SC Live Team Camp: 2028-29 Top Performers

Basketball at this level is every bit as competitive during the spring and summer as it is during the high school months. This can especially be the case when we get to live periods.    One of those recently occurred this past weekend – and Riverview Park in North Augusta was the focal point for many a South Carolina high school basketball aficionado. Teams from all points of the Palmetto State converged on the CSRA for the live period weekend.    Among those teams were Military Magnet, Andrew Jackson, Walhalla, North Augusta, Berkeley and Blythewood – the six teams that departed from the Florence Center with championship hardware back in March.    We at Prep Girls Hoops were on hand as well. We now shift our focus to the rising sophomores and freshmen on hand that displayed why their futures are bright.    Steward adds a bit of youth to a 3A Orangeburg-Wilkinson team whose nucleus will include senior talent. Stewart's skillset herself includes plenty of long-range accuracy as she connected on several of her tries from deep. Her status as a deep threat is definitely appropriate for a two guard. She does not shy away from contact which can place her at the free throw line. Steward worked her way up from the junior varsity Bruins team to achieve varsity-level status. She is part of the Orangeburg Xpress travel organization and played her initial season at the varsity level with Orangeburg-Wilkinson as an eighth grader.     Hope continues to Spring(s) eternal at 2A Saluda. She has been playing varsity since she was in the seventh grade, but it was during her eighth-grade campaign where Springs put her name on the map and she has not looked back since. Springs is a bit taller in stature than one's average shooting guard, giving her advantage over plenty of her peers at the two. She is a skilled ball handler with an ability to either attack the rim and score at will or connect on a 3-point shot. One can expect for Springs to also get herself in position to grab rebounds and get the ball to go the other way following a steal.     She is in the same class as her teammate Springs is. In addition to pursuing basketball, Abney has also tried her hand at other athletic disciplines – including track and field. One of many attributes she possesses that will give her time in the frontcourt is how she will be set to box out in case of a missed free throw. Converting on high-percentage shots also is another skill coaches look for from fours (like she is) and fives. Defense, floor running, transition plays and rebounding are also among her strengths. Expect for Abney's play to once again have Saluda in the conversation of 2A contenders in 2025-26.     Ashley Ridge of the 5A Division 1 ranks will be one of the definitions of “next woman up” across the Palmetto State given the large number of talented seniors graduated from its 2024-25 version. Boatwright is displaying indications she could among those next women up. At 5-foot-9, she thrives as a small forward. She understands the art of making plays in close proximity to the rim and allows her length to negatively affect an opposing team's passing lanes. Boatwright remains active even when she away from the ball and gets set to box out in case of an opposing team's missed free throw.     Marsaa was part of a Summerville team that advanced to the 5A Division 1 championship game last season. With so much of the scoring firepower from last season's Summerville team having graduated, there is a good chance that Marsaa could be a focal point for coach Calvin Davis' team. The Green Wave sophomore is a product of the [program_tooltip program_id='988463' first='Mosch' last='Ball'] AAU program. She is a southpaw who understands what plays to run in response to an opposing team's defensive set. Passing ability, scoring and overall playmaking are among the many positives to her game. Marsaa looks to continue the winning ways that the Fire House faithful have come accustomed to.     Dunat's career has included a stint at one 5A Division 1 school in Lexington and now has taken her to another 5A Division 1 team in River Bluff. She adds to the guard depth of what should be a tough out for any opponent. A mishap from an opposing team's ball carrier can lead to a Dunat steal. If she has the ball behind the 3-point line with a good look, she is likely to attempt and connect on her try from deep. Add in the ability to make transition plays and one can see Dunat will be a worthwhile addition to a River Bluff squad that is poised for a banner 2025-26.     Dominique Thompson, the new coach at 5A Lugoff-Elgin, is expressing confidence that his team will emerge from its recent doldrums to shake things up. Talents such as Samuel would inspire confidence in many a coach. Samuel has confidence in her 3-point shooting abilities. She should as she is true on so many of her tries from deep. Samuel will also display point guard ability as she knows when to shoot and when to pass. She also displays an impressive ability to take care of the ball and particularly is keen on setting up offensively on the wing. Perhaps the Demons' new coach is onto something.     As evidenced by Evans receiving of offers from Division I schools such as George Mason, Auburn and Cincinnati, she is establishing a robust profile. It helps that she is on a team that is on the contenders' conversation year in and year out in 5A Division 1 Byrnes. Evans is a rising freshman who does not shy away from contact as it can give her team additional opportunities at the free throw line. She stands at 5-foot-9 and plays primarily at the point and at the two which can give her a height advantage over other ones or twos. A multi-sport athlete who also played soccer, she averaged 14 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per contest.     By recent standards, an eight-win season for 5A Lugoff-Elgin would be considered a success. The Demons are in search of actual success on the court and Grant could be a catalyst in making that success a reality. She too is also confident in her ability to drain 3-pointers. Grant is another that has kept an active athletics schedule throughout her career as she has also tried her hand at track and field alongside basketball. Lugoff-Elgin recently hired a new coach in Dominique Thompson and perhaps the new coach combined with Grant's     When one is playing at the varsity level as an eighth grader, the one is doing something correct. That certainly applies to Rodgers. Not only was the rising freshman playing varsity last season with the Wildcats, she was the team's leading scorer en route to a record of 18-9. One can see how when witnessing her impressive ball handling skills. Rodgers knows when to score and when to pass and is particularly effective in the transition game. Rodgers stands at 5-foot-5 and is coming off a season where she averaged 15.4 points and 1.4 steals per contest for 2A Blacksburg.

Basketball at this level is every bit as competitive during the spring and summer as it is during the high school months. This can especially be the case when we get to live periods.