River City Run: Day-1 17U Frontline Standouts
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The featured image is of Amy Thompson Amy Thompson 6'1" | SF Whitefield Academy | 2023 State KY (2023) of the Whitefield Academy (KY) and Kentucky Ice Select 17U. Saturday morning the PGH River City Run kicked off in Louisville,…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Amy Thompson Amy Thompson 6'1" | SF Whitefield Academy | 2023 State KY (2023) of the Whitefield Academy (KY) and Kentucky Ice Select 17U.
Saturday morning the PGH River City Run kicked off in Louisville, Kentucky, with 15 teams participating in the 17U division. I am working to cover all 15 of those teams and based on the teams I was able to see Saturday, below is a look at five frontline players who I felt stood out in the time I was able to see them.
Amy Thompson
Amy
Thompson
6'1" | SF
Whitefield Academy | 2023
State
KY
, 2023, 6-0 CF, Whitefield Academy (KY)
– Amy has a solid frame, really nice length, and she plays with a good motor. Defensively, she is probably more of a ’4’, but she is highly skilled offensively, like a bigger wing. She has an accurate perimeter shot and made several jumpers on the day, she has a solid handle and can push it in transition at times, and she has great vision and can make passes through tight windows that most guards don’t even see or can’t make on time/on target.
Carrie Rhodes, 2023, 5-11 PF, Parkersburg South H.S. (WV)
– The team Carrie is playing for seems to have several new players, so I’m not sure if she’s rostered or filling in, but she was extremely active and impressive. She has a lot of length, wiry strength, and a really nice motor. She pursued any/all rebounds, she was physical on the interior, and she could defend inside or out. Offensively, she was good in the mid-post, and she scored it consistently around the block, whether on putbacks or post-moves.
Ma’kiya West
Ma’kiya
West
5'11" | SF
Louisville Male | 2023
State
KY
, 2023, 5-11 PF, Louisville Male (KY)
– Ma’Kiya is another very active and athletic front-liner, she has a strong frame, and she affects the game at both ends of the floor. She plays with a nice motor, and she is a physical rebounder who does a nice job of timing rebounds by getting inside of opponents and seeking first contact. She has good hands, finishes well at the basket, but she also showed some touch in the mid-post and the ability to put it on the floor two or three dribbles productively.
Lily Jordan
Lily
Jordan
6'0" | PF
Morgantown | 2024
State
WV
, 2024, 6-0 PF, Morgantown H.S. (WV)
– Lily absolutely looks the part, with an athletically strong frame, broad shoulders, and nice length. She runs the floor well, has some bounce to her, but I was also intrigued by her inside-out game. Of the game I saw, she spent much of it in the mid-post, knocking down 15-foot jumpers, pursuing rebounds, and defending the interior. But over the last third of the game, she handled it more and created offense, plus she buried a trio of long jumpers behind the arc.
Ruby White, 2024, 6-1 C, Eastern Hancock H.S. (IN)
– Saturday was my first time seeing Ruby in action, and she is incredibly intriguing. She has a basketball frame, with great length, and she seems like a fairly fluid athlete who runs the floor well/hard. She flashed solid hands, a little skill in the high-post, plus a good understanding of playing on the block. As she continues to grow her game, she’ll need to get stronger and play a little lower, which should help her finish through contact inside.