PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. – Few players offer the versatility that 2014 guard/forward Taylor Brame can display.
Brame, a member of the Mac Irvin Lady Fire, showed off those skills during the Blue Star Fall Jamboree on Sunday, an individual showcase event held in conjunction with USJN’s Elite Oktoberfest/Battle of the Programs weekend.
Brame is an effective attacker from any spot on the court. At 5-foot-11 with a sturdy frame, she can post up defenders of slighter stature and use her power as the primary weapon. But her ballhandling skills and perimeter shooting mean she can make life difficult for a post defender, too. On Sunday, she spent three games primarily playing the point and off-guard positions.
“That’s mainly what I’m focused on,” she said. “I’m not going to play the 4 and the 5. I just want to show myself and play inside and out. That was my goal was this entire weekend.”
She has less to prove now, though. Brame, ranked 201st nationally by Blue Star, said she’ll soon announce her commitment to SMU, where she visited in August. The Mustangs made a strong push this summer, and Brame noticed the attention.
“I really liked the coaches, the players, just the environment. Everybody was very welcoming,” Brame said. “I could see myself being very successful there.”
She also visited Cincinnati, Ole Miss and Illinois State.
Brame’s impending high school season should offer more chances to shine. She plays for the Illinois Class 4A powerhouse Whitney Young, coming off consecutive state final appearances. Young’s team has a star-studded cast that includes 2015 center Khaalia Hillsman, 2016 prospects Tanita Allen and Madinah Muhammad and 2017 guard Kiara Lewis.
“We have an exceptional team this year,” Brame said. “I think we’re better than last year. We have a lot of individual talents that have been playing together for a long time now. I think we’ll be fine.”
Shepard Shapes Her Future
Brame isn’t alone in offering that combination of size and perimeter skill. The Cornhusker Shooting Stars’ highly regarded Jessica Shepard is a slightly taller version (6-3) of Brame.
Shepard, a 2015 grad ranked 3rd nationally by Blue Star, committed to Nebraska coach Connie Yori’s program before she played a single game in high school. She is a confident ballhandler, entirely unafraid to grab a rebound and immediately lead the fast break herself. Like Brame, she has a solid frame that allows her to play a physical style in the post. Whatever you need, Shepard offers it.
Her commitment to Nebraska two years ago alleviated whatever pressure she felt to perform, and it shows. Shepard was Nebraska’s Gatorade Player of the Year last winter, and she was one of the stars of a CSS Bison squad that also includes Illinois commitments Chatrice White and Brook Kissinger.
“I can go out in the summer and just have fun,” Shepard said. “It was always my dream to go to Nebraska.”
Chicago Hoops Express Has Rising Duo
Sunday’s Fall Jamboree provided a showcase for two younger standouts who will garner plenty of attention in coming seasons.
Guards Kathleen Doyle (2016) and Alisa Fallon (2018) of the Chicago Hoops Express played on separate teams Sunday, but each enjoyed a solid showing that will boost her stock.
Doyle is a wiry, pass-first point guard with excellent court vision. She’ll likely replace DePaul-bound point guard Lauren Prochaska on the Hoops Express’ top team next summer. Hoops Express coach Jerald Davis said four college coaches contacted him Saturday to inquire about Doyle, who is a top-notch student as well.
The effervescent Doyle said it was “really fun” to play in front of so many college coaches. More than 170 programs were represented Saturday.
“It was packed up there,” she said. “I think that’s so cool to play in front of them. I just play how I would play even if they weren’t here.”
One thing that’s evident about Doyle: She’s a team player. Ask her about her own play, and she immediately invokes her teammates.
On her summer improvement: “I had a really good time with my team. It’s all a team effort. We practice really hard together. It’s an awesome group. I love my team.”
On which area of her game made the biggest strides: “Decision-making. My teammates made that easy, though. They’re moving all the time for me, and that makes it easier.”
On her position of point guard: “It’s fun being a point guard. You get to make your teammates better. You can shoot yourself but it’s more fun to make a sweet pass to your teammate.”
Get the picture?
Fallon, meanwhile, is a player to watch in the 2018 class. A 5-7 guard, Fallon has a mature body for her age, possesses polished offensive moves and can score at will against age-group peers. And in Sunday’s Jamboree, while competing against players who were, in some cases, four years her elder, she had no trouble scoring or creating shots for teammates.
“It’s definitely a great experience that I think everyone should have,” she said of competing against older players. “You learn so much from them just by the way they run up and down the court. It’s definitely something I try to do as often as possible.”
Fallon, an eighth-grader, said she’ll be enrolled at Trinity High School in River Forest, Ill., next year.
