Duel for the Dynasty: 17U All-Duel First Team
Over the next few days we will take a look at all of the best players who were on display this past weekend in the Duel for the Dynasty in Fort Worth, Texas. There was A LOT of talent on display and handing out superlatives was not an easy task. There were just too many good players – and that is a very good problem to have. In no particular order, here are the five players who made the 17U First Team.
Maleighya Estes | 5-7 G/F | Unity 2022 | White River High, WA | 2022 | @unity_wa
Estes is an absolute scoring machine. As I mentioned on Twitter as the games were progressing on Saturday, there was not a jumper in the building as good as the one that Estes displayed. I mean, she could stop and pop at any time and most likely make it. She was a nightmare for defenders all weekend. She is a strong, well-built shooting guard or small forward. To be honest, I don’t have a box score form Unity’s final game, and she still totaled 47 points for the first three games. Chances are she scored the most points in the entire tournament or came close. She has tremendous handles and does a great job of creating space for herself to get the jumper off. She is no slouch on the defensive end and goes hard the entire game. Considering the talent that she performed this well against, I would have to say she could definitely be a D-I player in the future.
Mikayla Parks Mikayla Parks 5'8" | SG Norman | 2022 State OK | 5-8 CG | Trae Young Elite 2022 | Norman High, OK | 2022 | @MikaylaParks12
I feel like I am always writing about Mikayla. Everywhere I see her play, be it the state semi’s, the state championship (which she won) or on the PGH Circuit, she is a standout. Everything seems so easy for her. She handles the ball like she was born with one in her hand. It is an extension of her arm. She glides around the floor with ease, with or without the ball. She hits shots consistently. She defends very well and involves all of her teammates on the offensive end. Honestly, there isn’t much left to say about the Kansas State commit. She is going to be an absolute star at the D-I level. She is just that good.
Destiny Buerge | 5-8 CG | Team Tulsa 2022 | Carl Junction High, MO | 2023 | @BuergeDestiny
As I mentioned before, I don’t have a box score for a few games, but I do have all four of them for Team Tulsa. Buerge scored 55 points in four games with double digits in all but one game, opening up with a 20 point performance early on Saturday. This small town Missouri player showed up on the big stage in a very big way. She plays really tough on-ball defense, jumps the passing lane and then uses her above-average handles to get to the rim on the fast break. She has an extremely high basketball IQ and just seems to be everywhere on both ends. She is a nuisance in a good way. She is strong and unafraid to go inside while also being able to hit from the outside. Buerge is a D-I player who is showing that she is unafraid to play against older players and for very good reason.
Kori Rice | 6-1 F/C | O.W.E. Family Rengades Elite 2022 | Airline High, LA | 2022 | @OWELA2
Rice is tall. She is also very, very long. There’s a chance she isn’t done growing and that should strike fear in the hearts of all of Louisiana girls’ high school basketball. Rice can do everything you want from a big on the court. She does a good job of high pointing the ball after getting good position for the rebound. She is a very good post defender who uses her body well to keep her opponent out of position. She runs the floor very, very well for any position – not just a big. Oh yeah, she also has a sweet jumper and can hit from deep. Talk about stretching the floor. She can play any position considering that she has almost point guard quality handles. She also can defend every position with great lateral quickness and a fluidity not seen in many high school players. Coaches, you owe it to yourself to take a look at O.W.E. and Rice on their future PGH Circuit stops.
Makenna Shaffer | 5-10 F | New Mexico D1 2022 | Northridge High, CO | 2022 | @makennaxleigh
Speaking of tall kids that can flat out shoot it, let me present Makenna Shaffer to you. At every tournament/showcase there are one or two players who have every scout and coach talking. That was Shaffer this weekend. Especially when they found out that not only was she not signed, but she doesn’t have an offer yet. I have a feeling that is all about to change. Shaffer can stroke it. She is tall with a high release and just a plain old, sweet jump shot. She is fun to watch. She isn’t as much of an inside player as some other kids her size, but honestly it isn’t a problem. She can guard on the outside and her long arms make for a lot of blocked jump shots. She is a smart kid with “Ivy League grades” according to her head coach. If this was her “coming out” party, I expect the D-I offers to start “coming in” very, very soon.