PGH Midwest Extravaganze Preview: Hoopers In The Building

This weekend is our PGH Midwest Extravaganze in Chicago, Illinois. To preview this event, I have put together a piece that names some high-end hoopers that we should be seeing. Each of these players has shown a lot of promise within their individual games in the recent past and I can't wait to see more of that first hand over the next couple of days.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    [player_tooltip player_id='807990' first='Lynelle' last='Awou'] of [program_tooltip program_id='834910' first='Example' last='Sports'] UAA 2026 Select is one of the tallest and most coordinated prospects that we will have a chance to see this weekend in Chicago. Awou is a future collegiate prospect that stands right around 6'3. She is a producer next to the basket as a forward with her ability to control traffic in the lane, her ability to convert on most of her offensive attempts up near the bucket, and her ability to impact a contest in a major way on the defensive side of the ball. We should hear this name for years to come at the next level. Her mixture of balance, touch, and size is noteworthy and impactful to say the least.     After watching [player_tooltip player_id='877402' first='Adelyn' last='Estabrook'] this Spring season so far, it's fair to say that she is a thorough basketball player at this time. Estabrook, a 5'11 SF, is a nice finisher at the bucket. She understands how to move off of the ball really well into open space, always leaving herself some room to maneuver. In the pick-and-roll game, she might be young but she is experienced. A lot of her team's action has to do with her getting some sort of look offensively while rolling toward the bucket. Estabrook won't be the tallest in attendance this weekend but she will have better size than most. Which is impressive considering she is competing up two grade levels as an eighth grader in this event.     It's always electric when you sit down to watch [player_tooltip player_id='875100' first='Kazaria' last='Smith'] of AR Elite. Smith is a top-notch hooper, that will be a producer on a college floor before you know it. Smith plays with power, a quick first step, great knowledge of the game, and an insatiable hungry. When Smith has the ball, she is always looking to kill the opposition in front of her. She doesn't care how she does it as long as it happens. I'm hoping to see more of that with weekend. Smith has been a consistent on the road this Spring AAU season and I know she is going to bring the fire once again.     I have seen some really impressive prospects so far this AAU season on the road. The most impressive out of Illinois this Spring being Marlee Michelle Coleman. MMC is a calculated monster for her age. There is just no other way to put it in words. The combination of size, physicality, touch, situational awareness, and skill that she possesses is extremely impressive for her Class. Offensively, She can kill you off the bounce going to the hoop, she can use her natural height to score over smaller opponents, and she can pull up for a smooth jumper at certain times if she has enough space. Defensively, this is someone that can switch 1-5 right now for the most part. I wouldn't be shocked if MMC found herself on ESPNW's Top 25 list this upcoming summer when that Player Ranking Update comes out. I've had a chance to evaluate several players from the 2028 Class in person in the past year and MMC is really like that.

This weekend is our PGH Midwest Extravaganze in Chicago, Illinois. To preview this event, I have put together a piece that names some high-end hoopers that we should be seeing. Each of these players has shown a lot of promise within their individual games in the recent past and I can't wait to see more of that first hand over the next couple of days.