Weekend Stock Risers

Bash Hudson

April 26, 2021 @ 08:46 AM

Here are some of the stock risers from over the weekend from players I watched at the King and Queen of Boston tournament, April Showcase at Mass Premier, and Girls UAA Session 1.   [player_tooltip player_id="184048" first="Alanna" last="Phillipo"] - Marianapolis/MA Huskies - 5’9’’ - CG- ’24 ’24 PGH Rank: TBD <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/VInOsrGSlKOwkeSW71jA-scaled-crop-1812x1190-1619443739.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-277991" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/VInOsrGSlKOwkeSW71jA-scaled-crop-1812x1190-1619443739-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> With Phillipo recently joining the class of 2024, it will make the rankings update in June very interesting. She is a strong, aggressive scoring combo guard who will win most one-on-one battles when getting the ball on the wing. On Sunday, Phillipo was getting into the paint consistently and flexed her muscle by absorbing and finishing through contact. Phillipo, in my opinion, was the best rebounder on the team in the game I saw, and her effort on defense stood out too. She can be a two-way nightmare with her size, strength, and athleticism; therefore, Phillipo should be a name we hear a lot about in the next couple of months. https://x.com/BashHoopsNE/status/1386433561331310593   [player_tooltip player_id="266802" first="Hana" last="Skeary"] - Dover Sherborn/ OZone Basketball - 5’6’’ - CG - ’23 ’23 PGH Rank: WL <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/7CnPc57TqamhccIUPPsQ-scaled-crop-1768x1161-1619443873.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-277995" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/7CnPc57TqamhccIUPPsQ-scaled-crop-1768x1161-1619443873-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Skeary had an impressive day on Saturday, scoring the ball consistently and efficiently. She is most effective at scoring the ball in transition. With backcourt mate [player_tooltip player_id="270726" first="Ava" last="Orlando"] facilitating, Skeary will have countless opportunities to get good shot opportunities at the rim or beyond the arc. She runs the floor well and reads the defense to know if it is a better decision to fill the lane and get a layup, or pull up from downtown and show off her lethal sharpshooting. Skeary is undersized for a 2 guard, but her shooting precision and good shot selection make up for the lack of height resulting in a dangerous scoring threat for Ozone Basketball. https://x.com/BashHoopsNE/status/1385937174139375616   [player_tooltip player_id="273256" first="Melissa" last="Leone"] - Ashland/MA Huskies - 6’0’’ - PF - ’23 ’23 PGH Rank: WL <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/nmYzMf5vS9yAtVtFJLwlNA-scaled-crop-1817x1193-1619443922.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-277997" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/nmYzMf5vS9yAtVtFJLwlNA-scaled-crop-1817x1193-1619443922-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Sunday was my first time seeing Leone, and after one half of basketball, I knew she was a top 50 player in the 2023 class. She represents everything the ideal stretch 4 should be. Leone physically checks all the boxes with height, length, athleticism. She can put the ball on the deck and get to the basket or sit around the perimeter and be a reliable knock-down shooter. Most importantly, Leone runs the floor hard and makes herself a threat in transition. Her athleticism and scoring ability draw so much attention that she can open up offensive opportunities for her teammates just by rim running. Leone is a handful to defend and should drive opposing teams nuts because she is a unique talent.   [player_tooltip player_id="267152" first="Claire" last="Candela"] - Milton Academy/MA Huskies - 5’9’’ - SG - ’23 ’23 PGH Rank: #50 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/7zMO6nywSTa9IqUG1heahg-scaled-crop-1613x1059-1619444037.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-277999" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/7zMO6nywSTa9IqUG1heahg-scaled-crop-1613x1059-1619444037-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Candela is an elite shooter who doesn’t hesitate to fire from deep. She also arguably has the most range of anyone in her class. Candela’s outside shooting is the main reason she cracked the top 50, but what increased her value Sunday was her movement off the ball. Candela won’t settle for threes all game long and be a one-dimensional player. I saw, on multiple possessions, Candela time her back cuts perfectly and get easy layups at the rim. Her ability to read the defense and recognize that she is being overplayed for the jump shot, and find another way to be effective in the halfcourt was a part of her game I had not seen until that point. If Candela continues to be aggressive inside the three-point line, it only will increase her value moving forward.   [player_tooltip player_id="269132" first="Mary" last="Gibbons"] - Wachusett/Bay State Jaguars - 5’7’’ - CG - ’24 ’24 PGH Rank: #26 https://x.com/LaurieBollin/status/1385671620266795016 What stuck out to me most about Gibbons this weekend is that she came off the bench to start the game and was locked in from the moment she stepped on the floor. On defense, she was digging in, picking up full court, and sliding her feet well. On offense, she was aggressive early and gave the Jaguars second unit a huge scoring jolt. She punished weak zone defenses with her outside jump shot, ran the floor well in transition, and got easy layups on multiple 2 on 1 situations. Gibbons’ impact on both sides of the floor makes her stand out from many point guards in her class; if she continues to be as potent a scorer as she was over the weekend, the trajectory arrow will continue to point up.