Standout Defenders from PGH Dynasty Region Kick Off (2024)

Here is my list of some impressive ladies who really showed off their ability to defend the basket and tie up ball handlers at the Prep Girls Hoops Dynasty Region Kick Off! These are some of the best defenders that I saw from the 2024 class. <strong>Jochrisna Shelton</strong> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">2024 5’7 </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Northwood High School, LA (O.W.E. Family Renegades 2024)</span> Jochrisna is an aware defender who thrives at picking off passes in the passing lanes and reading the defense and her opponents eyes. She always seems to be one step ahead of her opponent and is great at using her length to get to passes that her opponents think is out of reach. She is good at using her athleticism to quickly spring towards the ball and run in transition. On the offensive end of the floor, she made great decisions in the full court after her turnovers, and constantly found her teammates flashing to the basket. I was impressed with the touch on her passes while also showing an ability to quickly fire passes into her cutting teammates. I would like to see him work on her ability to consistently score off the dribble. <strong>Symion Edwards </strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">2024 5’4 North Caddo High School, LA (O.W.E. Family Renegades 2024)</span> Symion is a high level defender at the guard position who is scrappy on or off the ball. She is great at denying high level guards  a chance of ever catching a pass, or getting past her. I loved watching her pick her opponent apart through her tenacity on the defensive end of the court. I was also very impressed by her calmness and natural ability to distribute the ball. She feels the game like a true point guard, and made good and timely decisions in both the half and full court. I would like to see her work on her ability to finish in the lane with more consistency, especially over taller defenders. As she continues to develop her floater, she will become an even more valuable weapon on the court! <strong>Cameron Belcher </strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">2024 Windthorst High School, TX (West Texas Shockers 2024)</span> Cameron is a skilled slasher through her ability to create space with a live dribble and getting into the paint. She routinely got into the lane, and had a very affective dribble drive penetration during the entire tournament. Her ability to consistently get into the teeth of the defense created more space for her teammates on the perimeter. However her ability to defend on the ball is where she will continue to excel at a very high level. Her scrappiness and tenacity on this end of the floor was a real difference maker and she really left a mark on the defensive end of the court. I was very impressed with her ability to find shooters on the backside of the defense, or a slick dump off pass to her big man after drawing a second defender. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="413333" first="Tylyn" last="Thurman"]</strong> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">2024 5’4 Shawnee High School, OK (Supreme Trotters 2024)</span> Tylyn is an aggressive player who got it done on both ends of the court, but most noticeably by her ability to get into the paint and score with ease. She has a quick handle and routinely found space after getting past her defender, and has creative euro steps and spin moves to find space in the lane. Her ability to attack the basket at a high level really stood out, but was not the most impressive thing she did on the court. She is a great trapping defender, who is always quickly chopping her feet and using her length to harass ball handlers. She routinely tied up ball handlers and forced turnovers through her aggressiveness on the defensive end of the court.