Memorial Day Classic: Standouts
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After a last-minute change in schedules, I found myself watching games from home this past weekend. While that isn’t always ideal, it did allow me to watch some teams I hadn’t yet gotten to see via livestream. One of the…
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Continue ReadingAfter a last-minute change in schedules, I found myself watching games from home this past weekend. While that isn’t always ideal, it did allow me to watch some teams I hadn’t yet gotten to see via livestream. One of the tournaments I found myself continuously going back to was IE’s Memorial Day Classic in Charlotte. It was loaded with talented players and teams, and definitely made for an entertaining weekend. Here are some of the players that stood out to me in the games I was able to watch.
Darriana Alexander Darriana Alexander 6'1" | CG Cincinnati Purcell Marian | 2025 State OH | Class of 2025 | WV Thunder 17U
Dee Alexander was just ranked as the #2 player in the nation (per ESPNw HoopGurlz Rankings) and if you watch her play, it takes less than a second to see why. She’s got one of the most smooth games I’ve seen. Paired with excellent length and athleticism, she can flat out play with anyone and it’s easy to see why I’ve seen so many people argue that she should be the top player in her class. She finishes shots that look impossible to finish. She makes finishing through contact look easy. She runs the floor. And despite being able to score essentially any time she wants to, she is the furthest thing from selfish. She is constantly distributing and creating for her teammates. She plays great defense, she rebounds, and she plays hard. She’s got all of the tools and she’s showcasing them at the highest level.
Timberlynn Yeast Timberlynn Yeast 5'8" | SF Mercer County | 2023 State KY | Class of 2023 | WV Thunder 17U
Yeast is one of those players that could score zero points and still really impress you. For starters, she is a phenomenal defender. She’s a lockdown on-ball defender and she’s an active defender off the ball. She stays ready to step over and help, but she’s also always ready to jump out into the passing lanes and come up with steals. She can really guard just about any position. Yeast is a strong rebounder as well. Offensively, she is just as versatile and a great decision maker. She seemed to always make the right pass and she threw some absolute dimes in the process. She can score at all 3 levels, but she’s always willing to make the extra pass. Yeast will be an absolute steal for whatever college eventually lands the 2023 prospect.
Kaylee Carson Kaylee Carson 5'8" | PG Independence | 2024 State NC | Class of 2024 | Team Curry 16U
Carson has excellent speed and quickness, but her knack for putting the ball in the basket is special. She has excellent fakes and she utilized them perfectly. She was getting to the basket at-will and made some nice, shifty finishes. However, her pull-up jumpers also proved to be hard to stop. She can pull-up from anywhere on the court and she can finish with a hand in her face or over defenders. Carson can knock the 3 down from deep range as well. Her ability to finish through contact just adds to her versatility. Despite being a great scoring threat, she actually runs the offense and is a consistent playmaker for her squad. She has excellent court vision and she just makes stuff happen. Really, really phenomenal as a defender as well.
Shaelyn Steele Shaelyn Steele 5'5" | PG Russell | 2024 State KY | Class of 2024 | WV Thunder 16U
Steele had a fantastic sophomore season and she’s only gotten better in the few months since. She’s got a really high basketball IQ and constantly makes impressive plays. She shoots the ball at a really high percentage from deep, but she makes excellent drives as well. She gets to the hoop and finds ways to finish. She isn’t afraid of contact and she finishes really well through it. Something that’s always stuck out to me in Steele’s game is her rebounding abilities. She does a great job crashing the boards and she sees the floor to know where she needs to go grab them. She’s a really good defender both on and off the ball as well. Steele plays so hard and it’s hard to find any major weaknesses in her game
Kyera Thornsbury Kyera Thornsbury 5'7" | SG Pikeville | 2024 State KY | Class of 2024 | ETA Thunder 2023 Campos
Thornsbury is one of the most tough all-around players in this state in my opinion. She’s versatile and can do just about anything at a high caliber. She can score at all 3 levels and she makes it hard for the defense to predict what she’s going to do next. She can get into the paint or all the way to the hoop where she can finish tough buckets on players double her height. Thornsbury makes great cuts, she finds the gaps, and she throws some really good passes. She can also create for teammates and she recognizes where they are on the court. Defensively, she slides her feet well and can get multiple steals in any given game. She crashes the board and is a really solid rebounder as well.