Midwest Extravaganza: 15U Up-and-Comers

We're spending the week looking back at some of the best players from the 2026 Midwest Extravaganza. In this article, we'll break down some of the best up-and-coming players that we saw on the court this weekend.    Cameron has sensational ballhandling skills. She's still putting on some muscle, but already she's unafraid of driving hard in the lane and going into traffic. She has tremendous speed, and an ability to take the ball coast-to-coast after a defensive rebound. When she's not putting the ball in the hoop, she's got some terrific passing skills too; she's good at directing traffic from the point, and finding a cutting teammate when they're setting up the offense.   On defense, she can be a real problem for opponents. Her length gives her an ability to deflect passes, which she's often able to convert into steals and layups.   Overall, Cameron is a tremendous ballhandler with very good dribbling and passing skills. She scored 16 points in one game this weekend, and has the look of a player who's developing into an all-around talent.     [player_tooltip player_id='1231936' first='Collins' last=''] helped lead the attack for an [program_tooltip program_id='871458' first='Illinois' last='Spartans'] team that averaged 66 points per game this weekend-the highest output of any team at this year's showcase.   [player_tooltip player_id='1231936' first='Collins' last=''] is an excellent point guard talent in the class of 2029. She has a strong pull-up shot when she's taking a 3-pointer, and isn't afraid to pull the trigger early in the shot clock. And her court vision is off the charts. During the two games that I watched her play, she has supreme passing skills-with an innate ability to work the ball around the perimeter, or hit an open teammate.   Cameron's ballhandling skills are well beyond her age. In the first half of one of her wins, I saw her fake out the defense with a hesitation move, then split a double-team while she drove in for a layup. She has such a soft touch on her floaters too-sending it high off the glass when converting a midrange bucket. She's not always going to be her team's highest scorer, but she'll always be reliable for 10-12 points, while running the point.   And on defense, she's a terror. She can slap the ball out of the hands of the offense, and turn on the jets for a quick layup. And she's so quick that she'll come out of nowhere for a steal, which turns into a quick fast break.     Charie is on a loaded team with plenty of scoring options, so she won't be the player who's always filling the box score. But this is an athlete who you don't want to see matched up against you when she's on defense.   Charie is all hustle, all the time. In her first game of the showcase, I saw her get a steal and score basket, a chase-down block, she ripped the ball right out of the offensive player for another steal, then had another chase-down block later in the game (keep in mind, she's only listed at 5'4").   She's just such a scrappy player, diving for loose balls and playing much bigger than her size. And on offense, she has no problem giving the ball to her teammates when they have an open look. Overall, the perfect kind of teammate to compliment a heavy scoring attack.     Kayli was one of the most deadly 3-point threats we saw at the Midwest Extravaganza. She has elite confidence behind the arc, and hits at a high rate. In the 3 games of hers that I watched, she had two, three, and three 3-point makes in those games. Scoring a weekend-high 18 points on Saturday evening.   And her deep shooting is only one aspect of her game. She's also capable of taking it hard to the hoop; at one point drawing an impressive and-1 basket late in the first half of one of her team's wins. For a shooter as capable as Kayli, she also has no problem going into the paint and banging around with the bigs.     Sophie has a great skillset in her arsenal. She can drive the ball inside, and has a nice midrange game. And she's able to use her size and strength when she's going to the rim. You can see her get a determined look on her face, and she steps on the gas and goes right into the heart of the defense when she wants to make a play. She can also hit the deep ball; dropping in three 3-pointers in the second half of one of her games on Saturday.   She's trustworthy with the ball in her hands as well, and knows when to distribute the ball. She also has great leadership skills; when her team was down by double digits in a Sunday game, she helped get them back within striking distance before the end of the game.     Aubrie is a scrappy kind of player, who displays great footwork, and has nice moves when she gets into the lane. She's a dynamic player, who's always hustling, and finds a way to keep her team in ballgames.   Aubrie has a nice 3-point shot, and she isn't always going to be the highest scorer on the team. But she passes the ball well, and is aggressive when she attacks the hoop.   Aubrie takes pride in knowing what she's doing at all times, and being aware of the playmaking calls. She also hopes people notice that she's a hustle player who's always giving 100%.     Mya has a diverse set of skills, that come in clutch for her [program_tooltip program_id='715518' first='24:UP' last=''] team. She's a strong and confident defender, who can rip the ball away from the ballhandler and turn that into a quick layup. She's also quick and goes hard to the rim-making difficult shots in the paint, in spite of a size disadvantage.   Mya is unselfish and shows a willingness to make the extra pass if a teammate has a better shot opportunity. She says that she likes to drive and give a jab step when going to the hoop, or sit and wait for an open shot. Mya says she likes to model her game after Wemby... though she has a couple feet to grow before catching up to him on size.   Mya also has a good fundamental approach to the game, already developing as a strong free throw shooter-making 5 freebies in one of her games this weekend.

We're spending the week looking back at some of the best players from the 2026 Midwest Extravaganza. In this article, we'll break down some of the best up-and-coming players that we saw on the court this weekend.