The title says it all. Went to work locally at the Albany Falcons girls tournament at Schenectady HS today. Pocketed the phone and didn't even look at it much, let alone tweet, so here's my thoughts as to who stood out.
2017
Nina Fedullo (Amsterdam/New York Havoc - Blue) - Her game has evolved from being a 4, then to being a 4 who could step out and play some wing, and has now taken the next step to being a wing who can be fully interchangeable with a post. Can truly do a bit of everything on the court, so she even makes a big impact on off days. Found herself in the right spot to make plays countless times today - 'right place, right time' a couple times is luck, but 'right place, right time' all the time is basketball IQ. The basketball IQ was on display today.
2018
Chloe Chaffin (Kingston/New York Havoc - Blue) - One could make a legitimate case that Chloe is the best player at the tournament. At 5'10", she's got height on just about every wing in the building except for the ones on her own team. Add supreme strength & athleticism, and she's just too much physically for most matchups. The scary part is that she's rapidly improving as a basketball player and is increasing relying more on skill with the athleticism being a bonus. Scorer's mentality and can score on just about anyone. Division I lock with plenty of attention already.
Sam Dayter (Cohoes/ESBA Select - Frierson) - Solid 2-0 day for ESBA Select. Dayter didn't stand out in the box score - she can, just didn't today - but her impact showed in causing matchup issues today. As a speedy 5'9" guard, she had smaller matchups against her throughout Saturday and was often able to facilitate on a team that's small, but has its share of shooters.
Emily Frodyma (Catholic Central/Saints) - Today was my first time seeing her - the only one on this list I can say that for. Spent a good portion of the day wondering how she didn't play varsity ball for CCHS this year. Certainly held her own and often stood out in today's games. Pure stroke on the jumper, which she hit a few times with range out to 23'. Not a one-dimensional offensive player though, as she showed quickness and good handle to get to the rim once defenses respected the J. Did the same in some extra run, picking up with an Albany Falcons team when she wasn't playing with Saints. Bright future.
Jordan Halgas (Ware (MA)/Mass Frenzy) - Solid guard that's a lot craftier than you'd expect from the eye test. She has a solid build conducive for contact, and she's certainly not afraid of it, but she's just as willing & able to split defenders with a Euro. Had a particularly dominant stretch late in the 1st half of a game against the Utica Lady Knicks where she hit a three, grabbed a rebound & took it coast-to-coast, sliding through 2 defenders to finish at the rim, then stole a pass seconds later and scored again. Her game will expand quite a bit as she gets a little quicker & smoother.
Stephanie Jankovic (Averill Park/ESBA Select - Frierson) - The 5'7" lefty guard established herself as perhaps the most well-rounded scorer on a team full of kids who can put the ball in the basket. She can knock down the three with limited room, either off the catch or off the dribble. When a defender stepped up, she was able to get by and either finish at the rim or with a floater. She looks a bit stronger now than she did even 2-3 months ago - used that to draw contact and rack up the opposition's team foul count.
Shyla Sanford (Shaker/New York Havoc - Blue) - Traditionally good shooter who's been in a bit of a funk lately snapped out of it in a big way today. She hit a handful of threes in the 1st half of a game against the Albany Falcons, desperately needed as Havoc was having trouble scoring otherwise for a good portion of the half. Bulldog at both ends whose motor will keep going until she nearly passes out - often guards the opposition's best player and today was no different. She'll get overzealous and pick up a chippy now and then, but that's part of letting Shyla be Shyla, which provides much more up than down.
Bridget Whelan (Albany/Albany Falcons) - The Whelan/Sanford battle in the 1st half of their games against Havoc-Blue was the most fun watch of the day. Bridget, a diminutive but scrappy point guard, often matched Shyla's threes with threes of her own - a couple from NBA range. It was another situation where the Falcons needed that offensive output, as they were having trouble getting anything else going. She's not afraid of better competition - in fact, she seems to flourish against other good players. Between the J, handle, ability to distribute, and defensive ability, it's tough to find a weakness.
Sophie Wittenbeck (Waterville/Utica Lady Knicks) - Sophie has a game that's all hers - not comparable to anyone, mix of orthodox & unorthodox, and it works for her. The 5'5" lefty guard was the standout by far for her team. Not blindingly quick, but quick enough and very crafty. A halfway open jumper was basically a layup for her Saturday, consistently hitting at every opportunity. The left wing & corner were her sweet spots, at one point hitting 2 treys and a long 2 from deep left wing in rapid succession. High IQ, head is always up as lead guard & rarely makes mistakes. Her game can translate well against better competition.
2019
Grace Heeps (Columbia/New York Havoc - Blue) - Another one of those players that does plenty of impressive things, whether it's an on or off day. Legitimate 5'10" combo guard who has been assuming a bit more of a pass-first point guard role lately, and she did a very good job running the show on this day and getting the ball to teammates in a position for them to score. She can score - at times, in bunches - but was high in assists. Already a hot target with plenty of Division I schools showing up at games in the winter, she'll hit the next level of her game when she successfully marries her scoring ability with the ability to distribute. Very competitive, and it shows as she doesn't take plays off - physically or mentally.
Harmony Philo (Gloversville/New York Havoc - Scott) - Very good perimeter shooter off the catch & off screens that is now rapidly expanding her game. She showed improvement in creating off the dribble, getting by a defender numerous times to get into the lane either for herself or for someone else. She had countless tips/deflections on defense in the game that I watched, which led to a few breakouts & easy transition points. Still, her glowing strength is knocking down the 3, which she did at a high clip throughout the day. As she gets better & more comfortable in other facets, she'll become a load to handle.
Team Of The Day
New York Havoc - Blue - I hope this choice isn't a shocker to anyone - the one team there that's really doing it as a warmup for a largely national schedule. They flexed over the course of the day, winning in blowout fashion twice - although the Albany Falcons team didn't back down. They're as big of a girls' team as you'll find, boasting two 6'4" girls, two 6'2" girls, along with 4 others between 5'9" and 5'11". On top of the four previously mentioned in Nina Fedullo, Chloe Chaffin, Shyla Sanford, and Grace Heeps, they also picked up solid contributions from everyone else in uniform, namely Shenendehowa 2018 Cameron Tooley. It was also a more confident showing from Mt. Anthony (VT) 2017 Madison Little, who will continue to improve as she gains confidence. Clear #1 in the field - scary considering standout Northampton (MA) 2017 Lauraine Joensen wasn't there, and out of their 9 in uniform, 4 were sophomores & 2 were freshmen. Every girl on the team, top to bottom, is being actively recruited by scholarship level schools.
Team Of The Day Honorable Mention
ESBA Select - Frierson - Very nice 2-0 showing for a mainly 2018 squad, many of them being relatively underrated standouts at smaller schools. The team fielded today - missing a couple players - was truly all guards. They had to throw Selena Jones, a Hudson 2017 that's a point guard, down in the blocks. It certainly panned out though, as there were at least 3 shooters on the court at all times, and they were hitting. Along with the aforementioned Steph Jankovic and Sam Dayter, Greenville 2018 Ava Fitzmaurice had her moments. Section II's leading 3 point shooter this year looks stronger and hasn't lost the stroke, even with it being softball season (played in the tournament fresh off hurling a no-hitter). Hudson 2018 Mykal Walters had the shot falling as well, especially in the first game. Outside of Jankovic, everyone in uniform plays at a Class B or C school, and they put on for the smaller schools.
All-in-all, it was worth the time spent there. Now, a quick shameless plug about the Empire State Takeover summer leagues. Looking for more information? Check out the following link, filled with 2016 info & updates, and get ahold of me using any form of the contact info at the bottom of that article with any questions! http://empirestatetakeover.blogspot.com/2016/04/2016-league-updates.html
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