P4TL HBCU Showcase: Upperclassmen Making a Statement

After an exciting day of hoops at the PGH Michigan Expo out West, I was eager to see the East Side talent taking the court at the HBCU Showcase on Sunday. I anticipated familiar prospects to be at the event, but had a feeling that there would be some new names in attendance. A combination of new and familiar prospects caught my attention throughout the day. The girls had an opportunity to participate in drills and competed in multiple games, which allowed me to make a more thorough evaluation. Here are six 2027 and 2028 prospects who caught my attention at the event.    Kassidy has a shifty handle and sneaky quickness that makes her difficult to keep bottled up. She's fearless as a slasher, scrappy on the defensive end, and can finish from difficult angles in traffic with great touch. Kassidy took the ball hard to the hoop and caused a foul. She demonstrated excellent vision and tight ball-handling control in the open court. Kassidy worked hard to secure rebounds with aggression inside. She ignited the team with a strong and-one finish on a determined drive to the basket. Kassidy is a threat from beyond the arc, and she had a strong showing at the HBCU Showcase.     Ays'Ja stood out at the HBCU Showcase because of her physicality, hard-nosed drives, and ability to finish tough shots in the paint. She drove hard downhill to cause a foul, pivoted to create a scoring angle to score a layup, and converted a contested bucket in the paint. Ays'Ja showed off her wheels during a fast break, pushing the ball up the court with pace, went into contact with a strong shoulder, then powered up for the and-one finish through contact. Ays'Ja made a great adjustment to secure a long pass in transition and completed the play with a two-foot finish. She's an athletic guard who will be a great addition to a college program.     Afiya came to the HBCU Showcase from Canada and made a strong first impression. Her 6-foot-plus size, strong/physical frame, footwork around the basket, and effectiveness in screen/roll actions made her stand out throughout the day. She was active on the offensive glass, set solid screens to create open driving lanes for guards, and scored a strong drop-step layup at the rim off a powerful dribble.     Kennedy was an impressive two-way forward prospect who made a notable first impression at the HBCU Showcase. Her athleticism, length, mobility, high motor, rebounding, defense, and finishing around the basket were separators. She climbed an invisible ladder to snatch an offensive rebound out of the air and scored the putback. Kennedy was a persistent and active rebounder throughout the event and secured many on the offensive end. She cleaned up the glass and finished putbacks effectively with her right and left off two feet. Kennedy contested shots with her long arms in the paint, moved her feet, and controlled her body to avoid fouling.     Stori has length, athleticism, and a versatile skill set as a guard that will make her a solid next-level prospect. She shot the ball confidently from three and drained a long jumper. Stori made a smooth transfer for the catch-and-finish, moved her feet well on defense to stop dribble penetration, and stayed active on the offensive glass. She had a good day at the HBCU Showcase and is a senior to have on your radar.     Brooklyn has height, skill, and size that give her a high ceiling as a forward prospect. In the early games, she moved into position to secure an offensive rebound, corralled the miss, and scored the putback. Brooklyn had an impressive stretch of highlight-worthy moments in the HBCU Showcase Championship Game, taking her play to a higher level. Brooklyn sealed a defender inside, caught the entry pass with strong hands, took on the double team, and powered through the contact for an and-one finish, then completed the three-point play at the line. She picked off a pass on the defensive end, pushed the ball up the floor, kept her eyes up, and fired a pass to an open teammate for an assist after getting the defender to commit to her dribble. Brooklyn went right back to the well on the next possession, picking off another pass, pushed the ball up the floor with her dribble, then finished the play with a strong layup off two feet after ripping the ball through a reaching defender.

After an exciting day of hoops at the PGH Michigan Expo out West, I was eager to see the East Side talent taking the court at the HBCU Showcase on Sunday. I anticipated familiar prospects to be at the event, but had a feeling that there would be some new names in attendance. A combination of new and familiar prospects caught my attention throughout the day. The girls had an opportunity to participate in drills and competed in multiple games, which allowed me to make a more thorough evaluation. Here are six 2027 and 2028 prospects who caught my attention at the event.