Game Watched: Locust Grove, March 7th

Shawnee is a big time threat downhill, with snake like drives that weave through defenders in transition and in the halfcourt. She has great footwork on euro steps to avoid defenders or ball fakes to keep them guessing. On those drives she’s an equal opportunity attacker.  There was plenty of skilled finishing moments, while also playing with her head up to find open teammates when the defense collapsed on her.  Late in the the close game, the sophomore made a smart decision when she snatched an offensive rebound, then dribble out to the perimeter to milk clock.  Then a little later, she fully iced the game with an amazing steal where she deflected the pass and then saved it herself to secure the ball and a State Tournament win.   Shawnee’s combination of skill, feel, size and solid athletic traits giver her a good future as a collegiate prospect.

I feel like Aaliyah is being woefully under-recruited at this point. She is No. 19 in our rankings and that could be too low, to be honest. A tall player with tremendous length, especially at the guard spots, Shawnee is incredibly bouncy and athletic. She has an ease about her with the ball in her hands from a lot of school and travel ball experience that seems to rub off on all of the players around her. Aaliyah is a smart defender who uses her length well to get a lot of steals and disrupt passing lanes leading to a lot of turnovers from her opponents. She has a quick shooting stroke and can score in myriad ways. I’d fully expect Shawnee’s recruiting to get hot and heavy this coming grassroots season. She definitely needs to be on your radar, coaches.

Aaliyah separated herself from the other players on Sunday with her poise and confidence. You can tell that she is used to being the best on whichever court she is on. She doesn’t do it in a cocky way, but in a confident way. The kind of way that makes the players around her better. They know they have a leader and a big-time scorer out there with them and it frees them up to play better. Shawnee is also very dedicated on the defensive end and is a two-time Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Her handles are silky and she runs the point with a smooth and measured pace. I’m excited to get out to Glenpool this season and see her really in her element.