FABC's Top Shooters: Hey Look Dad I Made It

In honor of Father's Day, we take a look at some of the shooters who lit up the nets at the FABC Showcase. For every three-pointer that splashed through the rim, there was likely a dad, stepdad, grandfather, coach, or father figure somewhere in the stands smiling and thinking, “That's my kid.” Some may have been saying, "As much as the shooting machine costs or exhausting trips to the shooting dojo, it's about time." So today, it's only fitting to say to all the Dads, Stepdads, Other Dads, Father Figures, Coaches, and so on, “Hey, look, Dad, I Made It.”    [player_tooltip player_id='823463' first='Presley' last='Norman'] continued her on slaught of threes and was arguably the top shooter in the house at the FABC. I did give the host of the event my "top five in the state" opinion, but by the end of the event, Norman had surpassed that number, and for good reason. The 2027 guard has been torching nets since 8th grade on varsity and has gotten better as a player and more efficient as a shooter every year. Norman doesn't force shots, but shoots in rhythm and with purpose. Her teammates do a good job of setting her up, and Norman also knows how to set up her shot by swinging the ball to teammates, expecting it to come right back in rhythm. Norman has made hundreds of threes, and 99 percent of them are on the family's hard drive. We saw enough of them at the FABC to say she was likely tops in the building.     [player_tooltip player_id='708143' first='Kendall' last='Proffitt'] was one of the top three-point shooters in the building before she was even in the building. The resume had already rung the doorbell: 117 threes last year, 113 and 100 in the previous two years. Perhaps that explains why coaches were lined up to see her play, and Proffitt didn't disappoint. In one game I saw, she had probably five threes in the first few minutes of the game. The threes were no surprise, but the tight handles and her ability to move the defender with change of direction and crossovers, followed by a reverse pivot and spin in the middle, and finish with the left - that left many in awe. It signified growth, and combining those skills with one of the most efficient shooting abilities in the state spells trouble.     [player_tooltip player_id='968076' first='Alysya' last='Smith'] shot the three-ball extremely well, and once again revealed a characteristic about her I noticed at states - she has the ability to raise the bar in crucial moments. At the FABC, she did more of the same. Throughout the FABC showcase, Smith shot the three-ball well in addition to getting to the rim and setting up shots for her teammates. I commented to her coach about her addition to the team, and his smile said it all. Smith was one of the brightest new additions to a team I saw, and the combination between Smith and talented Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1188178' first='Callie' last='James'] (cover photo) might be the best shooting combination since "Smith and Wesson." Smith's three-point shooting was special, and the leadership she showed on the court was equally impressive.     [player_tooltip player_id='1249017' first='Angelina' last='Laudicina'] was one of the top young shooters in the building, and her game is evolving as well. Laudicina connected on multiple threes, and her catch-and-shoot game is the most impressive part of her skillset. In addition to the three balls dropping, Laudicina showed she can impact the game from the paint. She scored on reverse layups, pullups in the paint, and offensive putbacks. If you asked coaches who was one of the top young shooters in the building, Laudicina's name would come up. She is still the shooter to fear, but now the other part of the floor has opened up, and that spells trouble for the opponents.     [player_tooltip player_id='823892' first='Jadyn' last='Watts'] shot the three-ball at a 42 percent clip at the FABC showcase, but this electrical performance looked different than in previous years. The three balls were flying as usual, but Watts didn't just live behind the arc. She scored on back-door cuts, rips to the midrange, offensive rebounds and putbacks, and attacks to the rim. One of the most crucial plays came on an offensive rebound at the free-throw line with only a few seconds to play. Her willingness to mix it up on the inside is what looked different, but the swishing sound and string music from the long-range bombs looked and sounded the same.     [player_tooltip player_id='1136121' first='Charlee' last='Matos'] shot the ball well at the FABC and scorched the stat sheet with three games over 20 points, including one 32 -piece. Matos can shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor, and in her FABC year, she showcased that ability. Her shooting and scoring were great, but her rebounding from the guard position equally stood out - three double-doubles in 4 games was impressive.     It's been a very productive few weeks as Jocelynn Hoffmann continues to rack up three pointers and college offers. In one game, the versatile guard knocked down 8 three pointers. One play sums up Hoffmann the three point zone she was in: her teammate grabs a rebound and could have scored an easy bucket, but instead kicks the ball out to Hoffmann for three. Hoffmann shoots the ball from the point guard position, so she spends time also initiating the offense. Her three-point shooting is a result of her teammates. When she kicks the pass to her counterparts, they attack the rim and kick the ball to Hoffmann for the opener, and sometimes they swing the ball in rhythmnand it makes its way back to Hoffmann because of unselfish team play and rhythm - a good shooter's best friends. At the FABC, Hoffmann and friends were amazing. In case you missed it - Hoffmann just hit another one.     [player_tooltip player_id='1188178' first='Callie' last='James'] was impressive all three days, and every time I turned around, the young guard was shooting the lights out of the ball. Watching her play, her handles, defense, her basketball IQ, and her ability to create and convert difficult shots stand out as much as the three-point and midrange shots. James's name is already known in the basketball circles, and she has created that following as a middle school-aged baller. James enters 9th grade in the fall. There were a lot of good players in the building, and if someone asked who the top 20 shooters in the bnuildingm the just out of 8th grade James's name would come up.

In honor of Father's Day, we take a look at some of the shooters who lit up the nets at the FABC Showcase. For every three-pointer that splashed through the rim, there was likely a dad, stepdad, grandfather, coach, or father figure somewhere in the stands smiling and thinking, “That's my kid.” Some may have been saying, "As much as the shooting machine costs or exhausting trips to the shooting dojo, it's about time." So today, it's only fitting to say to all the Dads, Stepdads, Other Dads, Father Figures, Coaches, and so on, “Hey, look, Dad, I Made It.”