Tremendous effort battling with WPA’s bigs. Undersized in the matchup defending the 5 but very impactful and successful because of her length, speed and versatility. Aggressive defense made for a handful of steals and blocks. Very quick on the break and getting back in transition D. Tricky southpaw.

Nawel did a great job creating opportunities and stacking sequences. She glided to the basket with long strides, able to get ahead of the pack and carve paths to the hoop. Big-time defensive impact in the paint; long wingspan to swat away shots attempts.

Coming into The Clash I had heard about Nawel and seen highlights posted on instagram, but it was completely different seeing her play up close. She is every bit of 6’1 (I am 6’3 on a good day) and long. That can often times prove difficult for a young player to adjust to, sudden changes in height, making them awkward. That was not the case at all with her, she moved with ease, slashing to the basket on offense and sliding over from the help side on defense. When she had the basketball in her hands, the southpaw showed the stereotypically strong fundamentals people my age associate with international basketball. True to form as she used jab steps, pass and shot fakes, to create the space needed to shoot and her shooting form was excellent when rose up and let the ball go knocking multiple shots from the perimeter. Nawel is a true inside/out threat and she showed soft hands and good touch finishing around the rim. As a result of her performance in Ohio, she was rewarded with scholarship offers from Dayton and Harvard following the event.

Nawel had a strong performance in the sectional state final against West Orange, finishing with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. She has a tight handle and does a good job weaving around defenders to reach her spots on the floor. She also keeps her eyes up while handling the ball and finds open teammates when defenses collapse. A lefty, she finishes well around the basket and moves effectively without the ball to create scoring chances. She is also a reliable shooter from behind the three-point line and makes defenders pay if they fail to close out.