Week One: Performances Across The State

Georgia Girls’ Basketball is in full swing. I was fortunate enough to catch home openers, live streams, and a little Day 1 action of the Parkview Tip-off Classic. Here are the teams that I had an opportunity to watch; Augusta Christian, Bryan County, Collins Hill, Discovery, GAC, Galloway, Greenforest, Grove, Grovetown, New Manchester, Parkview, Woodward Academy. Here are the players listed in three categories that caught my eye. Impact Players, Impression Makers, and Looking Forward To Seeing Again are used to help describe the type of game the players listed had when I saw them. Impact Players <img class="alignleft wp-image-354879 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0660-scaled-e1637537093320-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="118139" first="Sydney" last="Bowles"] | 6-2 | G | 2022 | Woodward Academy The UGA signee is a well-known offensive assassin and she did not disappoint in the first game of the Parkview Tip-off Classic. Sydney has shown time and time again that she can get a basket whenever she feels like it. She can grab a board and be at the rim in 4 dribbles while still weaving through defenders or hit from deep after sprinting to get behind the line on an offensive rebound possession. Honestly speaking, her ability to score even on shots with the highest degree of difficulty makes her simply put, unguardable. She had 22 at the break and picked up right where she left off in the second finishing with 40 points. <img class="alignright wp-image-354868 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0619-scaled-e1637536466116-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Jade Weathersby | 6-1 | F/W | 2023 | Parkview Jade did a little of everything for the home team in their matchup against Discovery. She plays more physically than you would expect and has a really good motor with consistent activity. She used a combination of aggression and leaping ability to grab rebounds both inside and outside of her area. It did not take long for Discovery to start sending the double team but even that did not slow her down. She rarely got an open look at the rim but managed to convert at a very high percentage including multiple finishes through fouls. Showed some rim protection on a few blocks as well. It was really interesting to see her in an impromptu pick-and-roll situation as the ball handler. Let’s just say she looked very comfortable coming off to the left and getting into her elbow jump shot. Her ceiling is high. <img class="alignleft wp-image-354871 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0614-scaled-e1637536593459-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Kaylon Jackson | 5-5 | PG | 2025 | Discovery A small guard with a compact frame, she played with a lot of toughness and poise for a player in their first year of high school and varsity action. She scored by creating for herself and executing the actions of her team’s sets. She hit some big baskets down the stretch to keep her team just ahead until the end showing a lot of confidence in her ability. She’ll be one to track over the next few years. [player_tooltip player_id="211076" first="D’Mya" last="Griffin"] | 5-9 | G | 2022 | Grovetown<img class="alignright wp-image-206655 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/81_DMya-Griffin_2-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> D’Mya brings a lot of value to the courts. She is a producer on both sides of the ball and is able to defend every position on the perimeter. She’s just tough. She handles the ball well and makes strong finishes at the rim. She is disruptive on the defensive end using good instincts and acceleration to shoot through passing lanes. She hustles every second of the game and does whatever is necessary regardless of time and score. Having competitors like her makes coaching a lot easier. <img class="alignleft wp-image-335077 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/20-Kaleigh-Addie-scaled-e1637536712782-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="118145" first="Kaleigh" last="Addie"] | 5-7 | PG | 2022 GAC Xavier has a good natural scoring point guard coming in next year. Kaleigh was lightning quick in transition. She scored time and time again after getting out ahead of defenders on the break. She is quick with the ball in her hands and has all the dribble moves needed to create for herself. The guard tandem at GAC will make another deep run in the state playoffs if all goes according to plan. <img class="alignright wp-image-354876 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0669-scaled-e1637536923283-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Devine LuKumbo | 5-8 | G | 2022 | Greenforest A very good guard. She can create for herself and her teammates. She used a combination of toughness and skill off the bounce to get her own looks but was very impressive with her court vision and ability to deliver pinpoint passes. She was a consistent offensive threat and even with GAC knowing that, she still facilitated most of Greenforest offensive scoring plays single-handedly. <img class="alignleft wp-image-206892 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/110_Keona-Curtis_2-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="148862" first="Keona" last="Curtis"] | 6-1 | F/C | 2022 | Grovetown The long post provided a formidable interior presence for the home team in a matchup against Augusta Christian. She grabbed boards at points in the air where no one in the game could get a hand on them. Her desire to work to chase rebounds was impressive as well. She showed a good understanding of how to foul with her body when defending on the block and at the rim. She has good footwork on the block and also has a face-up gain that could really open up her scoring opportunities. [player_tooltip player_id="253902" first="Kamryn" last="Bates"] | 5-5 | PG | 2022 | New Manchester<img class="alignright wp-image-354882 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0657-scaled-e1637537209589-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> Kamryn is a nice guard that uses her quickness well in the halfcourt. Really impressed by her ability to penetrate the lane so frequently. In those situations, she made exceptional reads quickly finding open teammates on the weak side corner and wing or drop passes to her bigs on the block. She has a very strong command of the dribble and took on pressure well and still got off good passes against traps. Showed some competitive edge many times in the game. Coaches should check her out soon. <img class="alignleft wp-image-354883 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0676-scaled-e1637537284200-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="252750" first="Kailyn" last="Fields"] | 5-7 | CG | 2023 | Galloway Kaylin is an effective player at both guard spots. She has great acceleration with the ball in her hands and gets in and out of her dribble moves very quickly. She is an efficient scorer at the rim where she uses good athleticism and body control to get some very tough attempts to go. She is dangerous from deep as well and burned the defense several times with both catch and shoot and in rhythm jumpers off the bounce. Her long arms are a problem on defense. She has great lateral quickness and when she wants to stop someone she is more than capable. <img class="alignright wp-image-354885 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0674-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="218690" first="Tianna" last="Thompson"] | 5-10 | PG | 2024 | Galloway Tianna alternated at both guard spots in her game against Collins Hill but she can naturally fill the role of a point guard. She has a good handle and was able to shift defenders off the bounce to get to the rim. She is also very patient on offense. She picks her spots very well which makes for very high shooting percentages. She has a very consistent stop and pop game in transition. She’s a willing passer and just has a very unselfish style of play in general making a great facilitator while still being a scoring threat. Impression Makers Taylor Watkins | 5-8 | Wing | 2022 | Discovery Lanky wing with good athleticism and motor. She knocked in a couple of catch-and-shoot jumpers just inside the arc. She did well when filling lanes and knew when to attack when getting touches on the wing. She has a nice little floater and seemed to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. She seemed to be the first person to tipped shots and passes, long rebounds, and kick passes after penetration. <img class="alignleft wp-image-354888 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0620-scaled-e1637537567892-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Kennedi Benton | 5-6 | PG | 2025 | Parkview Another freshman guard in the game between Parkview and Discovery that did more than hold her own. She showed some nice on-ball defense at points in the game and it wore on opposing guards at some points. She was determined on scoring attempts using her thicker build to connect on tough lays and jumpers alike. She showed some quick reactions and skill after grabbing a steal out of their trap and attacking quickly using a nice euro to slither to the rim. <img class="alignright wp-image-354891 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0662-scaled-e1637537697475-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Rhian Richardson | 5-5 | G | 2023 | Woodward Academy Looked good defensively when applying pressure in the press. She quickly picked up deflected pass and got to the rim in a hurry. She was good from the FT stripe making New Manchester pay once in the bonus situation. Really good on-ball defense working to stay in front of some very tough guards off the bounce. She plays with pride on that side of the ball and her teammates respond to her energy and effort. [player_tooltip player_id="118144" first="Kharyssa" last="Richardson"] | 6-2 | F | 2022 | New Manchester We got a chance to see a future SEC matchup with Kharyssa opposite Sydney. Kharyssa really picked up her scoring attack in the second half. She looked to create her own scoring opportunities in the mid-post and inside the perimeter. She hit the glass with a consistent effort and grabbed 13 boards giving her a double-double for the game. She has very good footwork on the interior and a variety of post moves to go to when looking to score on the inside. The Auburn signee is expecting a very productive senior campaign. <img class="alignleft wp-image-354894 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0671-scaled-e1637537883964-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="210364" first="Jaci" last="Bolden"] | 5-7 | G | 2022 | GAC Jaci really played well. The brace is off and she is back to her usual quickness. She finished off aggressive drives with strong finishes at the rim or touch floaters. She has really nice quickness in transition. She showed off the three-point shooting ability connecting multiple times from deep. She provides a great 1-2 punch for GAC along with the Xavier signee [player_tooltip player_id="118145" first="Kaleigh" last="Addie"]. Jazmine Baxter | 5-11 | F | 2025 | Galloway Jazmine is a physical post with a lot of size to throw around. She banged all day and really made it uncomfortable for the opposing team on both ends of the ball. She has good athleticism to go with her size as well. She got up and down the floor with ease and scored on a few rim runs beating her defender down the floor. Looking Forward To Seeing Again Kahmill Lee | 5-4 | G | 2022 | Discovery Good defensively, scored a couple of times in transition. She was most effective in scoring when putting the ball on the floor with a straight line to the rim. Very quick first step and got through initial contact from defenders consistently. Niyah Shuman | 5-3 | G | 2022 | Bryan County Niyah is a small guard with a quick trigger. If she feels space when behind the arc she’s letting it go. After missing her first two attempts from deep she hit a streak making her next three. Her confidence took over at that point and she began putting the ball on the floor getting to the rim. At one point defenders worked so hard to contest her attempts that they foul her while shooting from distance. She drew a lot of attention when on the perimeter and finished with five three-pointers made. Jessica Dowdy | 5-5 | PG | 2022 | Augusta Christian Jessica faced a very heavy dose of pressure in her game against Grovetown. She showed some good passing and ball-handling against it at times. She is quick with the ball in her hands and was important for her team against the press. Not a heavy load of point production but she did some positive things in the game. Anna Wylder | 5-9 | G | 2022 | Woodward Academy A confident guard especially behind the arc. She knocked in a heavily contested shot from the corner with two defenders closing out. She found herself in great scoring situations by adjusting her spacing to the attacks of teammates. She was very efficient. [player_tooltip player_id="195884" first="India" last="Johnson"] | 5-4 | PG | 2022 | New Manchester India played well alongside [player_tooltip player_id="253902" first="Kamryn" last="Bates"]. Played the game the right way. She is smart and has an efficient game. Connected multiple times using her floater when going baseline, pulling up for mid-range jumpers, and behind the arc. She showed some strength and focus finishing through a tough foul. [player_tooltip player_id="335907" first="Trinity" last="Thomas"] | 5-8 | G | 2023 | GAC She has a good motor. When left unchecked on offensive shot attempts she crashed the boards hard and used some good leaping ability to grab rebounds creating extra possessions for her team. Keep plays alive with her hustle. <img class="alignleft wp-image-354897 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/IMG_0677-scaled-e1637537987877-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Tiffany Barnes | 5-6 | SG | 2022 | Collins Hill Barnes is a deep ball threat. She hit four three-pointers in a game against some strong defensive guards. She was able to hit off the bounce in transition, coming off of pin downs, and with feet set on the perimeter in catch and shoot situations. She was a big lift for a young Collins Hill group growing through varsity experience. Sephora Diakese | 6-1 | F/C | 2023 | Greenforest <span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Long and slim post player that used her length to impact the game. She grabbed rebounds against smaller players with ease. Still a bit raw on from a skill standpoint but with time could develop into a decent post taking the JUCO route. Gets the ball to the glass "}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":4,"12":0}">The long and slim post player used her length to impact the game. She grabbed rebounds against smaller players with ease. Still a bit raw from a skill standpoint but with time could develop into a good post. She has nice length and a quick bounce. Rim protection and rebound are easy expectations for her to meet.