From Work Stops to Tip-Offs: Underrated Hoopers on the Road

For those of you who don't know, in addition to being a scout, I am a reporter for a TV station in Little Rock (KATV Channel 7). This job definitely keeps me busy, and almost every day, I am in a new city following up on a different story. With that in mind, I am going to try to do a story each week, highlighting a player from every city that I go to. Besides being in Little Rock this past week, I followed up on stories in North Little Rock, Enola, Conway, and Searcy.    With all of the freshmen bigs NLR brought in this offseason, you would think that [player_tooltip player_id='1180760' first='Mia' last='Hopkins']' minutes and impact would be diminished. Well, you'd be wrong.   Towards the beginning of the conference slate, Hopkins played a big role against Conway, posting 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 5 steals/deflections. She has had at least four double-doubles this year, including a contest against Nashville where she scored 11 points and pulled down 13 boards.   Hopkins is clearly a nightmare in the post. Offensively, she crashes the glass, scoring a chunk of her points off of putbacks. On the other end of the floor, she is coming to help on drives in the nick of time and sending shots into outer space.   [player_tooltip player_id='1180760' first='Mia' last='Hopkins'] is a great two-way post presence, and she is helping put this talented team in a great position in the 6A Central.     Mount Vernon-Enola has a full roster of solid talent, including junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1244998' first='Aubrie' last='Vaught'].   One of her best performances this month was against White County Central, where she put up 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. She was even better against Marshall, lighting them up for 24 points, 9 boards, and 4 assists.   Vaught is an excellent inside-outside offensive threat. When she has her head down in transition, she is hard to stop on the attack. She finishes well through contact, able to score with either hand. Of course, you can't leave her open from the outside, as she has a smooth shooting stroke and does not hesitate to fire away when she has the space.   [player_tooltip player_id='1244998' first='Aubrie' last='Vaught'] is an excellent contributor on this squad and certainly one of the best small forwards in the 2A classification.     [player_tooltip player_id='877663' first='Cloie' last='Davis'] is off to a flying start this year!   Davis recently went off for 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 stocks against a talented Bigelow squad. Against Mount Vernon-Enola, she had a solid outing with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, but she made her presence felt on the outside, nailing 4 triples.   Davis plays with some serious speed. When she is coming down the floor in transition, she is like a freight train barreling her way through the teeth of the defense. She finishes very well through heavy contests, acting unbothered most of the time, and she can stretch the floor well with her great 3-point shooting stroke.   [player_tooltip player_id='877663' first='Cloie' last='Davis'] is quickly turning into a star, and her January has been great for her. If she keeps going at this rate, #61 in the class will not suffice.     [player_tooltip player_id='1131357' first='Maliyah' last='Banks'] is one of several players mentioned in this article becoming stars in front of our eyes.   When you hit a half-court, step-through shot at the buzzer to beat an opponent in a low-scoring, defensive-minded contest, you are certainly deserving of being ranked in the top 50 of a very competitive 2027 class (Banks did that in a game in November).   Banks is a great outside threat with serious range (if the half-court shot didn't already tell you that). She has no problem taking and making threes from a few steps behind the arc, especially off the dribble. On the other end of the floor, Banks reads defensively perfectly, intercepting passes and stripping ball-handlers, causing all-out chaos for the opposition.   If she is not already, [player_tooltip player_id='1131357' first='Maliyah' last='Banks'] should be receiving a bunch of offers to play at the next level, thanks to her speed, shooting, and defensive intensity.     [player_tooltip player_id='1056041' first='Laney' last='Marsh'] is one of the best scorers in the entire 3A classification, and there are a bunch of those.   In a big win over a solid Riverview team, Marsh dominated around the rim, putting up 26 points and 11 rebounds. She was just as impactful against Harding Academy the game prior, logging 23 points and 10 boards.   Marsh is a fantastic 3-point shooter who can get going in a hurry. Whether it's off the catch or off the bounce, if Marsh gets to her spots, she is getting nothing but buckets. She is also a solid driver and a great rebounder, as those previous statlines may suggest.   Marsh's excellent inside-out play has earned her some collegiate attention. So much so that Marsh will be playing at the next level at Arkansas Tech.

For those of you who don't know, in addition to being a scout, I am a reporter for a TV station in Little Rock (KATV Channel 7). This job definitely keeps me busy, and almost every day, I am in a new city following up on a different story. With that in mind, I am going to try to do a story each week, highlighting a player from every city that I go to. Besides being in Little Rock this past week, I followed up on stories in North Little Rock, Enola, Conway, and Searcy.