CT Top 30 Mt. Rushmore: THE Springfield Baller

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Last Saturday, I attended the Connecticut Top 30 Showcase in Bristol, Connecticut, and it featured some of the best and rising talent from middle and high school.  It was hard to narrow down the top 4 players from the day in a competitive event capped off by a highly entertaining all-star game. Below are the athletes who I believed performed at the highest level. </span> &nbsp; <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-352627" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/DF96E092-495E-471F-B71C-E79F0CA3E14A-crop-1440x946-1637090947-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="351361" first="Analise" last="Santiago"] - Waterbury Career Academy - 5’6’’ - CG - ’23</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Santiago was giving Mt. Rushmore vibes before the showcase officially began.  When I walked into the gym 45 minutes prior to the event, Santiago was one of two players on the court warming up and getting shots up.  That early energy translated into one of the most dominating performances of the afternoon. On both sides of the ball, Santiago was fierce and relentless. She will lock up any guard no matter how big, or elite their skill set is. Santiago forced even the best ball handlers to pick up their dribble early and made them uncomfortable. On offense, she is a big-time bucket getter. Her perimeter game is smooth; she gets to the basket whenever she wants and is excellent at using her body to draw contact and get to the line. Santiago also can cash in from three-point land consistently. </span> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_352582" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-352582" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/FFC065A9-043E-4566-93AC-46DFE907FD4C-crop-1431x940-1637087053-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="279969" first="Jaylice" last="Rosario"] - Maloney High - 5’11’’ - PF - ’23</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">I thought Rosario was an absolute force inside. She is an undersized 4 with maximum power and strength, and when she caught the ball on the block, it was over. The referees earned their pay on Saturday because it seemed like every time Rosario made a move, she drew a foul and got to the free-throw line. It was the only way to slow her down. Rosario got the offensive board on all missed shot attempts and showed her burst and explosion on the second jump. She can get a double-double in her sleep and is a trail 3 away from taking her game to another level. </span> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_352580" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/035C8B40-CAB2-40CE-9318-54198AD0C4A6-crop-1302x855-1637086994.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-352580" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/035C8B40-CAB2-40CE-9318-54198AD0C4A6-crop-1302x855-1637086994-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="352571" first="Keyvanna" last="Bennett"] - Suffield Academy - 5’10’’ - SF - ’24</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Bennett is one of the most unreal athletes I have seen in the ’24 class. The 5’10’’ combo forward showed her versatility on the inside with vicious putback and also gave everyone a glimpse of her aggressive slashing ability. Bennett violently blocks shots and rebounds the ball at a high level, making her one of the most dynamic impact players of the day. Her hustle and effort when getting back on defense and the way she weaves through defenders going coast to coast was eye-popping.  Bennett knows how to use and control her athleticism to impact the game on a level that only a handful of players in her class can. </span> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_352578" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_1635-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1637086920.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-352578" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_1635-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1637086920-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption] <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="281183" first="Amany" last="Lopez"] - Springfield Central - 5’9’’ - PG - ’23</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Since the spring, I have been watching Lopez, and it was clear her ceiling was top 20, but it was just a matter of when. After an insanely impressive fall capped off with the top performance at the Connecticut Top 30 Showcase, it is fair to say the time is now. Lopez has been one of the most consistent players this fall, playing at a high level not just on a week-to-week basis but in different elements vs. various levels of competition. Ranging from division 1 to division 3 prospects,  Lopez has killed all of them. Her three-point shooting has improved, and when she gets cooking, Lopez will put on an entertaining show. She competes hard and has the killer mentality you want out of your best player.</span>