July 5th-12th Recap: Class of 2020
As we take a little time to relax between the two July “live” periods, I wanted to reflect upon a few prospects I saw July 5th through July 12th. While my focus is primarily Indiana, I saw several talented ladies…
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Continue ReadingAs we take a little time to relax between the two July “live” periods, I wanted to reflect upon a few prospects I saw July 5th through July 12th. While my focus is primarily Indiana, I saw several talented ladies from Ohio as well, as I attended the Run 4 Roses Classic, the USJN Premier Showcase, the Adidas Gauntlet Finale, and Under Armour’s Session II. Below is a look at members of the Class of 2020 who I thought stood out when I was able to see them.
Madeline Antenucci, 5-11 F, Indian Hill H.S., Angels Basketball Club Platinum
On a deep and talented Angels team, I thought Madeline really stood out in the games I saw. She’s a strong kid with some length, and she plays with a great motor, toughness, and physicality. She has the ability to put it on the floor and get to the basket, but she also looked skilled and comfortable around the perimeter. I think what I was most impressed with, was no moment was too big for her, and she was steady in both of their games I watched.
Makira Cook, 5-7 PG, Mount Notre Dame H.S., Sports City U
I’ve written about Makira before on this platform, and I continue to be impressed with her overall play and her importance to this Sports City U team. She is strong, tough, quick/fast, and she brings a lot of passion, emotion, and energy to the team. She makes contested shots around the perimeter, and she gets into the heart of the defense, causing it to collapse. I also like her sense of urgency at the defensive end of the floor. She was originally committed to Miami (OH), but she reopened her recruitment with the coaching change.
Gabby Hutcherson, 6-2 F, Westerville South H.S., Sports City U
Gabby is an intriguing forward because she plays with a great deal of versatility, and she looks to have a high ceiling and a bright future. She is extremely long, she runs the floor very well, she’s a long-strider, and she has some bounce to her. She is still somewhat slender, so that’s why I think her game could grow even more after a year in a college weight program. She has solid hands, she can put it on the floor 3-4 dribbles and get somewhere, and she’s comfortable all over the floor. She has already committed to Ohio State.
Nicole Stephens, 5-7 G, Pickerington H.S. Central, West Virginia Thunder-Johnson UAA
Nicole is a really nice all-around athlete, she’s tough and plays extremely hard, and she has a wiry strong frame and absorbs contact fairly well. Nicole can play either guard spot effectively, but she’s probably better as more of a ‘2’ because of her ability to score it at all levels. She’s strong going through the defense to score it, but she has a solid pull-up as well, and she can knock down open rhythm jumpers outside. I also thought she did a nice job defensively when I saw her. She was originally committed to Akron, but she recently reopened her recruitment.
Brooke Stonebraker, 6-3 F, Versailles H.S., Angels Basketball Club Platinum
I was intrigued by Brooke because I hadn’t heard of her going into the tournament, and she has really good size, a strong frame that can get stronger, plus at 6-3 she plays with a great motor. She’s a solid athlete, and she moves reasonably well around the floor. She is very physical on the interior, but she also has some touch in the mid-post and can knock down 15-foot jumpers from the elbows and short-corners. Considering her size, skill, and mobility, she should have her share of college interest by the end of July.
Margo Thompson, 6-3 C, Fayetteville-Perry H.S., West Virginia Thunder-Johnson UAA
Margo is more of a traditional back-to-the-basket post than most kids today. She has a solid/strong frame that can get stronger, good length, and she runs the floor well in transition. I like how she tries to play physical around the paint, and she does a solid job of sitting down and establishing herself in the post. She has decent hands, some post skill, and good footwork. She moved over from the WV Thunder Gold team and gave this team a nice boost on the interior. Margo committed to Division-I Purdue-Fort Wayne over the weekend.
Nyam Thornton, 5-8 PG, Columbus Africentric Early College, Michigan Crossover EYBL
When I saw Michigan Crossover during the Spring, Nyam was not in attendance. I heard she was drawing a ton of Mid-Major Division-I interest, so I was anxious to finally see her. She has good length, a wiry strong frame with broad shoulders, and she plays with a good pace and some quickness (she’s more quick than fast). She has good ball skill and takes care of it, she plays with her head up scanning the floor for open teammates, and she can knock down open shots at each level. I think she can become a really nice defender as well.
Sakima Walker, 6-4 C, Columbus Africentric Early College, All-Ohio Black EYBL
Sakima is a very polarizing prospect because of her slender frame and physical makeup, but I think she’s also a nice ‘fit’ kid who will likely end up succeeding at the High-Major Division-I level for a variety of reasons. She is extremely long, fluid, and somewhat smooth, plus she’s very bouncy. Despite being thin, she tries to be physical and play the right way. She has great hands and good feet, she can finish around the basket at odd angles, and she has some skill away from the basket and can put it on the floor and handle it a little bit. I really think she has a high ceiling and could continue to blossom in college.
Feature image is of Sakima Walker of Columbus Africentric Early College. Image is courtesy of her own Twitter account.