We Got Next: 14U Standouts at MBA Mother's Day Classic

I have been chomping at the bit to see more future high school hoopers on the court. With some exciting 14U matchups on the slate at the MBA Mother's Day Classic, it was the perfect opportunity to catch some 8th-grade action. Seeing the talent on display has me even more excited for our Freshman Showcase coming up in August. Without further ado, here are several future high school playmakers who caught my attention today!    Harper stood out on film last weekend and she had another strong tournament for Mystics 14U South at the MBA Mother's Day Classic. Her length, quick lateral footwork, and ability to defend space gave opposing guards fits. Harper gave no free cuts to the basket, denying/bumping cutters with great awareness of where her girl and the were. Harper sprinted inside to score an offensive rebound putback, picked off a pass, pushed it the other way, and dished out an assist. Harper dazzled the crowd as she split defenders on a hard take through the lane, used a sweet high rip move with a eurostep, and finished the layup. Harper appplied pressure in the back court and turned ball-handlers constantly. She was active on the glass and is tough to box out.     Olivia is a guard who greatly impressed me from MBA 14U UA Future today. Her confident ball-handling in the open court, ability to change lanes seamlessly, and skill as a slasher stood out. Olivia swiped the ball away in the corner, accelerated down the baseline, and finished with a sweet reverse layup. Her active hands in the passing lanes generated steals, and she got to two feet on drives very effectively to maintain balance against contact. Olivia drained a three in the slot and split the gap for a drive-by layup. One of her highlights happened when she poked the ball out on the perimeter, ripped it away aggressively to secure the steal, then put the pedal down to race towards the basket. Olivia landed on two feet, scored strongly through contact, and completed the three-point play at the line.     Laila's film last weekend jumped out, and it was exciting to see her play for the first time in person at the MBA Mother's Day Classic. She creates separation from defenders with a shifty combination of crossovers, between-the-legs, and behind-the-back snaps. Laila has athleticism, physicality, and a dribble burst that makes her very tough to defend when she attacks downhill. Laila took one strong dribble to score off two feet inside, drove hard to the basket for a strong finish, and buried a smooth three up top. She has a good pull-up game in the mid-range and causes deflections with her pressure on the perimeter. Laila plays up on MBA 14U UA Future, and she doesn't skip a beat.     Sofia played up with [program_tooltip program_id='714446' first='Capitol' last='City Express'] 17U and put on a show today during the MBA Mother's Day Classic. She has pinpoint accuracy from beyond the arc and was swishing threes from the corner. Sofia scored a tough left-handed layup high off the glass over a defender's arm and switched hands comfortably in the lane with excellent body control. One of her highlight plays happened after intercepting a pass. She raced towards the rim, changed hands, and found a way to finish a contested layup with her left over the outstretched arms of a defender. Sofia made a great first impression today and is a name to remember.     Lily was on a heater for [program_tooltip program_id='713450' first='REAL' last=''] 14U Austin last weekend, burying threes from the corner and getting to the rim. She continued to stand out as a playmaker at the MBA Mother's Day Classic. Lily has a confident three-point jumper and crashes the glass hard to score put-backs with touch in the paint. She sees the floor well, throws skip passes over the top on a rope to open teammates, and pushes the ball with pace up the court in transition.     Elliana looked good on film last weekend, and her shifty, hard-nosed presence on both ends was huge for Mystics South 14U at the MBA Mother's Day Classic. She attacked left off the dribble to score a floater, put her body on the line to secure loose balls, and showed another gear in transition. Elliani zoomed around defenders to score a baseline drive bucket and cut backdoor for another layup. She made great, unselfish passes for assists off of dribble penetration and attacked hard downhill to earn a trip to the free throw line in the closing seconds of a tough matchup. Elliana sank both shots with confidence to give her team the hard-fought victory.     Charlotte has very high potential as a forward prospect, already standing tall with a 6-foot-2 frame and possessing good instincts in the post. She anticipated a euro-step on the defensive end, moved her feet, and stood tough to draw what should have been a charge. Charlotte passed the ball to a guard, cut to the basket, sealed off her defender, and caught the ball with good hands. She scored a tough, contested layup, made a smart extra pass out to the perimeter for an assist, and consistently established great inside positioning to receive lobs in the paint. Charlotte defended a drive using textbook wall-up technique for a block and worked hard to secure rebounds. She has good footwork and was a key player for MBA UA Future 14U at the MBA Mother's Day Classic.     Alayna has been the leading scorer for Mystics 14U South this spring, but it was her court vision and facilitating that particularly stood out to me at the MBA Mother's Day Classic. She surveyed the scene patiently on the perimeter and zipped a skip pass over the defense to a cutter in stride for an assist. Alayna fired hammer passes out to shooters on the perimeter after the defense rotated and handled the ball with poise. She escaped a trap to score a smooth floater along the baseline and made a smart backdoor cut for a layup.     Ayla was one of my favorite first-time watches today at the MBA Mother's Day Classic. She was an outstanding facilitator off of dribble penetration, a scrappy defender, and tough as nails. Ayla converted a difficult layup in traffic, made great bounce passes to cutters, assisted on a straight-away three, and used a shifty double-crossover dribble to drive-by for a layup. She anticipated passes to generate steals, chased down rebounds, and changed directions effectively against pressure to create space. Ayla drives hard to the basket and shoots with good balance at the free-throw line. She'll be a prospect to watch on Mystics 14U CHosen.     Reagan has length and a high motor that makes her a very challenging matchup on both ends. She left the floor to snatch rebounds at their highest point and was a constant force on the offensive glass. She battled for inside position to secure the board, pivoted, then scored the and-one layup with a soft touch off the glass. Reagan knocked down the free throw to complete the three-point play. She blocked shots in the paint and sprinted the floor for a catch and finish layup with her left. Reagan battled to secure defensive rebounds and caught a pass with soft hands inside for a two-foot finish. She was a difference maker for Mystics 14U South at the MBA Mother's Day Classic.     Bailey has the length and skill that immediately place her in a high category as a guard prospect. She put her foot down and attacked off the dribble to score a tough, stretch layup against a contesting defender. Bailey used a sweet high pick-up move in transition to earn free throws and drained a confident straightaway three to spark the team. She plays with passion and energy on the court. Bailey works to secure rebounds, deflects passes with her quick hands on the perimeter, has deep shooting range, and excellent footwork in traffic. She was a difference maker for MBA UA 14U Future at the MBA Mother's Day Classic.     Lexi was a game wrecker all day for Mystics 14U South at the MBA Mother's Day Classic. Her length, quickness, athleticism, versatile skill set, and non-stop hustle were fun to watch. Lexi drove right with a strong shoulder through a defender and powered up for a left-handed finish. She attacked with long strides off the dribble to score an and-one layup with finesse at the rim, then converted her free throw at the line. Lexi drained a smooth straightaway three from up top and added another in the corner. Her length/quickness swarmed guards on the perimeter, and Lexi poked the ball out for a speedy scoop and score. She made the hustle plays, completed a give-and-go with a bucket, and was electric on the court.     Ellie has length and skill as a guard that immediately catches your attention. She showed off her athleticism after catching a pass in the corner, driving by with a burst down the baseline, and finishing with a layup. Ellie swiped the ball away in the back court to score a layup and pestered guards on the perimeter. She chased down a key offensive rebound late, and her anticipation disrupts shots on the defensive end. Ellie was a key player for MBA UA Future 14U at the MBA Mother's Day Classic.     Gwen had a very impactful day for Mystics 14U Chosen at the MBA Mother's Day Classic. She used her length to deflect entry passes and stole the ball away in the post. Gwen attacked hard on a baseline drive to score a layup, caught a bounce pass with good hands for a two-foot finish, was active on the boards, and took advantage of open driving lanes. Gwen snatched a defensive rebound, motored up the court with pace, changed hands multiple times on her way to the rim, and drove through contact to earn a trip to the line. She's a long, aggressive, and versatile prospect.

I have been chomping at the bit to see more future high school hoopers on the court. With some exciting 14U matchups on the slate at the MBA Mother's Day Classic, it was the perfect opportunity to catch some 8th-grade action. Seeing the talent on display has me even more excited for our Freshman Showcase coming up in August. Without further ado, here are several future high school playmakers who caught my attention today!