The Encore: Soon to Be Freshman Phenom

Teams flooded the gym from across the Midwest, and college coaches from the region showed up to recruit many talented prospects. I had a blast seeing the prospects from multiple states, and Australia put their best skills on display during the tournament. Here are five 16U guards who received recognition as Top Performers:    With seconds remaining, Jimena was given a golden opportunity to tie the game. In the bonus, she stepped up to the free throw line and knocked down two clutch free throws to even the score. But her heroics weren't done yet. With the score tied, Jimena poked the ball out at the three-point line, knew the time and situation, fired a runner from the elbow, and banked in the game winner at the buzzer. Jimena applied good pressure on the perimeter. On one possession in particular, she hounded the ball relentlessly for about 10 seconds. Jimena talked on the court, facilitated the ball effectively as the floor general, penetrated off the dribble, threw lob entry passes with nice touch, and provided a perimeter threat. She was a playmaker for [program_tooltip program_id='1307580' first='Indy' last='One'] 16U Bays at The Encore.     Bella delivered a strong showing for [program_tooltip program_id='1307580' first='Indy' last='One'] 16U EYCL at The Encore. She took a DHO straight to the basket for a speedy finish and split gaps off the dribble to force defenders to put her on the free throw line. Bella scored many layups off backdoor cuts. One of her best was a quick catch-and-release finish with a soft touch off the glass before the defender could alter her shot. She scanned the floor, used lateral dribbles to keep defenders on their heels, switched hands with ease, and converted tough layups in traffic. After using a nice high-rip move in the paint to force a foul, she buried back-to-back free throws with confidence. Bella stepped outside to drain a smooth wing three and generated steals on the defensive end.     Ellington had the net begging for mercy in a game as she sank a mind-boggling six threes for [program_tooltip program_id='1307580' first='Indy' last='One'] 16U McQueen. She also facilitated the ball effectively, reversing the court with strong skip passes, and her instincts on the defensive end resulted in steals. Ellington swished another corner three and a corner jumper off the hop on day two. She was dialed in, and her perimeter accuracy gave the team a major advantage on the court.     Jhordyn's athleticism, determined downhill drives, physicality, and strong finishes at the rim were impressive to watch at The Encore. She slashed to the hoop to score a floater, and powered through contact for an and-one finish off two, then completed the three-point play at the line. Jordyn went up strong in the paint, forced a foul, and buried both shots from the charity stripe. Her athleticism is off the charts, and that was most evident when I saw Jordyn cut backdoor, reel in the pass, elevate, hang in mid-air with a defender in her grill, and convert the contested bucket off the glass. She went up with both hands to swat a shot away on the defensive end and seemed to get to the basket whenever she wanted to. Jhordyn scored many layups off dribble penetration and backdoor cuts. She can impact games inside and on the perimeter.     As soon as Jayleigh said she was an incoming freshman, I thought to myself, "Oh boy, this kid is going to be a menace at the high school level". She played up with 16U and was an outright beast for [program_tooltip program_id='1311881' first='Indiana' last='Starz']. Kayleigh stuffed the stat sheet in every category. She made the effort plays and outworked the opponent for many offensive rebounds, going up strong to score putbacks off two feet. Kayleigh drained a pull-up straightaway three off the bounce, zoomed past defenders using quick crossovers to score layups, earned trips to the line, and knocked down her free throws. She scored back-to-back full-speed layups, pressured the ball in the backcourt to create a turnover, drove downhill with determination to score a strong and-one bucket, then tacked on the free throw. Jayleigh scored through contact in top gear and was an exciting prospect to watch. She's a player who could turn heads again at the Freshman Showcase.

Teams flooded the gym from across the Midwest, and college coaches from the region showed up to recruit many talented prospects. I had a blast seeing the prospects from multiple states, and Australia put their best skills on display during the tournament. Here are five 16U guards who received recognition as Top Performers: