Prospect Spotlight: Isabella Asencio – Immaculate Heart ’23
Prep Girls Hoops Staff
The Big North Conference is a misnomer as while the majority of the teams are in North Jersey, a few are scattered throughout the rest of the state.
This is especially true in the United division, made up exclusively of private schools.
The four teams in the United are fantastic, but recently, Immaculate Heart Academy, located in Washington Township, has been the talk of the division.
IHA was one of six schools in the Big North to record a 10+ win season and were consistently in the conversation of the best programs in the state.
A big reason for Immaculate's success was sophomore guard Isabella Asencio, the team’s third-best scorer and someone who is going to turn heads during the 2021-22 season.
She nearly put up double-figure scoring averages this season and was truly a delight to watch, but it’s time to put her under the microscope and check the film to see what’s made her a must-watch.
Asencio, standing at 5’4”, is an undersized guard, but she plays like she’s an All-American, and that starts from the dribble.
She’s very confident with the ball, can control the game when she needs to, and has great handles. She’ll tie up a defense going behind-the-back on her way to gliding in the lane.
When we say gliding, we truly mean it as Asencio is crafty and aggressive in the paint and drives with authority to the basket. The equally impressive thing is that she’s not taking down players with her as she goes into the lane.
As Asencio starts her drive, her court vision and awareness becomes the star of the show as she’ll skim by opponents for a reverse layup. If she needs to, she’ll body up a player for the tough two.
She’s an excellent passer, another place where her court vision shines, and will often start a fast break with an assist down the court. Once on the offensive end, she’ll attract defenders to dish the ball off to a teammate for the basket.
Don’t think we forgot about her shooting as Asencio is a confident shooter with a quick release, able to deliver in clutch situations with or without a defender in her face.
She’ll knock down the shot anyway, another dimension to her game and level of her playmaking ability on the court.
Going into her junior season, Asencio is already an absolute baller, and she’s just going to ball out that much more for Immaculate Heart.
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