The Exclusive: 14U-16U Standouts from Day 3
Three days of great travel basketball featuring some of the premier AAU squads across the Midwest and the nation culminated on Sunday as the final day of The Exclusive took place at three venues across the Chicago area. M14 Hoops…
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Continue ReadingThree days of great travel basketball featuring some of the premier AAU squads across the Midwest and the nation culminated on Sunday as the final day of The Exclusive took place at three venues across the Chicago area.
M14 Hoops Academy, the Illinois Basketball Academy and Supreme Courts were those venues. With the event being part of the NCAA’s live period, it also gave plenty of standouts an opportunity to impress in front of college coaches they hope will eventually bestow upon them offers.
Without further adieu, here is a look at those from the 2024, 2025 and 2026 classes that closed out their respective tournament with a bang.
KJ Saccaro – 2024 – New Trier HS – Full Package 2024 Black – A team’s chances of winning are OK with KJ. The Chicago area has a history of being a hotbed for girls basketball talent and Saccaro is no exception to that rule. She is a proficient 3-point shooter and also shines as a ball handler. Hard-nosed defense is another hallmark to Saccaro’s overall game as well. She also is not afraid of contact which can place her at the free throw line. Some of her noteworthy performances this weekend include a 12-point outing against Team Firstep 2024 on Saturday and a 15-point effort in a win over P.L.U.T.O. Prospects 2024 on Sunday.
Abigail Walsh – 2024 – Loyola Academy – Full Package 2024 Black – Listed at 5-foot-11, she is one of the many tall players on the Full Package 2024 Black roster as five are 5-foot-11 or taller. Walsh has also ran cross country throughout her athletic career and those attributes can translate seamlessly to the basketball arena. Walsh understands that as a frontcourt player that primarily plays at the four that she will draw contact which means she will have plenty of free throw opportunities. She also knows that it will create plenty of chances for her to convert on high percentage shots and make critical defensive plays. She had 12 points in a Sunday morning win over P.L.U.T.O. Prospects 2024 on Sunday.
Ciara McMahon – 2024 – Rolling Meadows HS – Full Package 2024 Black – At times, a 5-foot-6 guard on a team with plenty of height may be an unusual look in the eyes of a typical basketball onlooker. But McMahon’s play in the backcourt can set things up for those tall players on a roster that fields more frontcourt players than backcourt players. McMahon can corral steals and also get out in transition. She is a skilled 3-point shooter and can showcase how versatile she is as a defender. In her team’s final game of The Exclusive, she managed 10 points and was only called for one personal foul in a win over P.L.U.T.O. Prospects 2024.
Grace Minihane – 2024 – Colorado Springs Christian – P.L.U.T.O. Prospects 2024 – Minihane is one of two representatives from the Lions that make up the P.L.U.T.O. Prospects 2024 roster. One of many on that guard-heavy roster, she is a table-setter for her team. She will shoot from long range in addition to an ability to absorb contact and find her way to the free throw line. Minihane is listed at 5-foot-9 – only two players on the P.L.U.T.O. Prospects 2024 squad are taller. She finished her Chicago weekend with an 11-point performance in a matchup against Full Package 2024 Black. Minihane was a key player on a Lions team that finished with a 20-5 mark in 2021-22.
Sania Jenkins – 2024 – Narrabeen Sports Academy – P.L.U.T.O. Prospects 2024 – Jenkins is the lone representative of Narrabeen Sports Academy listed on the P.L.U.T.O. Prospects 2024 roster. She adds dimensions of length, height and athleticism to any team whose colors she is sporting. Jenkins also adds a knack for putting crooked numbers on the scoreboard and sometimes that number is three with how dangerous she can be from behind the 3-point arc. Combine the emphasis she puts on defense with that height and length and she is tough to dribble around and hard to score on. Jenkins did score 19 points in a contest with Full Package 2024 Black to close out her team’s weekend.
Destini McAllister – 2024 – John Hardin HS – Team Firstep 2024 – Whether it was the first step, second step, third step or any other after that, McAllister made all of the right steps throughout the weekend in Chicago. Look out for her defensively when dribbling the ball as she is a ball hawk and will look to go the other way in transition with the rock. When the leather is in her hands, McAllister can drive to the rim with speed and quickness and can also drain a good number of 3-pointers. She scored 17 points in a thrilling 48-40 victory over Wisconsin Blizzard 2024 Hawley on the final day of the tournament.
Payton Grenzer – 2024 – New Holstein HS – Wisconsin Blizzard 2024 Hawley – Being a paint presence is something a coach can instill in a five. Being a 6-foot-2 paint presence is something that simply comes natural. Defensively, she can come up with steals as well as blocked shots. Grenzer presents matchup problems in the interior as she wins plenty of rebounding battles and those that occur on the offensive end can turn into two-point putbacks. She can also seemingly come in from out of nowhere and corral boards. Grenzer led her team late Sunday morning against Kentucky-based Team Firstep 2024 with 13 points.
Jaida Walker – 2024 – Roosevelt HS – Minnesota Diamond Elite 2024 McMillan/Massey – Walker enables any team she is on to make a run. And sometimes those teams are not playing basketball but soccer which is the other sport she has excelled in. She particularly can put points on the board from behind the 3-point line and from the free throw line. Walker is listed at 5-foot-2 but plays with a fearless attitude. She played an integral role in the Teddies’ 2021-22 season that saw them finish with a 17-7 record. On Sunday, she finished her weekend in Chicago with a 19-point performance in hard-fought contest with Team Firstep 2024.
Macy Menendez – 2026 – All Saints Catholic Academy – M14 Hoops 2026 Rising 3SSB – Macy Menendez means more wins for any team she is on. M14 Hoops 2026 Rising 3SSB played two games on Sunday and it got started on the correct foot with an emphatic 47-23 victory over Minnesota Diamond Elite 2026 Turner. When Menendez has the ball behind the 3-point line, there is a good chance she will take it and a good chance she will make it. She is listed as a 5-foot-3 shooting guard and possesses a great deal of upside. She only had two fouls called against her and scored 11 points in the early Sunday victory.
Quinn Arundel – 2026 – Saint Alexander – EBA Ice 2026 – Arundel previously ran on the grassroots circuit with Chicago Force. That travel organization’s loss translated into a net gain for EBA Ice 2026. Arundel can put points on the board at any given time whether it is from 3-point range or by driving to the rim. She is explosive with the ball in her hands and is difficult to contain when she gets a full head of steam. Arundel is a ball hawk who can corral steals, makes efficient passes and can gather her own rebound in case of a miss. She concluded her tournament with a 14-point effort in a victory over M14 Hoops 2026 Rising 3SSB.
Addison Schilb – 2026 – Wredling MS – M14 Hoops 2026 Rising 3SSB – Basketball is not the only sport Schilb has made waves in as she has also competed in cross country events throughout her career. She is quick to the rim and can make her free throws after she draws contact. Schilb is a tough hard-nosed player who can take more than her fair share of hard hits. She plays with a high basketball IQ, can cut through defenses to the rim, delivers all-out hustle plays and battles for rebounds. If her play could be described in one word, that would probably be “hustle.” She tallied 10 points for M14 Hoops 2026 Rising 3SSB in a contest with EAB Ice 2026 to close out her Exclusive tournament schedule.
Julia Gamboa – 2024 – Loyola Academy – Full Package 2024 Neon – Gamboa finished her tournament schedule on the right foot via a 10-point outing in a matchup with Fusion Basketball Academy 2024 Clifton. In that matchup, she also managed to stay out of foul trouble as she only had one personal called against her for the game. Gamboa is listed at 5-foot-7 and has established herself as an all-around playmaker for any team whose colors she is wearing. Gamboa can find herself at the right place at the right time on many an occasion on the court and she will also draw contact and get to the free throw line.
Chrissana Rose – 2024 – Bloomington HS – Fusion Basketball Academy 2024 Clifton – This Rose is in full bloom at Bloomington. She is one of two listed on the Fusion Basketball Academy 2024 Clifton roster currently at either six feet or more. Rose will bolster a team’s offensive output with what she does in the painted area. She played in 22 games during the 2021-22 season for the Purple Raiders. Rose also presents plenty of problems for opponents on the defensive side with her ability to grab steals and she will corral plenty of rebounds as a frontcourt force. She had 10 points to close out The Exclusive when her team took on Full Package 2024 Neon.
Kaylie Carr – 2025 – W.T. White HS – Team Stay Ready 2024 – Carr is playing up a class as a 2025 and is also assuming team captaincy duties as a Longhorn. She puts plenty of emphasis on her abilities as a ball handler. That can translate into a talent for driving to the basket, weaving her way through defenders en route to the rack. At times, those drive will result in Carr absorbing contact from a defender and getting to the free throw line. Carr led her team with nine points in the final matchup at M14 Hoops Academy in a thrilling 42-40 Team Stay Ready 2024 victory over Team Wisconsin 2024 Select Noll.
McKenna Shipman – 2024 – Colfax HS – Team Wisconsin 2024 Select Noll – Shipman is a multi-sport athlete who has also competed in softball and volleyball in addition to what she does as a basketball player. Shipman contributes stifling defense where she can steal the ball if an opposing team makes a miscue. She is a consistent threat to post a double-double on a game by game basis with how well she can score and how she can haul in rebounds. Shipman also possesses a 3-point shot as part of her overall athletic arsenal and she can get out in transition along with finding her way to the free throw line. In the final M14 Hoops Academy matchup as part of The Exclusive, she scored 21 points – 17 in the second half of an exciting game against Team Stay Ready 2024.