Midwest Extravaganza: 15U All Stars, part 2

With another Midwest Extravaganza in the books, we're taking a few articles to look back at the best players from the weekend in Chicago. This is the second half of a series, breaking down the top 10 players from this year's showcase. In no particular order, here are some of the best athletes from the event.   ICYMI, to see the first half of this year's All Star team, click <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2026/05/midwest-extravaganza-15u-all-stars-part-1/?coupon=prepgirlshoopsevents21">here</a>.    Taylor is one of the best up-and-coming talents in Illinois. She just finished 8th grade, and was playing up against older competition this weekend. But she still stood out as maybe the most talented player of the showcase.   Taylor is already playing with a level of confidence that you often will only see in high school seniors. She has a smooth 3-point stroke, she's elusive when she's going in for a layup, and she's tough. When she has the ball in her hands, defenders are hesitant to stand in her way.   Taylor's a very talented defensive player as well. She's so active that when she's hanging around the inbounder, she'll often come up with a steal or tipped ball, and create a fast break opportunity. She's so gritty and hard-nosed that she'll jump right into a scrum and try to rip the ball out of someone else's hands. And she's quick enough to come out of nowhere to grab a rebound. At 5'8", Taylor has already grown to a height that puts her above a lot of players. And on defense, you'll still see her out guarding players who are 3-4 inches taller than her.   Taylor is also a great game manager. She runs the floor and controls the offense with ease. But she's also encouraging to her teammates, and can pick others players up after a mistake.   She's only been playing ball for 4 years, but appears to have developed a natural skill for the game.     Ali was part of a Team Compete squad that finished the weekend with an unblemished 4-0 record. And she took center stage in almost every game. There are aspects of her style of play that are reminiscent of Caitlin Clark. Her passing and distribution is so smart and precise, particularly when making a bounce pass inside. She has great court vision, and can take over a game with both her scoring and passing.   Ali lacks some size right now, but she makes up for it with tenacity and strength. She'll go toe-to-toe with girls who have 5-6 inches on her; particularly when she has the ball in her hands. If she sees an opening, she'll drive right into the heart of the defense for a layup. Ali has a knack for drawing fouls when she's in the paint, and she lines up a good 3-pointer as well.   Overall, Ali is a smart player who says she's always been a good ballhandler. She surveys the floor well, and always seems to have a plan for what she wants to do next.     As just an 8th grader, Parker has already reached the 6'0" mark, and she can compete well with girls who are older than her.   Parker is a natural when she's in the paint. She plays with confidence on both offense and defense, and is such an imposing force that it's a challenge for any player to get through her. And on offense, she's nearly unstoppable when she gets the ball in her hands. She finished two of her games with 16 points, and I can't fathom that she had fewer than 10 rebounds in every game she played.   Parker has great footwork in the lane, which is something she says she's worked on in recent years. And she appears unbothered by contact-drawing plenty of and-1 opportunities. She also has great hands; a skill she says that she honed during her time as a soccer goalie in middle school.     Gemma is another 8th grader, who played up against older competition this weekend. And she showed an impressive level of size and skill against her opponents. She's normally not a post player, but with a lack of tall players on her team-that's where she played this weekend. And she was dominant under the hoop. Defensively, it's challenging to get around her; and on offense she has good hands, and is able to score at will-dropping 21 points in her last of 3 games on Saturday   She has a nearly impossible skill-set to defend. Her post game is outstanding, she can pull up for midrange shots, and she'll bury a 3-pointer if you leave her open. And her footwork and elusiveness is so strong that she can go from outside to inside in just a few steps. And her vision and handles are so elite that she can stop on a dime and dribble back out when she needs to reassess the situation.   Gemma's physicality also draws a lot of contact, which creates a lot of foul shots for her. And she's already very trustworthy at the line. I saw her go 4/4 on freebies during one of her games, which is never a guarantee for a player who's just coming out of middle school.     Avery had a busy weekend at the Midwest Extravaganza. She played her first game on Saturday, then left to play a game with her soccer team that evening. And then returned to dominate the floor for her team's two games on Sunday.   In one of her games I watched, I saw her take the opening tip and score a layup just 4 seconds into the game. And that was only the start of a dominant day, with 14 points in that game and another 20 points later in the afternoon.   Avery says that her defense is where she stands out, and truly she is a nightmare defensive assignment. Her hands are constantly active, and she has an ability to get balls deflected for steals. She'll pester the ballhandler up and down the court.   Avery is also the ideal team-first kind of player that teams want on their roster. She has the skills to score whenever she'd like. But she's unselfish enough to make the extra pass when she sees an open teammate.

With another Midwest Extravaganza in the books, we're taking a few articles to look back at the best players from the weekend in Chicago. This is the second half of a series, breaking down the top 10 players from this year's showcase. In no particular order, here are some of the best athletes from the event.