Ballin in the Bluegrass State

<p>It was a weekend full of tremendous basketball with players representing all circuits and coaches representing all Divisions and Conferences. With over 80 courts of action going all day long, these girls found a way to get noticed at the Run 4 the Roses Classic in Louisville.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Alliyah Bell - MN Stars 3SSB</h2>   <p>It's no wonder why all of the Big Ten coaches were flocking to the courts to see this young lady play. Alliyah has a strong 6'3" frame and is a force in the paint. She gets deep post position and finishes with a soft touch. Her strength is in her offensive versatility. She can handle the ball and shoot the rock from deep. In a back-and-forth game against Phee Elite with 6 seconds left, she took the ball the length of the floor and just missed a step back 3 off the front rim at the buzzer. Her ability to play in and out along with her size will make her a Power 5 commit when the time comes.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='414402' first='Jessica' last='Devine'] - United NJ</h2>   <p>Jess has a non-stop motor. She gets up and down the court and forces the defense to play on their heels with her speed. She pushes in transition, sees the floor well and finishes in traffic. She is an excellent communicator as she runs the offense and knows when to get hers and when to facilitate. She was stroking it from 3 in the game I saw and if she's shooting it, she is tough to stop because if you guard her close, she will blow by you. She is an opportunistic defender and has quick hands which she uses to create turnovers leading to easy buckets for her and her teammates. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='414407' first='Leah' last='Crosby'] - United NJ</h2>   <p>Leah is long. She is active moving off the ball. She works hard to get post position and, when she gets it, she demands the ball and attacks the rim. She goes after rebounds on both ends of the floor. Leah is not afraid to play physical on either end of the floor. She uses her length to her advantage. Leah is an aggressive defender and is not afraid to move people off their spot inside. Her tenacious effort at both ends definitely caught the eye of coaches this weekend.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='414394' first='Alivia' last='Mauz'] & Cameron Crowley - Lady Runnin Rebels</h2>   <p>These two form a dynamic backcourt duo for the Lady Runnin Rebels. They complement each other very well. Both are tough defensively. They have active hands and good feet and like to pressure the ball. They disrupt opposing offenses, and this leads to run outs where they convert for easy layups. Cameron plays faster on offense using quickness and toughness to get where she wants on the floor. Alivia plays offensively with more patience but is just as adept at getting where she wants to go on the offensive end of the floor. They play off each other well. They both showed the ability to run the offense or move off and spot up while the other initiates offense and plays the drive and kick game.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='981918' first='Hailey' last='Benbow'] - Jersey Gemz</h2>   <p>Hailey is a talented young player. A 2028 playing up on the 15u Jersey Gemz squad, she is clearly one of the offensive talents on this team. She plays hard on the offensive end. She showed a solid IQ and excellent athleticism. She is always looking to attack and finish and, though younger, she is strong enough to finish through contact. She takes good angles on her downhill drives and as her jumper continues to improve, she will get more and more dangerous.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='651515' first='Hannah' last='Fraser'] - Jersey Gemz</h2>   <p>The big on the Jersey Gemz 15u team, Hannah uses every bit of her length every chance she can. She is active on the boards and keeps balls alive until she or a teammate can corral them. She showed good footwork in the post on offense with the ability to finish around the rim. Defensively she uses her long arms to contest shots and protect the rim every chance she gets. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='559035' first='Kayla' last='Navarro'] - Jersey Gemz</h2>   <p>The most effective guard the Gemz 16u had when I watched. She attacked the basket continually and finished among the trees. She showed good patience when initiating offensive sets for her team and played with good eyes and decision making in the pick and roll game. She showed a smooth lefty stroke from the corner when spotting up off the ball. Defensively, Kayla showed good feet and the ability to pressure the ball while still keeping her opponent in front of her.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='771777' first='Lauren' last='Gentile'] - NJ Raptors</h2>   <p>Lauren's skill set was on full display at the Kentucky Exposition Center. She was attacking the rim and creatively getting the ball up on the rim to finish in traffic. She is very comfortable with the ball in her hands. She is always directing traffic in the half court sets and was at her best pushing the ball in transition with her great court vision. She moves the ball ahead with limited dribbling and puts the ball in spots where her teammates can catch and finish. When off the ball, Lauren showed a confident 3-point stroke from the wings. </p>   <p></p>

It was a weekend full of tremendous basketball with players representing all circuits and coaches representing all Divisions and Conferences. With over 80 courts of action going all day long, these girls found a way to get noticed at the Run 4 the Roses Classic in Louisville.