Small Towns, National Games

Oklahoma has a strong tradition of having outstanding players from outside the metros. Which continues to be the case with the new batch of players coming through. During the July live peroids, many of Oklahoma's best small town players traveled the country and proved that the ball is still round and the rims are 10 feet high. And that no matter the stage, they can hoop.    A hard nosed guard, Conley played in Chicago at Nike Nationals with the Oklahoma Swarm. Which included many of her high school teammates from McLoud. In a game watched last weekend, she was her typical hard driving and tough rebound self. Crashing the offensive glass with impressive boards for a guard. Driving to earn trips to the line along with tough finishes. Has a bit of a signature mid-range shot, but can also step out and hit the occasional three. She's a gritty player and her positive play translates no matter the location.     Smith ran this spring and summer with [program_tooltip program_id='712750' first='Shock' last=''] in S40 competition. In this case she was literally running. She's a speedy athlete, which also makes her a thief on the court. Came away with 39 steals in the month of July alone. Along with her energetic defensive contributions, she's a quality off the ball scorer. With a clean jumper and smart off the ball movement that leads to good finishing around the rim. Don't sleep on this Northern Oklahoma standout.     While Gray has moved a bit closer to the metro, she's already etched her name in small town lore with a Class A State Title at Canute. Following a dynamic and electric performance in March, she's played up at the 16U level with one of the best teams in Select Events' P24. Which means there are few players in Oklahoma who have won more over the last calendar year than Gray. As till an upset in Kentucky, Gray's AAU squad was undefeated in P24 play. Even after that upset, they bounced back and won the consolation bracket. Now attention turns to Gray at her new school, Washington. The Lady Warriors have won back to back Class 3A titles, and the addition of Gray gives them another young guard with a bit of magic to her game.     Dooley is a newcomer to the small town ranks, as her freshman year was at LCS. But she's followed in her mother's footsteps by playing for David Lampton. Her mother won a State Title with Coach Lampton at Oklahoma Union. It remains to be see if Dooley will fully follow in her mother's footsteps with a State Title, she's has an "always up for the challenge" mindset. Which is exactly what Chicago brought to the table for Dooley.   MoKan reached the Elite 8, losing to the eventual 15U champs. In that game, Dooley was pushed by a disciplined defense that helped indicate some of her areas of improvements. The pressure made the usually quality shooter looked pressed, and showed she needs to work on her left hand on drives. Right now, her game is more of defensive minded two guard than an outright point guard. But there are moments of passing and vision that indicate she could become more of a combo of even a point. Odds are the determined guard will work on addressing those area of improvement.     Skaggs had a productive close to her summer in Louisville. She's an athletic scoring guard, who gets after it on the offensive glass. Her ability to be quick off the ground and long arms often leads to second chance points. She's becoming a dynamic scorer off the bounce. Able to get downhill with a nice crossover. While also able to make the defense pay when they sag off. The signs are there Fort Gibson Lady Tiger to make a huge leap as a sophomore.     Last but certainly not least in the small town travelers this month is the southeastern Oklahoma standout. She wrapped up her AAU career in Chicago playing in the EYBL finals. The electric guard put up strong averages of 13 points 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals over 6 games. Her performance led to an offer from North Carolina Greensboro. Cauthron has been one of the most eexciting players in Oklahoma since her freshman year. And now after a spring and summer AAU play, the game will likely feel even slower to her. As she'll aim to close her high school career just like how she started it; with a State Title.

Oklahoma has a strong tradition of having outstanding players from outside the metros. Which continues to be the case with the new batch of players coming through. During the July live peroids, many of Oklahoma's best small town players traveled the country and proved that the ball is still round and the rims are 10 feet high. And that no matter the stage, they can hoop.