Five KC Jamfest All-Stars On The Rise

Out of all the teams at the KC Jamfest last weekend, no other team stood out quite like D.U.T. Academy. Here are five players who are a key part of making their team a force to be reckoned with.    [player_tooltip player_id='1802920' first='Sasha' last='Ickes'] isn't here to mess around, she has one thing and one thing only on her mind, victory. With her competitive spirit, her lightning speed, and her knowledge of the sport, Sasha blends all of these attributes together in such a way that allows her to become the striking athlete that she is. She flawlessly ran several end-to-end bursts without running out of steam, she would routinely create several transition opportunities, and would cleverly beat defenders off the dribble.   Sasha is the last word in competitiveness. She consistently played with very high energy, and exceptional effort while she fought her opponents for loose balls, rebounds, and even contested a few possessions during the match. Not only did Sasha show her competitive spirit, but she beautifully displayed her high IQ of the sport. Sasha was frequently seen scanning and intently studying the court, it was almost like she could read the future of the game. During one point in the match, Sasha was completely focused on her opponent who had control of the ball. As her opponent threw the ball to her left Sasha was right there to intercept, and she quickly gained control of the ball.     She thrives under pressure, possesses expert spatial awareness, and boasts a top-notch offensive game. This is [player_tooltip player_id='1824260' first='Daja' last='Townsend'] , a dynamic player who undoubtedly makes her mark on the court. While some players would crack under mounting levels of pressure, this is where she thrives. During one stretch of the match between her team D.U.T. Academy, and the opposing team Woo Elite, the timer was fast approaching the end, but this only fueled her competitive spirit. Daja sped alongside one of her opponents, who had control of the ball, her opponent tripped and lost control of it. Daja didn't hesitate and dove for the ball executing a successful recapture, she then stormed down the court all while handling the ball with ease. Once she reached the opposite end of the court, Daja quickly passed the ball to one of her teammates, which resulted in a score for her team, showcasing her outstanding offensive skills.   Here is an example of Daja's professional-level spatial awareness. During the middle of the match Daja saw that one of her teammates took a three-pointer, as this was occurring, you could see Daja scanning the court, anticipating where the rebound might bounce. She then slid into position before any of her other teammates, she then boxed out her defender and secured the rebound like a champ. The KC Jam Fest allowed [player_tooltip player_id='1824260' first='Daja' last='Townsend'] to showcase just what she's made of, a pure raw competitive spirit.     [player_tooltip player_id='1802917' first='Samia' last='Gomez'] is obviously a key player on her team. She possesses wonderful ball handling, a near-expert ability to read the court, and has strength in spades. Let's start with her ball handling skills, this girl would have a grip on that ball like there was no tomorrow. Even as the pressure was mounting, did she get nervous and fumble the ball? Absolutely not. Samia consistently kept complete control of the ball as she glided down the court.   Her court reading was on another level. Samia would routinely be seen studying the court and paying close attention to her opponents' movements. During one stretch of the match, Samia was in lock-step with one of her opponents who had the ball, she would mirror their movements and really get in their head. They tried to fake left but fumble the ball in the process, only for Samia to quickly recapture the ball and swiftly pass it off to her teammates. The sheer ability to mirror one's movements, and get in their head, requires a vast amount of mental strength, which Samia undoubtedly has.       With fantastic form, coachability, and good sportsmanship, Tajaleya Smith-McCord expertly combines these attributes in a way that makes her stand out from the rest. Let's start with excellent form, which she showed in three ways; Layup, Tajaleya frequently finished at the rim while maintaining near-perfect footwork, touching the backboard, all while retaining complete body control. Passing, Tajaleya showcased good passing mechanics and would execute crisp and precise passes with proper technique. Defensive stance, no matter what happened on the court Tajaleya would consistently maintain fabulous defensive form by keeping her feet active, remaining low, and using strategic hand placement all without reaching.   Her sportsmanship shone bright in the way she; would compete with respect, keep her composure, and display an elevated air of professionalism towards her teammates, her opponents, and the officials. Tajaleya could be seen helping her opponents up when they fell, offering the opposing team praise when the match was finished, and constantly keeping a positive attitude through the match, her radiant smile never left her face. Tajaleya also showed strong levels of coachability in addition to her other attributes. At one point in the match, her coach called her team in for a huddle and spoke to her giving her direction. Tajaleya paid close attention and immediately implemented her coach's teaching in her gameplay, showing how positively she reacted to feedback.       [player_tooltip player_id='1804501' first='Love' last='Patricia Walker'], she has fantastic footwork skills, she has the stamina of a professional player, and she never misses a chance to hype up her team. The way she slid and jumped was so smooth you'd swear she was dancing. Love showed near-perfect footwork with well-controlled jumping, while keeping balance and creating multiple scoring opportunities. At one point in the match, Love recaptured the ball and effortlessly weaved in and out of the opposing defense all the way to the end of the court. She quickly balanced herself, jumped, shot the ball, and made the basket.   Now her real secret weapon is her seemingly eternal stamina. When the match was coming to a close, you could see her opponents dropping like flies, with their energy completely spent. But not Love, she just kept going and going. Love knew the exact moments when she needed to push hard, and when she needed to reserve her energy. Last but certainly not least of her attributes, is her pure enthusiasm. Whether she was on the court or on the bench, Love never missed an opportunity to cheer on her teammates. She would frequently be seen joining in chanting 'Defence!' when she was on the bench to hype up her teammates who were on the court.

Out of all the teams at the KC Jamfest last weekend, no other team stood out quite like D.U.T. Academy. Here are five players who are a key part of making their team a force to be reckoned with.