Back in Action: Scrimmage in the 607 Notes

Due to state regulations, nearly every weekend since early July has been spent out of New York for basketball events, so when the opportunity arose to watch some NY teams in action within state borders, it was a no-brainer to make the trip. I was able to spend the midday hours Saturday at a round robin scrimmage in the Binghamton area. The controlled event featured four teams, two coming from the host Alpha Tier Athletics program and the other two making the trip from the 518 - one being The Athenas, a new program with several recognizable local names coached by Eric Fluty, and the other a group of some of the area's notable 2023s. Here's a few players that stood out during game play on Saturday:

Brianna Beebe (5'10" WG, Newark Valley 2021; Alpha Tier Athletics) - Bri can be a lethal shooter when she starts to get it going, and the shot was falling on Saturday. She shot the three at a high percentage off the catch in both games, got it off quickly & shot it with confidence. She was also able to play off the perimeter jumper with a pull-up midrange J going to her left, and she got out and scored in transition as well. Good positional size, a stronger frame, and the ability to stretch the D will go a long way in making her an asset at the collegiate level.

Kayla Campbell (5'10" G, Franklin 2022; Alpha Tier Athletics) - Kayla, a longtime Oneonta area standout, is a new addition to the ATA fold. She didn't score much over the two games, but considering how much she does that at the high school level, it was good to see the impact she made on the court without scoring. Offensively, she can play both on or off the ball. She's unselfish, has decent basketball IQ, and moves pretty well without the ball. Even in a small sample set, she showed the ability to score in different ways. She also has good defensive awareness, showing it by making several good reads off the ball or in help D position, getting deflections/steals & making good rotations to prevent easy buckets. All-in-all, I thought they went up a level at both ends with her on the court.

Kayla Campbell (Franklin 2022)

Brianna Carey (5'6" G, Shenendehowa 2023) - Bri, who saw minutes as a freshman on Shenendehowa's Section 2 Class AA champion squad, is showing improvement on the ball - welcome growth for someone previously known more as a sniper. She still showed the shooting ability here, but ballhandling, court vision, and decision making with the ball in her hands were all notably sound in her team's two victories. In their second game, Bri was also making plays defensively, causing turnovers and turning them into transition opportunities. She's showing developments in the areas of her game that I thought were important for her to do so offensively, a good sign as she enters her sophomore year.

Natasha Chudy (6'2" F, Saratoga Springs 2023) - Tash, already a standout in the 518 and one of the top/most skilled forwards in her class in upstate NY, battled through a tough shooting start in their opener to make big plays by the end of it and then dominate offensively in their second game. She had righty & lefty finishes at the rim along with a handful of free throws in the latter moments of their first game, one in which they overcame a 20+ point deficit to come back and win. There was no 'off' to speak of in their second game though, as Tash scored in just about any way you could ask. Whether it was righty or lefty finishes in the post, the face-up game with drives or midrange Js, a couple threes off the catch, or running the floor and catching & finishing in transition, she emptied the bag to the tune of 29 points (by game film count - 20 1st half). With the skill, mobility, and some added strength over pandemic time as well, Chudy should wind up with her share of D1 suitors in years to come.

Natasha Chudy (Saratoga Springs 2023)

Laycee Drake (5'6" PG, Hancock 2021 & UMBC commit; Alpha Tier Athletics) - 'Laycee being Laycee' or 'Laycee doing Laycee things' are lines that have come from my mouth dozens of times over the years... so pardon me as I use it again, but Saturday was no different. Laycee was the definition of a standout. She made her presence felt from start to finish with her play at both ends. Whether it was using the unrivaled athleticism to make plays at the rim or rip down rebounds among the bigs, showing the deep range on the jumper, making her defender test the brakes with the handle, or getting paint touches and showing great court vision & unselfishness to hit teammates, she showed a bit of everything in a great individual showing. One of the most decorated players in area history (and a stellar multi-sport athlete), she has one more year to make it happen with her Deposit/Hancock squad before moving onto D1 play in the America East with UMBC, where she committed in recent weeks.

Laycee Drake (Hancock 2021; UMBC commit)

Mackenzie Hess (5'3" PG, Norwich 2022; Alpha Tier Athletics) - In my eyes, Mackenzie has improved a bit over the last year and she showed some of those strides in game play at this event. She's a pass first PG that generally makes the right read and has pretty good court vision, but she can also make the defense pay if they don't stay honest on her. In typical Norwich fashion, she brings it every second - up big, down big, or close game, it was noticeable that she played hard and gave maximum effort every possession on the court.

Sydney Hoefs (5'8" PG, Amsterdam 2022; The Athenas) - For Syd - and anyone else in an Athena uniform - it wasn't big scoring numbers that caught my eye, as they had a very balanced offensive attack in both games. What I liked with Syd's performance is the reads she made on the ball. She seemingly always made the right read & decision - attack the rim right/left, pull up and shoot the midrange J, when to give it up & who to give it up to. Also, her length & quickness on the defensive end was a problem for guards on both opposing teams. She was a key piece of The Athenas' success applying full court man-to-man pressure. Solid day overall for Syd, one of the 518's better prospects in 2022.

Sarah Lanphear (5'10" WG, Chittenango 2021; Alpha Tier Athletics) - I've been able to watch Sarah a few times with her ATA group, and each time, she's looked a little better. She has good positional height & length at the wing, and she's a little stronger than she may look with her wiry frame, which allows her to mix it up around the rim. She's made strides with the jumper and has become a reliable perimeter shooter, hitting multiple threes off the catch in each game. Although she's more of an off-ball player, she also showed some more comfort making plays with the drive, going downhill with the left a few times and finishing at the rim or with a floater. My notes on Sarah from both games include the phrase 'getting better' - work is paying off, and it looks like she may be a late bloomer that can continue to develop into & through her college years.

Anna Lee (5'7" G, Johnstown 2021; The Athenas) - Anna was consistently solid at both ends through both of her team's games, perhaps the steadiest player in an Athena uniform. The three was falling, hitting a couple in each game while shooting a high percentage, and knocking them down both off the catch and showing the stepback too. Besides that, she showed the ability to generate scoring opportunities for others by attacking, drawing extra defenders, and hitting teammates on time & on target. I thought she made a major impact whenever she was in Saturday.

Anna Lee (Johnstown 2021)

Madison Meyer (5'5" G, Duanesburg 2022; The Athenas) - In many ways, you know what you're getting with Maddie when she's on the court, and that was no different here. She brings the effort, toughness, competitive edge, and leadership qualities every game - vocal enough that you can even hear her on the game film. Her productivity really picked up in their second game, which was by far the closest of the two as it went down to the final buzzer. She showed the range with a quick release & deep three off the catch, in-between game with a two-foot righty floater on a left drive, and turned defense into transition offense with a couple steals and layups or assists to layups. She was at her most productive when the game was its most competitive - definitely a difference maker for her squad.

Ava Pearson (5'5" PG, Colonie 2023) - Part of the beauty of Ava is that she really doesn't stand out - sounds backwards for a standout article, but work with me. She's steady, consistent, can be counted on to make the right play, keeps turnover numbers down while running the offense, and finds ways to impact a game even if it's not a box score night for her. This was particularly evident in their first game, one in which they fell behind by 20+ early before storming back to grab a win. The lefty PG showed the range with a couple threes to help keep them afloat, then helped lead the comeback with court vision & decision making, finding teammates with scoring opportunities while making the right reads & taking care of the ball. The effort culminated in a bucket to give them the lead for good late, playing off the shot & hitting a high-arcing lefty floater. Ava's another one that has clearly put in some work over the last few months, coming out of the spring/summer months looking noticeably stronger. This was just another showing with Ava making positive impact for her team.