Thanksgiving Week Standouts

There were some exciting tournaments in the state during Thanksgiving week. Here are some standout players I saw during the tournaments I attended.   <img class="size-medium wp-image-364603 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/Neely-Kate-Welsh-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />Neely Kate Welsh (5’10/Wing/2022)   School: Spring Garden HS Instagram: neely_welsh8 Twitter: @neelywelsh Tournament: BALLN Prep Thanksgiving   Neely was one of the most skilled, versatile players I saw during the Thanksgiving week. She has good size, a good IQ, and a brilliant floor game. Offensively, she can do it all: she can score the rock, shoot the trey, she runs hard in transition, she creates scoring opportunities for others, she is a willing passer, and the list goes on and on. She showed her versatility on both ends of the court for high school ball, but she will have to settle into her true position at the next level. <blockquote> Not only can she get it done scoring-wise, but she makes winning plays that do not always show up in the stat line. </blockquote> Simply put, Neely is a gamer. She definitely has a spot at the next level once the right fit comes along. The question for the rest of her high school career is simple, can she lead her team to the BJCC and capture the crown?   <img class="size-medium wp-image-364604 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/PGH-Limaya-Batimba-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />Limaya Batimba (5’8/Power Forward/2024)   School: Lee-Huntsville HS Instagram: ur.gurllmaya Twitter: @limaya38841274 Tournament: BALLN Prep Thanksgiving   Limaya has a nice frame and a solid build and is effective in the paint. She is active on the boards on both ends of the court, and she gets a lot of production off the offensive glass and put-backs. She was one of the best rebounders I saw during the Thanksgiving holiday week. <blockquote> Her effort and energy on the boards and defensively in the paint are almost unmatched, and it is her way of impacting the game. </blockquote> With this just being her sophomore campaign, she brings a lot to the game and, depending on her continued development, can be one of the emerging prospects out of the Hunstville area. She is a blue-collar worker that doesn’t wow you with flash but definitely wows you with her work ethic on the court.   <img class="size-medium wp-image-364606 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/PGH-Jordyn-Bailey-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />[player_tooltip player_id="330736" first="Jordyn" last="Bailey"] (5’5/Combo Guard/2023)   School: Athens HS Instagram: Jordyn.Bailey Twitter: @__jordynbailey Tournament: BALLN Prep Thanksgiving   Jordyn is a player that is aggressive with the ball in her hands as she was constantly looking to get to the rack off the bounce. She is listed as a combo guard but finds a balance between scoring and facilitating. <blockquote> She can move between guard spots, and her production does not diminish. </blockquote> Whether her team needs her to run the show or if they need her to score the rock, she can do either. She showed range from behind the arc but has to be more consistent going into the 2nd half of the season. Jordyn is a player that defenses have to account for because she is such a vital part to the flow of the Athens team. She may not be the first option on this team, but what she brings night in and night out is vital to her squad’s success.   [player_tooltip player_id="329240" first="Francie" last="Morris"] (PG/2025)   School: Mountain Brook HS Instagram: N/A Twitter: @N/A   Tournament: Mountain Brook Spartan Turkey Jam Francie is the player for the Lady Spartans that runs the show. She is a facilitator that creates for her teammates. The Lady Spartans has excellent shooters waiting on c&s opportunities, and Francie is one that serves up the dish. <blockquote> She is a very unselfish floor general with one of the top minds I have seen on the girls’ side this year. </blockquote> She is reliable in being the administrator on the floor, making sure what the coach wants gets done, and she is reliable with the ball in her hands and limiting her turnovers. She is a creative playmaker that can handle the rock and get to the spots on the court that she desires, to impact the game with her shot opportunity or creating shots for others. She is very resourceful and highly competitive. She is a key piece to the puzzle for the Lady Spartans and their hopes of getting to the BJCC.   <img class="size-medium wp-image-364607 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/PGH-Mary-Alice-Murner-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />Mary Alice Murner (5’10/Wing/2022)   School: Deshler HS Instagram: maryalicemurner Twitter: @MertMurner Tournament: BALLN Prep Thanksgiving   The thing about Mary with her Deshler squad is that she is a wing that spends half the time playing the post. As I have mentioned in previous articles, Deshler has a team full of guards racing down the court looking for the trey ball. Rarely will you see Deshler throwing the ball down in the post, looking for offense. However, they have to defend the post, and Mary is the hard-nosed, tough player who gets that assignment. Offensively, she is just another threat that Deshler has from behind the arc. <blockquote> Defensively she battles and does not back down. </blockquote> She goes to the glass, which her team needs, as down the stretch, two things worry me about this squad. 1. How will they get the ’w’ if they have an off-shooting night from behind the arc, and 2. Can they rebound just enough that the differential won’t be so lop-sided, putting them in a hole that they cannot shoot themselves out of. One thing is for sure, Mary will be a huge factor every night her squad takes the floor.   I hope you have enjoyed this 3-part series on standouts that I saw during the Thanksgiving week. Two parts were on standout guards, and this last one was just standouts I saw regardless of position.