PHOENIX, Ariz.-Two day are in the books of the 22nd annual Nike Tournament of Champions. All seven brackets are halfway home to crowning new champions with the ultimate bragging rights in scholastic girls basketball. No high profile team is safe and there is no guarantee of safe passage through the obstacle course that sets the TOC apart from the crowd. If you doubt that for one moment look to Thursday evening’s final game where newly named number one in most national polls, St. John’s College (D.C.), fell in a nip and tuck contest with a talented Miami Country Day team by a 44 – 41 final score. When #1 falls in the second round, you know the pool of talent is deep. The semifinals in the Clare Droesch Division feature New Hope Academy (Md.) up next for Miami Country Day while the second match up pits Christ the King (N.Y.) against Windward (Calif.). To check out complete updated brackets, results and match ups for Friday’s games, click on the link below.
https://basketball.exposureevents.com/124085/2018-nike-tournament-of-champions/schedule
To see yesterday’s round one profiles of Azzi Fudd, Angel Jackson, Haley Jones, and Koi Love on Blue Star Media just use the following link.
https://www.bluestarmedia.org/nike-tournament-of-champions-day-one/
Today’s profiles feature a quartet of underclassmen. There’s no “hidden gem” in this group as all are well established on the recruiting landscape. One has even made a verbal commitment already as a junior. However, even elite players remain a work in progress throughout their careers so we thought we would check out their progress and performance at the 2018 Nike Tournament of Champions.
After falling by a dozen in round one, Centennial rebounded for a round two win over Sanford by a 67 – 50 score. In both contests it was hard not to take note of the progress of 2021 standout Taylor Bigby. The 6-1 guard / wing possesses the enviable trio of size, athleticism and skills. Her ability to put it on the floor and create her own opportunities makes her a threat from the very start of every possession. Multiple times she’s gone coast to coast with the ball for both her own looks as well as delivering a few well placed assists. Bigby has deceptive speed for her size and the crossover effectively gets defenders off balance leaving them calling for help. There’s no reservations about taking it into traffic but she could handle the contact more efficiently at times and will do so as more strength comes her way. She can post up if needed and the face up moves she calls upon are challenging for interior defenders. Her length, agility and anticipation make her an asset on the defensive end with the tools to be a factor in multiple approaches. Bigby has Blue Star 30 on her resume and will certainly be adding to her credentials as time goes by. She and her Centennial teammates face Benson Tech on Friday.
Cameron Brink’s Southridge team opened Day One claiming the biggest win of the day with their six point victory over Archbishop Mitty. Day Two saw them come up short in a 48 – 45 loss to Christ the King that went down to the final possessions. Brink found herself in foul trouble in both games but was instrumental in keeping Southridge in both contests making the most of her minutes on the floor. The 6-5 junior forward continues to evolve coming off a summer that featured a stint with USA Basketball and is playing some of her best basketball to date. Though still “lean” by definition she’s added some good size and strength that will come in handy as she adapts to the more physical style of play that she’ll find at Stanford to whom she’s already provided an early verbal. Brink finds her share of contact though it’s not usually initiated by her and yet she handles it well. She’s efficient around the rim but is finding plenty of success off the high post drive or attacking from the trail spot in transition. When she does post up she’s using every inch of her frame and reach to make herself an easy target for teammates to find down low. Better body control is leading to efficient finishing by the rim and her attack is coming off the catch without hesitation. Defensively several of the fouls have been careless or awkward in turn making the always guaranteed questionable call or two bigger factors than they need to be. She’ll need to be on the floor Friday as Southridge takes on Crestwood Prep and their 6-5 standout Latasha Lattimore.
As mentioned above, Crestwood Prep will be lining up with Southridge when they take the floor at the TOC on Friday. Latasha Lattimore and her teammates opened with a five point win in round one before falling to Windward 66 – 49 on Thursday. Lattimore is one of those players who simply passes the eye test the moment the 6-5 sophomore walks on the floor. Her length is eye catching and the athleticism and fluidity of her movement is obvious just in warm ups. While still somewhat lean and wiry in her build, she doesn’t hide from physical play but like Brink, doesn’t look to establish it at this point either. Lattimore can run the floor with the guards and her lateral speed and quickness serves her well on both ends of the floor. She can take it to the rim from the elbows or trail spot and shows off a lengthy first step while doing so. Her spin move didn’t produce results but showed promise of things to come off penetration. Keeping it high on the catch, a lot of her looks and passes are uncontested to a degree and put her in a position to make an impact in multiple ways. Lattimore has all the tools to be a nightmare on the defensive end of the floor. She’ll need to avoid the unnecessary fouls but the potential is there to cause havoc on the ball as well as one and two passes away. Brink and Southridge should provide plenty of challenges for Crestwood on Friday.
We’ve been waiting for some time for some form of “breakout” from Christ the King junior Natalija Marshall and we got a good glimpse of one in Thursday’s second round win over Southridge. The 6-4 forward come out looking for her options and connected multiple times early to fuel not only her team but her confidence as well. Another Blue Star 30 veteran, Marshall has been on the fast track for several years but was struggling with consistency out of the gate this season. Blessed with good size and a build that college strength coaches love to work with, the tools are there to be the prototypical four player. (I refuse to use the much overworked word “stretch”) The touch and range are legitimate and can force defenders out of their comfort zones. She’ll need to add and mix more physical aspects into her attack to keep those same opponents honest and to allow her to make the most of her versatility. Marshall can put the ball on the floor to improve both shots and passes. No, she’s not a wing but the skill set serves her well in setting up both herself and teammates. There were some posting up situations in the second half Thursday and more of those may well benefit both her and CTK in the long run. The rebounding effort is sound but the perimeter looks often limit her offensive boards. Defensively Marshall has shown more and more a willingness to put a body on someone and she may well need to do that against an aggressive Windward team in Friday’s semifinal match up.
