PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Just when you think it’s safe to call an end to the holidays here come Blue Star with another gift to extend the season of giving just a little longer. The 11th version of the Blue Star Elite Invitational Tournament set a new standard for single day events within the context of the scholastic season that may well be tough to top. A collection of 28 teams and 14 games were on display Sunday on the campus of Jefferson University in the City of Brotherly Love. While the event had a distinct regional flair to its make up, it’s hard to deny the national influence represented in the line-up. Nationally ranked teams, USA Basketball representatives (On the court and on the bench), nationally ranked players, a bevy of college signees and verbal commitments as well as a “who’s who” among evaluators and media. No matter your perspective, the bang for your buck in Philly was a far better deal than the new tax reform coming out of D.C.
With two courts running simultaneously throughout the day 14 games kept the stands full of fans and the recruiters and evaluators busy on the sidelines. When all was said and done the average margin of victory across the board was just 10.5 points per game and included a triple overtime thriller and another single OT contest just to keep things interesting. Only six games saw margins in double figures so the overall action was even closer than the numbers indicate. The banner below contains the match-ups and results for all the action from Sunday’s showcase.
Making the event even more special was the two divisions bearing the names of long time contributors on the girls basketball front in southeastern Pennsylvania. Nancy Dougherty, who passed away in 2016, and Jim Munn who was lost a year earlier were honored with competition brackets in their names as well as the individual game MVP awards. Family members were on hand for both to present recipients with their award and remind those on hand of the extensive contributions over the years of two very special individuals. Below are those athletes recognized following each of the contests Sunday on the campus of Jefferson University.
Of course, with good competition there’s going to be some promising prospects on the floor and Sunday’s rosters weren’t lacking in that department either. We were kept busy bouncing back and forth between the two floors throughout the day and got a chance to see some strong efforts from established talent as well as some emerging athletes beginning to force coaches to take a closer look. Below are some thoughts on what we saw as well as a reminder that they’re in alphabetical order and indicate nothing more than the fact that they caught our eye when we were on their floor Sunday. No doubt we didn’t “see them all” but, as always, we’ll will look forward to the chance to see them again down the road.
Abaigeal Babore – 2020 – 5-5 – Point Guard – Paul VI (NJ) – Young point…Game outweighs stats at this point…Feisty with some skills…Not shy at all…Mixes up speed and direction with good reads out of her moves…Ballskills are there…Has possibilities
Diamond Bragg – 2018 – 5-8 – Guard – Camp Hill – Wisconsin signee…Physically strong with the ball in her hands…Looks to create her own options…Ability is there to go coast to coast…Relies on the dribble too much at times…Has a good awareness on the floor…Has the tools to be a strong on ball defender…Well suited for the college game with more consistency
Alexa Brodie – 2019 – 5-6 – Point Guard – Central Bucks South – Continues to advance her established game…Ball skills and basketball IQ make her a threat on the catch…Pushes the ball at opportunity…Has deceiving strength for slight build…Hesitation gets defenders out of their stance…Willing to take it into traffic among the bigs…Floater was in fine form…On ball defense could become more assertive
Rose Caverly – 2018 – 5-9 – Guard – Red Bank Catholic – Solid build in the backcourt…Brings energy to the offensive attack…Ballhandling and passing are well honed…Utilizes a change of speed well…Looking to attack on the catch…Could use a little more cushion on her close outs
Mimi Collins – 2018 – 6-3 – Forward/Post – Paul VI (Va.) – Tennessee signee – Continues to play more and more confidently…Consistently looking to make plays and to create her own more often…Establishing interior presence more effectively while still being a threat from the high post or trail spot…Appears to be focused on her rebounding efforts and battling for better position…Seeing the floor defensively
Maggie Connolly – 2018 – 5-8 – Guard – Ursuline Academy – Bound for Princeton…Lean guard with skills and instincts…Ballhandling serves her well and gets her deep in the paint…Will over-dribble at times…Deceptively quick…Strong hesitation move with head or shot fake…Good reads and understanding of defenders and rotations…Strength will have to evolve to assist on the defensive end more at the next level
Leilani Correa – 2019 – 6-0 – Guard – Rutgers Prep – Smooth, fluid guard with size…Confident with the ball in her hands…Can develop her own looks…Effective in traffic with elevation and clean views of the rim…Changes up her speed…Acceleration with the ball is deceptive at times…Will go left but still uses right hand near the rim…Length and footspeed give her strong defensive tools to work with…Playing well with room to grow
Promise Cunningham – 2019 – 5-10 – Guard – National Christian – Picked up where she left off at the Title IX Classic…Becoming more and more active in making herself an option…Confidence is showing more and more on the catch…Can knock it down with time on the perimeter but takes it into traffic equally as well…Will rush on occasion with pressure…Has some strength that could become an asset to a greater degree on the defensive end
Amaya Douglas – 2020 – 6-0 – Wing/Forward – Westtown – Active and aggressive…Looking to make plays…Can get to the rim…Handles contact off the drive…Elevated in traffic…Has made big strides and appears to be making more…Will put a body on someone defensively
Maura Hendrixson – 2018 – 5-8 – Guard – Cardinal O’Hara – Drexel signee…Not flashy but very effective backcourt threat…Can put it on the floor to a degree but also showed off some three point range…Has the tools and IQ to make the most of the options in front of her…Played with consistency…Aggressive defender at times…Simply made plays
Ja’Niah Henson – 2019 – 5-3 – Point Guard – Roland Park – Continued good play she showed before the holiday…Quick and attacking with the ball…Mixes up speed and direction well…Keeps her dribble off the hesitation move…Gets to the rim with ease…Has shown more of a floater in past performances…Makes plays regardless of defender…Shot selection has its moments…Active on ball defender
Jabria Ingram – 2018 – 5-8 – Guard – Neumann-Goretti – Aggressive and strong…One of the rare “power” guards…Looking to set up teammates more…Creating passes as well as shots…No reservations about going into traffic and taking on the opposing bigs…Perimeter consistency will be a necessity to keep defenders honest and closing out…Made plays
KiKi Jefferson – 2019 – 6-1 – Swing – Lancaster Catholic – Established profile continues to expand…Athletic and attacking with size…Making plays both in the halfcourt and transition…Gets out with speed and then exploits with size…Slashes into traffic then elevates…Ballskills allow her to handle it herself on the break…Uses same length and agility on the defensive end of the floor…Tools are there to be an impact defender in any scheme…Only upside for an already top tier performer
Stefanie Kulesza – 2021 – 6-0 – Swing – Conrad School of Science – Versatile #4 with the tools to move out to the wing…Plays with strength and aggressiveness…Makes herself an option running the floor and off cuts…Ballhandling is sound for age and position…Finishes well with contact and isn’t hesitant about taking it into traffic…Anticipates well defensively on the weakside of the floor…Looks to get on the glass
Josiah Lacey – 2020 – 6-1 – Forward/Wing – Westtown – Length and athleticism…Looks physically stronger just from the summer…Active and agile on both ends of the floor…First step appears longer and quicker…Perimeter touch is there but consistency will need to evolve…Same physical tools on offense serve her well defensively…Did a nice job on a challenging match up…Got on the offensive glass
Alisha Lewis – 2019 – 5-8 – Point Guard – Long Island Lutheran – Smart, skilled and still improving…Georgia Tech verbal seems to be attacking more…Keeping defenders guessing…Sharp passes are coming in the face of defensive rotations…Looking for her own as a means of keeping defenders more honest…Acceleration off ball screens is deceiving…Can turn a corner and get to the rim…Measured defender who picks her spots
Dara Mabrey – 2018 – 5-7 – Point Guard – Manasquan – Virginia Tech signee…Playing with a target on her back…Competes on every pass of every possession…Quick to attack on the catch…Looking to get to the rim at every opportunity…Started slow but found her stride as the game went on…Efficient in traffic for size…Has shot the perimeter more productively in previous efforts…Quick and aggressive on the ball defensively…Always looking to make plays
Molly Masciantonio – 2018 – 5-10 – Guard – Archbishop Carroll – Solid senior guard…Confident and skilled with the ball in her hands…Smart…Change of direction allows her to create off the drive…Good form with some range…Pull up is there as well…Read some passing options in halfcourt and transition…Understands her gaps on defense
Faith Masonius – 2019 – 6-1 – Forward – Manasquan – Tough outing…Opponents challenged her at every step…Foul issues as well…Stayed “in the game” while on the bench…Had some flashes however…Will find ways to contribute on challenging nights…Won’t back down…Physical play is never a problem…Handles contact offensively and dishes it out defensively…Understands the game…Becoming more and more vocal
Katie May – 2018 – 5-10 – Guard – Archbishop Wood – Northeastern signee…Smart, well thought play…Understands her role…Sees the floor on the catch…Can deliver the ball to the posts with pressure…Sound ballhandling but upright at times…Active with vision defensively
Destiny McPhaul – 2021 – 5-7 – Guard – West Catholic – Athletic young guard…Can play #1 or #2…Left hander…Has plenty of speed with the ball in her hands…Decent stroke is there…Sound strength for her age…Keep watching
Elle Mitchell – 2019 – 6-0 – Forward – Georgetown Visitation – Decent size and strength…Plays an active and occasionally physical game…Cuts hard to make herself an option within offensive sets…Form is there on shot but everything appears “compact” and tight…Drifts a little on her mid range look…Has some tools
Olivia Mullins – 2020 – 5-10 – Guard – Rutgers Prep – Athletic combo…Nice ballskills…Acceleration is there to create and improve both shots and passes…Played with a protective flak jacket…Nice speed and size in the backcourt…Improvement is obvious and potential for more is a given
Ashley Owusu – 2019 – 5-11 – Guard – Paul VI (Va.) – Maryland verbal…Dominant performance…Over 20 in the first half alone…Scored off penetration and posting up…Avoided cramps that plagued her last week…Willing to work for the ball but just as quick to give it up to another option…Uses her strength and aggressive play to create looks off the drive or going up in traffic…Almost impossible to guard one on one…Has strong moments defensively as well as on the glass…Playing some of her best basketball
Lauren Park-Lane – 2019 – 5-5 – Point Guard – Sanford School – Dynamic and attacking at the point…Plenty of speed with the ball…Provides time to calculate her attack…Reads the floor and defenders coming off ball screens…Not hesitant to take it among the bigs…Pushes from make, miss and turnover…Assertive with both hands and feet defensively…Makes plays on both ends of the floor
Naomi Pierce – 2020 – 6-2 – Forward – Paul VI (NJ) – Lots of length and athleticism…Wiry build at this point…Active on both ends of the floor…Agility is there with and without the ball…A work in progress with considerable promise…Has the tools to be a presence on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball
Katie Rice – 2018 – 5-11 – Wing – Red Bank Catholic – Signed with Lehigh…Aware and active…Plays with effort…Can put it on the floor to a degree…Skill set allows her to contribute in multiple ways…Shot has it’s issues but she remains a threat with time…No reservations about taking it into traffic or handling physical helpside…Basketball version of the “utility player”(That’s actually a compliment!)
Tamiah Robinson – 2020 – 5-7 – Point Guard – West Catholic – Impressive young point…Good athleticism combines with developing skills…Wingspan is there for someone her size…Fluid with the ball in her hands…Reads the floor…Good choices on passes of penetration…Works well in traffic…Change of speed serves her well…Active hands and feet defensively…Just scratching the surface
Elle Stauffer – 2020 – 5-10 – Wing/Guard – Germantown Academy – Evolving perimeter presence…Plays smart and instinctive…Tools are there to create both shots and passes…Narrow base on her jumper but the form is sound…Deceiving shot fake and solid ballskills get her into the paint and traffic…Could use some additional strength on the defensive end of the floor
Celeste Taylor – 2019 – 5-11 – Guard – Long island Lutheran – Texas verbal – Continues her dominant play in the backcourt…Scoring in a multitude of ways…Showed off range but utilized the quick pull up as well…Elevation is there on her jumper whether deep or off the pull up…Focus is sharp and assertive attack catches defenders on their heels at times…Shot selection still has its moments…Reads and anticipates defensively
Izzy Treon – 2019 – 5-10 – Wing – Central Bucks West – Active and efficient…Made multiple plays attacking the rim…Better athlete than first impression…Not afraid to mix it up…Played with energy on both ends…Not going to catch your eye at first but is going to make some plays
Olivia Tucker – 2019 – 5-8 – Guard – Sanford School – Legitimate three point threat…Understands spacing and how to make herself an option…Needs little time to get it off and has plenty of range…Deceptive first step is costly to defenders underestimating her attack off the dribble…Good feeling for the game
Jackie Vargas – 2020 – 6-2 – Forward/Post – Upper Dublin – Size, build and athleticism…Continues steady growth in her game…Lefty…Knows what she’s looking for and becoming more assertive in looking for it…Gets big and utilizes her reach when looking for the ball…Takes good angles in posting on the block…Good hands…Can read and finish on the catch…Length and wingspan serve her well on defense
Kylee Watson – 2020 – 6-3 – Post – Mainland Regional – Established prospect still effective on a tough night…Plays with effort that allows her to make plays on both ends…Uses her frame and strength more and more efficiently…Gets out and runs the floor on the break…Active with and without the ball…Perimeter shot continues to evolve and shows evidence of focus and repetitions towards eventual refinement
Taylor Webster – 2020 – 5-10 – Guard/Wing – Georgetown Visitation – Some size with solid athleticism…Good strength…Can put it on the floor to improve her own options…First step is quick…Plays with lots of energy on both ends of the floor…Has plenty of promise to develop further
JaN’yiah Whittlesey – 2021 – 6-3 – Post – Conrad School of Science – Has size and frame…Eye-catching wingspan…Post hard and holds her ground…Impressive hands pull in some errant passes…Works hard on both ends…Handled contact on the catch…Showed the ability to finish near the rim…Needs to face up more consistently further away from the rim to see both passing and scoring options
