G.O.A.T. Nationals : Key Player Takeaways
G.O.A.T Nationals Tournament held at the Sports Pavilion Lawrence showcased a lot of talented female hoopers this past weekend ! Below are a few of the tournaments top players to keep your eyes on ! Miah Simmons (Blue Valley…
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Continue ReadingG.O.A.T Nationals Tournament held at the Sports Pavilion Lawrence showcased a lot of talented female hoopers this past weekend !
Below are a few of the tournaments top players to keep your eyes on !
Miah Simmons (Blue Valley Southwest -Junior)
A member of the KC Hoops Basketball team, Miah Simmons during this tournament showed flashes of Division 1 talent . She has prestige handling skills with the ball along with great ball security . These two abilities used together with her mental aggressiveness and basketball awareness on the floor are what allow her to do what she does best. Dribble drive to the basket with great efficiency , or when the defense tries to trap, she has the awareness to get a great shot opportunity for her teammates . Usually in the corners or a drop pass in the paint for a basket. While she is a top prominent attacker of the basket , Miah is also no shy shooter. Throughout the games averaging about three 3 pointers she’s presented herself as well rounded polished player throughout the tournament .
Yana(Pictured Left) / Miah (Pictured Right)
Yana Grassity (Topeka High School – Senior)
Also a member of the KC Hoops Basketball, Yana is a full on stud herself on the court . While Miah leads in the aggressive tempo, Yana provides a patient , yet calculated approach to the game . When coming up the court with the ball in hand, she scans the defense and sets up the offense for motion. Making great use of screens, her go to move is a James Harden-esque side step pull up which gives her just the right amount of space to get off an efficient 3 point shot. While she runs a set with ease even in transition she moves very calculated, displaying a stop and go hesitation in a 2 on 1 situation for a basket was one of the highlight moves of the tournament .
Kaitlyn Martinez (Roland Oklahoma – Junior)
A member of the Hoyas Elite, Kaitlyn is a bonafide scorer to say the least. In one game she scored 9s straight points on back to back to back threes! She’s the motor of the team, constantly being vocal on defense and offense allows her to stamp her influence on the outcome of the game. She’s great at moving laterally, allowing her to switch efficiently off screens or play on the ball defense at a high rate . Being the champion of the tournament she really proved how much hustle can impact the momentum of the game . Roland Oklahoma is definitely a team to watch with Kaitlyn Martinez on the roster
Kaitlyn (Pictured Right). / Jasmine (Pictured Left)
Jasmine Johnson (Howe Oklahoma – Junior)
Another member of the Hoyas Elite, Jasmine Johnson is the defensive superstar of the team. Constantly applying pressure on the ball, forcing turnovers through steals , or traps , her intensity can’t be denied on the defensive end. Also, she has a great offensive arsenal to pair with her defensive prowess. Jasmine shot the 3 point shot at a high clip when given the opportunity and was willing and capable to go to the lane and bang for baskets constantly. Her spacing and movement off the ball is what allowed for her team to dribble and kick as efficiently as they were able to .
Hoyas Elite ended up finishing the tournament as champions! Though everyone in the tournament didn’t get to taste the ultimate end goal . They did make their way on to a lot of potential basketball radars. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for these great young hoopers. The future of girls high school basketball is in great hands !