PATTERSON, N.J.- Starting at zero dark thirty in Los Angeles and making the trek across country bound for the New Year’s Resolution held in Patterson, N.J. was quite a ride. Leaving the warmth and comfort of California for the frozen tundra of New Jersey would challenge anyone. However, it may have been cold outside but the action was hot in the gym and the following players caught our attention.
Evelyn Omemmah, 6-1, of Long Island Lutheran in Brookville, New York, is an intriguing prospect with an athletic build, long arms and broad shoulders. Omemmah had her game on display showing off her leaping ability, power game, mid-range and finishing in the paint. She was vicious on the offensive glass, attacking the paint hard and scoring or drawing the foul. Defensively she was solid. She showed the ability to defend multiple positions. With continued development Omemmah will be a mid to high prospect with a huge upside.
Louisville signee, Myisha Hines-Allen from Montclair HS in Montclair, N.J. is a excellent blend of power and finesse. Hines-Allen played with a motor that wouldn’t quit. She wasn’t afraid to dive for loose balls and ran the floor like a gazelle. The 6-1 swing was really smooth handling the rock in transition and showed off a nice change-of-direction dribble. She demonstrated a well- rounded game posting up, attacking off the bounce, facing up and knocking down her mid-range jumper. Hines-Allen was just as comfortable on the wing using her ballhandling skills and nice spin move to score in the paint and called on a soft touch from 10 to 20 feet. She rebounded well grabbing the ball from its highest point. Defensively, Hines-Allen creates havoc for opposing players by jumping into the passing lanes and finishing off the break or creating for her teammates. She is an excellent on-ball defender at the same time showing the ability to defend multiple positions. Hines-Allen has the rare trait of being a good athlete with a fundamentally sound game, truly the total package.
Freshman Kim Evans, who plays for St. John Vianney in New Jersey, has great size at 6-3, runs the floor well and posesses a nice low post game. Evans rebounded well and played solid on the defensive end including the ability to defend on the perimeter. She played with a tremendous amount of energy and with continued develop has the potential to be a mid to high prospect. Evans is an excellent communicator but must continue to gain strength and continue to develop her game.
Watching Potter’s House Christian Academy’s freshman 6-1 Jaylasha Thomas is an enjoyable experience. She has a college-ready body and the competitive fire to go along with her versatile game. From tip-off to the final horn Thomas was constantly on the attack. Offensively she used her ball handling skills to help break the opposing team’s press. In the half court sets Thomas was a beast in the low post using a variety of low post moves which included a nice up-and-under as well as some well-timed spin moves. She used her face up game to knock down several mid-range jumpers plus attacked off the dribble. She even stepped out and a knocked down a couple of treys. Defensively, Thomas defended on the block effectively against taller opposing players. She also has the tools to defend on the perimeter. Thomas also does a great job communicating at both ends of the court.
Potter’s House Christian Academy’s Rellah Boothe , an explosive athletic lefty 6-1 freshman wing, 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 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.
Junior combo guard DeNisha Swain, also from Potter’s House, isn’t flashy or high maintenance; she simply gets the job done regardless of what that job might be. With her team down in second half, the 5-7 Swain’s cool, calm demeanor didn’t waver. 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 alos 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.
The battle between 5-7 Long Island Lutheran point guard Boogie Brozoski, a Michigan signee, and Archbishop Williams (Mass.) Alana Gilmer, a 5-8 2015 prospect, was entertaining to say the least. New York native Brozoski, 5-5, cat-quick and ultra speedy, played a stellar all-around game. She likes to attack off the dribble with either hand and looks to create contact while finishing in traffic. There’s also a willingness to manufacturer her own shot by attacking off the bounce as well as the ability to drain the spot up jumper. Brozoski did a great job of pushing the ball up the floor on made and missed baskets. When Archbishop Williams made a run to cut into the Lutheran lead, she calmly drained several big buckets and converted back-to-back steals into points, putting the game out of reach. Brozoski played aggressive at both ends of the court and has a knack for being around the ball. She dropped several timely dimes in crunch time as well plus rebounded well for her position. She has all the tools to be a contributor to the Maize and Blue at Michigan.
