Undersized but Outsized Impact: Who Stood Out at The Expo

Size can grab your attention, but it doesn't always tell the story of who on the floor is making the biggest impact. Each of these young guards showed out in Plainfield, Illinois this past weekend. Whether it was with their motor, speed, or offensive skill-set, here are the undersized prospects who made their presence felt at The Expo.    Hickey showed some real craft as a scorer, mixing a reliable-looking outside shot with quick attacks to the basket. She connected on multiple threes and also used shot fakes effectively to create driving opportunities, including several scoop-and-scores. Hickey has the speed to turn the corner and beat her matchup off the bounce. And she has the feistiness to make any average viewer a fan. Her smaller frame doesn't stop her from playing with confidence and a noticeable – and at times dominant – competitive edge.     Murray is a major hustle two-way player who gives every play her all. She confidently pulled up from three – especially when she got to her favorite spots on the floor – and proved she could finish with either hand around the basket. A difficult 360 spin move into a clean finish was one of her better plays of the day. Murray also impressed on defense where she came up with several deflections and frustrated opponents with her energy and effort. One area of development is ensuring she doesn't dribble herself into a corner, but her offensive skill-set and motor on defense consistently popped.     There was a noticeable burst to everything King did on the floor, from chasing down rebounds to taking off in transition. She played with a sense of urgency and showed a willingness to compete for possessions that didn't always seem to belong to her, particularly on the glass. I was disappointed when King got taken out of the game because she's such an energizer bunny and so fun to watch. She helped her team find easy buckets in transition offense all day. The next step in King's development is making sure she doesn't play too fast for her own good. If she lets the game slow down a bit and come to her, she can be an even more effective energy plug for her team.     A shifty player who can easily frustrate the opposing team. Bahr's hands stood out – she consistently swiped the ball out of her opponents' hands. She also had deceptive handles for a player of her size. Bahr's offensive game ranged from corner threes to getting to her spot and drawing the foul, which she accomplished repeatedly. Some of my favorite plays of Bahr's were scores on offensive rebounds that were purely based on effort. An active two-way performance.     Moore consistently pushed the pace and made things happen on the offensive end. She showed a smooth touch around the basket, using turnaround moves, floaters, and high finishes off the backboard. Moore also got downhill with speed and made the majority of her free throws, making the most of her trips to the line. She has natural creativity as a playmaker and learning to pair it with greater control will be an important next step in her development.

Size can grab your attention, but it doesn't always tell the story of who on the floor is making the biggest impact. Each of these young guards showed out in Plainfield, Illinois this past weekend. Whether it was with their motor, speed, or offensive skill-set, here are the undersized prospects who made their presence felt at The Expo.