A Look At “Live At The Nook”
The summer club scene got back into full swing with a major event at Manheim, Pennsylvania’s Spooky Nook Sports Center. Some of the top programs from Adidas and other circuits showed up for some major bump. Here are some of…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe summer club scene got back into full swing with a major event at Manheim, Pennsylvania’s Spooky Nook Sports Center. Some of the top programs from Adidas and other circuits showed up for some major bump. Here are some of the Saturday standouts I saw.
Lilah Grubman, 2022, Long Island Renegades
Lilah has committed to Yale so she will be bringing her game to the Ivy League soon enough. I was impressed with her tremendous court awareness and craftiness with the ball. She saw plays before they fully developed and was able to set up her teammates a number of times for easy buckets. She has range from a good distance past the 3 point line so defenders had to stay up on her which left them vulnerable. She is a lefty with strong ball handling skills so she got into the paint and made plays there as well. She has good length and can play multiple positions. Yale is getting a good one.
Taydra Simpson, 2022, Long Island Renegades
Taydra is a terror in transition.She was very disruptive on defense which led to a lot of fast break opportunities for her team and herself. She is very fast and can finish through contact with both hands. Some players are just fun to watch because things look easy for them. Taydra is one of them. She knocked down several long three pointers, off the bounce and spotting up. She transitioned nicely from off guard to point guard when necessary and mixed finesse with power when needed. I didn’t see any real weaknesses in her game and she competes at a high level.
Haley Walker Haley Walker 5'8" | PG Vermont Academy | 2022 NewE , 2022, Albany Lady Stars
Haley really stood out as one of the best players in the event. She is relentless on both ends of the court and an explosive athlete. She plays with a casual flair, nothing over the top but she makes plays look easy. She’s a strong ball handler and her passes are crisp and precise. She has excellent vision and makes great decisions with the ball. She has good size and physical strength at 5’8″. Solid point guard prospect and she travels from Vermont to New York to hoop with the Lady Stars.
Athina Nkangnia, 2022, 1 On None
Athina patrolled the paint like Patrick Ewing in the game I saw. She ended up with 5 blocks and double figure rebounds and points. She is a bit raw, but has a lot of potential at over six feet tall. She ran the floor very well and made sure the defense had to account for her at all times. She was stout on defense, challenging anyone and everything that came into the lane. She is really considering not playing in college to focus on academics but that might be a mistake as she could really help a program in need of a post player.
Mia Smith Mia Smith 5'9" | SF Clarksburg | 2022 State MD , 2022, 1 On None
Mia had a solid game in the win I saw over K-Low Elite. It wasn’t her best scoring game but she played her usual strong defense, both on and off the ball. She came up with some deflections and steals and wasn’t afraid to get inside and rebound the ball. She was definitely an impact player and showed versatility by playing both guard positions during the game.
Endia Thomas, 2025, Power Move
Endia has all the natural talent she needs to succeed in high school. The 5’5″ point guard has exceptional speed and has a strong motor. She has a strong handle which helps her get into the lane and to the rim. She is a good finisher and is active an active on ball defender. I would like to see her use better fundamentals to deliver her passes more accurately and work on “KYP” or “Know your personnel” situations to push her team to the next level.