PGH Midwest Extravaganza: Impressive Prospects I Saw Passing By

I was in charge of watching action at the 16U level this weekend during this event but I had some off games and happen to see some 17U contests taking place on Courts 1 & 2. Below I highlight some of the hoopers that stood out to me during this time while I was passing by.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    Williams is a natural when it comes to this game of basketball. She has fantastic length paired with height at 5'11, she moves quickly to her spots, she is extremely coordinated, her situational awareness is better than most, and she just knows how to make plays. I could see Williams being a killer on the high school floor during the Winter season. During AAU she stands out as one of the best whenever she is competing, no matter who it is against and that is impressive with some of the competition they have to play around Chicago.     The best way to put it is that Saniah Jones is a powerhouse player. She is very physical with her back to the basket offensively, always playing with a high level of intent with whatever she is trying to accomplish. One of the main pieces for Della Lamb's offense in this event was to throw it to Jones in the post. Even if someone happens to be in her way, she is so talented and athletically gifted that she can go over them or through them if need be. I saw that time and time again on Saturday as I was passing by. It makes sense that Jones is a Top 10 rated prospect out of 2028 Class in Missouri. She plays with a lot of confidence and that is going to take her places at the end of the day.     Symora Damon gets to her spots with ease offensively. She knows where she wants to go and she knows how she wants to get there. She is someone that can initiate the offense and make solid stands on defense within the half court when need be. Damon was getting to the rim with ease over her contests this weekend. When the defense would over commit, she would fed those around her and if things seemed force, she would pass it away and reset within their system. Example had a good showing throughout all grade levels during this one. They all showed their steady progression and that they continue to get better as they move back into high school ball for the month of June.     My favorite guard of the weekend out of any grade level was Audrey Sims of Della Lamb 3SSB. Sims is that PG that you love as a coach. She makes things seems so easy within the game of basketball and she makes everyone else around her better with her ability to handle, create, distribute, and score. We saw several examples of that as she competed over the last few days. She hit jumpers with ease off the dribble and catch, she got others around her going on almost every other play, she defended and rebounded at a steady rate, she was one of the first on the floor for loose ball opportunities, and she showed glimpses of a complete overall game while helping her team win. We saw a lot of promise at this event and Sims could end up being one of the best at the end of the day if she keeps getting better as she gets older.     I'm not sure where Keniya Todd is going to end up for college ball but she is going to shock some people with her raw ability on both ends of the court. Todd is 5'11 with athletic skill to boast about. She looks more comfortable working by the bucket compared to on the outside but she can spread the floor. She can move to the perimeter and attack off the dribble if her matchup calls for it. Defensively, she does a good job of sticking onto her matchup and moving into help side if need be. Todd had another good showing during this event. She just needs to keep stacking her days and who knows how far it will take her.

I was in charge of watching action at the 16U level this weekend during this event but I had some off games and happen to see some 17U contests taking place on Courts 1 & 2. Below I highlight some of the hoopers that stood out to me during this time while I was passing by.