Florida Freshmen Showcase Team Four Evaluations

Team Four was able of a very talented group of players who played well together throughout the day. Each player had their moment to shine in the Sunshine state whether it was during three on three play or when the players went full court in their five versus five games. Several players showed potential to make an impact sooner than later in high school, but all should be contribute on whatever team thay play for this Winter.    As far as college potential goes, there was not another player at the showcase who has a higher ceiling then Olivia. She has only been playing the game for two years, but you would never know it by the way she played. Her size is impossible not to notice, standing at least 6'4 tall. She blocked a lot of shots and grabbed a lot of rebounds, but it was her finishing with both hands at the rim and very high IQ that had the AAU directors buzzing next to me on the sideline. Her anticipatory skills on both ends were very impressive for someone with such little game experience. Cary has the potential to be a Power Four recruit in a couple years, but if I were a high-level division one coach, I am not sure I would wait that long. She showed good footwork already when surrounded by opposing players after receiving the ball, but will only get even better with time.     Leah was a player I knew heading into the event having seen her play with Booker T Washington in a couple different events last year (Insider Exposure Thanksgiving Classic and She Got Game) and covering her sister Nylah for the last few years. She has great size and length to go with elite athleticism. She moved very well in tight quarters in the post for size and age, which can be a challenge for some players. Looking ahead to college she has the frame and skill to play the stretch four position without question. With her athleticism and ever improving skill catching up, Leah could easily play on the perimeter as a big guard down the line. Right now I think she has the potential to be a very productive post player the next four years for sure. She is far from the finished product which I prefer at her age, because she has so much room to continue to get better. The signs are all positive for Brooks to have a great high school career the next four years at a very good Booker T Washington program.     Halle showed a very polished offensive game on Sunday, specifically creating space for herself off the bounce before finishing at the rim or knocking down shots from the perimeter. She is a long kid and has the height college coaches look for in guards to go with the very obvious and impressive skill set she possesses. Her shot was not falling during spurts, but instead of forcing shots for herself she facilitated more for her teammates using the same elite ball handling mentioned before. Halle then went right back to work with better results. She is another excellent young player in a long line of very good players from the Essence program in Florida.     Freda's versatility was evident from the very first minutes of three versus three play as the showcase began. She scored the ball effectively and efficiently from all three levels with very few dribbles. She made catch and shoot jumpers from the midrange and behind the three-point line. She was in constant motion without the basketball which also allowed her not only to consistently get open on the wing, but also score slashing to the basket with ball and cutting and scoring off passes. Stamper has very good size to go with the skill and showed very good athleticism. She will definitely play in college if she continues on the same track.     Kenadi was a consistent playmaker at the point guard position who used her quickness and vision to create scoring opportunities (several easy) off the dribble. Manning found and hit the smallest of wholes with the basketball in three versus three play and followed it up by showing those same skills pushing the ball on the break in transition when the teams played five versus five. Kenadi got to the rim often where she was able to score over defenders and one time through contact on the fastbreak. In an event with a big number of excellent young point guard prospects, Manning proved she should be in the conversation.     Emily was productive scoring the ball with no wasted dribbles and was decisive when attacking the rim or pulling up for a jump shot. Avila was equally as effective getting the basketball to the other playmakers on her team. She played with a maturity beyond her years and a good understanding of the game. Emily a showed sneaky good handles when necessary. On one play in particular Avila hit her defender with a very nice inside out move and slight hesitation move on the left wing, got into the paint, and kicked the ball out to a wide-open teammate, whose defender left to go help stop her driving to the paint, and knocked down a three from the top of the key. She played selfless and with a high motor.     Cisneros first caught my attention during the three versus three portion of the Freshmen Showcase. As six foot tall with good mobility on the perimeter, she was hard to miss. She is listed a small forward, and I think she could be a very good one for college coaches to track the next four years. She was good in all areas offensively. Carmen used her size to throw one very nice crosscourt pass in five versus five right over her much smaller defender's head. A few plays later she sprinted out on the break and finished at the rim leaping high into the air. She also scored the ball well at the rim and from the midrange both off the dribble and in catch and shot or layup situations. She showed that she can also makes shots from behind the three-point line, which is something she will have to do consistently to play at a high level in college. I think she demonstrated the ability and has the potential to do that.     Rodriguez was best pushing the ball in transition during five-on-five play for team four. She had one of the nicest passes of the day, executing a very nice bounce off the dribble with one hand on the fastbreak, to a wide-open teammate cutting to the basket for the layup. That may have been the flashiest play she made, but the consistency was there throughout the day as she handled the basketball well, made good decisions, and made the right play time and time again. She is a crafty player who can create space for herself off the dribble as well. Sophia competed hard and played with a big motor on the defensive end and contributed rebounding the basketball.     Sophia was a very good on ball defender in the halfcourt for her team while also repeatedly sprinting back in transition defense trying to prevent a layup or easy score. She used her quick hands and feet to stay in front of the ball when her man had possession. When Rodriguez was in help-side defense she kept her head on a swivel and did a good job jumping into help her teammates when they got beat on dribble penetration. She was also good on the break on offense with the ball and without it. Sophia did a nice job finding teammates cutting to the basket and she was the recipient of good passes when she cut to the rim herself.

Team Four was able of a very talented group of players who played well together throughout the day. Each player had their moment to shine in the Sunshine state whether it was during three on three play or when the players went full court in their five versus five games. Several players showed potential to make an impact sooner than later in high school, but all should be contribute on whatever team thay play for this Winter.