Top 2023 Standouts at the "Who's Next Combine"

On Monday, June 27th, the Pentagon’s Heritage Court hosted a variety of superb SD girl’s basketball players. The athletes were put through a variety of skills/drills, had their verticals tested, competed in a 3-on-3 setting, and capped it all off with some live 5 on 5. There were many standouts in the oldest of the bunch and this class struck me with their shooting ability, aggressive mindsets, and ability to run the floor. Here’s a few standouts that stuck out for me on the day, and I’m sure caught college coach’s attention as well. Top Standout [player_tooltip player_id="246271" first="Jaida" last="Young"] - Watertown - 5’6" G Jaida was electric the whole camp. She was my lock for the best athlete running the floor and getting layups. Handles in transition are solid and she knows when to score if nobody stops her, and when the defense does step in, she has the court awareness and the skills as a passer necessary to hit an open teammate. Her passing skills were showcased this season as well and she has fantastic court vision in both the full and half-court. She has a nice rhythmic dip of the basketball and gets her shot off quickly. She showed off her range hitting threes and also got to the rim often and does a nice job finishing. Jaida was the most notable standout on the day from the class of 2023. Top Shooter [player_tooltip player_id="389376" first="Eve" last="Zephier"] - Wagner - 5’5" G Eve was lights out from three. She was one of the most consistent deep-range shooters in the game. She runs the floor well and understands when to stop and pop or get to the rim in transition. She could be seen knocking down jump shots all day and shows great shooting poise and confidence. As we got into the 5-on-5 play you could see her teammates slowly realized they needed to get the ball in her hands, and she rewarded her team with points on countless occasions. On a team filled with college prospects, Eve is flying under the radar but needs to be on yours. Most Aggressive [player_tooltip player_id="100480" first="Trinity" last="Watson"] - Florence/Henry - 5’9" G There’s no doubt that in our sport you have to be aggressive if you are going to help your team succeed. Passive offense leads to turnovers and making it easy on the defender and passive defense leads to offenses being the aggressor and taking advantage of soft defense. Trinity is the epitome of aggressive play on both ends. All-day long she attacked the rim and had success when she got there. She keeps her head up and the ball secure on the attack and finished well. Her ability to attack pairs well with knocking down jump shots on the offensive end. She particularly stood out to me when operating off of the weave and she reads the gaps well, knowing when and where to attack. On defense, she was equally as impressive and won a lot of 1 on 1 opportunities throughout the day against talented athletes. Highest Riser [player_tooltip player_id="354609" first="Alexa" last="Ham"] - Rapid City Christian - 6’0" F Alexa was the highest riser on my list and is a very intriguing prospect that I was very impressed with. She has fantastic length and plays with a high motor. She can knock down shots and score off the dribble and shows a high basketball IQ. Her length impressed me as much as anyone on the day as she is 6’0" tall and has a high wingspan. This bodes well for her as a tough defender who can guard multiple positions. Ranked at 152 in her class I expect a high climb from Alexa before next season. She projects to be moving AT LEAST 75 spots in my book making her an easy choice for the high riser on the day! Best of the Rest [player_tooltip player_id="166652" first="Ellie" last="Lems"] - Sioux Falls Christian - 6’0" F Ellie checks in 19th overall in this class but played all day like she belonged with the top 10. She plays for a really talented squad and will look to have a huge impact on a great team this upcoming season. I’m not sure if that’s what motivates her or if it’s just a pure love of the game, or maybe both, but I was hugely impressed by this kid’s effort and attitude. She was chasing down and diving after loose balls, communicating with her teammates and making plays on both ends all day. She has great potential as an athletic, long, 6’0" prospect who plays the game with passion. She was one of the most impressive rebounders of the day and has the handles to put it on the floor off the boards and get her team in early transition. She was solid shooting the ball and finishing in the paint and has a really well-balanced game. [player_tooltip player_id="166649" first="Jada" last="Burke"] - DeSmet - 5’9" F Jada had a nice day showcasing her skills. In the skills sessions, she showed nice handles, which combined with length and 5’9" height makes for a solid prospect on the wing. She was super competitive and hustled all day. She has a nice jump shot and does a great job getting to her spots to score. She’s a prospect to follow for sure and she stood out amongst a ton of great athletes. [player_tooltip player_id="406379" first="Maurina" last="Street"] - Milbank - 5’10" F Maurina stood out on the day and immediately caught attention with her 5’10" frame and athletic ability. She appears to be a double double machine as she scores the ball well around the paint and off the dribble and showcased great rebounding skills on both ends. Aggressive fits her play as she gets a ton of steals from great anticipation, blocks from high IQ decisions, and layups from getting out and running. [player_tooltip player_id="100470" first="Cierra" last="Watkins"] - SF Jefferson - 5’6" G Cierra was steady all day. She may have one of the most complete offensive games in this class. Running the floor in transition, handling point-guard duties, and finishing at the rim with a lot of variety in her moves headlined her showcase of skills. Her assist-to-turnover ratio had to be extremely high as I watched her find her teammates with great vision and precise passing, and I’m not sure I saw her turn it over all day. Cierra remains one of the best prospects in this class and projects to be a solid piece of a squad at the next level.