PGH Legacy Classic: Best of Saturday in Omaha
The Prep Girls Hoops Circuit Legacy Classic tipped off in Omaha on Saturday at the Union Bank and Trust Sports Complex, with more than 50 teams competing in four age groups. We saw plenty of nice prospects from Minnesota and…
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Continue ReadingThe Prep Girls Hoops Circuit Legacy Classic tipped off in Omaha on Saturday at the Union Bank and Trust Sports Complex, with more than 50 teams competing in four age groups. We saw plenty of nice prospects from Minnesota and beyond. Here are 10 players who got themselves noticed on day 1.
Taylor Ask – guard, Air Minnesota 2024
The 5’8 junior-to-be from Chatfield made it obvious early that she was going to be a key piece for her team and, not surprisingly, she was hardly ever off the court. Ask isn’t flashy, and there isn’t one particular aspect of her game that jumps off the page at you. She’s just good at pretty much everything. Playing with quiet confidence, Taylor handled it well, drove to the basket to score through contact, and demonstrated a nice mid-range game. We loved her active defending and willingness to be physical with opponents of all sizes.
Maryn Pool – guard, Air Minnesota 2025
The first game of the day is never easy, but Maryn must be a morning person because she was clearly ready to roll from the opening tip. The 5’7 point guard from Owatonna set the tone right away, using her speed, quickness and aggressive approach to the defensive part of the game to force a couple of key turnovers that created points for her team. Air Minnesota got off to an early lead as a result and kept it rolling from there, going on to win 51-24 over Omaha Supreme. Pool has a strong lower body and she showed excellent acceleration and the ability to change speeds in a flash, which always makes life difficult for defenders.
Laykin Moore – guard, Yanders Law 2025
Laykin was one of the most impactful players we watched all day. Hailing from Mountain Home, Arkansas, Moore stands about 5’10 with broad shoulders and a decent sized frame. She’s not flashy but her overall skill set is really, really solid and she offers a nice combination of size, strength, speed and smarts. The thing that really sets her apart is her motor, and when Yanders Law needed a spark Moore delivered. The longer the game went on the better Laykin played. She got to the rim, made some sweet pull-up jumpers and showed the ability to knock shots down from distance.
Brielle Pankake – guard, Minnesota Diamond Elite 2025
At 5’3 Brielle isn’t going to dominate anyone physically, but she more than makes up for it with skill, speed and intelligence. She’s also really, really scrappy. The Shakopee freshman combined in the Diamond Elite backcourt with the very vocal Aeyva Howard of Cooper, and the two of them worked really well together. Pankake has quick feet, and she’s slippery. On more than one occasion she slipped through an impossibly small opening to create a scoring opportunity in the lane. She’s also got range and isn’t afraid to pull the trigger when the opportunity is there.
Gabrielle McFall – guard, Kansas Elite DDI 2025
Length is everything when it comes to top prospects. Give me a bouncy guard with light feet, quick hands and a big wingspan and I’ll give you a scholarship-level prospect. That’s what McFall is. The 5’10 freshman from Blue Valley Northwest in Overland Park, Kansas, is a very naturally gifted player whose game is just smooth. She moves effortlessly, handles the ball well, and has the ability to weave her way through defenders to pay dirt all day long. She’s also intense and focused and makes quality decisions on both sides of the ball.
Emma Whalen – forward, Omaha Supreme 2025 Wharton
Positionless basketball is where the game is headed, isn’t it? If so, Emma will find herself very much in demand. The 6-footer is big enough to guard bigs and agile enough to guard most guards. She can bang with you inside or take on a ball-handler out on the perimeter. Her skills are well-developed for the most part, and she understands the game, too. Whalen isn’t going to wow you with her athleticism, or make a bunch of flashy plays, but she is highly effective and versatile. Playing just a few blocks from her home floor at Elkhorn North, Whalen looked very comfortable in her own backyard.
Brenna Johnson – forward, Swarm 2026
Sometimes AAU basketball isn’t a lot of fun. The games are physical, the fouls (both called and uncalled) are numerous, and it can be a grind playing multiple games in a day. Don’t tell that to Brenna. The 8th grader from Sioux City, Iowa, clearly had a blast when we watched on Saturday. She laughed and smiled all while competing hard, playing physical, and demonstrating a healthy bag of tricks for a 5’11 freshman-to-be. Johnson has nice court vision, is a very good passer, showed us her on-court intelligence, and defended responsibly. Once she fills out Brenna is going to be a problem! Let’s hope she never loses the joy.
Lexi Cooley – guard, Kansas Elite Red 2026
Speed kills and Lexi has all the speed you need and more. And more. And more. If there was a quicker player in the gym on Saturday in Omaha we didn’t see her. The 5’5 guard from Olathe West in the Kansas City metro was here, there and everywhere. She’s super savvy with an advanced skill set, great ball-handling, the ability to execute at the highest tempo and absolutely, positively zero fear. She’s also a walking hustle play and a heckuva lot of fun to watch!
Addalyn Rooney – guard, Omaha Supreme 2025 Wharton
Addalyn is a lot like Lexi, both in size and speed. Hailing from Millard North High, about a 10-minute drive from Saturday’s action, Rooney is an explosive point guard with quick feet, quick hands and an advanced box of tools. Rooney handles the ball well, distributes effectively and brings the kind of high-energy approach to the gym that always gets a player noticed in these big-pressure situations. She’s also a bit of an escape artist, with the ability to deftly extricate herself from difficult situations with intelligence and poise.
Kylie Bachali – guard, KC Royalty 2027
We saw a ton of small guards on Saturday and really liked a lot of them, but none more so than the 4’7 guard from St. Joseph, Missouri. That’s right, we said 4’7, but Kylie is one of the most dynamic 7th graders we’ve seen of any size. She’s just so bouncy, and can jump out of the proverbial gym. Like really jump! On multiple occasions she sprung out of nowhere to get a finger on the ball. On offense she has the orb on a yoyo, darting to and fro among the trees, making one highlight-reel move after another, doing all of it with a ton of swagger like a mini Diana Taurasi. We love fearless little guards and we loved Kylie.