MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Everybody loves Thanksgiving’s leftovers. The holiday just isn’t complete without a little more turkey, dressing, honey glazed ham and you certainly can’t have leftovers without a variety of cakes and pies. So we decided to dish up a second serving from the Tennessee Turkey Jamm. This year’s edition gave college coaches and the nation’s top scouting services plenty of entrees and side dishes to choose from. Follow the link below to our first set of evaluations from Murfreesboro.
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Today we’ve got another group of prospects also that caught and kept our attention and you know the second plate is often just as good as the first!
The sophomore class was well represented starting with 5-5 point guard Taja Cummings of St. Francis (Georgia). Cummings played really well leading her team while attacking at both ends utilizing her speed quickness and strength to her advantage. She showed excellent command of her dribble and responded well to intense pressure defense. there’s a nice touch from behind the arc and as well as a floater in traffic that is equally impressive. She has a solid frame that helps her absorb contact in the paint but also must continue to develop her all-around game. She is definitely a must watch. On the other end, Cummings is an excellent on ball defender with lockdown capabilities.
If we’ve said it once we’ve said a thousand times, we are always on the lookout for a shooter and junior Daisa Alexander Southwest DeKalb (Georgia) has a beautiful stroke to call on and at just 5-8 has the speed and athleticism to force bigger defenders to chase her down. Alexander has a nice midrange game and can fill it up out to 20 feet. She also does and good job of attacking the paint and creating shots for her or teammates. Alexander is solid defender and rebounds well.
Robert E. Lee (Alabama) unsigned senior Areleatha Gipson, is a 5-6 cat-quick, ultra speedy guard with a stellar all-around game. Gipson likes to attack off the dribble with either hand and is looking to create contact to finish in traffic. She also showed the willingness to manufacturer her shot by attacking off the bounce as well as consistently draining the spot up jumper to go along with her three point range. Gipson did a great job of pushing the ball up the floor on made and missed baskets. She played aggressive at both end of the court and has a knack for being around the ball. She dropped several timely dimes in crunch time and rebounds well for her position. All the tools are there to be a big time point guard. Gipson has mid to high major potential written all over her game.
St. Francis (Georgia) 5-6 sophomore combo guard Nichel Tampa is feisty and crafty. Tampa can knock down the trey and finishes well off the break. She attacked the rim and either finished or dropped dimes to her teammates. Tampa also displayed a nice mid-range touch. She had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Defensively, she played aggressive on-ball and made a living off of pressuring her opponent and creating turnovers. Fundamentally sound and a clutch performer, Tampa is a complete player who made several big plays. When she is on, she’s fun to watch!
Nadia Green of Homewood Flossmoor (Illinois) is an extremely athletic 5-9 guard with the ability to play multiple positions. Green played with a motor that wouldn’t quit. There was no fear diving for loose balls and she ran the floor like a NFL cornerback. Green was really smooth handling the rock in transition and posesses a nice change-of-direction dribble. She did a great job pushing the tempo attacking off the bounce and finishing in the paint and drawing fouls. Green was just as comfortable on the wing where she used her ball handling skills and nice spin move to get deep in the paint. Green has a college ready frame which she used to rebound effectively grabbing the ball from its highest point. Defensively, Green creates havoc for opposing players by jumping the passing lanes and either finishing off the break or creating for her teammates. She is an excellent on-ball defender and showed the ability to defend multiple positions. Green has a chance to be a special player.
Like we said earlier, the Class of 2017 represented themselves quite well and we can’t leave out 6-4 Eva Rubin of Homewood Flossmoor (Illinois). Rubin has a college body to go along with her nice low post game on offense. Defensively, Rubin did a good job defending the paint and rebounded well. She did a good job running the floor and displayed a lot of effort. With continued development at both ends of the floor Rubin could project as a major D-I player.
If you’re still looking for a 2015 combo guard may we suggest 5-7 DeNisha Swain of The Potter’s House Christian Academy (Florida). Swain is a crafty guard who played extremely well and had her entire repertoire on display. She used a killer crossover coupled with her explosive first step to attack the paint while looking to score or dish to slashing teammates. She also used her speed and quickness to create space to get off her shot in traffic. Her play showed that she can consistently stroke it from beyond the arc. Swain demonstrated the ability to translate her speed and athleticism into dividends on the defensive end as well by forcing turnovers and cashing in on the ensuing possession. She’s definitely a guard that deserves a shot at the next level.
It’s always enjoyable to watch versatile prospects and 2017 Jnaya Walker, who plays for Joliet Catholic (Illinois), did just that. Walker showed the ability to attack off the bounce as well as post up defenders on the low block. Her face up game compliments her low post moves. The 6-0 Walker has a nice stroke that extends out beyond the three point arc. She rebounds well and is a solid defender that isn’t afraid to mix it up versus taller opponents. Strength needs to be added to her long athletic frame, but she has a tremendous upside with Major DI potential.
