Select Events: Versatile and Valuable Bigs

The game is dominated by guard play today and probably has been for throughout most of the sport's history. In recent years, what we would called post players, we now call "bigs" because of the growth of the sport and the advancement of the position. Players at, near, or over, six feet tall are rare and the better ones are almost assuredly going to continue to play in college. These players are no longer forced to stay with their back to the basket on the block hoping the basketball will come there way, but now have gotten more involved in the action by bringing guard skills on the perimeter to the position. These players don't just operate in the paint (which they do effectively), but impact the game all over the court.    Kylie's length and athleticism make her not only a star basketball player, but also a standout on the volleyball court in the state of Kentucky. Her versatility, to go along with her height and explosive leaping ability, were hard to miss in Ohio as she crashed the offensive boards from the wing and weak side going after what seemed like every missed shot her team took. She was excellent slashing to the basket with and without the ball and knocked down open shots from the perimeter. Those god given gifts with her competitiveness and high motor have landed Kylie offers from schools like Drexel, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee Tech, and multiple others. Watching her play again it was easy to see why as she moves with great quickness and agility without the basketball. On way play she came up from the block, took a handoff coming off a curl screen, took two dribbles and finished both with her left hand. Her activity level is as high as her skill level which had the Mac Irvin players tasked with guarding her exhausted by the end of the game. She is a very skilled player who is going to make a big, positive impact for whichever program she chooses at the next level.     Calista is a unique prospect who has really only been playing the game seriously for a couple of years. She has a sister who plays at Northern Michigan and Ivezaj already has multiple offers to play on the next level herself. Calista, who I was told plays the majority of the time on the perimeter in high school, looked like he had been playing the position for a long time going up against some of the best post players from across the country. Her guard skills were very evident though when she was able to step out away from the basket. Over the course of three games I watched her make several shots from 12-15 feet. Some were in catch and shoot scenarios, but others Calista showed her playmaking ability by creating space off the dribble to create the separation needed to get her shot off. Her form and follow through looked very good and she did a nice job squaring her shoulders up to the basket on each take and make. Again, she did not look out of place playing the "5" or "Center" for the Mystics. Quite the contrary, she showed good effort and ability banging in the painted are on defense and rebound the basketball on both ends of the court. She is a player whose best basketball is in front of her and I really liked what I saw in Sessions 2 and 3 after seeing her play well in Session One at Select Events.     Jocelyn had another good showing at Select Events showing off her elite athleticism at six feet two inches tall. She was hard to miss crashing the offensive boards in transition following and grabbing missed shots for easy put backs. She didn't just hurt opposing teams trailing plays on the fast break by scoring in the paint, Jocelyn also showed great form and follow thru as she knocked down multiple shots from behind the three point line and in the midrange for her team. I was very impressed with Gesner during Session One at Spooky Nook in the Spring, but she looked even lighter on her feet and showed very good quickness and excellent footwork this trip. She really got off the floor when she had time and space to leap and get full extension blocking and altering shots on the defensive and snatching missed shots off the glass. Since my first time watching her Jocelyn made her college decision committing to Drexel in June over schools like Colgate, Cornell, VCU, and others. I expect her to have a very solid and productive career playing on the next level.     Marlee very easily could have found herself in the article I am writing about the best shooters I saw at the Select Events in Ohio over the course of five days the last week. I watched Sanford Sports play a number of times because of the distance they traveled, the talent and reputation they brought with them, and the very high level of competition they played. Against the Michigan Mystics and United NJ, Falcon consistently knocked down shots from several feet behind the three point line. She is not just a shooter however, as she used her quickness to get the basket several times in the dribble-drive offense her team ran. Bigger players could not stay with her or in front of her when she drove and cut to the basket whether she had the basketball or not. Smaller players had no effect stopping or contesting her shots as she elevated over them before ripping the nets from just about anywhere over half court. She is a physically strong player who should be able to come in and contribute right away next year when she enrolls at South Dakota to continue her athletic and academic career.     Coming into the event WV Thunder Perry '28 sustained a terrible blow with an injury to [player_tooltip player_id='999409' first='Keilah' last='Mitchell'] playing for her high school team in the live period in Indiana in June. When I saw her post on social media I called TJ and he told me he had a six footer coming in to try and help fill the void. I did not know it at the time, but the player was Kierstyn and she actually is high school teammates with Keilah at Evansville Reitz. In a tough situation coming into a new (very good) team, Kaiser had an excellent performance in her debut. Coming off the bench for Perry, Kierstyn brought instant energy and a lift each game I watched when she checked in. She is a very long 6'1 and she used her reach and very good leaping ability to help control the boards on both ends, picking up several offensive rebounds and put backs in the games I saw. She also was very good operating on the low block in the post. Whether it was catching and finishing a quick pass at the rim from [player_tooltip player_id='999451' first='Chami' last='Williams'] or [player_tooltip player_id='990047' first='Maddy' last='Wallace'] or when given time showing off her excellent footwork and post moves scoring on the block. She is a very intriguing player who I look forward to seeing more of over the next year. She fit in seamlessly and looked like she had been part of the team all Spring and Summer. She did not need to show her perimeter skills, but did look confident and comfortable shooting the basketball from the free throw line.     Morgan recently committed to Coastal Carolina University not too long before the event started, so I was intrigued to see her play for YKS. In the game versus Havoc I saw why Herbert was so valued by college coaches on the division one level. When she got the ball on the block or in the painted area, Morgan finished with great skill and consistency. Her foot work and agility were very impressive as she used her jab step, shot fakes, and up and under moves to get her defender off balance and off their feet before smoothly scoring around the rim. She also utilized a very nice spin moves a couple of times in the game I saw her play before finishing over taller defenders. Herbert was active and aggressive rebounding the ball and played solid man to man defense for YKS both in the half court and full court pressing situations. She looked like she has the physical ability and skills to play further from the basket if Coach Kevin Pederson and his staff choose to use her in that way over the next five years.

The game is dominated by guard play today and probably has been for throughout most of the sport's history. In recent years, what we would called post players, we now call "bigs" because of the growth of the sport and the advancement of the position. Players at, near, or over, six feet tall are rare and the better ones are almost assuredly going to continue to play in college. These players are no longer forced to stay with their back to the basket on the block hoping the basketball will come there way, but now have gotten more involved in the action by bringing guard skills on the perimeter to the position. These players don't just operate in the paint (which they do effectively), but impact the game all over the court.