Battle in the Big Friendly: First Team All-Tourney 16U
Yet another loaded division of young players showed off their skills on the PGH Circuit this past weekend in the 16U age group. Three teams went undefeated over the three days of the Battle in the Big Friendly and a…
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Continue ReadingYet another loaded division of young players showed off their skills on the PGH Circuit this past weekend in the 16U age group. Three teams went undefeated over the three days of the Battle in the Big Friendly and a lot of the players from these teams were first team performers. Take a look at all of the stars who shone brightest from the 16U age group here.
Ella Campbell | 5-9 CG | AAO Flight 2023 | Bentonville High, AR | 2023 | @ellahcampbell3
Ella has all the moves of a D-I level scorer. She can drain the deep three, but more often than not she is going to pump fake her defender into the air and blow by them to finish at the rim. As far as finishing at the rim goes, she IS going to finish. She can get the ball in the hoop with either hand, reverse layup, stop and pop, anything you want. She has it all. She stood out on a very good team and her absolutely amazing athleticism was on display all weekend. Campbell is very bouncy and very quick. Her AAO Flight squad is a fun one to watch and Campbell is a big reason for that. They love to get out and run and Campbell has tremendous ability to finish while running at full speed. This team will be dangerous on the PGH Circuit and coaches, you will want to be there to see Campbell making defenders look silly.
Sibelle Zambie | 5-7 CG | Platinum Basketball 2023 (Jones) | Plano West High, TX | 2023 | @SibelleZambie
Zambie is a really long point guard with a nice stroke. She has very good handles and does some high IQ things that you don’t see enough in women’s basketball. She splits the double team with good handles and drives to the basket or when sensing the double team passes out to the open player. She is a ferocious defender and flat out tenacious. She wants the ball, she wants to score and she wants to win. Zambie is a baller. Another player on an undefeated team who honestly is probably in the top-3 contenders to win the Regional Finals, Zambie is a player you are going to want to get a look at.
Meredith Mayes Meredith Mayes 6'3" | C Bixby | 2023 State OK | 6-2 PF/C | Team Griffin 2023 | Bixby High, OK | 2023 | @MeredithM2023
Meredith is our No. 25-ranked player in the class of 2023 and the No. 3 Center. I am starting to think that maybe she is too low at No. 25. Mayes gets better everytime I see her. She already got up and down the floor very well for a big player. As she matures in basketball, she gets better and better with her footwork in the post and has become an absolutely lethal post threat. Her rebounding was probably the best of any player that I saw this past weekend and her ability to put the ball back up and score after the offensive rebound was way above average. Honestly, she still has room to improve as far as consistent finishing on the fast break, but other than that, she is there. She is a shot changer and shot swatter on the block. She showed the ability to hit the turnaround jumper. With consistency, Mayes will be a D-I player come 2023.
Gracy Wernli Gracy Wernli 5'9" | SG Bixby | 2023 State OK | 5-9 CG | Team Griffin 2023 | Bixby High, OK | 2023 | @GracyWernli
The No. 8-ranked player in her class played like a top-10 ranked player this past weekend. She shot the lights out of the Solid Rock Gym and wowed everyone in attendance, including numerous college coaches. Her form is impeccable when shooting it from deep. One college coach in attendance told me that she is exactly what college coaches at the highest level want from a 2-guard. She is a tremendous spot up shooter who receives the ball in perfect position, raises up with very good athleticism and releases the ball very high, virtually unblockable. Over the weekend Gracy scored 77 points, which somehow is the exact same as the 15U star of the weekend Jill Twiehaus. I believe both are probably PGH Circuit records for their age group. Wernli is a coaches kid, a gym rat and a future D-I star for some very lucky coach.
Keeley Parks | 5-11 CG | Team Trae Young 2023 | Whittier Middle, OK | 2025 | @KeeleyParks04
I called Keeley a superstar on Friday when I wrote about day one of the PGH Circuit’s stop in OKC. She didn’t do anything to change that opinion as the weekend wore on. Parks has handles that are unmatched at any level of Oklahoma basketball. She is long and tall and basically is just a walking bucket. She would have more than likely bested Wernli’s 77 had she not been injured just after the half of her team’s final game. She ended up with 72 points, shooting a very high percentage due to her ability to drive to the rim and finish consistently through contact. She converts her free throws at a very high percentage, too. Honestly, I’m almost out of superlatives for Keeley. She is a very high level D-I player and could potentially be the best to come out of Oklahoma for a very long time.