2nd Annual iKHONICS' Gym Middle School Showcase: The Top Hoopers

Today was the 2nd Annual iKHONICS' Gym Middle School Showcase at iKHONICS Gym located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This is a showcase that brought together some of the best 2032 and 2031's in the state to compete under one roof as they move into their next year of action. With the new rule being approved that 8th graders can compete at the Varsity level beginning this Winter, it changes up the game-plan for almost every program across this State so this event is a great way to be seen for some of the prospects who will be competing with Varsity this season.   Over the next few days we will be highlighting everyone who attended this event in one way or another but we start by talking about the best of the best. Who were the top players that stepped on the court and did their thing. Everyone really impressed, doing well as a whole but there were some that stood out a little bit more than most and we highlight those individuals below.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    KMH was in good form during this event as she moves into the first week of 8th grade next week in Cedar Rapids. Hodges made easy work of everything that was put in front of her throughout the day, all while being a vocal leader for everyone in the gym. She made plays coming down the floor on offense as the PG, getting to anywhere she wanted with ease. She posted up smaller/weaker defenders that were stuck on her consistently. She defended every position at one point or anther - holding her own each time. All in all, she killed it. There was some real talent in the gym this morning and this was the best of the best. This Winter Maher-Hodges will be the head of Cedar Rapids - Washington High School's program as they look to make it back to the State Tournament for back-to-back seasons. If you ask anyone who knows the 2031 Class around the state in depth, they will all agree that this is the #1 2031 in Iowa. The versatility, the size, the knowledge of the game, the positive energy - it all combines together to create one of the better overall players we have seen throughout our time of doing this. As long as she stays consistent within her own process, she is going to be on a D1 roster before you can blink.     A name to know is [player_tooltip player_id='1883516' first='Marlee' last='Hill'] of Burlington High School and Lady Martin Bros Select GUAA AAU. Hill is listed as a 5'9 SF. I could see that because she is bigger than most her age and she has ample coordination when the rock is in her possession. She can bully through anyone else that is smaller and she doesn't care if she has to work out of the Post or Mid-post to make that happen. She is so athletic and she has such a good feel for the game that at the Varsity level this Winter she should one of Burlington's main weapons on both sides of the floor. Her athletic ability is second to none. The type of ability where she might be the most athletic player throughout the 2031 Class if she keeps progressing as she gets older. Today we saw her dominate her competition at all three levels when she was attaching. She read situations extremely well and that helped her standout a majority of the time. If I had to pick a starting five from today, Hill is in that group.     I was maybe the most impressed with [player_tooltip player_id='1316347' first='Gia' last='Diaz-Doolin'] as a whole and how well she did showing off her best abilities in this one. Diaz-Doolin is PG #1. Sometimes you hear me say that phrase and it means that Diaz-Doolin is the type that you can give the ball to and you can trust her decision making as a coach. You know that she is going to make the smart play and most importantly - the RIGHT play every single time she has the opportunity. The vision, passing, and selflessness we saw out of her today reminded me of a good college PG. There were times she over thought the pass coming down the court but that's apart of the learning process and apart of growing up within this game. It's scary to that she is only going to be an 8th grader. She should start this Winter at Cedar Rapids - Washington. If she does and she gets some of that Varsity experience early on in her career - all for the better. She is one heck of a competitor and she will be another out of this group that will have a chance to play at a HIGH level on the college with the right guidance.     Whenever you have a family with multiple siblings that primarily compete in one main sport, usually the younger the sibling, the better the prospect. That younger player gets to see their brother or sister above them working hard and having success, which leads to them wanting to replicate that so it's not surprising that [player_tooltip player_id='1899703' first='Lenox' last='Pershing'] could turn out to be the best Pershing sister that we have seen yet. When you think Pershing, you think high levels of shooting and hitting shots from deep. Lenox can hit shots from deep but she is a PG. She can handle, cross up whoever is in front of her, and once she gets into the teeth of the defense - she is almost unstoppable. It's either going to be an easy attempt on either side of the bucket for herself or an assist. She did a great job today at understanding the concept of getting the defense to collapse then dishing it out to anyone who is open for a better look but she also knew when/how to be a killer and finish the job herself. It looks like Mount Vernon is going to be blessed with another baller at the PG position these next few years. She won't get a run at the Varsity level yet but going into next season? It definitely won't be out of the question at this point.     Hand down, man down. I am sure that is a phrase that whoever is defending [player_tooltip player_id='1314906' first='Reagan' last='Rosteck'] hears A LOT. You want to talk about a next level shooting ability? Look no further. Rosteck is willing to pull up from crazy distances off the catch OR dribble. That's not something you see too often at this age level unless that player has something to their game. From what we saw today, this is the type of prospect that you give the, "Kyle Korver", treatment too. Every time she sets a screen within your offense, she gets four in return because if you give her enough open looks throughout a ball game - it is NOT going to end well for the opposing squad. Her jump shot is the definition of picture perfect so it'll all comes down to how she plays off of that throughout the next 4 to 5 years. In this event though? One of the best we watched today with a sniper for an arm. No doubt about it.

Today was the 2nd Annual iKHONICS' Gym Middle School Showcase at iKHONICS Gym located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This is a showcase that brought together some of the best 2032 and 2031's in the state to compete under one roof as they move into their next year of action. With the new rule being approved that 8th graders can compete at the Varsity level beginning this Winter, it changes up the game-plan for almost every program across this State so this event is a great way to be seen for some of the prospects who will be competing with Varsity this season.