Border War 2021-rewind Texas All Stars
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Texas has tons of talented players and I was truly happy so many teams came to this event which had an abundance of non D1 coaches and when you factor in, 99% ain’t going D1, this was a great opportunity…
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Continue ReadingTexas has tons of talented players and I was truly happy so many teams came to this event which had an abundance of non D1 coaches and when you factor in, 99% ain’t going D1, this was a great opportunity for OPTIONS so quit believing NONSENSE and put yourselves in a position to be recruited, it’s just that simple and you don’t have to be accepted in Mensa for your math skills to know this so here are my picks, special S/O to Skyrise Edmond who went there with 6, players for injured and they fought through it
Aliyah Craft Aliyah Craft 5'4" | PG Huntsville | 2022 State TX -5’9 PG (BCS Thunder King) 2022
Craft continues to show how deadly she is on the offensive end as she blows by defenders with either hand to score or drop the mid to long-range with ease. When you add her court vision, that’s a huge plus
Jaydan Davenport Jaydan Davenport 5'10" | PF College Station | 2023 State TX -5’11 F (BCS Thunder King) 2023
Davenport has that “blue-collar” mindset and not only will you not outwork her, she battles for everything off the glass as well as on the floor or in the stands but her power in the paint to score also stood out
Reese Brittain-5’7 G (Competitive Edge Elite) 2023
Brittain was simply GREAT when I caught her and her HEZ in the open court can leave defenders flat-footed. It also helps that she can knock down the mid to long-range as well as take defenders off the dribble
Tyanna Simpson-5’10 F (Competitive Edge Elite) 2023
Simpson would be on my Most Improved list if I had one, not just because of her confidence which has taken off, the fact is that she’s contributing on both ends of the floor
Donovia Hall Donovia Hall 5'11" | SF Plano East | 2022 State TX -5’10 CG/SF (Heroes Elite DJ) 2022
Hall just makes those around her better, she can take over whenever she wants, on either end or drop 20 in the flow but she understands how to get everyone involved
Amiya Bowie Bowie-5’6 G (Heroes Elite DJ) 2022
Bowie scored so many ways, I ran out of ink writing them down but her explosiveness off the dribble, as well as her explosiveness off the ground for her jumper, made my weekend more than memorable
Vernell Atamah-5’10 PF (Heroes Elite DJ) 2022
Atamah was another “you won’t outwork me ” player as she understands positioning which enabled her to rebound over players over the magic number of 6’0 as well as finish over those same type of players
Brooklin BROWN Brooklin BROWN 5'9" | SG Shadow Creek | 2022 State TX -5’8 CG (Skyrise Edmond) 2022
Brown is nicknamed Downtown and Midtown by me because she can drop it either way yet her attacking and finishing as well as playing the passing lane and rebounding stood out as well
Aryelle Stevens-6’1 P (Skyrise Edmond) 2022
Stevens with the breakout club season and I knew she always played hard yet watching her finish strongly with either hand, with players literally climbing on her, speaks volumes
R’Mani Taylor R’Mani Taylor 5'7" | PG Shadow Creek | 2022 State TX -5’7 PG (Skyrise Edmond) 2022
Taylor was #D1Locked by me in the 5th-grade dribbling, in street clothes, I’m that good yet she keeps expanding her game, yeah the range has always been there but she’s become a legitimate next level 1, that can score
Maurdaisha Powell Maurdaisha Powell 5'10" | SF Dulles | 2022 State TX -5’9 SF (Skyrise Edmond) 2022
Powell had her own block party and when you can block three or four in a row on the same possession multipole times, what else can I say other than her pull-up jumper and gravity-defying finishes were nice
Kenna Gibson Kenna Gibson 5'5" | CG Clear Springs | 2022 State TX -5’7 SG (Skyrise Edmond) 2022
Gibson has, how can I put this, unlimited range which started somewhere by the food truck at the event. She shoots with confidence, she creates her shot while being pressured and that “catch and shoot” was clicking as well
Vivian Iwuchukwu-6’2 P (Player First 17U) 2024
Iwuchukwu is long and athletic, her timing is impressive as she controls the paint on both ends, primarily because of improved offensive skills, hands and footwork to start, soft touch to finish and she rebounds
Sydney Love Sydney Love 5'10" | CG Cibolo Steele | 2022 State TX -5’10 SG (Player First 17U) 2022
Love to see LOVE in transition because her midrange “stop and pop” should be patented and seeing her elevate over defenders, release it at the right time, is definitely a treat
Rian Forestier Rian Forestier 5'11" | SG Brandeis | 2024 State TX -5’10 SG (Player First 17U) 2024
Forestier is probably even taller than listed but she’s grown both on and off the court. I won’t go into the “college coaches love big guards that can shoot” bit but trust me, she can drop it from anywhere
Abigail Smith (SA Lady Hoops 16U)
Smith took her game to a different level and not only was she rebounding on both ends, finishing after contact and defending, but she also created her shot very well and consistently knocked down the mid to long-range
Zaadiyah Stovall (SA Lady Hoops 16U)
Stovall keeps making those jumps, not just on the court as she’s just under that magic number of 6’0, her being long and athletic and slicing to the basket to score or dropping the short jumper was nice, so were the putbacks
Payton Hull Payton Hull 5'4" | SG Peaster | 2023 State TX -5’11 SG (Texas Lonestar 2022 Black 3SSB)
Hull was added to that initial Watch List because I knew what was coming and although I barely watched the team, I saw her playing around the world from afar and one thing is for certain, she can shoot that ball
Honorable Mention
Trinity Schlueter-6’1 C (AOH 2025) 2025
Niyah Waters-5’9 G (Competitive Edge Elite) 2025
Janavia Gage Janavia Gage 6'3" | C Huntsville | 2023 State TX -6’3 C (BCS Thunder Ayers) 2023
Kyla Clark-5’9 PG (BCS Thunder Ayers) 2023
Kayla Dickey-5’4 PG (BCS Thunder King) 2023
Heaven Hayden-5’10 (Heroes Elite DJ) 2022
Mercedes Mancha Mercedes Mancha 5'7" | CG Alvin | 2022 State TX -5’5 SG (Skyrise Edmond) 2022
Arianna Roberson-6’4 P (Player First 17U) 2024
Kamryn Griffin (Player First 16U)
Emery Black (SA Lady Hoops 16U)
Chayse Goetz Chayse Goetz 6'0" | SF NB Canyon | 2023 State TX (SA Lady Hoops 16U)
Mia Jiminez (SA Lady Hoops 16U)