Gemma is just finishing her 8th grade year, so she hasn’t played a minute of high school ball yet. But she showed this weekend that she’s ready for the big time.

Gemma has all that you could want in a forward. She can score at all 3 levels: lining up a 3-pointer, taking it hard to the rim, or dropping in a midrange jumper. She has tremendous footwork, and already showcased some great moves when she’s driving from the outside to the rim.

Offensively she’s an all-around weapon, and on defense she’s an obstacle who’s nearly impossible to work around. She stands her ground, and is able to use her speed to defend a guard or a post player.

Gemma has size and strength, and she’s already confident in her free throw shooting. At one point on Saturday night, she made 4 straight freebies. And with her physicality and size, she’s able to get to the line a lot.

Gemma will be a great +/- kind of player when she gets to high school. The team is very different when she’s not on the floor, and she brings a vast skillset to the floor.

Gemma is another 8th grader, who played up against older competition this weekend. And she showed an impressive level of size and skill against her opponents. She’s normally not a post player, but with a lack of tall players on her team-that’s where she played this weekend. And she was dominant under the hoop. Defensively, it’s challenging to get around her; and on offense she has good hands, and is able to score at will-dropping 21 points in her last of 3 games on Saturday

She has a nearly impossible skill-set to defend. Her post game is outstanding, she can pull up for midrange shots, and she’ll bury a 3-pointer if you leave her open. And her footwork and elusiveness is so strong that she can go from outside to inside in just a few steps. And her vision and handles are so elite that she can stop on a dime and dribble back out when she needs to reassess the situation.

Gemma’s physicality also draws a lot of contact, which creates a lot of foul shots for her. And she’s already very trustworthy at the line. I saw her go 4/4 on freebies during one of her games, which is never a guarantee for a player who’s just coming out of middle school.