FAIRFAX, Va.— As the cavalcade of holiday tournaments moves into high gear and the later starting states begin to get their 2018 – 19 feet wet, we continue our tournament tour with an East Coast jewel that has evolved into must see basketball. In its 11thyear, the Art Turner Memorial once again featured top ranked teams and highly regarded players attracting media, evaluators and a high profile collection of nearly 100 college coaches to the campus of Paul VI in Fairfax, Virginia.
Named for Panther coach Scott Allen’s late grandfather, the Art Turner Memorial honors the legacy of a distinguished World War II veteran and a tremendous supporter of both athletics and the community. Across three days 15 games featured 20 teams representing six states and the District of Columbia. Multiple programs came in laying claim to various national rankings while the roster of recent NLI signees in the gym are ultimately bound for the likes of Maryland, UConn, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio State, Minnesota and more. The list of well-known underclass prospects featured such names as Azzi Fudd, Angel Reese, Natalia Marshall, Mir McLean, Rain Green and a litany of other young players who made an early season impression that will have the focus of those zeroing in even closer as they move forward.
To see all three days of results and individual game MVP selections, follow the link below.
http://www.artturnertipoff.com
As always, today we take a look back at the good, the bad and the sometimes ugly that we see on the big stage of national competition. The Art Turner Memorial served up an early Christmas gift worth taking a peek at. Once again, they’re in alphabetical order and the inclusion or exclusion of a player shouldn’t be read into any more than they caught our eye at the right moment. Many more players than we could ever possibly include had some strong moments and are precluded by space and time limitations.
Tian Addison – 2019 – 5-6 – Point Guard – Elizabeth Seton– Small but quick point guard…Change of speed and direction are weapons…Pushes the ball off makes and misses…Has a quick release both pulling up and spotting up…Left hand needs to be more of a weapon…Quick and assertive on ball defensively
Paris Clark – 2022 – 5-8 – Guard – Long Island Lutheran– Combo with all the tools…Strong ball skills…Can create and improve opportunities…Makes herself an option without the ball…Still learning the application of her game…Utilizes speed and quickness on both ends
Kaiya Creek – 2020 – 6-0 – Wing / Forward – National Christian– Solid…Good athleticism…Decent form…Fluid…Got on the glass at times…Defends
Gia Cooke – 2022 – 5-6 – Point Guard – Elizabeth Seton– Dynamic established young guard…Potential is there to add some length…Active both with and without the ball…Crossover is low and quick…Impressive acceleration off her moves…Strong passing in transition…Makes plays on both ends…Lots of elite tools
Promise Cunningham – 2019 – 5-10 – Guard – National Christian– Solid guard…Physically strong…Shot fake is there…Has range and no reservation about letting it fly…Will take it into traffic…Knows how to use her body versus the bigs off the drive…Demonstrated more balance in her attack
Hannah Dereje – 2022 – 6-3 – Post – Elizabeth Seton– Very promising post with both size and frame…Willing to get physical…Plays with effort…Plenty of promise…Lots of possibilities
Azzi Fudd – 2021 – 5-11 – Combo – St. John’s College HS – Redefining backcourt play on the high school level…High level production comes with consistency and strong instincts…Attack is smooth and fluid…Has depth in her skill set and diversity in her game…Always reading both teammates and defenders…Pull up is lethal as well as always keeping defenders guessing…Crossover to the pull up is hard to see coming…Still working and still enjoying the game
Aniya Gourdine – 2021 – 5-8 – Guard – St. Frances Academy– Strong and quick at the guard spot…Lots of speed with the ball in her hands…Ballskills are sound but need refinement and left hand…Made some impact plays
Rain Green – 2020 – 5-8 – Guard – Roland Park– Solid build with some additional size…Quick start but ran into foul problems…Penetrates creating both shots and passes…Lots of speed with the ball…Touch was there spotting up…Handled contact on the drive…Has the hands and feet to be an elite stopper defensively
Aubrey Griffin – 2019 – 6-0 – Wing – Ossining– Explosive on the wing…Plays with effort start to finish…Makes herself an option with and without the ball…Can score in multiple ways…Always attacking…First step and vertical are dynamic…Elevates on pull up and spot up jumper…Plays strong and handles contact…Ballhandling is sound but occasionally methodical…Makes plays on both ends and the boards…Transition to the next level will be smooth
Kailah Harris – 2019 – 6-1 – Forward / Post – Ossining– Strong and solid around the rim…Knows her angles and holds her ground…Handles interior passes…Goes up with authority…Quiet, consistent and effective…Got on the glass
Chardonnay Hartley – 2022 – 5-1 – Point Guard – Long Island Lutheran– Dynamic young point…Attacking mentality off makes, misses and turnovers…Crossover leaves defenders standing…Speed with the ball in transition is exceptional…No reservations going into traffic on the break or in the halfcourt…Range is there…Keeps moving without the ball…Not many limits
Ja’Niah Henson – 2019 – 5-3 – Point Guard – Roland Park– Small point guard with a slight build…Exceptional speed and quickness…Sets the pace in transition and out of sets…Sees the floor on the break…Has range and a sound jumper…Can improve options for those around her…Assertive on ball defender
Charlotte Jewell – 2020 – 5-7 – Point Guard – Thomas Edison– Made plays in traffic…Solid ballhandling and passing…Mixes her speed…Good body control…Can spot up
Meghan Kenefick – 2020 – 6-1 – Forward / Wing – Paul VI– Has good size…Decent frame…Versatile skill set…Can contribute from the perimeter and around the rim…Constantly active…Cuts hard to be an option…Can spot up…A constant for PVI with Owusu sidelined
Allie Kubek – 2020 – 6-0 – Forward – Sandford– Size and solid build…Active despite knee brace…Physically strong…Active without the ball…Got on the glass…Efficient
Tamia Lawhorne – 2019 – 6-1 – Wing – Long Island Lutheran– Size, athleticism and agility…Fluid in all her movement…Individual skills combine with physical tools to make her a tough match up…Confident spotting up or off the drive…Should excel at the next level
Anna Lemaster – 2020 – 5-9 – Combo – St. John’s Prep– Decent size at guard…Solid build…Skills are sharp with the ball…Good choices…Reads defenders…Mixes up her game…Has a strong basketball IQ…Defensive end of the floor will ultimately determine her future
Natalija Marshall – 2020 – 6-4 – Forward / Post – Christ the King– Tough weekend…Flashes served as reminder…Length and agility separating her more and more from the crowd…Making herself a factor in transition…Works well from the trail spot and high post…Looking for penetration opportunities…Settles at times rather than attacking…All the tools are still in place
Mir McLean – 2020 – 5-11 – Forward – Roland Park– Well known prospect…Explosive athlete…Smooth and fluid…Elevates well above the crowd on both shots and the boards…Makes herself an impact player despite lean build and limited interior size…Changes shots on the defensive end…Depth to offensive skill set will put her among the elite and challenge defenders to the fullest extent
Ellie Mitchell – 2019 – 6-0 – Forward – Georgetown Visitation– Effective forward with a depth of skills…Smart and well coached…No reservations about going into contact…Aggressive on both ends of the floor…Fluid stroke from the perimeter…Efficient shot fake…Floater is there…Showed some solid passing in transition
Nekhu Mitchell – 2022 – 6-0 – Forward – McDonogh– Wiry build…Athletic forward…Should grow…Some ballhandling…Can slash a bit…Decent passing…Stepped out on occasion
Aleah Nelson – 2019 – 5-7 – Point Guard – McDonogh School– Plays with exceptional speed and quickness…Crossover to the step back gets her clean looks…Stroke and range are there…Speed off her moves leaves opponents scrambling
Kaitlyn Orihel – 2021 – 5-10 – Wing – Archbishop Wood– Decent size on the perimeter…
Solid build…Plays with effort…Sound ballskills…Can create some options…Able to improve passing angles…Shot fake is there…Handles contact on the drive…Form is there, touch needs some refinement…Gets out in transition…Lateral speed on defense will ultimately be key against tougher match ups
Ashley Owusu – 2019 – 5-11 – Guard – Paul VI– Played limited minutes in game one, none after…Sidelined with hip issues from an accident…Will take a couple of weeks to heal and return to action
Lauren Park Lane – 2019 – 5-3 – Point Guard – Sandford– Diminutive but effective at the point…Quick and attacking with the ball in her hands…Mixes crossover with multiple moves…Change of speed serves her well…Down floor passing triggers transition game…Floater is sound when bigs come her way…Controls the tempo
Aaliyah Pitts – 2020 – 6-0 – Guard – Woodbridge– Decent size…Has some strength…Challenges smaller defenders…Can develop her own looks…Shot off the shoulder to a degree…Can get to the glass or call on a one handed pull up…Willing to spot up from the perimeter…Aggressive with the ball in her hands
Angel Reese – 2020 – 6-4 – Wing / Forward – St. Frances Academy– Top tier…Playing at a different level than the crowd…Size, length and explosiveness…Attack is a challenge for defenders with size or quickness…First step is lengthy and quick…Speed on the drive is rare for size…Interior passing off penetration sets up teammates…Sees the floor and willing to share it…Physical tools allow her to defend virtually all positions or in any scheme…Elite
Nina Rickards – 2019 – 5-7 – Point Guard – Christ the King– Athletic guard…Speed is there with and without the ball…Mixes up her attack…Pull up is effective…Good strength goes with quick hands and feet…Aggressive both in transition and halfcourt…Rushes her looks at times…Works on ball defensively
Anissa Rivera – 2019 – 6-1 – Forward – National Christian– Still possesses all the potential…Length and athleticism challenge defenders…High post drive creates looks…15 footer and pull up are sound but allows her to settle all too often…Tools to be an impact defender are enviable…Focus and consistency of effort have to evolve…Clock is winding down on possibilities
Eniya Russell – 2020 – 5-11 – Wing / Forward – Institute of Notre Dame– Dynamic swing player…Strong tools for creating off the dribble…Can penetrate left or right…Acceleration…First step is explosive and covers plenty of ground…Gets off the floor…Overuses the floater on penetration…Perimeter consistency is essential to advance her game and keep opponents honest defensively
Kaelynn Satterfield – 2019 – 5-11 – Guard – Christ the King– “Power” guard…Found going tough versus zone and soft man…Attack is reliant on the dribble…Step back is there and provides good separation…Deceptive first step for solid body build…Initiates contact on the drive…Finishes in traffic…Added depth will keep defenders honest
Gabriella Smalls – 2019 – 6-0 – Forward – Life Center Academy– Physical yet agile forward…Somewhat undersized but assertive and aggressive…Moves are quick and powerful…Cuts hard and with intent off the ball…Good hands and feet on the defensive end of the floor
Celeste Taylor – 2019 – 5-11 – Guard – Long Island Lutheran– Tougher outing for Texas signee…Struggled versus zone…Still showed off ability to create her own looks…Got into the paint again and again…Showing more and more strength on the drive…Gets out in the lanes…Plenty of flashes still there on a cold night shooting
Malu Tshitenge-Mutombo – 2019 – 6-3 – Forward / Post– Continues to evolve…Running the floor with the guards…Posting harder and with sharper angles down low…Calling for the ball more often…Execution within sets is more precise…Understands what she’s looking for…Facing up more often…Needs to work both side more efficiently…Next level will see her best
Kadidia Toure – 2022 – 6-2 – Post – Good Counsel– Young interior prospect…Impressive size and build for age…Deceptive speed is in place…Works…Has some ballskills…Can create her own out of the high post…Demonstrated some interior passing…Lateral speed on defense is eye catching for size…Watch
Lee Volker – 2021 – 5-11 – Wing – Paul VI– Nice size and frame on the wing…Reads well…Cuts with intent…Knows what she’s looking for…Pull up is there…Decent ballskills are in place…Strength will come with age
