Bell's Best Open Run: Team Gray Evals

The very first Bell's Best Open Run tipped off in East Jackson on Wednesday, and it was exactly what I had envisioned. As a former varsity and freshman girls' basketball head coach, coaching is a part of my DNA. I love fundamental skill development and teaching the concepts, leadership qualities, and lessons necessary to succeed individually and as a team. My goal was to equip the girls with fundamental drills and conceptual knowledge that will prepare them to be successful in high-stakes recruiting environments and for their high school programs. The girls added a few efficient attack dribbles to their bag, learned essential offensive reads, increased understanding of ball, gap, and help defensive concepts, and gained insight into how college coaches/scouts evaluate. Everything the girls practiced and heard translates to the college game. As a group, they demonstrated progress on offense/defense and increased their chemistry as the session went along. Applying the strategies/skills you learn during practice to the games is a vital part of playing structured basketball at any level. The girls were challenged to learn and execute offensive/defensive concepts with new teammates, and I was very impressed by their ability to do that with a limited amount of time and reps. The group size (10) enabled me to take notes on everyone during the games. Here are my observations for the girls who competed for Team Gray:   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/09/PXL_20260916_233055186-edited.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1926047" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bell's Best Open Run, Sep. 16, East Jackson.</figcaption></figure>    Rhiley will be one of those versatile forwards whose recruiting takes off before all is said and done. She's long, athletic, a threat from beyond the arc, physical, and very impactful in the paint. Rhiley demonstrated notable qualities that translate to the next level at her position throughout Bell's Best Open Run. She caught a pass in transition, used a strong shoulder to create space from a defender, and scored with a crafty inside hand finish. Rhiley made the hustle plays and dove on the floor for the ball. She used a good drop-step counter move to lose her defender, converted a tough, contested turnaround jumper, and dished out an assist. Rhiley will be a force at Ovid-Elsie this winter.     Savannah was extremely effective at Bell's Best Open Run as a facilitator. She pushed the tempo and threw a strong lead pass up the court for an assist. Savannah attacked gaps with a dribble burst, penetrated, and threw great kick-out passes to the perimeter instead of forcing up contested shots. She has good balance, footwork, and deep range as a three-point shooter. Savannah made a soft lob-entry pass into the post for an assist, worked hard to secure an offensive rebound, and sprinted up the floor with pace for a speedy catch and finish. Savannah was solid throughout the session and will be a playmaker to watch in Grand Ledge's backcourt this winter.     Jeniya had a strong showing at Bell's Best Open Run and looked comfortable in the offensive system. She made good reads and cuts off the ball, resulting in multiple backdoor layups. Jeniya caught a pass after a flex cut with good hands, got the scoring angle using a drop-step, then went up strong to score a contested layup off two feet. She was active on the offensive glass and closed out hard on shooters to block shots. Jeniya sprinted up the floor to score a fast-break layup under control off two feet and showed her outside range by sinking a confident three from the wing off the catch. Her all-around performance, physicality, and instincts left a lasting impression.     Lyla showed no signs of timidity while competing against the older girls at Bell's Best Open Run. Lyla has the quickness to get by off the dribble and can finish at the rim or sink pull-ups. She buried a smooth mid-range jumper and buried another pull-up in the lane after freezing a defender with a shot-fake. Lyla has good balance and body control in traffic. She switches hands comfortably in the open court and has a second gear when she drives to the basket. Lyla scored a speedy fast break finish, made a great basket cut to score a catch and finish, and was disruptive on the defensive end. She swiped the ball away in the backcourt and fired a lead pass on the money after generating another steal. Lyla was aggressive, active on both ends, and showed abilities that will make her an exciting difference-maker in the Riverview backcourt.     Gracie had a big spring, becoming a consistent Top Performer on the PGH Circuit with [program_tooltip program_id='715424' first='The' last='Naturals'], climbing the rankings as a result, and now her recruiting is starting to catch up to her next-level abilities. Gracie was one of the better prospects in the gym at Bell's Best Open Run, and she looked the part. Gracie has tight handles and good control of the ball, which is why I volunteered her to be a student leader/example during the stationary ball-handling drills. She's quick and committed to eliminating scoring opportunities on the defensive end. Gracie worked hard to defend her yard and moved laterally with fast feet to cut off drives. She sprinted back to deflect a pass and break up a fast break, and picked a pocket with her quick hands to score a layup. Gracie was an excellent facilitator. She penetrated with her dribble and dished out crisp passes to open teammates after drawing extra defenders. Gracie is a competitor. After the opposing team scored, she answered immediately by taking the ball straight to the rim on a hard downhill drive for a determined left-handed layup. Gracie crashed the glass to secure offensive rebounds and demonstrated the qualities that will make her a great addition to a college program.

The very first Bell's Best Open Run tipped off in East Jackson on Wednesday, and it was exactly what I had envisioned. As a former varsity and freshman girls' basketball head coach, coaching is a part of my DNA. I love fundamental skill development and teaching the concepts, leadership qualities, and lessons necessary to succeed individually and as a team. My goal was to equip the girls with fundamental drills and conceptual knowledge that will prepare them to be successful in high-stakes recruiting environments and for their high school programs. The girls added a few efficient attack dribbles to their bag, learned essential offensive reads, increased understanding of ball, gap, and help defensive concepts, and gained insight into how college coaches/scouts evaluate. Everything the girls practiced and heard translates to the college game. As a group, they demonstrated progress on offense/defense and increased their chemistry as the session went along. Applying the strategies/skills you learn during practice to the games is a vital part of playing structured basketball at any level. The girls were challenged to learn and execute offensive/defensive concepts with new teammates, and I was very impressed by their ability to do that with a limited amount of time and reps. The group size (10) enabled me to take notes on everyone during the games. Here are my observations for the girls who competed for Team Gray: