End Of Summer Wrap-Up
While my focus remains primarily in Indiana, over the course of July I was able to see several teams from a variety of states participate at different events. I remained in the Midwest throughout the month, and I attended the…
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Continue ReadingWhile my focus remains primarily in Indiana, over the course of July I was able to see several teams from a variety of states participate at different events. I remained in the Midwest throughout the month, and I attended the Run 4 Roses Classic in Louisville, Kentucky, the USJN Premier Showcase in Westfield, Indiana, the Adidas Gauntlet Finale in Fishers, Indiana, the GUAA Session II in Westfield, Indiana, USJN’s Midwest Summer Showcase in Westfield, Indiana, and I finished up in Cincinnati, Ohio, with Certified Basketball’s The Finale. I saw a handful of players from Kentucky, and below is a look at ten various prospects specifically from the Bluegrass State who flashed some intrigue when I was able to see them.
Emma Anderson, 2020, 5-7 G, Daviess County H.S., Indiana Elite S.W.I.S.H.
Emma is a long, wiry strong, and versatile athlete. She moves well in all directions, she’s a tough-nosed kid who likes contact, and she plays with a very good motor at both ends of the floor. She can handle it a little and attack the basket off the bounce, she can knock down an open rhythm jumper, but I think what I like most is her feistiness defensively, and her willingness to do a lot of the “little things”, like take on mismatches, dive on the floor, etc. She holds a lot of value because of her versatility, but I think it would benefit her recruitment to maybe carve out a niche and make at least one of her skillsets close to elite.
Shelby Calhoun, 2020, 5-10 G, Christian Academy of Louisville, Nike Lady Gym Rats Silver EYBL
Shelby has always been a really nice talent, and I can remember watching her all the way back between her 8th Grade and Freshman year. She has great length, she’s quick/fast in every direction, and she is much stronger than her frame might suggest. She is another versatile guard who can at times run point and create/facilitate, but I feel like she’s programmed more like a scorer. When she’s put into that role, she is dangerous from most spots on the floor. She can burst by defenders and get to the basket, which causes them to give too much space at times. Then she’ll knock down a rhythm jumper and make you choose what you’re willing to give up. Additionally, she can be a lock-down defender due to her length and athleticism. She has already verbally committed to Virginia Tech.
Whitney Hay, 2020, 5-11 W, Elizabethtown H.S., West Virginia Thunder-Johnson UAA
The West Virginia Thunder program always fields several competitive teams with a lot of talent, and when I saw this specific group play, Whitney was one of those players who stood out to me. She is a wiry strong wing and a solid on-the-floor athlete. She is tougher/stronger than her frame might suggest, and she plays with a good motor. What I saw out of her specifically, was she appeared this game to be a real threat shooting it from the perimeter, and she caught it and got it away fairly quickly. She did shoot 42% from ‘3’ at E-Town last year and averaged nearly 22 points per game. It’s easy to see why at the end of July she made a verbal commitment to continue playing at Belmont.
TaZiah Jenks, 2020, 6-1 W, The Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, West Virginia Thunder-Johnson UAA
When I first started watching this West Virginia Thunder team play, TaZiah stood out simply because of her height and athleticism. She is extremely long, somewhat slender, but she moves around the floor so effortlessly and even has good bounce to her. As the game progressed, her skillset really started to show. She began handling it a lot in transition, started the offense at times, and created opportunities for herself and teammates. She has noticeable talent, she’ll obviously need strength, but in the game I saw she sat down and defended a diminutive water-bug point guard from Indiana who is more than a foot shorter than TaZiah. She has picked up several mid to high-major Division-I offers already.
Naria Reed, 2020, 6-2 C, Louisville Ballard H.S., Louisville Legends
Naria is technically a Jeffersonville, Indiana, resident, so she has been on my radar for some time now, but July was actually my first chance to ever see her play. She is a big-bodied true post, with broad shoulders and decent length for her build. She is strong, almost powerful, and she has really soft hands. She doesn’t mind physicality and will get tough inside and post solidly on the block. Once she catches it, though, she needs some work on finishing moves and footwork. She looks like she almost thinks her way through moves at times, so if that can become more decisive/instinctual, I think that will really help her game, because she’s trouble if she’s able to bury someone 3-feet from the rim.
Hope Sivori, 2020, 5-5 PG, The Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, Nike Lady Gym Rats Silver EYBL
I have written about Hope before, and she’s a tremendously tough, feisty, energetic player who always competes at both ends of the floor. She is the definition of a “team” kid, willing to do whatever it takes to help her team(s) win games. She does have some wiry strength, she’s quick/fast, and she can cause problems at both ends of the floor. Defensively, she scrambles around frustrating opposing ball-handlers, and her feet never seem to stop moving. Offensively, she can knock down open shots consistently, but she’s great off the bounce, because she can squeeze through gaps and is a willing passer. She is a “fit” kid, where if she picks the right school, she could be a major player all four years.
Megan Wellinghurst, 2020, 6-0 C, Louisville Assumption H.S., Sky Digg Elite-Grennes
I saw Megan in the first tournament I attended in March, and I saw her again in the next to last tournament at the end of July. I liked her game in March, but I really like how it has progressed in about four months. Megan is extremely long, somewhat slender, but she does have some wiry strength and is more than willing to be physical. She runs the floor well in transition and is all-around fluid in most directions. She is an instinctive player with good hands who has obviously worked on her craft and finishing moves around the basket. She’s great at off-balance, up-and-under, and odd-angled shots inside of about 8-feet, but she can also extend herself to the mid-post and knock down shots consistently. I think she is just so productive that someone is going to wind up with a real gem.
Kaeli Ross, 2021, 5-8 G, Russell H.S., South Central Basketball Club 16U
I had the opportunity to see this SCBC team play at the end of July in Cincinnati, and Kaeli was one of three players who stood out for them in the couple of games I saw. She has a strong frame, broad shoulders, and she’s a tough-nosed kid who isn’t at all afraid of contact. She is a decent athlete in most directions, and she plays with a very good motor. For a rugged wing guard, she had some touch from the perimeter and was a threat to shoot it on every catch. But I also liked her ability to attack the basket straight-line, occasionally run offense and find teammates, and her defensive versatility.
Jaya McClure, 2022, 5-6 PG, Christian Academy of Louisville, Nike Lady Gym Rats Gold EYBL 16U
Jaya is a really nice little athlete. She is quick/fast in all directions, she has good, wiry strength, and she seems like a quietly tough kid who doesn’t mind contact. In the Spring, she was always go, go, go, but when I saw her in July, she looked like she was learning how to change speeds and pick her spots much better. She can be a really dynamic playmaker at times, but her being able to sense tone and pick & choose when to be explosive are going to be a key for her moving forward. Otherwise, she can shoot/score it in a variety of ways, she’s a willing passer, and she can be an absolute pest at the defensive end of the floor.
Xaviara Smalley, 2023, 6-1 C, Elizabethtown H.S., Kentucky Premier-Foust 15U
I actually stumbled across Xaviara, as I was there to watch their matchup with an Indiana squad. She is really talented and has the chance to be a good one the next four years. She has an athletic frame, great length, and some strength. She runs the floor very well both directions, and she doesn’t mind physicality at all. She establishes herself well, has solid hands around the block, and she just finishes through her peers right now. I would like to see her continue to build her arsenal of post moves and be just a little lighter on her feet when she’s right by the rim, but she is an unquestioned Division-I prospect with a lot of upside and plenty of time to continue developing her game.