PT4L HBCU Showcase: Playmakers in the Backcourt

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 several guards who showed off their playmaking abilities at the event:    Ayrabella put her multidimensional playmaking abilities on full display at the HBCU Showcase. She keeps her balance and takes advantage of open space on the perimeter. Ayrabella buried a smooth three from the corner and connected on another triple from the wing. She handled the ball confidently in the open court, changed hands with ease, and distributed the ball out effectively as a facilitator. Ayrabella attacked downhill and made a great extra pass on a kickout to give a teammate an open look. She kept her hands active on defense to create deflections and steals. Ayrabella finished at the rim, drove hard to earn trips to the foul line, and knocked down consecutive shots from the charity stripe. She's a talented point guard who contributes on both ends of the floor.     Evonna has a quick trigger release from beyond the arc, and her sharpshooting stood out at the HBCU Showcase. Evonna was draining threes in warmups, and that translated directly to the games. Evonna shot the ball confidently off the bounce and maintained her accuracy. She ripped the net with a silky smooth step-back three from the corner off the dribble and side-stepped a defender to sink a triple off the bounce. Evonna was active on the boards and high-fived her teammates after plays to spread positive energy on the court.     Grace delivered a notable performance at the HBCU Showcase. She's an aggressive driver and rebounder who slashes to the basket, then finishes through contact. Grace caught a pass and made a good transfer to convert the layup, forced the defense to foul her after working inside to secure offensive rebounds, and took one dribble to get the scoring angle for a putback in traffic. Grace handled the ball comfortably in the open court with both hands and her eyes up. She sealed a defender in the paint with a strong stance and used an effective drop-step pivot to score off two feet. Grace drove with purpose, splitting the gap on a determined drive from the perimeter to score a strong and-one bucket through contact at the rim. She made a great first impression and will be a versatile guard-forward from Pershing to have on your radar.     Ariyah has athleticism, a muscular build, good length as a guard, a two-way presence, and dual-threat scoring talent that will make her an immediate playmaker in the Cass Tech lineup as a freshman. She used a lateral dribble up top to create the space she needed to fire and hit the open three, then added another triple from the top of the key later in the day. Ariyah contested shots well on the defensive end without fouling to force misses and clamped down aggressively to force a tie-up. Her fast feet and pressure forced turnovers. Ariyah crossed over to her left hand and attacked downhill to cause a foul, scored a strong and-one layup off two feet, and converted layups with good touch at the rim. She doesn't look or play like a freshman and was a prospect who stood out at the HBCU Showcase.     Mekai jumped into the passing lane for a steal and reached in with her quick hands to swipe the ball away. Her instincts and quickness are very disruptive on the defensive end. She pushed the ball in transition up the court with pace using both hands after securing rebounds and was active on the offensive glass throughout the day. Mekai scored a putback and finished effectively with her inside hand for multiple layups off speedy drives to the basket. She has a second gear in the open court and delivered a strong performance at the HBCU Showcase.     Briana had a solid day at the HBCU Showcase. Her length, athleticism, high motor, and skill as a guard stood out. She used her quick hands to poke the ball out for steals and was an aggressive defender on the perimeter. Brianna worked hard to contribute as a rebounder on both ends of the court. She demonstrated the ability to threaten as a slasher and three-point shooter. Brianna accelerated with a burst off the dribble to get to the rim, caused fouls, and showed off her range by sinking a deep wing three. She's a Canadian prospect to follow over the next few years.     Kardiar's poised play as a facilitator and skilled ball-handling caught my attention at the HBCU Showcase. She demonstrated excellent court vision and dished out assists. Kardiar used a quick pocket dribble and side-stepped a defender to get a good look at the basket. She was active on the offensive glass. Kardiar drove from the perimeter with a dribble burst, landed with a jump stop, then finished off two feet. She's a determined guard with the motor and skill needed to be a difference maker on the court.     Asia had an impressive day at the HBCU Showcase. She had no problems competing against the high school prospects. Asia used a sharp, low crossover dribble to beat pressure and drove by with a burst to score a layup. She's crafty in the lane and finished after a swift spin move. Asia showed her outside range and knocked down a pair of smooth threes with confidence. She penetrated gaps, changed directions quickly to shift defenders out of her way, earned trips to the free-throw line, and knocked them down. A talented two-way playmaker, Asia will be a great addition to a high school program next year.

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 several guards who showed off their playmaking abilities at the event: