Even while being a top ranked prospect in the state & signing on to play D1 hoops at Oral Roberts, Mary doesn’t get nearly the national coverage she deserves! Averaging 11 points, 8.9 rebounds & 2.8 blocks, her tenacity on both ends, but especially her fierce rim protection, helped guide Idabel to its first state championship in a win vs Washington earlier this month.

• Contributed by EJ Arocho

Along with the two star guards, Carden makes the Lady Warriors a complete team. Her size advantage makes her an outstanding rebounder on both ends of the court. To close out the first frame, she threw a great outlet off a defensive rebound to the quick Idabell guards. A trait that makes Idabel that much more dangerous as a high scoring team. She also understands how to contest and block shots without fouling. And has similar strong fundamentals on the offensive end. With keeping the ball high and soft touch at the rim.

As I mentioned earlier, Mary is a pretty big deal. There just aren’t that many 6-6 players in the world of Oklahoma Girls’ Basketball and when I say many, I mean any. Not only that, but this 6-6 player plays at 3A Idabel where height is even more at a premium. Carden is a blocking machine in the paint and if a team can’t shoot it from outside against the Warriors, it’s gonna be a long night. As the years have progressed, Mary’s footwork has gotten better and better, offensively speaking and she has added a nice midrange shot. It will be really fun to see how she is utilized at the Division-I level for Oral Roberts next season!

Mary is a force to be reckoned with. Standing at 6’6, She towers over opponents and easily dominates when she decides to go to work in the paint. Her size and length makes her a great rim protector and rebounder. She outlets the ball really well to guards and runs rim to rim, sits down in the post, will bang and can score over both shoulders with her nice touch. Mary could open up her game even more if she establish that she could hit the mid-range jumper or even from deep out of the pick/pop. I look forward to seeing her play this grassroots season with Pro Skills EYBL 17U.

Standing at 6-foot 6 inches, Mary is a force to be reckoned with at the Center position. She towers over players and easily moves them when needed. She is capable of over-powering the opposition but she uses her skill of footwork to maneuver in the pain and that is what makes her special. She has great touch around the rim and can finish over both shoulders. She works in the post and gets to her spots. She does a good job keeping the ball high and away from the defense – shooting high percentage shots time after time. She is easily the most dominate player at her position and she is continuing to grow in her game and will continue to get better.