PGH GA Freshman Showcase: Team One Evaluations

There was a lot of talent on display at Next Play 360 in Marietta on Saturday for the 2026 Prep Girls Hoops Georgia Freshman Showcase. It was great to see that the future of girls basketball is in such good hands with these talented young hoopers. Each player brought something unique to the team in the way that they contributed on the hardwood.    Norris may have been the youngest competitor at the freshman showcase as she is just entering the 8th grade and is in the 2031 class. The dynamic point guard was hard to miss creating steals and deflections before scoring easy baskets on the other end in transition. In the half court, Norris showed good patience and vision, finding and hitting open teammates with passes in position to score. Norris also shot the ball well from deep. Definitely, a player that I will be tracking the next few years.     Brooklyn is the kind of player that I look for at these showcases. At nearly 5'10 already, she played very well on the wing and handled the ball well at the guard position. She showed very good athleticism sprinting up and down the court, finishing in transition as well as rebounding the basketball where she utilized her length and reach well. The part I like most about her game is that it is far from finished. She is a very good player now, but with continued growth and development she looks like a potential Division One player in four years. She was very coachable and had a great attitude to go along with her excellent play.     Lorelai is a player who I have heard a lot about from her head coach at Houston County, Dani Wright, who feels she has a very good chance to be a really good player. It was clear with her play that Melvin is a student of the game and has a big basketball brain. Lorelai was very good scoring the basketball from all three levels. She has excellent fundamentals and clearly knows the game. I thought she was bigger than 5'7, but if she isn't now she will be. Played much bigger than listed height.     As a former coach, certain players stick out in these events by doing other things than just scoring the basketball. On Saturday Davo did just that. She impacted the game on both ends of the court and did a nice job rebounding the ball at the guard position. She was very efficient putting the ball in the basket, but was also effective defensively and rebounding the basketball. I told one coach there just look for the ball and you will find her. She was not afraid to mix it up on the defensive end applying maximum pressure on the ball. Davo was not just a good player, but had a great attitude and played the game very unselfishly. She performed well in all areas and did not need the ball to impact the game.     Kalia was one of the best overall or "all around" 2030s at the event. She was a dog on the defensive end where she did a nice job deflecting and intercepting the opposing teams' passes while also picking the ball off of multiple dribblers during game play. When she got the basketball, Edwards showed excellent finishing ability around the basket. She is a strong kid who used her dribble well to create space and then made very good decisions on when to keep the ball and when to give it up. She plays with a high IQ and was thoughtful and well spoken when we chatted after camp. Very bright future for Kalia with Kell and Team Elite Hubbard on the 3SSB circuit.     There was a lot to like about [player_tooltip player_id='1845020' first='Laila' last='Winfrey']'s game. She has the skills and mindset of a much older player and it was clear in her play. Winfrey showed a high IQ and refined offensive skill dribbling, shooting, and passing the basketball. She is very quick and really explosive to go along with good size and strength. Laila does everything well and from a skill standpoint was one of the better 2030s in the gym. During game play I was impressed with her approach as the lead guard. Laila wanted her team to win and they did in impressive fashion with her leading vocally and by example with her play. She was very good scoring the basketball as well as breaking down defenders off the bounce and finding her open teammates.     Climpson looks to be the next one up at Bradwell Institute, a very successful program in South Georgia, the next four years. Seraiyah showed good anticipation skills and quickness on defense, jumping into the passing lanes and creating steals and deflections for her team before finishing smoothly at the rim. She is a very good ball handler and shot the ball well from the perimeter. She got better as the day went on and I expect her career to follow a similar trajectory. With [player_tooltip player_id='1264352' first='Destini' last='McLemore'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1264427' first='Mikayla' last='Oliveira'] already established as very good varsity players, Climpson maybe the final piece needed to make another strong run for a state championship. She brings a lot to the table as a player just entering high school.

There was a lot of talent on display at Next Play 360 in Marietta on Saturday for the 2026 Prep Girls Hoops Georgia Freshman Showcase. It was great to see that the future of girls basketball is in such good hands with these talented young hoopers. Each player brought something unique to the team in the way that they contributed on the hardwood.