The Compound Open Gym: New Names Burst Onto the Scene

On Monday night, I headed to The Compound for open gym. It's always a good day as a scout when you have an opportunity to evaluate new players and be there to capture their breakout day in the gym. These five prospects made a great first impression and look like future difference-makers for their high school programs:    Harper put on a show at The Compound Open Gym. She has advanced fundamentals for her age and competes with an endless supply of energy. Harper was persistent on the boards, and she pushed the ball immediately up the court to create fast-break scoring opportunities. Behind-the-back snaps, between-the-legs, hesitations, over crosses in the open court, Harper had an impressive bag of ball-handling moves at her disposal. She scanned the floor in transition, raced to the rim, and dumped the ball off once the final defender committed to her dribble to pick up an assist. Harper was patient and didn't force the issue when it wasn't there. She changed speeds and went into her layups under control. Harper was in full denial on the defensive end, and her scrappy presence stood out. She had some highlights that particularly left an impression on me. Harper stared down the rim, got the defender to bite, then blew by with a crossover spin combo to score a drive-by layup. She ripped away an offensive rebound, dribbled out to the perimeter, surveyed the scene, then went by off a crossover to score a tough, contested finish with her left. Harper drilled a filthy behind-the-back step-back three up top and made the extra pass when her shot wasn't there. She's an exciting point guard to watch and will be a playmaker at the high school level in a year.     Victoria will be a very productive guard for Macomb Dakota this winter. She has good instincts off the ball and an outside shot that will stretch the floor. Victoria buried two smooth corner threes, contributed actively as a rebounder, made a quick transfer in transition to score a layup, and knocked down an open jumper from the corner. She was solid throughout The Compound Open Gym and is a senior who can help a program at the next level. Victoria is interested in pursuing a degree in Nursing. dreb, corner three, catch in transition finish, corner three, corner jumper,     Grace put on a shooting clinic at The Compound Open Gym. She shot lights out from three and made it look effortless. Grace found soft spots in the defense and made them pay for giving her room on the perimeter. Grace drained two threes from the wing, swished another from the corner, and added a silky smooth step-back three up top off the dribble. When the defense committed to her jumper, she crossed over with a burst to score a speedy layup with her left and split the gap to score another bucket with her off hand. Grace buried an elbow jumper and poked the ball away in the gap for a steal on the defensive end. She's going to give Utica a spark on both ends of the court this winter.     Karly has length, athleticism, and versatility as a guard-forward that give her a high ceiling as a college prospect. She handles the ball well in the open court, shoots confidently from three, finishes around the basket, and makes her presence felt on the defensive end. Karly made smooth transfers to score at the rim, including a nice inside-hand finish in traffic. She's a good gap defender, secured rebounds with aggression, protected the basket as a shot blocker, and her quick hands created steals. Karly made a great first impression at The Compound Open Gym, and she'll be a prospect to have on your radar ahead of high school.     Rylyn showed she can impact games in every category at The Compound Open Gym. She's confident with the ball in her hands and was effective as a facilitator and perimeter scoring threat. Rylin knocked down threes off the dribble and the hop. She dribbled into a triple up top and buried another from the slot off a between-the-legs crossover dribble combination. Rylyn made a strong skip pass to an open teammate for an assist, and scored through contact. She doesn't back down from a challenge. Rylyn demonstrated true toughness by sprinting from block to block to contest shots on the defensive end against two forwards with a size advantage. She's a skilled guard who will be a great addition to L'Anse Creuse North's squad in a year.

On Monday night, I headed to The Compound for open gym. It's always a good day as a scout when you have an opportunity to evaluate new players and be there to capture their breakout day in the gym. These five prospects made a great first impression and look like future difference-makers for their high school programs: