Sophomore ID Camp: Team Four Evaluations

Team Four was a mix of players that impacted the games in different ways. One playmaker, [player_tooltip player_id='912252' first='Naomi' last='Gill'], was excellent as usual, while a few new players impressed with their play. Multiple players on this team will be contributors on the next level, but have a lot left to accomplish in high school. Overall, the team's skill level was high, they played hard as a unit, and everyone did something positive to contribute.    Naomi definitely belonged in the top ten in her class in Georgia prior to the showcase and further cemented that place with a very good performance on Sunday. The long guard is as smooth as silk handling the basketball with excellent fundamentals as well as the ability to pull tricks out of her bag when necessary. Gill plays the game with a maturity beyond her years. She is a very gifted scorer, but rarely (if ever) have I seen her play out of control or force shots. She was excellent all Spring and Summer for [program_tooltip program_id='931970' first='Duval' last='Elite'] on the Select Events circuit where I saw her play multiple times. Her ability to make plays and create shots for others was on full display at the Showcase.     Miller has got not only the height college coaches look for, but also the strength and power which is easily visible by her broad shoulders. Miller did not just score effectively, and a lot, operating in and around the painted area, but also knocked down several shots from the midrange and behind the three-point line. Gianna moves with fluidity and showed good athleticism rebounding the basketball. She has the potential to be a big-time player and projects to be a division one prospect.     Taylor was one of the big surprises for me on Sunday and in a very positive way. It didn't take long before she had my attention by burying shots from three-point range with a very quick release. After she had proven she was a threat from deep, Downing used very good fakes and footwork to get by her defender and score on the interior. She finished well at the rim using trickery to get the ball over taller defenders. When Taylor wasn't scoring the basketball, she was dropping dimes to her teammates that were attention-grabbing with their difficulty and the ease with which she made it look. Downing is a cool customer whose facial expression never changed.     Kendal looks and plays like a" big guard" (a term that gets thrown out too often) which was clear from the first combination of moves handling the ball that concluded with a very smooth and quick crossover. Kendal then rose up and hit a turnaround, fadeaway jumper on the block. She finished very well in the paint with floaters and layups, releasing the ball high and out of the reach of defenders. You can tell Curtis studies the game because of the difficulty of the moves she tried and was able to pull off.     Harris is a crafty player who really impressed with her ability to get by and then around defenders using fakes, spin moves, etc and then converted shots with a high level of difficulty on the interior. She reminds me of some of the European players I watched in the 90's and 2000's as a kid in the NBA. Harris used her intelligence and patience to get the openings she needed to score. That same basketball IQ was demonstrated with her passing ability and anticipation on the defensive end.     Howard was one of the harder workers at the showcase on both ends of the court. Her extra effort resulted in extra possessions on offense for her team as she grabbed missed shots and loose balls in both the three versus three and five versus five competitions. Howard showed good form and follow through shooting the basketball from the perimeter and also finished well around the rim. She attacked the baseline and gaps well off the dribble and made good decisions finishing those plays.     Castro was another player who demonstrated a high level of knowledge for the game. Specifically, in three versus three competition she moved with intelligence and purpose while trying to get open. Her cuts were away from the ball and her screens were on the ball creating optimal scoring opportunities in that much space. Castro took advantages of the opportunities showing off a nice-looking jump shot from the perimeter. She was good handling the ball and finding open teammates on offense while prevent the same actions on the defensive end.     Knoelani had one of the better shooting performances of anyone all day at the Sophomore ID Camp knocking down perimeter shots from all five areas of the halfcourt. Clara also finished well around the basket including a quick, difficult catch and finish on the break. She was very good playing on both ends of the court during five versus five, in particular. Clara competed hard on the defensive end and did a nice job keeping the ball in front of her playing man to man. She played very hard and competed the entire showcase.     Sosa is a player I saw this Spring in Georgia at the Peach Games event put on by Prep Girls Hoops. She played with God's Timing Elite (GTE) and in the times I watched them she did some nice things. Same went for Sunday as Yvonne showed once again good ball handling and decision-making as well as the ability to score both inside and out. She used her quickness well to get around and by defenders before scoring or finding an open teammate.

Team Four was a mix of players that impacted the games in different ways. One playmaker, Naomi Gill Naomi Gill 5'9" | CG/PG Tocoi Creek | 2029 State FL , was excellent as usual, while a few new players impressed with their play. Multiple players on this team will be contributors on the next level, but have a lot left to accomplish in high school. Overall, the team's skill level was high, they played hard as a unit, and everyone did something positive to contribute.