Grassroots Review: MBA Select
The 2019 grassroots season has come and gone, and teams are already starting to take shape for 2020. But before that happens, I wanted to have a little fun and take the time to reflect on some of the notable…
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Continue ReadingThe 2019 grassroots season has come and gone, and teams are already starting to take shape for 2020. But before that happens, I wanted to have a little fun and take the time to reflect on some of the notable players from this past season. These aren’t necessarily the most talented prospects in their respective programs, as much as they are ladies who stood out for one reason or another because of their play. Also, there are likely a few players who could qualify for multiple categories, but I have decided to limit each person to just one accolade. Below is a look into some of the MBA Select girls who stood out in 2019.
BIGGEST STOCK-RISER
Kaitlyn Costner, 2021, 5-6 G, Penn H.S., MBA Select Gold 17U
During the Summer of 2018, when I saw Kaitlyn for the first time, it was evident that she was an incredible athlete with a tremendous amount of upside because of her physical abilities. She was a bit raw skillfully, but she always competed & defended at a high level, and she definitely had an “it” factor. Fast forward to this grassroots season, and her skillset has improved quite a bit, but now she has played against some of the best guards throughout the Midwest in the 2020 & 2021 classes and succeeded. She still needs some work on her left hand and on her perimeter jumper, but her talent is possibly unparalleled in Indiana. Because of her play, she has earned multiple Division-I offers and high-major interest. She transferred from Elkhart Central to Penn late this Summer.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Jada Patton, 2022, 5-10 F, Penn H.S., MBA Select Silver 16U & Gold 17U
I’ve talked about Jada a couple of times in articles throughout this grassroots season, and she did a really nice job of putting herself “on the map” with regards to her recruiting. She is a unique style of ballplayer. She’s built incredibly strong and physical, she looks every bit like a power forward, and she does play inside, posts up, defends posts, and rebounds in the half-court. But she also has some tools. She’ll snare a rebound, push it up the floor with good speed and body control, even changing directions with the dribble on occasion, and she’ll finish at the other end or find a wide open teammate with a no-look or over-the-shoulder pass you just don’t expect. She does take chances at times, but her natural instincts and overall awareness of who is where is impressive. Her play has quickly drawn her Division-I interest.
MOST INTANGIBLE PLAYER
Brielle Harrison, 2020, 5-10 F, Warsaw Community H.S., MBA Select Gold 17U
I wanted to issue this award instead of a most valuable player, because I feel like the kids who do a lot of the “blue-collared” work don’t get enough credit. There honestly might not be a quieter, less emotional kid in the state, but there also might not be one who has such a great workmanlike approach and whose productivity goes incredibly unnoticed at times. Brielle is a really nice athlete, she has good length and wiry strength, and she is always doing a lot of those little things that help her teams win games. She is a really nice offensive rebounder, a solid all-around rebounder, she can defend “2” through “5” at times, and she is incredibly coachable. She plays with a motor and a quiet toughness, and she is going to be a really nice college player because her contributions are unique.
MOST INTRIGUING YOUNGSTER
Nevaeh Foster, 2023, 5-7 G, Mishawaka Marian H.S., MBA Select Silver 16U
For this category, I limited my choices to those young ladies who are in the classes of 2023 or 2024, and who displayed a nice combination of substance in their game, as well as the potential to really improve over the next few seasons. Nevaeh is one of the most talented 2023 prospects in the state who too few people are talking about. You hear names like Ashlynn Shade, Ashlynn Brooke, and Karsyn Norman mentioned often, and rightfully so because they are all outstanding young guard prospects, but Nevaeh deserves to be mentioned with that group as well. She is a long, very athletic combo guard who can run offense or create scoring opportunities for herself or others, plus she’s a good perimeter shooter. I also think Nevaeh has the potential to grow another 2-3 inches over the next couple of years. She is certainly a nice young talent who should be fun to watch develop her game.
TOUGHEST PLAYER
Trinity Clinton, 2021, 5-7 W, Penn H.S., MBA Select Gold 17U
Trinity could have qualified for any number of the categories in this article, but I put her here, because I didn’t think there were any/many girls tougher when I saw the MBA teams this Spring and Summer. Trinity is a strong, tough-nosed, and very physical wing prospect. She has really worked on her lateral mobility, and she looks much quicker-footed than in the past. She has always been great attacking the basket, she finishes through contact, and she rebounds extremely well for a wing. She can defend multiple positions, including some interior forwards, but she’s now starting to do a lot more around the perimeter, including knocking down shots consistently, handling the ball tighter, and defending the ball better. She picked up multiple Division-I offers because of her play this grassroots season.
BEST MOTOR
Hadley Miller, 2020, 5-9 W, Three Rivers H.S. (Michigan), MBA Select Gold 17U
This is a very difficult award to hand out, because you can easily find a few players in each grassroots program worthy of this award. I know, I know, she isn’t from Indiana, but Hadley had a really nice Spring and Summer when I was able to watch this MBA team play. She is a long, wiry strong, fluid athlete who moves very well in all directions. She catches outlet passes and flies up the floor like a point forward, she has a solid handle, and she’s very creative off the bounce, often finding open teammates for easy scores. She’s also versatile defensively, and she puts as much energy into that end of the floor as she does offensively, which always stands out to me. Her overall effort and ability to play multiple positions at both ends of the floor is what has drawn colleges to her game.