Maria is an athletic point guard with a non-stop motor, gritty toughness, and checks the boxes of a highly talented next-level point guard. If there was a defensive MVP award, Maria was the unanimous choice in the 16U Diamond Championship Game. Her lateral quickness, ability to stop drives without using her hands, and off-ball awareness were on full display. Maria consistently created driving lanes with her dribble, attacked downhill with a burst, and finished tough layups in traffic. Maria scored a sweet spin finish in the lane, drove by for a bucket in transition, and attacked, then switched hands to her left on the go for another layup. Earlier in the weekend, she scored a smooth inside hand finish after a shifty crossover and timed up a block perfectly on a basket cut. High IQ two-way lead guard and major stock riser over the weekend.

Maria made her presence felt in the Seminal win against DeWitt at the Breslin Center. Her facilitation, defensive masterclass, and finishing off the dribble separated her in the game. She applied great perimeter pressure and flipped her hips quickly to turn and sprint laterally, keeping ball-handlers under wraps. Maria penetrated off the dribble, switched hands in the lane, and finished with her left at the rim. She swiped the ball away twice to score layups and made a great dump-off assist down low after causing the help to commit to her drive. Maria posted eight points, five steals, and two blocks in the victory.

Maria is a lockdown defender and she’s come through in clutch spots for Detroit Renaissance this season. Maria penetrates gaps off the dribble, finishes with strength at the rim, facilitates, and is a threat from three-point range. She’s quick, scrappy, and determined to make the hustle plays. Maria is an athletic, gritty, and impactful two-way point guard with a lot of upside.

Maria was one of the biggest stock risers at the LBI Mitten Opening, and she looks ready to have a stellar sophomore season for Detroit Renaissance. Maria’s slashing ability, passing precision, and defensive pressure gave teams fits at the scrimmage. She used a quick crossover jab combination, retreated to the perimeter, shifted into high gear, and accelerated through the gap to score a tough layup. Maria drove past defenders to score a floater and applied great pressure on ball-handlers to force turnovers. She scored a breakaway layup, converted a tough reverse layup off two feet, and dove to secure a key loose ball late in the game.