PGH Midwest Extravaganza: Players With Impactful Weekends

Here we have a group of players that were impactful this weekend in the Chicagoland area. Each individual spoken about below made their presence known this weekend out on the floor!   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    [player_tooltip player_id='885956' first='Jordyn' last='Ellis'] of Mac Irvin Fire 16U is playing up a grade level but if you were to just watch her compete this weekend without that info, you'd never be able to tell. Ellis moves around at 6'2/6'3 really well. She might be considered a Forward but she can handle the ball under pressure at a noteworthy rate for her size and create. She can also move around the perimeter and make things happen off the ball from the 2 or the 3 position. This weekend Ellis had her game on lock. She was killing her individual matchups with her sizer and length on both ends. She was getting to the bucket and finishing in every way imaginable off the dribble, while being a top notch stopper and rebounder defensively as well. Pretty impressive for someone coming off of their Freshman season of high school ball.     There is so much to like about [player_tooltip player_id='955657' first='Marlee-Michelle' last='Coleman'] as a hooper. Her 6'2 frame, combined with her physicality and situational awareness makes for a tough matchup against anyone. She can kill you in every way imaginable as she attacks the rim and that was something we saw time and time again this weekend. MMC really stands out within 15FT of the bucket. Offensively, she can catch in the mid-post and go to work over someone smaller, she can attack off the bounce going downhill near the paint, she can clean up missed shot attempts coming from her teammates, and she can pass out of the post if she is ever double-teamed. MMC had a respectable weekend. She made her presence felt each ball game and that's not something everyone is able to say looking back.     [player_tooltip player_id='1223304' first='Abby' last='Bonilla'] of [program_tooltip program_id='834910' first='Example' last='Sports'] 2027 UA made some game-winning plays on Sunday morning in her team's 66-63 contest against AR Elite 16U Gold. Bonilla plays the game the right way. She is always making the extra pass, looking for her open teammates but at the same time, she understands when she needs to let it fly to take over a contest. With about 15 seconds left in this specific game on Sunday, Bonilla and her team came down the floor down 2, 61-63. That's when everyone from AR Elite left Bonilla wide open at the top of the key for a momentum changing three pointer with 10 seconds left. Bonilla hit this shot to go up 1, eventually securing the W by 3 when the final buzzer sounded. Bonilla had been such a facilitator all contest long from her guard position that AR Elite over-thought the possession and it ended up working out for Example Academy. This is just an example of what Bonilla brings to the hardwood. She is someone you love to play with but hate to play against and every saw that first hand this weekend.     [player_tooltip player_id='1227049' first='Sophia' last='Pedraza'] is giving AAU one last chance to try to lock in her collegiate future starting this upcoming Fall and I think she is someone that could make some things happen in the right system. Pedraza would be considered a smaller guard with great body control, coordination, situational awareness, and feel for the game. She never seems to force unneeded action on either side of the ball, instead she keeps it simple and the game comes to her in most ways. This is someone that I would consider good at everything but not great at anything just yet. She checks off a lot of boxes in the skill-side of the game and if she got a chance at the next level, I think she could make the most of it!     I had the opportunity to watch [player_tooltip player_id='915530' first='Taji' last='Alexa'] of Mac Irvin Fire multiple times throughout the weekend and each time she was doing something positive to help out her team. Alexa is listed as a SF at 5'10 but I see her more as a CG/SG with how well and how much she like shoot the basketball from the outside. When Alexa has space, she isn't afraid to let it fly and she makes a good amount of her attempts too. There are times that if she is overplayed on her shot, she will put it on the ground and get to the bucket for a finish through contact or for a hard take leading into free throw attempts. Alexa has a well rounded skill-set. If she continues to work, who knows where she might be able to take things in the future.

Here we have a group of players that were impactful this weekend in the Chicagoland area. Each individual spoken about below made their presence known this weekend out on the floor!