PHOENIX, Ariz.—Some of the best teams in scholastic girls basketball and an armada of college recruiters are here or on their way for the 23rd annual Nike Tournament of Champions. Action got underway Wednesday afternoon as 94 teams began action in seven separate divisions. Utilizing five high schools around Phoenix and Tempe, 10 floors will stay busy through Saturday afternoon. Programs representing 15 states and Canada have made the trip to the Valley of the Sun for those four days of play culminating in Saturday’s championship contests for the biggest bragging rights in high school basketball.
Once again Steve Kozaki of Tournament of Champions, Inc. (formerly National Basketball Events, Inc.) and Nike continue to honor some of the iconic names in girls basketball with the division titles. Clare Droesch, Dan Wiley, Derrill Kipp, Joe Smith, John Anderson, Kirk Pointer and Mike Desper all have their memory and contributions honored in a meaningful gesture to those who knew and loved them.
Following the first round of action we take a quick look at five outstanding performances by some athletes in the top tier Joe Smith Division. We’ll be looking at more players and their efforts over the next two days as well as the championship games as they unfold this weekend. To see complete brackets and results, follow the link below.
https://basketball.exposureevents.com/141636/2019-nike-tournament-of-champions/schedule
Here’s our featured five for Wednesday’s round one.
One of the most versatile combinations of size and skills, California signee Dalayah Daniels of Garfield (Washington) contributes in multiple ways on both ends of the floor. While she and her teammates came short in round one, her play continues to impress those who have seen her and those catching her in action for the first time. Daniels is smooth and fluid for her size. Her 6-4 frame has good length to it enabling her to exploit a deep skill set that challenges defenders of any size. Creating many of her own looks, she mixes her moves well and can produce effectively in traffic even with contact. Her instinctual reads allows for a quick and aggressive attack around the rim as well as from the high post or transition trail spot. The agility and length serve her well defensively while the vertical is evident and obvious on the glass.
Long established and highly regarded post Latasha Lattimore of Crestwood Prep and her teammates endured a ridiculously physical battle with Archbishop Wood (Pennsylvania) holding on for a hard earned nine point win. While not Crestwood’s finest effort, Lattimore continues to show that constant and steady advancement that has characterized her elite career thus far. Long, lean and athletic the potential is there to play either interior spot. The speed and agility are in place to get out in front in transition with virtually any backcourt speed you might team with her. She possesses good hands and reels in many passes that might make a wide receiver proud. In the halfcourt she appears to be more patient and doesn’t have her mind made up before making a read. On the catch she’s a challenge to contain or even contest. Her physical strength will have to continue to advance as she moves closer to stepping onto a collegiate campus but Lattimore is hard to push around if you can’t catch her.
Sierra Canyon needed overtime to claim a 52 – 50 overtime win over Blanche Ely (Florida) in Wednesday’s first game. Playing a key role in that victory was 6-1 forward Alexis Mark. The agile Boise State signee is a strong contributor both offensively and defensively utilizing nice size and impressive athleticism. Offensively, she’s a challenging match up with a quick and lengthy first step while possessing a focused effort to get to the rim. She elevates well both at the rim or on a pull up that comes with a slight fade to it. As opposing bigs rotate her way, Mark is evasive but can handle the contact if necessary. On the defensive end she has the tools to play virtually any spot in any scheme. She’s assertive one pass away but closes out on the catch ready to contest. On the weakside she can cover more ground than most and with more quickness than most her size.
La Jolla Country Day faced a competitive Garfield (Washington) team for three quarters before pulling away for a 15 point win in the end. As has been the case for the last several years, La Jolla goes as Te-Hina PaoPao goes. Whether at her natural spot at the point or the off guard as she is at times, the future Oregon Duck is threat from baseline to baseline. In transition or the halfcourt she’s a catalyst for creating both scoring opportunities for herself or improving those of her teammates. Of the dribble she mixes the speed of her attack drawing defenders out of their stance before leaving them in the dust. PaoPao can get to the rim or can go up in traffic with the floater or pull up. The confident and smooth touch on her midrange jumper that’s hard to find at any level. Defensively she’s assertive on the ball but also has a good awareness on the weakside of the floor.
New Hope didn’t come out of the gate well to start and it was almost halftime before they found their stride against a very scrappy Centennial (California) squad holding on for a 58 – 47 win. Junior point guard Jada Walker seemed to rediscover her attack as the second half began and proceeded to set the pace for the remainder of the game. The 5-6 lefthander still wasn’t herself from the perimeter but getting to the rim became the key for New Hope and few do it better than Walker. Her use of just a slight hesitation allows her acceleration with the ball to leave opponents scrambling to recover. Despite limited size, she takes the contact while still getting good looks at the rim and finding herself ending up at the line. Defensively she can be an on ball nightmare when she puts her mind to it with the tools to set the pace from that end of the floor as well.
