Big Cat Fall League Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Milford High School hosted the Big Cat Fall League on Sunday, and I stopped by to catch the first group of games. Here are five prospects who separated themselves throughout the day:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1229981"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ac561bdd2221"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ava played her role well at Big Cat Fall League. She was steady, poised, and impactful with the ball in her hands. Ava has excellent instincts as a facilitator. She reads defenders well and understands when to make the extra pass. Ava drove and dished out a bounce pass for an assist. She attacked hard off the dribble for a drive-by layup, ran through a pass on the perimeter to score a tough floater in traffic, and jumped into the passing lane for a swipe and score. Ava is about to have a breakout junior year at Pinckney. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["927978"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ac561bdd2280"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Howell will have the interior advantage once again this season. After graduating Miss Basketball, they'll insert another towering front-court prospect into the starting lineup. Gabby is the heartbeat of their team. She's the vocal leader, a coach on the court, and has an unlimited supply of positive energy that elevates the morale of her team. Gabby's fundamental progress and presence as an offensive scoring threat were evident with [program_tooltip program_id='714556' first='TC' last='Elite'] at the Big Cat Fall League. She anticipated a spin, moved her feet, blocked the shot clean, secured the rebound, pushed the ball up the court with pace, spun to elude the final defender, and scored the layup with a soft touch off the glass. Gabby caught an entry pass with good hands in the paint, used a strong drop-step pivot, then powered up through contact to score an and-one. She completed the three-point play at the free-throw line. Gabby kept her eyes up to find teammates and dished out an assist in transition. She added an exclamation point to her day with a two-handed block late in the game. Gabby will be an exciting addition to a college program and she's about to have a huge senior year for the Highlanders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["807922"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ac561bdd22ad"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Naimah was a point guard I expected to stand out at Big Cat Fall League, and that's exactly what she did with Mercy. She has ambidextrous abilities as a facilitator and ball-handler. Naimah can adapt her passing deliveries based on the situation. She made a great left-handed bounce pass entry into the post, threw a long assist over the top for a transition assist after securing a defensive rebound, and hit a cutter in stride. Naimah created a catch-22 for the opponent with her dribble penetration and perimeter shooting. She slashed to the hoop with a burst for a layup, buried a smooth pull-up jumper from the free-throw line off a crossover, and drained an open three from the wing. Naimah took a steal the other way, turned on the afterburners to create separation, then hit the brakes to finish under control at the rim. She switched hands comfortably in the open court and was consistent from start to finish. Naimah is an exciting playmaker in Malone's 2027 recruiting class, and she's coming into her senior year firing on all cylinders. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["751167"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ac561bdd22d4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sophia's footwork, toughness, ability to slash and finish in traffic, facilitating, and playmaking on both ends of the court separated her during games for the [program_tooltip program_id='932068' first='Michigan' last='Prospects'] at Big Cat Fall League. Sophia snagged a rebound, pushed it up the floor, created space with a shifty between-the-legs behind-the-back crossover combo, then slashed to the hoop for a tough finish. She side-stepped a defender and stepped through to score a soft, contested floater, demonstrating good balance and body control. Sophia changed speeds and used pocket dribbles and spin moves to escape pressure. She drove by the first level of defenders, drew the help, and dumped the ball off for an assist. Sophia stole the ball away at half court and dumped the ball off again for an assist. She scored with an inside hand finish off two feet, dropped in a mid-range floater from the wing, and used a nice euro-step move to score a layup after swiping the ball away in the back court. Sophia showed her competitive disposition by sprinting back in top gear to chase down a fast break layup and attempt a block. She converted a crafty layup and ripped by a defender to drive by with her left, then switched back to right to finish off two feet. Game two was another strong performance for Sophia. She drained a straightaway three off the dribble and made a smart cross-court skip pass for an assist on a corner three. She changed directions with a quick, double-crossover spin combination and scored the contested bucket in traffic. Sophia converted a catch-and-finish layup off two feet, made a good move for another layup, and maneuvered her way to the basket with a spin dribble to earn a trip to the line. She has double-digit offers, and the college program that lands Sophia will be absolutely thrilled. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1212949"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ac561bdd22fe"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lauren is an under-the-radar prospect at Wixom St. Catherine who has the skills needed to be a solid addition to a college program. She's a confident shooter from beyond the arc and finishes well at the rim with either hand. Lauren put herself on my radar with a magnificent performance last fall, and she delivered another notable performance at the Big Cat Fall League for Wixom St. Catherine. Lauren buried an open wing three and threw a pass ahead on a rope to start the fast break after securing a defensive rebound. She crashed the glass to score a putback with her left and consistently finished with her left in traffic. Lauren slashed to the basket on a determined drive and scored with a soft left-handed finish off the glass. She drove by to score multiple off-hand layups throughout the day. Lauren ripped by a defender and attacked downhill to score with her strong hand at the rim. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->