Now that there's been a couple days to digest the fall live weekend - and a little time for me to get back on the job with my upcoming event (registration still open) next Sunday - I guess it's time to put the notes from this weekend together. The fall live weekend is always interesting because, more than the other live periods in the year, it shows who the 12 month workers are. There was a lot of rust, but those who never dropped the basketball after summer really stood out. This post will focus on 15 players that stood out to me over the weekend, either as some of the true standouts of the tournament, 'stock risers' whose performance Saturday & Sunday should bode well for their recruitment, or bigtime young talents who show that the well won't run dry in upstate NY for a long time to come.
*** This, like other EST thoughts & posts, is regionally based. There were plenty of strong players in Ardsley this weekend from as far away as Virginia, but my attention for this weekend was focused on prospects from upstate NY and western New England. ***
STANDOUTS
Sydney Brown (6'0" G/F; Blair Academy 2018/I-90 Elite Wright) - Between players backing out just before the fall weekend and an ankle injury to all-everything point guard Danielle Rauch Friday night, Randy Wright's squad needed huge contributions from Syd Brown - and that they got. A recent Blair transfer by way of Shenendehowa, she showed all the tools this weekend and was the straw that stirred the drink for an I-90 squad that went 2-2 despite not having 3 impact players. Already known as a supreme athlete that can finish & rebound with anyone, the perimeter jumper is what stood out this weekend as she became a knockdown shooter, especially when fading to the 3 point line off a screen. She already has several offers in the bag, and it'll be fun to watch who else joins the Syd Brown chase over these next several months.
Grace Heeps (5'11" G; Columbia 2019/NY Havoc) - Grace's biggest strength is perhaps her versatility; you can put her basically anywhere you need her on the court, and you'll get away with it. A Havoc squad that was particularly undermanned on Saturday needed her to run the point for nearly every minute of each game, and she succeeded as the primary ballhandler, distributor, and a main scorer as well. Heeps is well-known for her perimeter shooting prowess and how deep her range is, and she also flashed that over the weekend - including a bomb from nearly 30' on Saturday. She even took smaller PG matchups into the blocks a few times to post them up, along with guarding multiple positions on defense. Although she's a more natural 2 going forward and college coaches recruiting her understand that, the versatility across the board & capability to run point should only help her in the recruiting process and perhaps add to her 4 offers.
Vivian Ladd (5'8" G; Johnson City 2018/BNY Select) - Usually, I'm a fan of people playing up age groups if their skill level allows. However, it's different in Vivian Ladd's case, as she's used playing on the 15s this year & this weekend to blossom as a top offensive option for her team. This seems to have helped her expand her game in a major way, as her confidence matches her skill level and she can now take over a game. She has the 'old man at the rec league' game, with all the wily veteran tricks to help her do what she wants on the court. That, along with serious strength, help her make things happen against any kind of matchup; tall, small, strong, quick, athletic, doesn't matter. She consistently got to her spots on the floor - and she has a lot of them - and wreaked havoc en route to a strong BNY weekend. She has a Le Moyne offer and some D1 interest out of the America East conference, and I only imagine that will grow.
Peyton Steinman (5'7" G; Pittsfield 2017/Albany Lady Stars) - Last live period for one of the Berkshires' finest, and she made the most of it. Peyton was in attack mode from the tip, and she was feeling it the entire weekend. She has a pure shooting stroke with range to the NBA 3 point line, shown with her hitting one off the tip from 24' in one of their games. She has a smooth game & a high basketball IQ, rarely turning the ball over from the PG spot while getting the ball to other scorers when & where they want. The ability to anticipate well mixed with long arms help rack up steals on the defensive end, and she played the passing lanes to perfection when needed. Pretty solid rebounding guard as well; was one of the Lady Stars' best on the glass this weekend. Have to think this weekend's performance, especially a nearly 30 point showing in one of her games, helped her with some late looks.
Hanna Strawn (5'3" G; Seton Catholic 2018/BNY Select) - Hanna started off with a bang Saturday. Not that often do you see dozens of coaches lined up for an 8:00 AM Saturday game that ended up being a 60-13 final, but they were for BNY Select, and Hanna had a huge showing in front of around 35 that took the early bird special. She showed off 3 point range, got to the rim with ease, got teammates the ball on a platter with precision passing, and for the coaches that think she's too left-dominant, got to her right a few times & finished with the right hand - through contact, to boot. Her defensive pressure put her opponent's guards into submission in the 1st game and wreaked havoc in the others. Successful weekend for one of the Southern Tier's finest.
Sophie Tougas (6'0" G; Glens Falls 2019/Rivals Black) - Ok, maybe Sophie's Saturday wasn't the best. But any coach that saw her Sunday didn't just like her; they were ready to offer her. The tall, lanky wing lit up the scoreboard with a hot shooting performance and in typical Sophie fashion, made it look effortless. An unnamed Division I coach stated after Sunday that they would 'offer her just to have a chance with her down the road'. She hit 5 threes and scored 20+ in a win over I-90 Elite Sunday, and followed it up with taking over in the last few minutes against Gauchos, including hitting the eventual game winning pull-up jumper. She's an elite level shooter with high basketball IQ and good feel for the game, always moving without the ball and flashing into the right areas. She showcased a smooth, quick release, so a quick closeout was never quick enough to make an impact on her shot. Expect Sophie's recruitment to blow up sooner rather than later.
STOCK RISERS
Cat Almeida (6'4" F; Shenendehowa 2019/NY Havoc) - Cat showed this weekend that she's much more than a long-term project. Her growth as a player over the last few months make her a legitimate impact player right now, and her performance in Ardsley should put a good number of schools on notice. Her deliberate, but deceptively crafty style on offensive is Arvydas Sabonis-esque, showcasing great footwork in the paint along with a quality mid-range and improving perimeter jumper. She's a very good post passer as well, which keeps teammates engaged & moving without the ball since they know she can find them. She's becoming a little quicker and lighter on her feet, as to be expected from someone her height & her age 'catching up', and she rebounded better than at any point in the past this weekend. Big things coming for Almeida.
Jamie Boeheim (5'11" F; Jamesville-Dewitt 2018/I-90 Elite Wright) - This weekend was one where Boeheim could step into the forefront with missing pieces across the board for I-90, and she took full advantage of it. With her length & skill set, she's a prototypical stretch 4. She's slippery when going to the basket and can find ways to get shots off & finish above and around defenders. Her mid-range J looks smoother, which will only help going forward, and she battled for rebounds. This was some of the best basketball I've personally seen Jamie play. Looking forward to seeing her growth this year.
Emma Brinker (6'1" F; East Aurora 2018/I-90 Elite Wright) - Already one of the most fundamentally skilled post players in upstate NY, Emma showed off some improving quickness and athleticism, which helped her become a bit of a standout on a team that really needed production from her. She's a solid post scorer with great footwork and can step out and hit mid-range jumpers consistently, which she did plenty of over the weekend. Her added worth came on the boards, where she fought and pursued rebounds out of her area to lead I-90 on the glass. Her length & good timing allows her to block shots at a high rate without fouling. She's another player with a high basketball IQ - notice a trend here? Out of those that I paid attention to this weekend, perhaps no one helped themselves out more than Emma did.
Julie Ford (6'2" F; Cooperstown 2018/NY Havoc) - Julie was only in action for Sunday's two games and one of them wasn't at the main House of Sports site, but coaches that saw her 8:00 game Sunday enjoyed her performance without doing much blinking. The super-athletic & bouncy PF started her showing by facing up & blowing by her defender and finishing at backboard level, then followed it up by knocking down a three. Nice start. She rebounded well and ran the floor hard, using her speed to get a couple layups on rim runs. She plays the game with high energy all the time; when the rest is clicking like it did Sunday, the sky is the limit for one of NY's best small school athletes.
Zaria Thomas (5'7" G; Elmira 2017/BNY Select) - In her last NCAA live period showing, Zaria showed coaches just how deadly she can be as a 2 guard at the next level. Although a critique of hers has been that she's slight of frame - which is true - she gave coaches nothing else to mark against her. She got it going in the 2nd game Saturday and kept it rolling, knocking down three after three in a game that eventually went to overtime. Offensively, she uses off-ball screens well and can get a good shot off in a hurry to prevent a closeout from being effectively. Defensively, she has very long arms and can be a nuisance against either backcourt position. She's another BNYer that only has a Le Moyne offer, but I have to think that other D2s at Ardsley this weekend had to take notice. Certainly worth a look for any coaches still looking for a 2 guard in 2017.
Aliyah Wright (5'6" G; Colonie 2019/I-90 Elite Wright) - With I-90 Elite's top team needing a PG after Rauch's ankle injury, Aliyah got the callup from the 15U team after their first game. All she did was hold her own & not skip a beat with the top team, impressing coaches and others familiar with the program alike with her heady play. She was assertive enough on offense and knocked down open jumpers, but did a good job keeping the ball moving to open teammates and getting the post players engaged. She kept the turnovers down and solid play up, and good true point guard play from her should bode well going forward.
THE FUTURE
Jill Casey (5'9" G; Horseheads 2020/BNY Select) - Didn't get to see as much of her age group play as I'd hope, but I saw enough to realize why the BNY crew was so high on their newest addition to the program. Like Ladd, Casey has an old school game that gets the job done against any kind of matchup. She's very long, which makes her play bigger than her 5'9" frame. Her mid-range game appeared to be a strong point, as she knocked down shots consistently in the 13'-18' range. Like nearly everyone that comes through the Horseheads program, she's a hard-nosed player that's willing to sacrifice her body and put forth extra effort on the defensive end. She's certainly a good pickup for the BNY program, and it'll be interesting to see her growth over the next year or two.
Momo LaClair (5'8" G; Jamesville-Dewitt 2021/I-90 Elite Snyder) - Perhaps Syracuse's top up & comer at this stage, Momo didn't disappoint this weekend. Perhaps her strongest moments that I saw were against her stiffest competition, in the middle of an OT battle vs. MCW Starz and Caroline Ducharme, regarded as one of the top 2021s in the country at this point. She helped lead I-90 Elite back from a 2nd half deficit to earn an extra few minutes, where they eventually came out with a 4 point W. Her basketball IQ wildly surpasses her age. She seems to always make the right play and has the ability to be a multi-faceted scorer while distributing for others. Her length & quickness allow her to defend either spot in the backcourt as well. The well hasn't run dry at J-D, not for a long time.
Saniaa Wilson (6'0" F; Bishop Kearney 2021/City Rocks) - Rochester has their own Baby Barkley, and she made sure everyone knew what her name was by Sunday afternoon. The 585's junior high phenom, already Bishop Kearney's leading scorer on varsity as a 7th grader, played up with the top team on Sunday and made her presence felt from the start. Using her strength and tenacity, she was a relentless rebounder against older & often taller competition, and she finished through contact on numerous occasions. Although she's known as a power post player, she flashed the ability to handle it too, catching it on the fast break and using a dribble move to get to the rim & finish a couple different times. The future is here in Saniaa Wilson.
Shameless plug - the Empire State Takeover Upstate Elite Showcase is taking place very soon! Sunday, October 9 at the Pat Riley Sports Center @ Schenectady High School. Two sessions - 7th-9th grade from 9 AM - 1 PM, 10th-12th grade 1 PM - 5 PM. High intensity individual skills session, situational 3 v 3, and plenty of live 5 v 5 run with the older crew having plenty of college coaches in attendance. $60 to participate, shirt included. Good bump & exposure at a lower cost than many other options! Don't miss out on this opportunity to make a name for yourself, showcase what you can do in front of coaches, and GET BETTER at the same time! More info at www.empirestatetakeover.org/en/Fall-Events/ including registration & PayPal links - hope to see you there!
