With the 5th Annual EST Upstate Fall Showcase now a thing of the past, it's time to take a quick look back to mention who made their mark & stood out at the event.
September 29 saw 117 athletes from NY & MA take the court at Schenectady HS. 59 of them were in the event's closing session from 1-4 PM. This included a wide-ranging variety of talent - from well-established recruits with an early working list of of Division I offers and some of the region's finest young talent to under-the-radar, local program juniors & seniors looking to work their way onto Division III radars. A few standouts, thoughts, & notes from the afternoon session, listed in alphabetical order:
Morgan Giancaterino (5'8"; Sacred Heart Academy 2022, X-Gen Elite) - What catches my eye about Morgan is how far I think she's come along in a relatively short period of time. From the first time I saw her - with her HS team in December - to her EST debut at the Summer Kickoff in June, there was development. It appears that there's been continued growth & development from June to now, as she made increased impact for her team, particularly in their first 5v5 game. She scored the ability to score at three levels, hitting a couple threes, a couple midrange Js, and also attacking the basket & finishing either at the rim or with short floaters. Her above-average length & quickness allow her to cover ground quickly and play taller at the wing than her 5'8" listing, and by consistently doing the right thing at both ends - spacing & moving off the ball, correct rotations on D, etc. - she showed that she has a good feel & understanding of the game.
Makayla McCorker (6'0"; East 2021) - The goal of EST events is to put three different kinds of players on the court - the best of today that are already well-known, the best of the future, and the best 'hidden gems' that aren't well-known yet. Put this Rochester product in the third column, as McCorker, someone who's fallen under the radar to this point, made a major impression at Schenectady. She projects as a face-up 4 at the collegiate level but has the versatility to play in the post & on the perimeter. Her length & raw athleticism were evident from the tip, and she impacted games with it throughout the day. She was able to take advantage of different matchups - went into the post and scored over smaller defenders a few times and took forwards out to the perimeter, even breaking them down off the dribble & finishing or getting to the line. She also showed comfort facing up & shooting out to about 18 feet, and the willingness to create & find teammates out of doubles or after drawing help is there as well. She also made an impact at both ends on the glass, and her motor was good through the end of the event as everyone was getting tired. If this event was any indication, McCorker won't be slept on much longer.
Avery Mills (Mekeel 2024) with Morgan Tompkins (Red Hook 2022) - also a standout at this event - giving chase |
Sophia Murray (5'4"; New Hartford 2021, Syracuse Royals) - Having watched Sophia play plenty in 2019 - with her high school team, AAU program, and at the EST summer league & both HS one-day events - I was happy with her performance at Schenectady, as she looked like she's made progression as a player in both body & mind. The combo guard has a reputation as a scorer, but she showed some more comfort playing off the ball at this event. When she had the ball in her hands though, she wasted no time, making quick moves, going downhill, & making the right read from there. She showed the range, hitting a few threes from various spots on the court and doing so both off the catch & off the dribble. Sophia was also able to attack poor closeouts, hitting the defender's outside shoulder & going straight toward the rim. Her head was up once getting paint touches, looking to find teammates, which she did on several occasions - post dumpdowns, ball-side wing kickouts, and a couple good drift passes to the weak side wing or corner. Solid overall day for Sophia, who looks to be making strides in many different aspects of her game.
Mackenna Nechwedowich (Newark Valley 2021) |
Lauren Patnode (5'11"; Saratoga Springs 2023, Saratoga Sparks) - The weekend warrior award goes to local standout Patnode, who was able to balance the afternoon session of this event with the weekend long City Rocks Top 24 across town in Watervliet. You wouldn't have known she spent that much time playing basketball over the weekend, as she looked fresh & full of energy at Schenectady. She was strong from the start, setting the tone for her team with her motor at both ends. She turned defense into offense, turning ballhandlers over a couple times early & getting out in transition. In the half-court, hard right-handed drives turned into finishes at the rim and space turned into a few threes, one being from well behind the line. Lauren played at a different pace and with a different bounce in her step than most, which as usual, turned into positive results for her team. Another strong showing for someone blossoming into one of the 518's finest.
Lauren Patnode (Saratoga Springs 2023) |
Claire Pikett (Holland 2022) |
Freey Pleasants (5'8"; Syracuse Academy of Science 2020, I-90 Elite) - If you were looking for uncommitted*** 2020s at this event, you may want to start with Freey. She did some good things in the 3v3 portion and really put her stamp on her team's second 5v5 game. She's an imposing physical presence as a guard, likely one of the strongest & most physical players in an EST jersey over the course of the day. Along with that, she's quick on her feet with a pretty quick & explosive first step, and she really made a difference for her team as she looked to create for others with the ball in her hands. The following sequence was seen several times in 5v5 play - hard middle drive to beat the first defender, make the help D collapse, come to a controlled 2 foot stop in the paint, make the right read & dump to the post or kick to a shooter. She also created for her bigs several times in the P&R game. Overall, Freey is a player that can do a bit of everything to help teams win games and has the competitive desire to win, and she showed that in a solid effort.
*** - uncommitted no more. Since the posting of this write-up, Freey has committed to Division II Queens College. Congrats!
Freey Pleasants (Syracuse Academy of Science 2020) |
Reese Vaughan (Seton Catholic 2021) |
FULL LIST OF AFTERNOON SESSION PARTICIPANTS
Lauren Augustine (5’4”; Horseheads
2020)
Xy’el Bradford (5’5”; Syracuse Academy
of Science 2020)Jill Casey (5’11”; Horseheads 2020, Quinnipiac commit)
Brynne Gilmore (5’7”; Northern Adirondack 2020)
Freey Pleasants (5’8”; Syracuse Academy of Science 2020)
Madison Ansari (5’10”; Franklin Academy 2021)
Hailey Cascioli (5’8”; Chatham 2021)
Tessa Cole (5’6”; Sherburne-Earlville 2021)
Payton Couture (5’10”; Saranac 2021)
Molly Coyne (6’0”; West Genesee 2021)
Zyonaha Glen (5’11”; Nottingham 2021)
KJ Gordon (5’3”; Shaker 2021)
Jenna Granger (5’9”; Horseheads 2021)
Leana Heitmann (6’0”; CBA Syracuse 2021)
Jordan Hess (5’4”; Norwich 2021)
Zavia Jaime (5’7”; New Hartford 2021)
Madilann Johnson (5’2”; Horseheads 2021)
Julia Mann (5’9”; Central Square 2021)
Sarah Mattfeld (5’10”; Catholic Central 2021)
Makayla McCorker (6’0”; East 2021)
Katie Moravec (5’6”; Newfield 2021)
Kelly Moravec (5’5”; Newfield 2021)
Sophia Murray (5’4”; New Hartford 2021)
Mackenna Nechwedowich (6’0”; Newark Valley 2021)
Lauren Petrie (5’8”; Bishop Ludden 2021)
Alexis Tedford (5’5”; Maple Hill 2021)
Reese Vaughan (5’9”; Seton Catholic 2021)
Mariah Conklin (5’6”; Binghamton 2022)
Emily Delisle (5’5”; Shenendehowa 2022)
Margaret Dougher (5’6”; Norwich 2022)
Morgan Giancaterino (5’8”; Sacred Heart Academy 2022)
Mackenzie Hess (5’3”; Norwich 2022)
Sydney Huhtala (5’9”; Baldwinsville 2022)
Cecelia Lapertosa (6’1”; Whitesboro 2022)
Maren Louridas (5’11”; Bethlehem 2022)
Cristina Negron (5’7”; Williston Northampton (MA) 2022)
Gretchen Perine (5’3”; Baldwinsville 2022)
Claire Pikett (6’0”; Holland 2022)
Ruby Santos (5’10”; New Paltz 2022)
Carly Scott (5’2”; Horseheads 2022)
Morgan Tompkins (5’10”; Red Hook 2022)
Macie Trimarchi (5’10”; Colonie 2022)
Madalyn Barrows (5’7”; Oxford Academy 2023)
Ella Chandler (5’9”; Shenendehowa 2023)
Isabella Gilmore (5’10”; Northern Adirondack 2023)
Jazlynn Logan (5’5”; Rochester School of the Arts 2023)
Madison Lusk (5’5”; Albertus Magnus 2023)
Lauren Patnode (5’11”; Saratoga Springs 2023)
Gabby Sheth (5’4”; Kingston 2023)
Amarah Streiff (5’11”; Bishop Ludden 2023)
Jaiden Williams (5’7”; Union-Endicott 2023)
Milleniyah Glanton (5’5”; Newark 2024)
Avery Mills (5’7”; Mekeel Christian Academy 2024)
Aniya Rowe (5’5”; Bishop Kearney 2024)
Leah Thompson (5’10”; Hilton 2024)
Jayla Bell (5’5”; Lyons 2025)
Ava Gallup (5’10”; Webster Schroeder 2025)
Mallory Heise (5’5”; Hilton 2025)
Amaia Jackson (5’5”; Bishop Kearney 2025)