HER Skills Summit: 2029 Standouts

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — The 2nd annual Hoops By Ugland HER Skills Summit took place Sunday at the new Griffin Center on the campus of Los Alamitos high school. The skill development and competition-based camp drew 78 high school girls prospects from the classes of 2027-2033 and those prospects received hands' on coaching from high level high school and college coaches. Below we take a closer look at the 2029 prospects who stood out.    Castillo stood out with her steady approach to the guard position which led to her ability to consistently make the right play. The 5-foot-3 sophomore may be on the smaller side physically, but her confidence, skill and ability to use angles off the glass allows her to score in the lane much more efficiently than her size would lead you to believe. Castillo's quick right-to-left crossover helped her get by her initial defender in half-court offense and she carried on into the lane where she scored with crafty floaters. Her defensive prowess was impressive throughout the camp as her quick hands and anticipation sped up the opponent and created turnovers which she turned into offense.     Henderson has a ton of natural ability as a back-to-the-basket scorer and she stayed true to that skill-set throughout the event. The 6-foot-1 forward showed a high IQ understanding of how to establish deep post position and, when she got a touch on the block, used simple but effective footwork to get to her consistent right hand finish. Henderson anchors her pivots well and gets defenders on her hip to get a clean look at the rim. The sophomore, who transferred to Troy after not playing at Brea Olinda as a freshman, was impactful on the offensive and defensive boards, as well.     Calvert put on an impressive shooting display during 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 action where her combination of fluid and fundamental shooting mechanics and constant off-ball movement led to her earning clean looks at the rim. At 5-feet-10, Calvert has good positional size and showed the ball-handling ability to create and knock down off-bounce pull-up jumpers. Calvert was a high energy and effort player throughout the event.     Samonte's offensive and defensive versatility stood out as her biggest strength. On the defensive end, The 5-foot-10 forward was providing clear and concise communication in ball screen defense, rebounding in and out of her area and contesting shots around the basket without fouling. Offensively, Samonte used simple but efficient moves and footwork to get a step on her defender and into the lane where she was able to score with touch or power through contact.     When you talk about a skilled forward that fits into the modern game, look no further than Nyman who embodies most if not all of those traits. The 6-foot sophomore has a little bit of everything in her offensive arsenal from stretching the floor to the three-point line off the catch to scoring in the post on quick back-to-the-basket moves and impressive fade-away jumpers. Where Nyman separates herself on that end is with her passing feel and basketball IQ.     Robinson immediately jumps out at you due to her confidence as a perimeter shooter. The 5-foot-8 combo guard is consistent both off the catch from three and off the bounce as she has clearly been well-schooled in shooting mechanics, balance and shot selection. Robinson isn't just a shooter, however, and showed that she can make plays for teammates in transition as she kept her eyes up the floor and picked apart defenses with simple but effective passes.

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — The 2nd annual Hoops By Ugland HER Skills Summit took place Sunday at the new Griffin Center on the campus of Los Alamitos high school. The skill development and competition-based camp drew 78 high school girls prospects from the classes of 2027-2033 and those prospects received hands' on coaching from high level high school and college coaches. Below we take a closer look at the 2029 prospects who stood out.