Aniyah has had a breakout summer, shining for both Tri-West and her AAU team. Her strong play has already earned her college offers from Defiance College, Anderson University, Earlham College, and Manchester University. What makes Aniyah so effective is her quickness and ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor. She thrives in transition, pushing the ball to score herself or creating opportunities for her teammates. That same energy translates to defense, where she uses her speed to disrupt opponents and generate turnovers. Last season, she was Tri-West’s second-leading scorer at 12.6 points per game, while also leading the team in rebounds (4.4), assists (3.3), and steals (3.2). With the graduation of two seniors, Aniyah is set to take on an even bigger role as the focal point of Tri-West’s offense heading into her senior year.

Aniyah was electric from the beginning today. Whether it was penetrating and finding open teammates, to finishing a nice little reverse layup in traffic, to burying a pull-up 3-pointer from the top of the key in transition, she was dialed in and focused. I’ve been a big fan of hers for the last couple of years, and she continues to play at a high level. If colleges would get past her height, she does a lot of things really well from the point guard position.

Aniyah caught my eye on day one of the Victory Region Finals with her three-level scoring abilities and cat-like quickness. She started Sunday off with another impressive performance, leading Indiana Showcase Black in scoring with 18 points, including two triples. She made a hard back-door basket cut, caught the bounce pass, and elevated without an extra dribble to drop a floater in over two defenders. Aniyah finished transition layups, created steals with her ball pressure, and made great kick-out passes to teammates on the perimeter when she penetrated the defense off the dribble. Aniyah helped her team to a semifinal appearance and was a point guard prospect who left a great impression over the weekend. She has been selected for the All-Tournament Third Team.

Aniyah had an outstanding opening game for Indiana Showcase Black 17U at our Victory Region Finals. She had the ball on a string, changing directions with shifty dribble combinations, and jab steps. Aniyah made excellent decisions with the ball, hitting teammates in stride for assists with her strong bounce passes. Aniyah drilled a straightaway triple off the dribble and buried a tough fadeaway jumper in the corner. Her breakaway speed, relentless on-ball pressure, court vision, and ability to score at all three levels are exactly what teams need out of their lead guard.

I have been a big fan of Aniyah’s since I really concentrated on her game last Summer. Whenever she’s in the game, her team improves. She sees the floor well, advances the ball on time/on target, and she communicates with productivity as well. She is very quick, fast, and she will get after it defensively. She isn’t little, despite being shorter, and she handles contact well. She will undoubtedly be overlooked by a number of schools because of her height, and that’s a mistake.

When I saw Aniyah throughout the Spring & Summer on the travel circuit, I was intrigued. She is quick/fast, feisty, but she is a playmaker, no matter which end of the floor she’s on. However, after seeing her at PGH Indiana’s “The Expo”, she should be a priority for the successful small colleges in the Midwest. She plays with a great motor, she defends well, sees the floor and finds open teammates, plus she can knock down open shots. She is smaller, but she understands how to play at her size, and she doesn’t attempt things she can’t complete.

Throughout the grassroots season, I talked about how Aniyah had really improved her skill and awareness as a pure point guard. Yesterday, she was fantastic, using her speed and quickness to push tempo, finding gaps in the defense and attacking the basket, but also understanding when it wasn’t there and moving the ball to the open teammate. Her decision-making has greatly improved, plus she has made her perimeter shot-making more consistent. I feel like she is primed for a big Junior season at Tri-West.