Dynasty Region Finals 16U: All-Tourney Honorable Mention
After a few unexpected days off thanks to a sports injury of my own, I’m back and better than ever. Well, I’m back, at least. Laying in bed for a few days gave me time to watch even more video…
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Continue ReadingAfter a few unexpected days off thanks to a sports injury of my own, I’m back and better than ever. Well, I’m back, at least. Laying in bed for a few days gave me time to watch even more video and confirm that yes, these are the last five players rounding out the best I saw last weekend in St. Louis at the PGH Dynasty Region Finals.
Carley Faulkner Carley Faulkner 6'1" | SF Huntley | 2023 IL | 6-1 G | Illinois Rockets 2023 BSA / Huntley, IL | 2023 | @carleyjf11
There’s this one player in the NBA who grew up as a guard and then grew up physically to the point where he “had to” move inside to play in the paint. You may have heard of him. Anthony Davis? He plays for some team out in LA, I think. Anyway… Faulkner has everything you could want from a guard. She has the handles, the vision, the quickness to defend on the perimeter. But, unlike most high school guards, she is 6-1. She can play anywhere on the court and play well there. She racked up the rebounds, assists and of course, points during the course of championship weekend in St. Louis. Faulkner is a must-watch for college coaches. She has a tremendous skill set and looks to be a D-I player should she continue to develop and not lose those guard skills if she transitions full-time into a post role. No matter what, Carley can play and you guys need to take a look!
Brooke Ross | 5-11 F/C | AAO Flight 2023 / Siloam Springs, AR | 2023 | @FlightAAOGBB
At a previous tournament I mentioned that AAO Flight had two big Brookes in the middle defending the post while writing about Brooke Smith. Ross is definitely a standout in her own right and deserving of a place on this list. She is almost identical in size to her fellow inside player and is very strong just like her. Ross does a great job of high-pointing the rebound and it is clear that she wants to own the paint as far as rebounding and defense go. She shows good footwork inside and does a good job of getting turned toward the basket after she receives the ball in the paint. She is a willing passer and is good at spotting the double team and passing out of trouble. As Ross develops, she will be even better with her back to the basket, as her footwork has improved greatly over the course of the summer. She is assuredly one to keep an eye on along with the rest of her AAO Flight squad who progressed to the Championship game of the Dynasty Region.
MaKayla McClellan MaKayla McClellan 5'4" | CG Wichita South | 2023 State KS | 5-4 G | Dynasty 2023 Blue / Wichita Collegiate, KS | 2023 | @MakaylaMcclell9
Makayla is the type of player that every team needs. She takes losing to heart and has the will to power any team that she is on – if not to victory – very close to it. She is just a baller, plain and simple. She is extremely quick with the ball in her hands. Her first step is great at throwing her defender off balance and she clearly relishes the one-on-one challenge that comes with playing guard at a high level. She has a great pull-up jumper that she uses when her defender is off-balance and scared of the “blow by.” She is a vocal leader and the heart of this squad who can fill it up from all three levels. She is also a tremendous passer with the vision to run any offense and play defense against the best players the other team has to offer. McClellan turned a lot of coaches heads at the Dynasty Region Finals and if you haven’t seen her play in person yet, you’re going to want to.
Brielle Staines Brielle Staines 5'11" | PF Shawnee Mission South | 2023 State KS | 5-11 F | Kansas Elite 2023 Zars / Shawnee Mission South, KS | 2023 | @BrielleStaines
Yet another great rebounder from last weekend, Staines was all over the place in Kansas Elite ‘s games. She is a very good rebounder who does a tremendous job of putting a body on her opponent, then turning to search out the rebound. She is a very good inside player who has soft hands when receiving passes into the paint. She gets turned quickly and finishes often before her defender can do anything about it. She is a fluid player who has very good size, is long and is clearly comfortable with her size. Brielle moves well with and without the ball and was a stand out player all weekend long. She is a big part of what her very good Kansas Elite squad does on the offensive end and coaches will want to get a look at her this coming high school season as she is clearly a very, very good prospect.
Grace Quinn Grace Quinn 5'8" | PG St. Theresa's Academy | 2022 State MO | 5-8 CG | SHOtime Basketball / St. Teresa’s, MO | 2022 | @grayquinfye
This kid is a baller. She has that attitude of “I’m better than you and I’ll show you” every time that she steps onto the court. Often times she is better than anybody else on the court. Quinn has great handles and quickness and can score from just about anywhere. She was a problem for every team who played her and caused them to change up their defense in order to focus on her. This meant that if her points weren’t up due to face guarding or double teaming, her assists skyrocketed as she did a great job of finding the open player and helping her team to win, one way or another. She is a tough defender, but clearly enjoys the offensive side of the ball more – as most teenagers do. She is a smart player, a fiery player and definitely an asset to any team she plays on. It’s all about channeling that “fieriness” toward the right thing, which is winning games for her team.