in order to succeed at the college level. Monday's practice included: footwork, ball-handling, shooting, pass/receive, defense, and offensive concepts. The skills a player does most often are what need to be prioritized in practice. Coach Jones tailors his training to prepare the girls for the demands of the game and is an effective teacher. Here are a few highlights of each player from Monday's practice.