3rd Annual BallN Powher Prep Baker’s Dozen

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The 3^rd Annual BallN Powher Prep Invite Tournament kicked off its three day event hosted by Faulkner University with teams from Florida, Georgia, Mississippi , and various locations across Alabama.  Some, no, a lot of the region’s top talent was on display.  One of the local teams, The Lady Generals of Lee (Montgomery), was eventually crowned the tournaments champion, winning all three of their games.  With that being said, the MVP award was also presented to Lee’s Tykeria Williams who averaged 28.6 points for the tournament. 

Besides Williams there were other young ladies that put their best foot forward and showcased skills and talents that caught our attention. 

Let’s start with the MVP, 2016 5-6 CG Tykeria Williams (Lee-Montgomery).  From the PG position she has nice handles that make it tough for any defender to keep her from getting to the basket off the dribble.  She can direct and run the offense with ease while putting her teammates in the best position to be successful.  From the shooting guard position she stretches the floor with her three point range and accuracy plus has a nice touch on her mid-range jumper.  When she goes into “scorer” mode she fills it up quickly and often. Williams is a good foul shooter and has quick feet on defensive end of the floor.

Raven Russell, an unsigned senior 5-9 guard (Stanhope-Elmore), is a long, lean slasher type.  She puts it on the floor well and gets to the hoop off the dribble easily.  From the perimeter she’s a good rebounder on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.  Russell defends well with quick foot movement on and off the ball.  She runs the floor well in transition and has a good hustle motor. Solid D-I prospect.

Ty’Quandria Purifoy 2015 5-3 PG (Pine Forest) is small in size, but her heart and game are as big as they come.  There is no doubt who is PF’s team leader.  She conducts and directs the offense with precision making the right pass at the right time.  She also has the green light herself to knock down the long range jumper when defenses fall back in help mode.  Purifoy is fearless in taking it to the bucket up and going over the opposing  team’s  big men.  She’s a good defender, very quick and a firecracker.

Blount High School’s 2016 5-9 PG  Cierra Johnson has all the attributes that embodies the position that she plays.  She has good size for her position and is very athletic.  Johnson is calm, never rattled, and welcomes pressure.  She has good court vision leading to the right play at the right time.  Her shot is perfected from mid-range game out to 20 feet.  The junior can and will get to the basket with authority.  She’s a solid open-court and on the ball defender who’s Smart and very knowledgeable. 

Jasmine Walker, a 6-3 junior Top 25 prospect who plays for Jefferson Davis High School, is an oxymoron. In a good way, of course.  An oxymoron is a combination of contradictory words (cruel kindness, love hate), that don’t go together but, seem to work when they are joined.  A center with three point range and handles… follow me….she handles the ball with point guard precision while spreading the floor and conducting the offense.  Her jumper is smooth and soft.  Walker can get to any spot on the floor using the dribble to create her jumper.  When she’s not hitting the outside shot, she goes inside and uses her post game to be effective.  A good defender and rebounder, she patrols the paint with authority.  The junior is light on her feet, and runs the floor. The ability is there to dominate at both ends.

Jefferson Davis 5-5 junior PG Ahyiona Vason has a shooting guard mind and skill-set.  She’s fast with the dribble,  but can penetrate, stop on a dime and pull up for the nice 12-15 foot jumper.   Not only that, she’s fearless.  If there’s the slightest opening in the middle of the defense she’ll take it to the bucket and challenge the bigs with good success.  When she’s in her zone she mixes in her long-range game.  Vason not only launches the three pointer but, knocks it down with accuracy.  On several occasions she drew a roar from the crowd with her back-to-back treys.  Very quick, she’s an open-court nightmare.  All of this from the PG spot which she handles effectively as well.

Harriet Winchester 2016 5-9 CG (Keith) is a long and lean, do it all guard.  For starters, her handles are tight and she runs the offense with ease.  Winchester conducts the action while putting her teammates in a position to score.  Though she’s a good passer, her strength is putting the ball on the floor and getting to the hoop.  Difficult to stop in the open-floor, she uses her size and body to complete the conventional three-point play off penetration.  A good help defender, her length makes it hard for small guards to pass when being trapped.

Camryn London 2016 5-7 SG (Shades Valley) is a laid back two-guard that has a nice, smooth jumper. She knocks it down with good accuracy and moves well without the ball to get open for her shot.  Her demeanor is to wait for the game to come to her.  However, when she’s aggressive and attacking the basket, which she does well, she puts the defense on their heels making it easier for her to get her shot off.  London has nice handles and is a solid defender. 

Bianca Jackson 2017 5-11 combo guard (Brewbaker Tech) has a basketball bloodline and it shows.  Her frame is long and lean with a good reach.  On the court, she anticipates every move and reacts with cat-like stealthiness.  This allows her to be a step ahead of her opponents.  On offense she has three point range with catch and shoot ability.  Her best asset/strength is putting it on the floor.  When Jackson does this, the game becomes hers.  She knocks down the mid-range jumper effortlessly and when challenged keeps her dribble takes it to the hoop finishing strong or droping the dime to an open teammate. She has the length and desire to be a lockdown defender. Jackson can and will do it all.  a “stat monster”, she’ll fill up every category on the sheet. 

Alexus Dye 2017 6-0 C (Wenonah) is a good forward with a nice upside who plays with her back to the bucket.  She get’s her position down low, keeps the ball high, and protects it from defenders.  Dye has a nice set of turn and shoot action/moves.  Athletic with a high motor, she ran the floor extremely well.  Worth watching to see her promising game evolve.

Unique Thompson a 6-2 post who plays for Faith Academy has an athletic build with long arms. She is a strong presence in the paint at both ends of the court. Thompson is a smart low post defender with the ability to block shots without picking up silly fouls, a trait that plagues many young players.  She moves and runs the floor extremely well while boxing out and hitting the boards at both ends. On the offensive end she’s an effective low post scorer but not afraid to knock down the short jumper as well. The added strength since our last viewing and Thompson’s evolving game points to a tremendous upside. A 2017 prospect, she has the potential to play at a high D-I program.

Daja Woodard 2018 6-1 F/C (Blount) is young, long, lean, and gifted…and just a baby in this game of basketball.  She has nice hops and jumps out of the gym with ease.  You’ve  got to see it to believe it.  Woodward gets good post position and wants the ball.  She’s light on her feet, runs floor with ease.  Also a good defender, she has tremendous upside.  Woodard, with continued development, has the chance to be a high major recruit.

Shatavia Moore 2018 5-9 CG (Keith) is another player that can do it all.  A left, she runs the offense with good decision making anf the ability to deliver the perfect pass to her teammates.  Moore has nice handles plus a nice stroke on a smooth jumper.  She creates her own shot off the dribble, and gets to the hoop when that is taken away.  Moore runs floor well and is a good help defender.  She has all the tools to be a mid to high D-I prospect but only time will tell.

NOTE:  Thanks to contributions by Thaddeus Hammonds of BallN Prep please follow him on Twitter @thadballnprep