IL Bears Girls Jamboree All Stars
IL Bears Director Justin Barrington held a 1 day jamboree this past weekend in Marion. There were 30 girls in attendance split into 4 teams. Each team got to play 3 games. One team was made up of just players…
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Continue ReadingIL Bears Director Justin Barrington held a 1 day jamboree this past weekend in Marion. There were 30 girls in attendance split into 4 teams. Each team got to play 3 games. One team was made up of just players from the Hamilton County team, the other 3 were mixed up. Some of the intent of how to mix those teams up got changed as some girls had to drop out last minute so it made the planning for the day a bit difficult. With all that said,, it was a great day to watch some high quality players. Here is my pick for an All Star team which is made up of 7 players with at least one player from each team.
MVP Alecia Doyle Alecia Doyle 5'7" | CG Carterville | 2022 State IL 5’7 2022 Guard Carterville
Alecia was clearly the player that had the best day of anyone in the gym. She showed speed and the ability to finish around the rim at a very high level. Alecia was finishing at the rim with moves that just simply cannot be made by most girls, hanging in the air, stretching out one arm to get around a defender and other shots with a high degree of difficulty. In addition she continues to improve and refine her jumper that she uses well both in the mid range and from deep. Last, but not least, the quickness and length allows Alecia to be a very good defender and she is more than willing to fill that role.
Sophia Loden Sophia Loden 5'11" | SF Mascoutah | 2023 State IL 5’11 2023 Wing Mascoutah
Sophia has made some real noticeable improvements in her game over the past 4 months. She excelled in scoring in the mid range during this event. Sophia consistently pulled up for shots in the 6-10 foot range and buried them with ease. This adds a new dimension to her game that allows her to take what the defense gives her. In addition I noticed a difference in her shot from the early AAU events. She has eliminated the dip of the ball on her catch and shoot action which speeds up her release and creates a more consistent motion. This allows her to have the ability to get her shot off more often and with less defensive pressure. The last highlight of her game for the day was her passing. I noticed several assists that showed off her vision and understanding of the game.
Amiah Hargrove 6’2 2024 Forward Christopher
Amiah is a fun prospect to watch. Her upside is exciting as it is not often you see a girl at her size and her age grab a rebound and go coast to coast through traffic and then finish a layup where they have to adjust the shot in mid air. She obviously has an advantage against many girls in an event like this. She is bigger and stronger than most and could make her living the easy way just abusing people in the post. But, that is not Amiah and that is what we are all excited to see. She wants to and has the ability to be a perimeter player. So, when you see her draining 3’s or pulling up for jumpers off the dribble you can begin to imagine who she could be. Amiah is the kind of kid that will work for it, so I am excited to see where she can go.
Kristin Edmonds Kristin Edmonds 5'8" | PG Anna -Jonesboro | 2022 State IL 5’8 2022 Guard Cape Notre Dame
Kristin is a seasoned and talented guard that has decided to take her game over the river to Cape Girardeau to ensure she can play this season. She has been playing for Anna Jonesboro and showed her vast abilities in this event. She is a versatile guard that can not only use her strength and ball handling skills to run the point but she is also very capable of scoring. She does a nice job in the open floor pushing the ball and making decisions on the break. Kristin shows the ability to use dribbling skills to change direction and create space that she can use to get her shots off in the half court. From behind the arc she shows the ability to not just hit her shots off the stationary catch but can also can square up nicely on the move and hit her shots.
Emma Rush 5’6 2021 Guard Vienna
I have seen video and heard a lot about Emma, but this was first time seeing her live. I came away understanding the hype. I like her ability to shoot it from deep and also to create space for shots. Emma plays with a high level of energy that she uses to run the floor on the break and move in the half court to find open spots. She has a strong base in her in lower half which allows her to take contact and stay in control. Emma does a nice job of finishing around the rim and also a more than willing passer that looks to get her teammates involved. Ideally she would be a combo guard at the next level that can share in the ball handling duties but also providing a scoring punch. The hype coming in was that she was a very good shooter and I would say, believe the hype.
Lauren Heape 5’5 2021 Guard DuQoin
I was given the heads up prior to the first game that her team played that I should watch for Lauren. That may have been the best tip I got all day. It is hard not to like the way she plays. Lauren is tough despite not being very tall, but, the way she plays you would have to assume she was 3-4 inches taller. She will mix it up, rebound and play defense all day long. Lauren is not just a scrapper, she can score it on the offensive end too. She showed an ability to get to the rim off the bounce and also hit some 3-point shots throughout the day. Lauren is certainly a kid that most teams would love to have on their side. She will fight and scratch and claw to get a win. She is a multi sport athlete that is well rounded and could really grow her game in college should she look to pursue that option.
Sydney Downen 5’9 2023 Forward Hamilton County
This was my first opportunity to see Sydney play and I came away impressed with her game. She is long and is really comfortable in the mid range game. Sydney was able to get off shots quickly and has a consistent release that allows her to be deadly inside the lane at 10-12 feet. Everyone on her team had a rough go of it in the first game but behind 16 points and 5 boards from Sydney they really came on strong in the second game. As Sydney develops her handles and range she could certainly an excellent wing player.