Pickerington Holiday Classic 2011

PICKERINGTON, Ohio – For 25 years one of the staples of the girls basketball holiday tournament circuit has been the annual Holiday Classic hosted originally by Pickerington High School and now by Pickerington North.  High profile WNBA standouts Sue Bird and Simone Augustus made appearances as did Chamique Holdsclaw and Ohio native and three time Olympic gold medalist Katie Smith.  Through the years, 119 schools from 27 different states have made their way to the Buckeye State to compete in the Holiday Classic.  While the avalanche of holiday tournaments has lessened the profile of the event on the national landscape, it’s still a stop for many recruiters who know the history and depth of talent of the event.  This year’s eight team field featured four from out of state matched up in the first round with four teams calling Ohio home.  Host Pickerington North took home the title with a 50 – 44 championship game win over Kettering Fairmont (Ohio).

Today we take a look at a few of the players who stood out when we we’re on hand for all four first round contests.

A Few Seniors

Northwestern Head Coach Joe McKeown may have gotten one of the bigger steals in the 2012 class with the signing of Briarcrest’s (Tenn.) Lauren Douglas. While not challenged to any great degree in their first round match up, the 6-1 forward still provided impressive glimpses of the game she’ll be taking to Evanston next year.  Athletic and agile, Douglas has some versatility that can allow her to work to a degree on the perimeter offensively and defend inside and out at the other end of the floor.  The ballhandling is ever improving but still not quite refined enough to say she’s a lock for the backcourt.  At the same time any guard would be envious of her explosive and lengthy first step that allows her to create her own shot.  She scored consistently inside and demonstrated a solid threat with her pull up and midrange game.  Her impact defensively might be her greatest strength.  The tools are there to put her in almost any situation in both the halfcourt or pressing situations.  Size, length and speed make her a commodity in any trapping scenario and an opponent’s worst nightmare.  Just scratching the surface.

Cardinal O’Hara made the trip from Springfield, Pa. and senior Maureen Leahy offered up some textbook interior play for the Lions.  The 6-2 post has a solid build that combines with improved strength and reliable mobility that allows her to contribute at both ends of the floor.  Down low on the catch she has the ability to read her defenders and puts to work some fundamental post moves that allow her to create her own looks.  From the step through to a nice jump hook she has the potential to deliver inside along with a nice touch from midrange and the elbows.  On the defensive end she sees the floor efficiently and rotates quickly as penetration comes her way.  There’s a focused and productive effort on the board that minimizes the second effort of opponents.

Once in a while you see an unsigned senior that impresses you with her play.  Of course there’s a lot more to what evaluators and recruiters look for than just on court production.  Proviso East (Ill.) 6-0 forward Kalea Parks has all the tools that would catch the eye of anyone courtside.  She’s got good size that combines with exceptional speed and quickness as well as a vertical that allows her to play near the rim.  There are some perimeter skills in place that put her in a position to create off the dribble with an explosive first step.  The pull up doesn’t look bad but could use additional consistency to keep defenders honest.  She’s effective on the boards at both ends and more than willing to mix things up physically.  At the same time the intangibles need some serious attention.  Way too often she allowed the previous play to impact the next.  Her focus wandered when she disagreed with calls and her emotions were on her sleeve to the point of impacting her performance.  It may have just been a bad night but you never know who might be watching and what that could mean from a recruiting standpoint.  Lots of tools are in place and the potential is obvious if she’ll make the most of it.

A Couple of Juniors

Taylor Agler is hardly an unknown to college recruiters and those who have been watching the 5-8 junior point guard’s evolution to a top tier prospect are looking even closer.  The Olentangy Orange High School (Ohio) prospect commands the attention of defenders the moment she touches the ball.  Off makes, misses and turnovers she’s pushing the ball in transition and in the halfcourt there are few possessions she’s not initiating the Pioneers attack.  The ballhandling and passing skills are sharp, refined and used with impressive basketball intelligence.  On the break she sees, reads and delivers both assists and points.  Misdirection and no look passes lead to good looks for her teammates and any opponent slow to get back is going to pay with as a result of an accurate long ball and layup.  Her own scoring is highlighted by textbook form and range that makes her a threat anywhere 20 feet and in.  She slashes effectively in traffic but can struggle at times among the bigs in getting her own shot off rather than dishing it inside.  Her slight build occasionally makes more physical match ups a challenge but there’s no hesitation or backing down on Agler’s part.

Despite being one of the younger teams in Ohio last year, Kettering Fairmont came within a game of taking home the state title before falling to Malina Howard and Twinsburg in last March’s championship game.  While that young line up returns essentially intact they’re anxiously awaiting the return of sophomore forward Mikayla Waterman from an ACL repair.  In the interim some real help is coming from the backcourt in the form of junior guard Chelsea Welch.  The 5-9 combo has both the speed and quickness to provide a legitimate threat both offensively and defensively.  Not necessarily a true point guard, she has the tools to get the job done with an attacking mentality and an ability to slash through traffic.  Welch had some creative finishes and dropped several from midrange as well.  The perimeter shot is improved from what we’ve seen in the past but still will need to be a much more consistent weapon as she faces advanced defenders.  Though she’s upright off the dribble she protects the ball effectively and uses her speed to get past opponents and create opportunities.  Defensively she’s strong on ball with an active and very aggressive approach.  Her movement laterally helps her contain even the quickest of backcourt match ups.  She anticipates on the weakside and comes up with more than her share of steals.  Welch is still a work in progress but one that bears close scrutiny from those at the next level.

Just a Sophomore

Another member of that young Kettering Fairmont (Ohio) squad that’s hardly a secret in basketball circles is sophomore forward Kathryn Westbeld.  At 6-1 she’s maturing physically and becoming even more of a challenge for opposing coaches as they decide which way to go with match ups.  Size alone has you leaning towards going big on her and it makes sense as she can work effectively in the paint and around the rim.  At the same time, the perimeter skills allow her to create off the dribble in a very deliberate but efficient manner requiring more speed to contain.  Inside or out, there’s a very smooth and calculated approach to her attack.  On the catch she’s reading not only her defender but taking measure of the rest of the floor.  She shot the ball effectively from the 10 to 15 foot range both spotting up or off the dribble.  Despite being in just her second year of high school basketball she plays with a maturity and confidence that most seniors could only hope for.  While nothing in her game could be deemed explosive, almost all of what she can do would be called productive.  That works for any coach.

And a Freshman 

Pickerington North (Ohio) may have been led to the title by the play of junior University of Dayton verbal commit Christie Macioce but it’s hard not to take notice of the play of freshman guard Emily Thomas.  When the Panthers were on a roller coaster in their opening round game it was the play of this 5-6 point guard that got things settled down.  Her skills and confidence catch your eye first, particularly when you consider her age.  However, it’s her instincts and basketball intelligence that really stand out.  Don’t jump the gun, there’s still a lot of maturing and development in front of her, but seeing the potential and knowing that she’s playing for ultra successful coach Dave Butcher provides some anticipation for something special down the road.  The ability is there to score from the perimeter or off the drive and her sharp vision leads to plenty of assists.  She shows little fear taking on defenders in a press attack or a halfcourt set.  Defensively she’s feisty and assertive on ball.  Risks leave her out of position at times but the effort is there to recover and get back in the play.  Tremendous future.