IE Summer Slam: '28s to Know | Prep Girls Hoops

As the travel ball careers ended for some on Monday the realization had to set in for the 2028's that in just. a year's time, that would be them. Many of the '27s have made their college decisions and others have multiple options. Since the recent 5 for 5 ruling by the NCAA, there have been a steady stream of college commitments. In talking with several college coaches who were scouting at the event in Greensboro, they too are as unsure what exactly the future holds when we talked about the 2028 class. Regardless of that, these players have shown over the course of the Spring and Summer and in some cases the five days at Summer Slam that their futures and recruitment will not be impeded too much by recent events.    I love going into an event and finding legit college prospects I knew nothing about before the play started. It only took a few minutes, if that long, for me to turn to the Palmetto Pressure Director and ask "Who is 17?" He told me JaNia was the Region Player of the Year for Beaufort and was also selected as an All State player. It was easy to see why as she rocked the basketball behind her back, between her legs, and in front of defenders before scoring the basketball with a high level of smoothness to her finishes. Hayward shot the ball well from the perimeter in the game I watched as well as breaking down defenders off the bounce and getting into the paint where she finished with both hands. When she was running the point for Palmetto Pressure, she did a good job distributing the ball where it should go and getting it there fast. Hayward, herself, is fast, and along with the aforementioned handles, hurt opposing defenses both scoring and dishing the ball off to open teammates on the break.     Whether I was watching Trotters-Williams '28 play at their court or catching some of the action during pauses on a neighboring court, it seemed like [player_tooltip player_id='1859607' first='Addison' last='Bunn'] was scoring the basketball often and in a lot of different ways. It was no surprise when I looked after one game on the Insider Exposure Player of the Game Instagram account and saw that she had not only earned that distinction for the that game but she had scored 35 points in doing so. Bunn shot the ball extremely well from the perimeter and midrange and finished well with both hands around the rim. She was especially good sprinting out on the break, whether it was after a turnover or a rebound and ,whether she had the basketball or not, getting baskets in transition.     Collins played the game like any coach would want her to, especially at the point guard position. She is a feisty kid who got after it on the defensive end which partly set the tone, in my opinion, for the rest of her team. She played with toughness and no fear of contact, whether it was creating space for herself with the dribble, applying pressure to opposing dribblers, or making plays for loose balls. Collins also distributed the ball very well on the offensive end, particularly on the fast break where her team scored a lot of points or in the half court running the Trotters offense. She could have forced more shots, but she kept the ball moving passing open looks for herself to get her teammates better looks. When Collins decided to score, she did so effectively and efficiently.     Reagan was a late addition to the Tennessee United '28 team that competed in the 16U division in Greensboro. She is a kid I am very familiar with as she won the state three point contest a couple years ago and has gone on to become a very well rounded player. She was another player who easily could have taken more shots and no one would have thought otherwise, but she got the ball to her new teammates that were in better positions to score. Her elite shooting ability from three was on full display over the four days as she made shots from seemingly every inch right behind the arc. Mulligan also showed a nice finishing package that included a very effective floater from both baselines and in front of the basket when she got into the paint. She looked like she had been playing with this group for years and was consistently good in each game.     When I saw Kylee earlier in the Spring she made a play that I still remember very clearly that showed a level of athleticism that I do not often see. She came from the baseline and exploded off the ground in to the air, of two feet, above a group of players under the basket and snatched the ball out of the air. It reminded me of times when I played and tip dunks were very trendy. It was her shooting ability from three at Summer Slam that really impressed not only myself, but some of the college coaches who were sitting on the baseline where I was. The first game of the tournament Herrick was on fire from three and did not hesitate to let it fly when the ball found her on the perimeter. She continued that over the course of the tournament while also scoring on the break consistently, rebounding the basketball at a high clip, and playing very good on ball and help defense. You can tell she is a coach's kid and a very good one at that. She and her Creekview teammates will look to defend their state title in her Junior season.     While Bryan did not score, nor have the opportunity for open looks from three, as much from the perimeter as usual, but that did not stop her from impacting the game in a positive way in other areas and also showcase others skills on the offensive end of the court. At nearly six feet tall and a "workout warrior" like [player_tooltip player_id='964202' first='Kylee' last='Herrick'], Bryan got to the rim with the basketball and finished through contact. She used her wingspan and height to elevate and shoot over defenders from the midrange, something she is very good at and should do more often. In the pick and roll and other sequences where she had the basketball with decisions to make when shooting was taken away by the defense, Bryan kept her head up and did a nice job finding her open teammates. She is an underrated ball handler who can create shots for herself off the bounce, and she proved that more than once in the three games I saw Redline play as well.

As the travel ball careers ended for some on Monday the realization had to set in for the 2028's that in just. a year's time, that would be them. Many of the '27s have made their college decisions and others have multiple options. Since the recent 5 for 5 ruling by the NCAA, there have been a steady stream of college commitments. In talking with several college coaches who were scouting at the event in Greensboro, they too are as unsure what exactly the future holds when we talked about the 2028 class. Regardless of that, these players have shown over the course of the Spring and Summer and in some cases the five days at Summer Slam that their futures and recruitment will not be impeded too much by recent events.