CHICAGO- Ill.– One of the more appropriately named events on the Spring evaluation circuit is the USJN Windy City Classic in Chicago. While the winds were howling and the weather outside cold and rainy, the action inside the gym proven to be where the heat was at. Spanning over 11 venues in a 30 mile radius, teams from the Mid-West, plus some coming from as far as Washington, battled it out, with talent of all levels on display for the 12th consecutive year.
For results, pool all-stars and more, you can follow the link below to the USJN post-event page.
http://www.usjn.com/xtm_post_event_new.php?which=423
To see Travis Ponton’s earlier Windy City coverage, click on the link below.
http://www.bluestarmedia.org/usjn-windy-city-classic-2017-part-one/
They say that good things come in threes. That was certainly true for Sports City U out of Ohio as the team poured it in from long distance all weekend long. Lead by Notre Dame commit Abby Prohaska and Maryland commit Taylor Mikesell, the team cruised in most of their contests. Besides the two commits, Zia Cooke and Naz Hillmon also impressed. Cooke showed off her athleticism, especially in the open court as she sliced through the paint, finishing at the rim and also setting up her teammates. Hillmon, meanwhile, did her damage down low, showing off some impressive strength and post moves on the block.
Keeping with our same theme of “threes”, Chicago Hoops Express 16 Silver deployed three 2018 recruits who really turned heads. Julie Pospisilova, Daliyah Brown and Alisa Fallon all had moments that made the college coaches in attendance nod their heads in approval. Pospisilova, a 6-1 Czech Republic native, did all the little things we’ve come to expect from European players. She has some savviness, finding her way into the paint and making smart passes out to open teammates. When left to her own devices offensively, she is able to knock down the open jumper to keep defenses honest. Brown and Fallon, meanwhile, rely on their athleticism a bit more. Brown, a 5-8 combo guard, works hard and really gets after it on defense. Her offensive game is still developing, but in the meantime she still finds ways to contribute. Fallon makes some really impressive passes and is also able to pull up and knock down 15-footers. If she can become more consistent, she could do some serious damage at the next level.
With all of the talent available, it would get much too wordy to discuss every player who made an impact, so below are the 2018 and 2019 recruits who had some eye catching moments in the Windy City.
Maya Dunson- 2018- 5-11- Guard- OH Team Championship Behavior 17- Lefty with a nice stroke…Athletic…Can handle in the open court and get to the rim…Gets frustrated when things don’t go great; needs to work on this
Tristan Gegg- 2018- 5-6- Guard- KS Next Level Eclipse 17- Can straight up shoot the ball…Hands always ready for the ball…Needs to continue to develop the rest of her game, but has a chance to be a solid player
Lindsay Harrison- 2018- 6-0- Forward- IL Rockets 17 White- Athletic tweener…Good build…Strong passing skills…Potential
Emily Kuntze- 2019- 5-7- Guard- MO Blue Star St. Louis 16- Combo guard…Nice stroke and good shooter…Possibilities
Ellie Mitchell- 2018- 5-10- Forward- IN Elite Swish 17- Bit of a tweener…Build of a 3 but a skill set of a 4…Nice lefty stroke
Jordan Nunn- 2018- 6-0- Forward- OH Cincy Chargers 16- Intriguing prospect…Athletic tweener…Can slice to the rim and finish…High level potential…Keep a close eye on
Maleigha Oldham- 2018- 6-0- Guard- KY Lady Dream 17- Tall guard…Can hit the outside shot…Athletic…Finishes in traffic
Lasha Petree- 2018- 6-0- Guard- MI Storm Elite 17- Lean, athletic, tall guard…Has handles…Gets to the rim…Stroke needs some work…Needs to get stronger…Lots of potential
Courtney Prenger- 2019- 6-1- Forward- OH Dayton Lady Hoopstars 17- Potential stretch 4 at the next level…Good build…Very strong
Hannah Rogers- 2019- 5-8- Guard- PA Erie Saints 15- Nice little combo guard…Savvy…Makes smart plays and leads her team…Good decision maker
Sydney Williams- 2018- 5-10- Forward- OH Team Championship Behavior 17- Strong, undersized 4 player…Can hit the three in bunches…Plays with effort…Will be a nice steal for right program
