ATLANTA, Ga.- Georgia was the place to be the last week of the club basketball summer season and the young ladies who participated in the Adidas Nationals in Atlanta “showed up and showed out”. There were ballers from all age groups and regions of the U.S. trying to crossover, shoot, euro, and defend their way to D1 scholarships. Here are several that caught and kept our attention.
Rellah Boothe, a Jacksonville native, is an explosive athletic lefty 6-1 2017 that showed the ability to play on the perimeter as well as in the low post. On the block she used a very nice up-and-under move to effectively score. From the high post Boothe likes to face up and attack off the dribble, finishing at the basket or stroking the short pull-up jumper. Out on the perimeter, she can knock down the mid-range or 3-point shot. Boothe loves to get out and finish on the break and used her excellent body control to adjust in mid-air in getting her shot off against taller defenders. She has a series of spin and hesitation moves that create space to finish at the rack. Boothe rebounds extremely well and can defend on the perimeter or in the post quite effectively. There is a mature game with a huge upside. Boothe has a chance to a special player.
You can describe Tyra Johnson in just two words — “ice cold”. Defensively the 5-8 Johnson was like Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street fame. She tenaciously attacked the passing lanes with reckless abandon and defended the perimeter, consistently hounding her opposition into turnovers with steal after steal. Offensively Johnson can do it all. She shot the three extremely well, whether spotting up or off the dribble, and did an excellent job on using the dribble drive dish to spotting up teammates. She also penetrated and finished in traffic. Johnson, from Decatur, Alabama, is an excellent athlete reminds us of a young Dwayne Wade and should be considered one of the best guards in Class of 2016.
Rising senior combo guard DeNisha Swain, from Jacksonville Lady Rams, isn’t flashy or high maintenance; she simply gets the job done regardless of what that job might be. The 5-7 Swain’s cool, calm demeanor didn’t waver when her team was faced with adversity. She proceeded to help turn up the defense and when the opportunity presented itself she made big shot after big shot. Swain is an excellent spot-up shooter with unlimited 3 point range but also attacked off the dribble. She used a soft floater on more than one occasion to score against taller opponents. Swain looked to create opportunities for herself but she was more than willing to drop dimes to her teammates. Defensively Swain is a good on-ball and does a great job jumping into the passing lanes. Swain’s game continues to grow and she is solid mid to high major prospect.
It’s rare that you find a player that can do a little of everything on a basketball court, but that’s exactly what you get out of Kiara Russell. The 5 foot 8 2016 guard out of Brooklyn Park, MN is a silky smooth south paw that makes the game look so effortless. Russell is a good passer with outstanding handles. She possess the unique ability to both get her teammates involved and recognize when it’s time to get buckets herself. Russell is good in the open court, runs the fast break well and understands pace and tempo. The quiet guard is very humble and lets her game do all the talking. If she was not getting the love that she deserved before this tournament, it’s safe to that the word is out on this dynamic guard. Russell has all the tools to be a major DI prospect.
It as a pleasure watching 2016 point guard Alecia Sutton dominating games during Adidas National Championships. You might catch a neck cramp watching the lighting quick Sutton dribble by defender after defender, while leading her Missouri Phenom team to the Adidas Stripes Division championship. Sutton, who hails from St. Ann, Missouri, is a tremendous defender and an even better passer. She dropped several no look dimes that completely fooled defenders leaving them reaching for air. Sutton’s court vision is second to none. When you combine that with her great bounce, explosiveness and sweet stoke you get a prospect that is amongst top of her class.
There is an old saying, “Good things come in twos”. Some of our favorite things come in twos. Twix, Reese’s peanut butter cups, socks, and shoes, but we’ll add watching the super skilled 6-2 Jennifer and 6-3 Leeanne Wirth play. If you guard them with a guard they have the ability to post up and if you play them with a post they isolate and play off the dribble. Both Wirth sisters have range and good touch around the basket. This versatility makes the Arizona Elite forwards tough to guard. Both displayed impressive high basketball IQ’s. The Wirth sisters hail from Mesa, Arizona. The Class of 2017 just got even stronger with the addition of the Wirth twins both of which have potential to major DI prospects.
Jeannie Boehm 2016 forward out of Winnetka, IL was impressive in the first two games that we saw her play. If you like great post play then you will like Jeannie. Boehm is a strong young lady and has a solid frame that she uses to establish herself on the block. She does her work early and gets great positioning because of it. Boehm finished in the paint with both hands and has a nice collection of post moves. If Jeannie gets that jump hook off you might as well put two points on the board. What we like about her game the most is how active she is. You will never have to question her effort. Boehm is definitely a D1 player and with continued work she has the potential to be a high D1 player.
It’s hard to imagine that there is a coach in America that wouldn’t want a 2016 6-5 post that can play with her back to the basket and face up to hit 10-15 foot jump shots. That’s exactly what you get with Kylee Shook. Shook runs the floor well and is vocal on the back end of her team’s defense. She a force to be reckon with on the glass at both ends. When you combine those things with her soft hands and defensive presence in the paint the Colorado Springs, CO native could transition well to a high D1 school.
Victoria Gonzales (Keller, TX) 2016 6-0 forward & Alicia Blackwell (McKinney, TX) 2016 5-9 guard, both of Texas Fire Red put on a shooting clinic, their own version of the Texas Shoot-Out. First, Victoria got it started by displaying her spot-up three-point range and knocking down not two, but three long-range bombs in a row to the fans approval. Not to be outdone by her teammate, Alicia duplicated the feat by knocking down three long-range bombs of her own in a variety of ways, once again to the fans approval. Alicia also displayed the ability to score in the paint. She’s also a good foul shooter with nice touch and stroke.
Kelsey Hinz (Newton, KS) KS NLHA Ascis 2017 McCorry: This 2017 6-0 power forward is what I call “straight gumbo.” Gumbo is a dish made up of many different ingredients to create one delicious meal. That’s just what you get in Kelsey. A good all-around player that plays well with her back to the basket, has nice mid-range touch, rebounds, runs floor well and even has descent ball-handling skills. Oh let’s not forget agile. All of this from the PF spot, what else could you call it? Wait a minute, I know… a baller!!
Aliyah Mazyck (Charlotte, NC) WP Celtic Black: This 2015 5-10 guard has excellent handles, is quick off the dribble and has a true legitimate (that means it’s nice) mid-range jump shot. Good foul shooter with nice form and touch. Handles pressure situations well, doesn’t get rattled.
Contributions to this story courtesy BallN PrepGirls evaluators Larry Curry and Thad Hammonds.
