NE Jamfest Grab Bag: Penny Pinchin’

Over Mother’s Day weekend, I caught the New England Jamfest in New Hampshire. Many prospects caught my attention throughout the event, especially the underclassmen. Below are various athletes from the tournament who popped.   [player_tooltip player_id="327283" first="Rachel" last="Penny"]| MBC| 5’8’’| SG| ’25 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-427047" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/F2568970-E763-4A80-ADE0-05C42FF67517-crop-1302x855-1652152438-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Penny was one of the best players I saw over the weekend. You can see her improvement in her game over the last few months, and she is developing into a dynamic all-around player. Penny has always been known for her lights-out three-point shooting, and she had an efficient Saturday from the perimeter. Penny’s defensive IQ impressed me most. She read passes and got into the help position early to disrupt the opponents’ rhythm offensively.   [player_tooltip player_id="344311" first="Emma" last="Smith"]| Seacoast Thunder| 5’9’’| SG| ’23 Smith was automatic from the field and showed the ability to score in various ways. I watched a couple of Seacoast Thunder games over the weekend, and in each one, Smith asserted herself early and often on offense. She was confident pulling up off the dribble, showed her three-point range, and was stealthy getting to the rim. Smith’s size and wingspan gave her an advantage on the wing, and she was comfortable shooting over the top of the contesting defense.   [player_tooltip player_id="427066" first="Sara" last="Hastie"]| Mass Frenzy|5’10’’|SF/PF|’23 Hastie was aggressive and competed hard on defense, not allowing anything easy inside. She was at a size disadvantage down low, but she used her quick hands and athleticism to disrupt passes entering the post. Hastie consistently boxed out, attacked the glass, and showed the versatility to defend out on the perimeter, too.   [player_tooltip player_id="330792" first="Maddie" last="MacCannell"]|Seacoast Thunder| 6’1’’| PF|’24 MacCannell was very dominant in the paint, and her approach was simple. MacCannell made a quick move over either shoulder when she would catch the ball down low and finish everything with her soft touch. She doesn’t overthink or over-dribble in the post, she knows when to kick the ball back out and reposition herself. MacCannell gave her team multiple second-chance opportunities. MacCannell also stepped out and stretched the floor with a few mid-range jumpers.   [player_tooltip player_id="296791" first="Ellie" last="Gay"]| XL Thunder| 5’9’’|SG| ’24 I liked how active Gay was in the high post. She moved the ball well and always looked opposite when catching the ball at the free-throw line. Gay moved well without the ball and was in constant motion in the halfcourt. I liked her activity on defense. Gay was in passing lanes all game long and got easy fastbreak points showing her speed, athleticism, and playmaking in the open court off turnovers.   [player_tooltip player_id="427051" first="Shelby" last="Wells"]| Lone Wolf| 5’9’’| SG/SF| ’23 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-427056" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/8649F90A-9EF0-45A9-A054-9C932C5986FA-crop-1365x897-1652152713-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Wells gave Lone Wolf great production in the first game on Saturday. She gave them a reliable catch-and-shoot option on the outside and made some nice passes to keep the offense flowing. Her game meshes well with the other players on the team, and she doesn’t need the ball in her hands to be valuable on the court. Wells fills her role well, doesn’t force action, and plays tough and confidently.   [player_tooltip player_id="301042" first="Bleu" last="Kerr"]| Team New England| 5’8’’|CG| ’25 <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-427058" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/7302171B-D8F8-419A-8FE7-524F497F9EB8-crop-1440x946-1652152780-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> It is hard to watch any Team New England game and not notice and feel [player_tooltip player_id="301042" first="Bleu" last="Kerr"]’s impact. She gives 100% every possession and is as electric as anyone in the open court. Kerr will go 100 mph down the court but can mix speeds and direction under control, which completely baffles the defense. She is an elite finisher and is excellent at drawing fouls and finishing through contact. On both sides of the ball, Kerr was impactful.   [player_tooltip player_id="326048" first="Hannah" last="Drew"]| Seacoast Thunder| 5’10’’|CG|’23 By now, we all should be familiar with how deep Drew’s offensive package is. She can score from all three levels and is very good at creating separation on her jump shot. It was Drew’s defense that stood out to me most, though. Her versatility and ability to dig in on the perimeter and protect the rim were impressive. She played positions 1-4 throughout the weekend and defensively made plays at each spot.   [player_tooltip player_id="269918" first="Madison" last="Pepra-Omani"]| BDS|5’6’’| PG|’24 Pepra-Omani is coming off of a significant knee injury, and after watching her at the NE Jamfest, she is getting her explosiveness back. That is great news for BDS, who are dangerous when Pepra Omani can get into the second level and create plays for herself and her teammates. She is also shooting at an efficient clip and has shown zero rust all spring with her jumper. After a couple of 20+ point performances over the weekend, Pepra-Omani is gearing up for a big spring/summer.   [player_tooltip player_id="426091" first="Kenzie" last="Lombardi"]|XL Thunder| 5’11’’| SF| ’24 Late on Sunday, Lombardi came on my radar and hit a barrage of threes that shifted the game’s momentum in XL Thunder’s favor. I like the physical profile of Lombardi. A long, athletic combo forward who is confident pulling the trigger when contested heavily on the outside. Lombardi’s motor was unmatched. She repeatedly beat her opponent down the floor and always battled hard on the glass.