Australia 16U Mic Drop at The Encore

Day one of the PGH Encore was a slam dunk. Teams flooded the gym from across the Midwest. Australia's top prospects put on an impressive display in front of scouts and coaches. College coaches from the region showed out to recruit talented prospects, and many of the girls made a lasting impression on the court. Here are five of the prospects from my first 16U game of the day who received recognition as Top Performers:    Marley was a guard who separated herself in the backcourt for Australia AUSA Team Morgan 16U. She showed great closeout speed, awareness in the gap, and lateral quickness. Marley was fearless as a defender on the ball, applying pressure way out at half court and working hard to disrupt the opponents offense. Marley reached in with fast hands, swiped the ball away on the perimeter, and drove downhill with a burst off the dribble to earn trips to the line. She knocked down back to back free throws and shot the ball confidently from beyond the arc. Marley had good instincts off the ball, cutting back door to score catch and finish layups with fluid transfers at the rim. She drained a three in the slot and fired a skip pass on the money for an assist. Marley's facilitating, dribble penetration, and scrappy defense played an important role towards the team's success on day one of the PGH Encore.     Catherine jolted the [program_tooltip program_id='1307580' first='Indy' last='One'] 16U EYBL offense with her outside shooting at The Encore. Catherine had the ball on a string. She used smooth crossovers to create space and went right into a smooth step-back three before the defender could contest the shot. Catherine stripped the ball away with quick hands and dished out crisp passes. She made the opponent pay for leaving her open, draining threes from up top and the slot.     Ella has size, athleticism, mobility, instincts, and skill as a post prospect that immediately stood out at The Encore with Australia AUSA 16U Team Morgan. Ella finished well off two feet around the basket, drove into the high post, kept her eyes up, forced the help to commit, then dished out an assist to a cutter. She has excellent vision in the post and created wide-open looks for teammates by making the right pass instead of forcing contested shots. One of her wow plays happened when Ella caught a pass in the paint, then used a giant stride to get past her defender for a step-through finish. Ella landed with a jump stop, pivoted, and made an extra pass down low for an assist. She crashed the glass to secure a rebound, then dished out another assist. Ella scored a putback with her left off two feet and caught a pass with soft hands to score a catch-and-finish layup with her left. She has good touch inside and can push the ball up the floor with both hands comfortably to create transition points.     Sometimes moments happen as a scout that you look back on and say, "Wow, I'm happy I was there to see that!" Today was one of those days, and the prospect to remember was Vanessa. It was my first time seeing Australia AUSA 16U Morgan play, and Vanessa had an opening game mic drop against elite competition. There were several times throughout the game where I was thinking this girl has to have high college offers. 6-foot freakishly athletic guard with outstanding balance, finishing dexterity with either hand at the rim, sniper from three, tight handles, high motor on the defensive end, stat stuffer, not the type of prospect who gets missed. Vanessa knocked down a silky smooth mid-range jumper over a defender after a spin move, stole a baseline out-of-bounds pass, raced up the court using both hands, and finished with an athletic full-speed scoop finish. She answered a three by catching a pass on the wing, pivoting calmly, then ripping the net with a three of her own. Vanessa swished two more deep wing threes, a corner three, and a smooth elbow jumper. Later in the day, she added a quick catch-and-release three off the catch from the corner. I made a note that Vanessa is explosive. Here's a quick image for you: sudden crossover drive-by switches to right in top gear for an inside-hand finish high and soft off the glass through contact for an and-one. She rocked the baby to sleep for a silky smooth left-handed same-foot scoop finish off the glass. Vanessa made it look like she was passing the ball to herself as she high-pointed rebounds off the glass. She made telephone booth wrap-around passes in traffic for assists and distributed the ball effectively as a facilitator. Her dominant performances helped lead the team to an undefeated record, and the only reason the high offers aren't pouring in right now is because it's not a live period weekend.     Caroline turned in a complete performance at The Encore for [program_tooltip program_id='1307580' first='Indy' last='One'] 16U EYBL that separated her as one of the most impactful forwards on the court. Her determination on the offensive glass led to many putbacks, and she finished comfortably with her right and left. Caroline showed her outside range by stepping out to hit a smooth corner three off the catch. She distributed the ball out to open teammates for assists, made smart backdoor reads, and transferred the ball well for in-stride finishes. Caroline secured defensive rebounds with strength and picked up an offer today from Taylor University.

Day one of the PGH Encore was a slam dunk. Teams flooded the gym from across the Midwest. Australia's top prospects put on an impressive display in front of scouts and coaches. College coaches from the region showed out to recruit talented prospects, and many of the girls made a lasting impression on the court. Here are five of the prospects from my first 16U game of the day who received recognition as Top Performers: