Nebraska Top 250 Expo: Underclassmen Standouts
Over a dozen 2023 and 2024 prospects competed at the Prep Girl’s Hoops Top 250 Expo, and they all held their own just fine. At the very least, they contributed valuable minutes as a role player, and in several other instances they stood among the best performers in the gym. I will take a look at the players who did the most with their opportunities on the court.
Addison Klahn – Wing – Millard West 2023
If you were to pull up the statistics from the Expo last Saturday, I worry one might skip right past Addison’s entry. Anyone who tuned in to the action would clearly see how impactful the 2023 athlete was for her team. She has excellent passing touch and fit it into some very cramped windows. A lot of her best passes weren’t rewarded with a made basket on this particular day, but she was constantly creating. Several open threes came from drive-and-kick’s from Addison.
Jailynn Brill – C – Lincoln High 2023
It’s hard to miss Jailynn when she jogs onto the court at 6’2″. Her size of course, benefits her greatly, and she was using it to inhale rebounds all day long. But I came away more impressed with her read-and-react ability. She had great success screening in the pick and roll, and found gaps in the defense and settled in. She doesn’t move with great quickness but she also doesn’t waste much movement and is always playing calm and controlled. Her reads paid off on offense too, most evidenced by a no-look hand-off to a cutting teammate for an easy assist.
Peyton McCabe – PG – Skutt Catholic 2024
The freshman point guard proved difficult to guard. She has such great control over the ball when probing the defense. She has some wiggle and used a nice in-and-out dribble to get defenders leaning the wrong way. She attacks the basket and can dish it with both hands if she needs to give it up.
Mya Babbitt – Guard – Millard South 2023
Mya Babbitt unleashed one of the better shooting performances at the Expo, regardless of class. She is quick to rise and quick to get the ball out, and she had zero hesitations from the jump. As the day went on, opposing defenses played her further out and more aggressively and she showed she could counter that by putting it on the floor and creating advantages from there.
McKenna Murphy – PG – Fremont 2024
McKenna owned one of the prettier shots at the Iowa Field House, with her high release point and consistent form. When it went through the hoop, it was nearly perfect each time, barely grazing the rim. She put on one of the top passing performances of the weekend, too. Already, as a freshman, she is beginning to manipulate defenses with her eyes and body.
Yelaniya Bradley – PG – Lincoln High 2024
Yet another freshman point guard on this list, and Yelaniya might’ve been the best of them all. She made passes no other player in the gym was making. She would sort through a crowded mess of teammates and defenders and drop in perfectly timed passes when it looked like no such play existed. As the day went on she gained confidence and the rest of her offensive game began to shine. She was excellent in isolation, using a flurry of step-backs and hesitation dribbles.
Bri Robinson – PG – Lincoln High 2023
The Lincoln sophomore left defenses confused as to how to keep her out of the paint. She probed and drove hard all day and nobody ever found much of an answer. She has a pump fake and pivot move in the paint that gets most players in the air. She’ll often combo multiple spins and fakes until even the best defenders run out of patience and bite on one.