Peach Games: Batson's Ballers 16U

Prior to tip of the first game on Friday at the Prep Girls Hoops Peach Games event, Brandon Fisher and I decided we would come together at the conclusion of the event and name an All Tournament team. With the high level of play we saw over the course of three days at NextPlay 360 in Marietta the task became impossible, so we split what we thought were the very best players in that division. This group, "Batson's Ballers" all were excellent throughout the course of the event and include some players I do not see as often as Brandon. His articles will include more of the elite players we selected, including some I see a lot that he does not. Congrats to all chosen, it was very much deserved.    Dhal is not just tall, but that she certainly is. She was at least 6 inches taller than me when I stood next to her and I am 6'3, so the height and hype, are real. I have never seen, let alone, stood next to a female player that tall in my life and for her to move the way she does at 6'10 as a freshman in high school is almost unbelievable. She doesn't just move really well, but she was extremely effective doing the things we expect all tall players to do, but often take for granted. She may have missed 1-2 lay ups in the games I watched (3 and a half) and when she got fouled she shot the ball well and looked very comfortable from the free throw line. Defensively, she blocked several shots out of bounds while barely leaving the floor. She is athletic though and can get off the floor vertically as seen on the tip offs of each game and when she was grabbing rebounds on both ends of the floor. I'm not sure what I was expecting coming in with Athiel having heard about her size and only seen a couple clips on Instagram. She far exceeded whatever expectations I had for her and has the ability with her very rare size to become the number one pick in the WNBA draft one day.     I have said this in previous articles and it held true this past weekend at Peach Games- Millie gets better every time I see her play and I have been watching her since she was in middle school. She was more a facilitator for Whitefield Academy this past season in high school when I saw them play, but did a great job picking a choosing her spots to score. I always come away thinking she should the ball more whether it is in AAU or scholastic ball. She was able to do just that with [player_tooltip player_id='1275940' first='Saige' last='Walker'] (whose stock should be through the roof with her play at Peach Games and EYBL Session One) running the point and allowing Millie to play off the ball more. Newman was much more aggressive offensively and as a result she scored a lot of points. The game on Sunday against [program_tooltip program_id='1250230' first='Winners' last='United'] had several top ranked players in the state playing and Millie could have been named player of the game with her efforts in the second half. She is an excellent shooter, but the majority of her points came around the basket. She scored on the break and on offensive rebounds and put backs, as well as breaking down defenders off the dribble and scoring at the rim, drawing an and one on a big play late in the game. It was also good to see her being one of the vocal leaders on a team full of other power four recruits.     It did not take long at all for me to go ask the Team Elite Hubbard 16U who number five was. I happened to be sitting next to a college coach who was taking notes in his book and he was as interested in finding out Ashia's name as I was. Mountain got to the rim with ease throughout the course of the weekend keeping her body as low as her dribble as she went by defenders on the perimeter finishing with a package of floaters, lay ups, and midrange jump shots. One floater Mountain made was very tough especially since she shot the ball with her less dominant right hand while floating through the air. Ashia also made shots from behind the three point line, Mountain did a good job seeing the help defender coming and picking out her open teammates with assists for easy scores. Ashia was without question one of the best 16U guards at the entire event which included several highly ranked guards in the state.     Cailyn was another player at Peach Games that for one reason or another ended up playing an entirely different position, point guard, than I had ever seen her play before for a large portion of the event. Brandon Fisher was sitting next to me and we both were more than impressed with how good a job Cailyn did. you would never have known that was not her natural position. She turned the ball over less than a handful of times the whole event, initiated and facilitated the offense for her team, and her passes were on time and target allowing her teammates to capitalize on their scoring opportunities. Andrew also capitalized on her own scoring chances from all three levels. I know she can put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways, so she that was no surprise. Her shot selection was great in the half court and her speed and skill still allowed her to get her usual buckets in transition. Cailyn's stock went way up for me seeing her play the toughest position on the floor for the first time over the course of multiple games. I know she is a very talented wing player, so the versatility she showed playing the point should draw the attention of even more college coaches.     Valencia was a player who I noticed very quickly into the first game as well for Team Elite Hubbard 16U as one of the couple of I did not recognize. I figured out who she was soon enough as she made a lot of plays for her team throughout the course of the event. Hailey has great size for a combo guard at 5'10 and she knows where the weight room is. She utilized her strength while showing finesse as she scored in the paint and at the rim all weekend long. Some of those plays had a little flair to them as Hailey has solid ball handling and very good body control while in the air. She attacked the basket with controlled aggression, protected the ball in the air, and was easily one of the best finishers at the tournament. Hailey made shots from the perimeter as well, but showed a lot of intelligence passing up jump shots for easier scoring opportunities in the paint.     Out of 168 players in the Georgia database for 2028, the Parish twins sit only five spots apart in the rankings and are the number one and two forward prospects in their class in the state. Versatility is the key with Gabrielle and Aleigha as both kids can comfortably play four positions on the court at both ends. They have great athleticism for their size. Both are in phenomenal shape, clearly something that they have put a lot of time and work into. They are explosive and powerful driving the basket and have the ability to finish with both hands. That slashing ability separated them from almost every other player at Peach Games. When they to down hill the play resulted with a lay up or a trip to the free throw line, or both. Both players have Division One offers and that list will most certainly grow. I look forward to watching both kids play again. They were huge stock risers for me coming out of Peach Games.     Out of 168 players in the Georgia database for 2028, the Parish twins sit only five spots apart in the rankings and are the number one and two forward prospects in their class in the state. Versatility is the key with Gabrielle and Aleigha as both kids can comfortably play four positions on the court at both ends. They have great athleticism for their size. Both are in phenomenal shape, clearly something that they have put a lot of time and work into. They are explosive and powerful driving the basket and have the ability to finish with both hands. That slashing ability separated them from almost every other player at Peach Games. When they to down hill the play resulted with a lay up or a trip to the free throw line, or both. Both players have Division One offers and that list will most certainly grow. I look forward to watching both kids play again. They were huge stock risers for me coming out of Peach Games.     Hailey's game continues to grow with her age. She has been one of the most skilled guards in Georgia for a long time with a name that a lot of people know in the South. The last few times I have seen her play for Archer in high school and [program_tooltip program_id='1250230' first='Winners' last='United'] this travel ball season her decision making and efficiency have been on the on the same level as her skill. She has looked like a composer leading their orchestra in both settings, shining alight on her teammates while also taking her moments to shine. Hailey's speed is elite and her ball handling is on a different level than the vast majority of players her age and has been for a while. That combination makes her one of the very best point guard prospects in her class in the country. You know going into every game that there is the possibility of seeing two or three SportsCenter top 10-type plays with her flair handling the ball and elite passing ability.

Prior to tip of the first game on Friday at the Prep Girls Hoops Peach Games event, Brandon Fisher and I decided we would come together at the conclusion of the event and name an All Tournament team. With the high level of play we saw over the course of three days at NextPlay 360 in Marietta the task became impossible, so we split what we thought were the very best players in that division. This group, "Batson's Ballers" all were excellent throughout the course of the event and include some players I do not see as often as Brandon. His articles will include more of the elite players we selected, including some I see a lot that he does not. Congrats to all chosen, it was very much deserved.