Power 2 Play Sports Showcase: Part One
What an awesome event at Power To Play Sports yesterday!
Two year ago, the facility began hosting a preseason exposure event for junior colleges to showcase their players to coaches of four-year colleges. The event is prefaced by ninety minutes where high school prospects can showcase THEIR skills to college coaches of all levels. Around forty-five ambitious and hoop-loving prospects heated up the court on a cool fall morning, divided into six teams coached by some of the best high school and JUCO coaches in the area. Here are some players whose skills were well-caffeinated early on Saturday:
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Ally Padilla
Ally
Padilla
5'8" | CG
Berthoud | 2022
State
CO
– Berthoud – 2022 – 5’8″
- I’m listing her first because I noticed her seconds after the 9:00am tip. She’s the adult on the court, making calm of the chaos and finding solutions to any problem. Often times, that solution involved Padilla scoring. I mean, when you’re instinctively around the ball, points will happen. But assists, jump balls, deflections, and steals are often needed, too, and Padilla was the court general just like she’ll be for the Berthoud Spartans this season. She exploded for 15.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG. 3.1 SPG, and 39% three-point shooting last year against tough Longs Peak competition.
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Abby Saville
Abby
Saville
5'9" | PF
Rocky Mountain | 2023
State
CO
– Rocky Mountain – 2023 – 5’8″
- If ever there was a player who plays bigger than she is, it’s Saville (pictured above, #74). With her toughness in the paint and with the Lobos graduating a good amount of talent, Saville will double her 6.5 PPG and 4.3 RPG from last season. She handles the ball really well for someone with her strength and will be a coveted collegiate prospect in the coming year. Her teammate, #61 above, Sara Chicco Sara Chicco 5'10" | SG Rocky Mountain | 2024 State CO , was featured here along with 5A’s other top 2024s.
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Jamie Lee Caron
Jamie
Lee Caron
SG
Rifle | 2022
State
CO
– Rifle – 2022 – 5’7″
- Caron showed how she averaged 15.1 points and 3.4 steals a game for Rifle last year. She can fly in transition and she can lay it easy off the glass. Simple but effective. She’s also a 32% three-point shooter and scores at a 1.3 points per shot efficiency.
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Natalie Thornton
Natalie
Thornton
5'6" | CG
Horizon | 2024
State
CO
– Horizon – 2024 – 5’6″
- Thornton making this list is as much a no brainer as getting a taco at Fuzzy’s. No, I’m not getting paid by Fuzzy’s but it’s just what you do when you go to Power To Play Sports. This young, lightning fast, rising star stands out at every event she attends. She’s that player who’s too good of a shooter to leave open and too talented of a driver to stay up on. More on her here.
- Stevi Fallis – Red Cloud – 2022 – 5’3″
- Possibly the biggest surprise and best scorer at the event was Stevi Fallis. According to a Twitter post by Brian Haenchen and a 7/21/21 story by the Argus Leader, Fallis is from an Indian reservation in South Dakota and missed her entire junior season due to COVID-19. She had to take care of her siblings while her parents worked essential jobs during the pandemic so she was unable to transfer like many of her teammates did. I know this is the Colorado page of PGH but I have a feeling this superstar has not had the exposure she deserves. Fallis absolutely assaulted the lane or knocked down a three on every touch, scoring nearly half her team’s points. She’s fiercely talented. I discussed the resiliency of high school athletes during the pandemic here.
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Penny Urquhart
Penny
Urquhart
5'10" | SG
Littleton | 2024
State
CO
– Littleton – 2024 – 5’10”
- It’s a showcase so if you’re constantly crashing the defensive boards and making strong outlet passes, you’re not going to score a ton because you usually won’t get the ball back. But college coaches know they need stoppers and glass cleaners as much as scorers. And if you think she can’t score, just watch her play with her high school team. With nearly double-digit scoring as a freshman, Urquhart will be one of the top scorers and three-point shooters in Jeffco 4A this year. She was also recently highlighted here.
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Brynn Price
Brynn
Price
5'8" | CG
Roosevelt | 2024
State
CO
– Roosevelt – 2024 – 5’10”
- Height plus nasty catch-n-shoot ability equals hard-to-guard, especially in transition. Brynn’s stock price is rising as fast as this standout can run the floor. With Roosevelt graduating about 26% of their scoring, look for Price’s role to increase and she’ll surely build on her 9.0 PPG from last season.
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Sam Darnell
Sam
Darnell
5'9" | CG
Windsor | 2023
State
CO
– Windsor – 2023 – 5’8″
- Coaches cringe when a Eurostep is misofficiated. The change in direction off of the pivot foot might look awkward, but it’s very effective and completely legal as long as the ball is released before the lifted pivot foot returns to the ground. Hopefully officials do their homework so that reffing Darnell doesn’t throw them off. Count her buckets that were incorrectly waived off yesterday and Darnell is one of the event’s leading scorers. The kid can attack the basket.
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Penley Park
Penley
Park
5'10" | CG
Fort Collins | 2024
State
CO
– Fort Collins – 2024 – 5’11”
- This sophomore concocts shooting plus a strong love for the game. Mix in that height and Park eclipses other stars. Park is a big reason the Lambkins will be risers this season.
In watching the JUCO Jamboree after the high schoolers finished up, I was MOTIVATED by the talent and energy in the building. There are so many JUCO players who could start in Division II or higher. For any prospects who want to play great basketball, affordably, with really good coaching, check out the region’s JUCO circuit.
There are at least ten other high school prospects who stood out so watch for Part Two this week!