Norwood had me smiling as she showed the pull-up jumper, no that wasn’t the reason, it was her adding the “step back” to it. She also gave me a glimpse of the “catch and shoot” but her deceptive first step got the defender off balance for her to score off the dribble. I guess I’ll drop the #THROWBACK because she did something I don’t see enough of and that was “followed her shot”

Valerie is a player I would characterize as a shooting guard. She is lengthy in size, yet does not posses the characteristics of a true forward. One of her strong suits is stealing the ball on defensive possessions. She is a player that is able to put herself in positions in which she can use her size to deflect and steal possessions. Her length adds not only in steals but when it comes to rebounding especially on the defensive end. This helps to create various scoring possessions for her team whether it be on a fast break or creates the space for a play to be ran. She is a player whom likes to help create that space on the floor to allow her teammates to drive to the basket. She is always right behind trying to add another rebound to her stats, but adds put backs to her game as well.

Val has been a huge asset to the Wellington Crusaders program. She’s talented on and off the ball and has an extremely high IQ. The experience she’s gained from over the year of playing really shows oftentimes looking like she’s 10 steps ahead of her opponent. She’s a great defender, loves to catch and knock down the jumper, and can finish at the rim as well. Norwood hasn’t fully reached her potential yet and if she decides to really tap into it, watch out!