GymRatLIVE Albany Tournament: Top Forwards

While it was hard to pick only a few of the best frontcourt players I watched this weekend because there were so many, here are five of them. <img class=" wp-image-415430 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/DSC_0791-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1650150936-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="182" />[player_tooltip player_id="184007" first="Abigail" last="Wright"] ’23 F - MCW Starz <span style="font-weight: 400;">Wright most definitely made an impact in every game she played in. She is a very dominant player, a force to be reckoned with. Good luck guarding her in the paint because she will make you work every time she gets the ball, even if it’s not to score and it will never be easy against her. She always has this calm and controlled look on her face but sure does have a lot of fun out there and when you play as well and as consistent as she does how can she not? One thing that I noticed about Wright's game was she is very physical but also smart about how she uses her strength because she doesn't end up with many fouls. Another thing I loved about her was her help defense, she can read the court very well which is a huge help for her team. </span> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/DSC_0812-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1650151013.jpg"><img class="wp-image-415432 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/DSC_0812-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1650151013-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="257" height="169" /></a>Brooke Baisley ’24 F - United NJ <span style="font-weight: 400;">Baisley surprised me this weekend since no one had really heard about her before, I definitely hadn’t, but she sure made something of her name in just one weekend. I just remember absolutely loving her and the way she played. The way she so easily and gracefully finished her layups, always put a body on someone to get the rebound and how she was out on the perimeter helping move the ball around. It was so fun watching her do all these great, eye opening plays and then run back on defense and just stay focused on the game.</span> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/DSC_0639-scaled-crop-1481x973-1650151087.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-415434 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/DSC_0639-scaled-crop-1481x973-1650151087-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="206" height="135" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="273256" first="Melissa" last="Leone"] ’23 F - Huskies (Beauchemin) <span style="font-weight: 400;">If you need a lengthy, energetic, strong forward, Leone is the player for you. She stood out to me because of the way she was always paying attention when she was on the court. Usually that is the point guard, or any guard's job but she would very frequently step outside the paint and stay present on offense making sure the ball was always moving and then go right back in the paint or set a screen. Leone moves around a lot for a big, she is never just standing there waiting for the ball which I loved to see, it just makes it so much easier for the rest of the team to play in a flow!</span> <img class=" wp-image-415437 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/DSC6361-1-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="196" height="295" />[player_tooltip player_id="413623" first="Sofia" last="Berisha"] ’23 F - NY Gauchos <span style="font-weight: 400;">Berisha is a small forward I had never seen before this tournament but I just couldn't forget about after I left. She won’t be the one to say the most on the team but she will always listen and is always eager to learn more and get better. She plays hard and she is always locked in and focused. Berisha clearly loves the game, and looks as if she has a lot of experience playing against many levels of players. She is very versatile, can shoot the three, finish tough in the paint, drive the ball, get the assist and plays solid defense. She does it all.</span> <img class=" wp-image-415439 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/04/DSC_0769-scaled-crop-1457x957-1650151322-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="251" height="165" />[player_tooltip player_id="413612" first="Kayla" last="Martin"] ’23 - New Heights <span style="font-weight: 400;">Martin is a small forward who isn’t as big as the other forwards or post players but she is not at all afraid to fight with them in the paint. You will probably see her more around the three point line working with the guards but she is always ready to step inside and leave a mark. She will play tough in the paint with these bigger girls. She is strong, aggressive and smart as she needs to be because she is a little undersized for a forward. She won’t let you bully her. She is going to fight for the ball and every rebound on either end of the court. </span>