PGH GA Sophomore ID Camp: Team Five

Team Five at the Prep Girls Hoops Georgia Sophomore ID Camp had a very good mix of point guards, combo guards, and two new versatile "big" prospects. Playing together for the first time, I thought this group did a good job showing their versatility as the guards interchanged positions on the fly throughout their games. This often resulted with a different player bringing the ball down the court every trip and allowing me to see these kids play both with and without the basketball. There are several very good college prospects on this team and these players will be found sprinkled throughout the new 2029 rankings when the update is complete and published.    Ari got my attention the first few minutes I was in the gym as she warmed up with a quick and leisurely game of one on one against a brother or cousin. she was more than holding her own and one the college coaches came and said I needed to watch her. At nearly six foot, I was very impressed with her ability to handle the ball on the move and ability to finish around the rim. Ari was particularly effective and smooth scoring on the break and when she had possession on the block. She was quick, but not in a hurry once she had the basketball in her hands in the post and also on the perimeter where she was equally impressive. McElrath has excellent form and follow through on her shot and she did a great job getting her feet right before the ball hit her hands and then quickly squaring her shoulders to the basket. She was very good blocking shots on the ball and with her length and athleticism certainly has the ability to come from the weakside and do the same. Based on her play in the camp alone, I will now make sure I see North Paulding more than once this upcoming season. She looks like a diviison one player to me.     KP is one of the better guards in the class of 2029 in Georgia and her ability to score the basketball from the guard position was on full display again on Saturday. Phillips has mastered the dying art of the pull up midrange jump shot. Couple that with her quickness and ability to change speeds, Phillips is very difficult to stop when she gets going downhill with the ball. Her hands are as quick as her feet which allowed her to intercept balls in the passing lane and pick the ball off dribblers. I have seen her consistently finish over taller defenders and through contact at the rim over the last year against very good competition. College coaches have started to take notice, with North Carolina A&T the latest school to offer.     Ariel is the kind of player every coach wants and that is a pass first point guard that hold's winning above all. Brown who is a very good point guard in her own right unselfishly played most of the camp on the wing with multiple other point guards on team five's roster. That was a wise move as the impressive ball handling I saw at the Cherokee Invitational last December was used to score rather than distribute the basketball on Saturday. Brown's ability to get to the basket and score or create enough space to rise up and knock down jump shots playing on the wing showed a totally different dimension to her game that I would otherwise never seen. She is a gritty, tough defender who rebounds the ball really well for her position. Ariel once again showed that she plays the game with a high basketball IQ and a competitiveness that isn't found in every kid.     Paizley has two qualities that college coaches are looking for: shooters that are consistent and reliable from outside and size at the guard position. Hicks is a very good shooter both from the mid range and the perimeter and at 5'9 with a quick release she has no problem getting her shot off. I knew that going in, but Hicks showed more to her game at the Sophomore ID Camp by putting the ball on the floor and getting to the basket by driving both middle and baseline. Hicks is a strong kid and she did a nice job initiating the contact with defenders as she shielded the ball on her drives both dribbling and finishing in the painted area. There is a lot to like about her game and I look forward to seeing her play again soon.     If you have watched Parker play with Holy Innocents or during a travel ball tournament, then you know to expect when she steps onto the court. Smith is one of the very best shooters in her class and having watched her play several times recently I can say Parker is also one of the better passers as well. She did a great job of keeping her head up and making 3/4 court kick ahead passes to her teammates sprinting to the basket. Smith does a really good job of incorporating head fakes when she receives the ball on the perimeter, which was especially effective after establishing her prowess shooting the ball from outside. She is very quick handling the ball and finds other ways to score inside of the three point line on a regular basis. She rebounds the ball very well for her size.     Blackmon has the size and versatility to be an impact player for Warner Robbins where she will play her upcoming sophomore season. She is a player who consistently performed well with the [program_tooltip program_id='713618' first='Macon' last='Mystics'] in Prep Girls Hoops events this Spring and Summer as well, so the consistency with her game is there. Blackmon runs the floor well and showed good ability finishing around the rim. She also showed the ability to knockdown midrange shots and handle the basketball making her a true inside-out threat. She should be able to have a positive impact for the Demonettes in and around the paint, both on the block and in the high post, as well as stretching defenses out on the baseline.     Butler showed the ability to score the basketball early and often, beginning with a nice finish on the move and over a defender in transition. It wasn't just that play, Imani did a good job getting out and sprinting throughout the camp giving ball handlers an option on the fast break. A play a few moments later saw Butler take one dribble after the catch before stopping and pulling up from about 4-5 feet and swishing the short jump shot while her defender continued on towards the basket. She also showed the ability to knock shots down from three point range. With the departure of [player_tooltip player_id='967982' first='Layla' last='Adams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='904616' first='Hailey' last='Houlder'] from Archer, Butler will be counted on as one of the players needed to step up and fill the void.     Lovie deserves a lot of credit for the unselfishness she showed by playing out of position the entire camp due to her team not having a true post player. Hers was not the only team and someone had to do it. In doing so she sacrificed touches and scoring opportunities in return for banging and battling on the boards and defensively. That was impressive in and of itself, but the toughness and intelligence she showed while playing in the post earned a lot of respect from me. She used her athleticism to beat slower opponents to lose balls, long rebounds, and did a great job as the screener in pick and role situations. In three on three and earlier in the day you could see the very solid fundamentals with her passing, shooting, and ball handling which also showed up in the five on five scrimmages. She is a player who should see significant minutes for a Milton team trying to win a state championship this year.

Team Five at the Prep Girls Hoops Georgia Sophomore ID Camp had a very good mix of point guards, combo guards, and two new versatile "big" prospects. Playing together for the first time, I thought this group did a good job showing their versatility as the guards interchanged positions on the fly throughout their games. This often resulted with a different player bringing the ball down the court every trip and allowing me to see these kids play both with and without the basketball. There are several very good college prospects on this team and these players will be found sprinkled throughout the new 2029 rankings when the update is complete and published.