Young Veterans: Impact Freshman
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With the season on its home stretch, these freshmen played beyond their years in big games.
Beckham Hockley Beckham Hockley 5'7" | PG Sickles | 2024 State FL Clearwater 5’7 2024
With Hockley, the smallest amount of space can get you in trouble. She gets it to her shooting pocket and lets it fly with the best of them. Her size is even more appealing because of her handle, ability to create, and she can pass. The Clearwater product will pull off the bounce after shaking a defender, every dribble seems to be effective and her head is always up which speaks to her court vision. Hockley seems to understand how to make reads and uses ball screens well. She showed her ability to coexist with other talents. With her, Liv Fuller Liv Fuller 5'10" | SF Clearwater | 2023 State FL , and Ace Sturdivant Ace Sturdivant 5'10" | CG Clearwater | 2023 State FL they have a nice core of young talent. Averaging nearly 15 per game, she has led her team to Lakeland. Hockley at the helm has a nice ring to it, the Tornadoes are in good hands.
Kayla Nelms Kayla Nelms 6'1" | PF Miami Country Day | 2024 State FL Miami Country Day 6’1 2024
Nelms has this Tim Duncan demeanor to her, she isn’t overly animated, she doesn’t seem to say much, and you look on the stat sheet after the game and she has 20 & 10. Playing for the legendary Coach Swaby since the eighth grade definitely speaks to how well he develops talent. You can see the discipline in her game in how she runs the floor, rotates defensively, and protects the paint. I was really impressed by her approach, the moment was never too big for her. Offensively what makes her such a threat is she has the old school post-player mentality, mixed with the new age bigs’ ability to stretch the floor. Nelms will get to her spot in the low post, has great touch around the rim and she is a legitimate threat from three.
Charisse Martin Charisse Martin 5'7" | CG Blanche Ely | 2024 State FL Miami Country Day 5’6 2024
I don’t like putting labels on players, but Charisse Martin Charisse Martin 5'7" | CG Blanche Ely | 2024 State FL really impressed as a 3 & D guard. She knocked down big shots, played with energy, and her willingness to pick up 94-feet was fun to watch. A scrappy defender, she went against a very good Junior Guard Claire Erickson Claire Erickson 5'6" | PG Westminster Academy | 2022 State FL . Somewhat of an X-factor for the Spartans, you know what you’re going to get from Godfrey, Nelms, Daly, but when Martin is stepping up hitting shots, making free throws, and causing problems defensively is the type of play that makes Country Day a powerhouse.
Lena Girardi Lena Girardi 5'10" | SF IMG Academy | 2025 State FL Westminster Academy 5’11 2025
Lena Girardi Lena Girardi 5'10" | SF IMG Academy | 2025 State FL is a competitor, in every sense of the word. Plenty of players have talent, but I haven’t seen many that play with a fire under them the way she does. An excellent crafty scorer, she had to force the effort a bit. Country Day did a great job of limiting Wallhoff’s touches, and as an eighth-grader Girardi answered the call. She uses her body well to protect the ball when handling and understands how to attack a defense. A lot of times players are great shooters and occasionally get to the rim, or do their work attacking the basket but are streaky shooters. Girardi is one of the most complete scorers I’ve seen in terms of a balanced attack. I was most impressed by her ability to rally her teammates at her age, it’s a special combination when the players with the most talent also are the best leaders.
Ka-Zahria Johnson Norland 6’2 2024
Johnson’s understanding of how to use her size is good to see in a young player. She does a great job of powering up after she posts and uses the glass well. College coaches will like the way she runs the floor end to end. She rebounds very well, logging multiple double-figure games on the boards. She has great timing on her blocks, and the ability to guard multiple positions. Her Freshman campaign ended against the Wyche Twins, a frontcourt as good as any in the state, where she still managed to snatch down 10 rebounds. Johnson is a Miami Suns product and with all the talent around her, is a very good complimentary piece for them. Spending her years in this program is huge because they understand how to expand her game, and prepare her for the college level.
Khadee Hession Khadee Hession 5'10" | CG St Thomas Aquinas | 2024 State FL AH Delray 5’9 2024
Hession controls the tempo of a game like a vet. She will break down a team’s press, and drop a dime as easily as she scores it. I like how well she fills the stat sheet, she rebounds very well at the PG spot and averaged nearly 3 steals a game for the Stallions. With the injury to Jordana Codio Jordana Codio 6'1" | SF Montverde Academy | 2022 State FL , Hession had to put the backpack on a bit more, and she stepped up to the challenge. She and Alancia Ramsey Alancia Ramsey 6'0" | PF St Thomas Aquinas | 2023 State FL have led American Heritage to a regional championship and a trip to Lakeland for the first time in school history. The hype behind players breeds excitement, and sometimes players fall short of performing as advertised, I was just as impressed watching Khadee Hession Khadee Hession 5'10" | CG St Thomas Aquinas | 2024 State FL in person as I was seeing her on film.
Janessa Kelley Janessa Kelley 5'9" | SG Blanche Ely | 2024 State FL Blanche Ely 5’9 2024
Janessa Kelley Janessa Kelley 5'9" | SG Blanche Ely | 2024 State FL has a beautiful lefty stroke, and her ability to take and make big shots impressed me. She made a go-ahead 3 against Miami Christian in the Orange bowl, propelling Ely to win that title, and another big one against St. Thomas to win the BCAA Big 8 and secure the repeat for the Tigers. Coach McNabb speaks highly of Kelley for a reason, for him to have a McDonald’s All-American nominee in his program, and to go to Kelley in big moments speaks to the confidence and trust he has in his young talent. An active defender as well, she will push the break when she gets a steal or rebound but is most dangerous when running the floor to spot up. What’s scary about Kelley is that she doesn’t always need to be necessarily open, she can make the contested ones as well.