PGH MI State Tournament: 15U Playmakers

The PGH Michigan State Tournament was a slam dunk again this year, and that's a testament to so many great prospects giving their all throughout the tournament. Seeing new prospects stand out, while having the opportunity to further evaluate familiar prospects, has been an absolute blast throughout the spring during PGH Circuit competition. Many clubs featuring talented prospects from Michigan and states across the Midwest competed at the PGH Michigan State Tournament. Here's how the brackets played out:   Champions:   17U-MBA UAA 16U   16U-MBA UAA 15U   15U Gold-MBA UA Rise 15U   15U Silver- B Edwards Elite 15U   14U-MBA 14U UA Future   13U-[program_tooltip program_id='715753' first='Michigan' last='Mystics'] 13U Select   12U-[program_tooltip program_id='715753' first='Michigan' last='Mystics'] 12U Select   11U-[program_tooltip program_id='715753' first='Michigan' last='Mystics'] 11U Select   Dozens of prospects impressed our scouts throughout the tournament, and these 15U prospects played a huge role for their teams this weekend.    Amani was a clutch player for KBA 15U at the PGH Michigan State Tournament, helping her squad reach the Silver Championship Game. She drove hard to the basket, scoring multiple and-one layups to energize the team. Amani finished well with her right or left at the rim. She has an accurate shot from the perimeter and drained a smooth pull-up three from the slot. She's a tough and skilled guard who stood out on Sunday.     Anna made a big splash with [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] 15U Corts at the PGH Michigan State Tournament. Her relentless effort and comprehensive impact caught my attention on Sunday. Anna worked hard to secure many rebounds on both ends of the court, leading to putbacks and second-chance scoring opportunities. She was an aggressive on-ball defender, communicated actively with teammates, and had excellent awareness on the defensive end. Anna drove hard to the basket to cause fouls and scored a tough layup through contact in transition. She made a great entry pass to a cutter and split the gap on a speedy drive to score a floater. Anna pushed the ball up the court after steals to create transition scoring opportunities, and her effective play on both ends put the team in a position to compete from start to finish.     Lily shifts into high gear when she pushes the ball up the court. She weaves through defenders, changing hands comfortably, and keeps her eyes up to find open teammates. Lily made a quick crossover to her left, drove by, and scored a smooth left-handed layup off the glass. She ripped the ball quickly to get downhill and earned a trip to the free-throw line. Lily split the gap for another drive-by layup and saw no help defense in the paint, then went by with a crossover for another bucket. She threw a great skip pass to the corner for an assist and switched hands effectively in traffic to convert contested shots with both hands. She was a key player for [program_tooltip program_id='1267843' first='Lady' last='Shockers'] 15U at the PGH Michigan State Tournament.     Giuliana's performance in the Silver bracket semifinals had the opposing coach praising her after the game. He was spot on. Giuliana is shifty off the dribble, and her fearless drives to the basket, dribble penetration, defensive impact, and all-out effort on both ends were crucial during the comeback. She won the battle for an offensive rebound, scored the strong and-one finish, then tacked on the free throw to complete the three-point play. Giuliana was aggressive on the defensive end, and her pressure created multiple steals. She has quick hands, feet, and length that give opposing ball-handlers fits on the perimeter. Giuliana finished a layup with touch, knocked down free throws after driving into contact, and buried a clutch corner three late in the game to give her team the lead. She looks poised for a breakout sophomore year and has consistently stood out this spring with [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] 15U Courts.     Malena has filled out her long frame and is developing into a very promising forward prospect. Malena protected the rim, boxed out with a strong stance, secured rebounds with strength and aggression, caught passes with strong hands in the paint, and finished at the rim with touch off two feet. She anticipated a drive, moved her feet to beat the dribble, and caused a turnover. Malena understands where to be as a gap and help side defender. Her sportsmanship leaves a great impression as she hustled over to help opponents up multiple times during the game. She battles for inside positioning to secure missed shots and powers up off two feet for the putbacks. Malena sprinted back to force a missed layup on a breakaway, grabbed two offensive rebounds on the same possession multiple times, and converted back-to-back free throws in the final 2 minutes to help seal the win.     Raina used wide lateral pushouts and crossovers to create space up top against pressure. She drained a quick corner three off the catch and swished another triple in the corner off a kickout before the defender could close out. Raina used a hard jab step to shift her defender, attacked the open driving lane, and cruised straight to the rim for a layup. She looks to set up teammates and is a dual-threat scoring option on offense. Raina was an impactful player in the back court for [program_tooltip program_id='1267843' first='Lady' last='Shockers'] 15U at the PGH Michigan State Tournament.     Alani had length, hustle, and a versatile skill set that stood out for [program_tooltip program_id='713067' first='Michigan' last='Lady Playmakers'] 15U at the PGH Michigan State Tournament. Alani ripped the ball away on the defensive end, pushed it the length of the court with pace, switched hands in transition, then completed the play with a smooth left-handed layup in stride. She showed her outside range by draining a confident corner three and made good basket cuts. Alani picked off a pass, immediately looked to score, and delivered a smart bounce pass to give a teammate an open look after drawing the help defender. Alani swatted a shot on the defensive end and met the ball in the air for a catch and finish off two feet in transition.     Laila put on a show with [program_tooltip program_id='1267843' first='Lady' last='Shockers'] 15U at the PGH Michigan State Tournament. She dribbled out to the perimeter and patiently surveyed the scene, then attacked down the baseline after a between-the-legs crossover move to score a drive-by bucket off two feet through contact for the and-one. Laila was the only one who seemed to notice that she was only shooting one free throw, so she sprinted right in to corral the miss and make it a four-point play. Laila drove by from the perimeter to score a speedy layup off two feet and went back to the well, evading a defender to score an athletic, high-jumping pro hop layup off two feet without skipping a beat. She swiped the ball away for a breakaway layup with her left and picked off a lazy pass to score a pull-up jumper from the wing. Laila swished a wing three off the dribble, tripled in the corner, and drained another open three when the defender decided to take away the drive. She competes with a high motor and chased down a breakaway layup for a pursuit block. Length, athleticism, skill, physicality, and a two-way impact add up to a ton of next-level upside.

The PGH Michigan State Tournament was a slam dunk again this year, and that's a testament to so many great prospects giving their all throughout the tournament. Seeing new prospects stand out, while having the opportunity to further evaluate familiar prospects, has been an absolute blast throughout the spring during PGH Circuit competition. Many clubs featuring talented prospects from Michigan and states across the Midwest competed at the PGH Michigan State Tournament. Here's how the brackets played out: