Rocky Mountain Mayhem: 17U Honorable Mention All-Tourney

The last sets of accolades to come out of the PGH Circuit’s Rocky Mountain Mayhem this past weekend are by far not the least. Out of hundreds of players, these players were in the top-15 and that is definitely no small feat. Take a look at these players who stood out above their peers and why. <strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220515_125000-scaled-crop-1404x922-1652884823.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-431386 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220515_125000-scaled-crop-1404x922-1652884823-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>Neveah Lucero | 5-3 G | Rado Prep 2023 / Skyview | 2025 </strong> Lucero is yet another young player who was playing up and doing big things all weekend long. The best part is she was having a lot of fun doing it. She is a talkative player who is always involved in the game, whether actually in the game or even resting on the bench. She seems like a born leader and her teammates definitely respond to her enthusiasm. As far as actual basketball talent goes, there is a lot of it. It all starts with her scoring ability. She is a top-level slasher who has the ability to get to the rim with silky handles and explosiveness. She showed good vision and the ability to pass in tight windows, though there is definitely still some learning to do as far as reading defenses. On the defensive end, Neveah is a fierce competitor who works hard and shows good lateral movement to stay in front of her opponent. Lucero is definitely one to watch for in the future! <strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220515_132057-scaled-crop-1404x922-1652884886.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-431388 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220515_132057-scaled-crop-1404x922-1652884886-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>Hayley Luther | 6-1 G/F | BC Denver 2023 / Monarch | 2024 | <a href="https://x.com/hayley_luther_">@hayley_luther_</a></strong> Add another D-I prospect to the list for BC Denver because Hayley has the size and skill to get there; not to mention she is still a sophomore! To begin with, she can score it from every level. She definitely has the ability to drive and finish at the rim with some nifty moves and she also has the size and strength to take the beating that comes with playing inside. But, she showed a nice shooting touch throughout the weekend with a sweet midrange jumper, as well as the ability to step out and hit the three. Scoring-wise, Hayley is the real deal. On the other end of the floor, she is a max effort kid who fights hard through screens and uses her length very well. She will get a few blocks each game with her length, especially against smaller guards. She is extremely bouncy and does a great job crashing the boards. What a fun player to watch! <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-422927 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/11-Charlee-Nebb-e1652884954866-300x202.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="202" />[player_tooltip player_id="417947" first="Charlee" last="Neb"] | 5-3 G | Colorado Sparks 2023 / Skyline | 2022 | <a href="https://x.com/Charleeneb11">@Charleeneb11</a> </strong> Another senior who came out to Denver and absolutely balled out. With Charlee, everything starts and ends with her defense. She is a tremendous on-ball defender and uses her top-level quickness to stay in front of pretty much any opposing guard that she is faced with. She has quick hands and racked up a ton of steals over the weekend. No slouch on the offensive end, Charlee had some big-time double-digit points games, mostly via the three-pointer. She is a great spot-up shooter who can flat-out knock it down if given even an inch of space. Neb’s Twitter says that she is verbally committed to a college, but if for some reason she is not signed or there has been a coaching change there or something, you would be wise to reach out. She could definitely improve a team’s defensive efficiency immediately. <strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220515_131617-scaled-crop-1404x922-1652885078.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-431396 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220515_131617-scaled-crop-1404x922-1652885078-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="95229" first="Kayli" last="Spall"] | 5-6 G | Colorado Lady Lightning 2023 / Ponderosa | 2023 </strong> You watch this team play and Kayli jumps out immediately. She is a leader, vocally, and also with her play. She is someone that the team rallies around and has got to be on some college coaches’ radars for that reason alone. She had two big double-digit games where she used her tremendous strength from the guard position to get to the rim and finish, as well as hit some nice jump shots after earning space with her handles and quickness. Her high basketball IQ leads to her scoring in a lot of different ways as she runs the play to perfection and is also able to read the defense well enough to sense any weakness that will lead her to a quick bucket. On the defensive end, Spall is tough and relentless and does all of the little things that a coach could ask. This kind of team leader doesn’t come around too often and coaches should be flocking to Ponderosa High during her senior season to grab their next team captain. <strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220515_134128-scaled-crop-1404x922-1652885147.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-431398 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/20220515_134128-scaled-crop-1404x922-1652885147-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="331177" first="Natalie" last="Thornton"] | 5-4 G | Colorado Hoopsters 2023 Blue / Horizon | 2024 | <a href="https://x.com/NatThornton01">@NatThornton01</a></strong> The first thing you notice about Thornton is speed with the ball in her hand. This kid can flat-out go. Most of the time she can just sprint by defenders to get to the rim. She has smooth handles and simply put, can get buckets. As her ability to change speeds (i.e. slowing down and lulling the defender to sleep) develops, she will be incredibly dangerous. Even a quick hesitation to throw a defender off balance is going to help her really hurt some people’s feelings. On top of the offensive stuff that is at a very advanced level, Thornton also plays very good defense and clearly relishes the opportunity to do so. She loves picking up the opposing point guard at (or before) midcourt and giving them a hard time for the next 45 or so feet. She is suffocating with her defense and uses her quickness to make life very hard for her opponents. Thornton is a smart point guard who is not only able but willing, to do all of the little things that help a team to win.