Bixby Invitational: All-Tourney Team
In this article:
Last weekend I spent three days watching some of the best teams in Oklahoma play and over the next few days I’m going to tell you all about it. To begin with I am going to name my own tournament…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingLast weekend I spent three days watching some of the best teams in Oklahoma play and over the next few days I’m going to tell you all about it. To begin with I am going to name my own tournament team. Yes, the tournament itself did name their own all-tourney team, but to be honest, I don’t agree with all of the players they picked. I fully understand that the coaches/administrators who are picking were not able to see every minute of every game like I was and therefore I would never question how or why they chose someone. I will however tell you the five players who should have been chosen in my opinion. As far as criteria go, I chose based on not only points scored, but on how well the player worked with their team to try to win, sportsmanship, being a good representative of their school, work on the defensive end, coachability, unselfishness, etc. Important things that a scout should always look for.
Without further ado… here they are, beginning with the MVP of the tournament!
MVP:
Laci Steele Laci Steele 5'10" | SF Edmond North | 2023 State OK | 5-11 G/F | Edmond North | 2023 | @LaciSteele2023
At this point, it may be easier to list the Division-I schools that haven’t offered our No. 1 player in the class of 2023. She proved this week why she is No. 1 with all of her skills on full display as coaches from around the country popped in and out of Bixby to see and be seen by her. Laci won the actual MVP award of the tournament and I didn’t disagree, though some case could be made for the next player that we’ll talk about who was the only player who outscored her. That being said, Steele averaged 21 points per game and was definitely no slouch in the “buckets” department. As one coach in the stands told me, there isn’t a player in Oklahoma who can hit the mid-range shot like she can. She just gets buckets. More critical than that though, is the fact that she goes from that mid-range area to the boards when she (or anyone else shoots) and uses her outstanding athleticism to secure a massive amount of rebounds. She came into the tournament averaging a double-double (points & rebounds) and although I did not officially keep rebound stats, I have no doubt that she got double-digits in every game that I watched. There is just nobody else like Laci. Defensively she checks all of the boxes. Offensively, clearly the same. Great teammate. Coachable. Everything you could ask for. The definition of a Most Valuable Player.
All-Tourney:
Taleyah Jones Taleyah Jones 5'8" | CG Broken Arrow | 2022 State OK | 5-8 SG | Broken Arrow | 2022 | @Taleyah_swish
Remember the player that I told you outscored probably the best player in the state over the course of the weekend? That would be Taleyah Jones Taleyah Jones 5'8" | CG Broken Arrow | 2022 State OK . She was absolutely on fire! The crazy thing was, it wasn’t just scoring a ton of buckets, it was scoring a ton of buckets when her team needed it most. Perhaps instead of Taleya Swish, the future UT-Arlington star should be nicknamed Taleyah Clutch! In the first game of the tournament, Taleyah hit some massive three-pointers to lead her squad back from down double-digits to defeat a very good Edmond Memorial squad. She scored a total of 87 points in three games with 31 points against both No. 1 Edmond North and No. 3 Bixby. When I tell you that Taleyah is an absolute scoring star, she is a straight-up bucket, ya’ll – believe me! She is long for a 5’8″ player and does a good job of securing rebounds. She is also the senior leader for her squad and having watched her play for a few years now, I can tell you that she has definitely developed into a leader for this team that is young and getting better and better as the season goes. As Jones gets more and more comfortable with what she can do on the court, I feel sorry for the teams facing the Tigers later this season. There are going to be some HUGE scoring outputs in her future. Guaranteed!
Baylor Franz Baylor Franz 5'6" | PG Edmond Memorial | 2023 State OK | 5-6 G | Edmond Memorial | 2023 | @BaylorFranz
Franz is our No. 9-ranked player in the class of 2023 for a reason. Speaking of reason, I can’t figure out any reason at all that she was not on the “official” all-tournament team. I’m at a complete loss. Not that most of the players named didn’t deserve it – don’t get me wrong – but, Franz was one of the most dynamic players that I saw the entire tournament. The third-leading scorer overall, she averaged 17 points per game and was almost unstoppable at times; finishing at the rim or stepping out and hitting huge three-pointers, she was just on a whole other level. Baylor is a leader on the floor. She is talkative and encouraging and a definite leader, despite only being a junior. Franz was one of the most outstanding passers that I saw all weekend and I feel terrible that she wasn’t able to be honored in person. It was nice to see several coaches in the building to watch her, both D-I and D-II, and knowing that she has so much interest from coaches who understand her immense talent makes things a little better. Baylor is a tremendous all-around scorer and I wouldn’t be at all surprised – seeing as how she is only a junior – to see even more offers coming in over the course of the year.
Gentry Baldwin Gentry Baldwin 5'5" | PG Bixby | 2023 State OK | 5-5 PG | Bixby | 2023 | @GentryBaldwin
I have always known about Baldwin’s talent. I have written about her extensively. I even talked to several coaches in attendance who mentioned that they were looking for point guards in the 2023 class. But, on Saturday evening I saw a new Gentry that I hadn’t really seen before. With one of Bixby’s biggest stars unable to play, Gentry was thrust into more of a scoring role and it was a revelation. I knew she could shoot it, but seeing her slash like she did, especially in the championship game against a team the caliber of Edmond North was a sight to behold. Baldwin averaged 15 per game in the tournament and actually had her highest point output against Edmond North with 16. As far as her defense goes, the only players who scored in double digits in the championship game for the Huskies were forwards or post players. With her effort defensively, she not only helped to disrupt the flow of things as much as possible, but she also held her (Division-I caliber) opponent to one of her lowest point outputs of the tournament. I have said it before and I stand by it, Gentry Baldwin Gentry Baldwin 5'5" | PG Bixby | 2023 State OK can play point guard at the Division-I level. I will not back down from that.
Elle Papahronis Elle Papahronis 5'11" | SF Edmond North | 2023 State OK | 5-11 G/F | Edmond North | 2023 | @EllePapahronis
Speaking of well-rounded players, Elle had it all on display this tournament. Like Baldwin, she averaged 15 per game. She had her highest scoring output early in the tournament while shooting the lights out from long range and getting to the rim with outstanding handles and the ability to finish with either hand. In the second game, she still scored, but her passing and rebounding were on full display as she helped lead her team to a huge win over then No. 1 (5A) Sapulpa. In the final game, though her scoring output wasn’t as high, she racked up the assists, steals, and blocks. It’s no wonder that Papahronis has multiple D-I offers from some very good schools. She can seriously do it all. Add in the fact that she has an extremely high basketball IQ to go along with her height and length and I need to say that I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see our No. 8-ranked junior in the state see a few more offers coming in before too long. Papahronis is a tremendous player on the best team in the state and the second on our All-Tournament team from No. 1 Edmond North.