2018 Queen Of The Court MS Tip Sheet
GISELLA MAUL
GRAPEVINE, TEXAS –The Queen Of The Court is definitely the right name as several princesses are ready to go farther into basketball royalty, in fact this was one of the best middle school groups I’ve personally caught as far as next level talent in a minute. I’m truly watching these young ladies do what they do, I always look for progression if I’ve seen you before but I also look at other things such as basketball IQ, temperament on the court and above all, unselfishness because those are three of the qualities you will definitely need to succeed not only now but at the next level so enough of that, here are some of the top players I saw that are in middle school, please don’t fret, I’m only dropping a few here, follow me on social media and I’ll be dropping more over the next two weeks
2022
Adrianna McCoy (Cy Fair Elite 2022 RJ) she’s a heady guard that doesn’t mind applying pressure baseline to baseline. High energy is an understatement as she plays the passing lane quite well but her ability to mix it up on offense, either taking defenders off the dribble or just dropping multiple threes was pretty smooth
Dyamon Griggs (Waco Lady Panthers) I love her upside, she already has a strong frame and doesn’t mind punishment, either giving or receiving and desire to battle inside is something you just can’t teach. She rebounds well on both ends, has good timing and can finish but she also shade later in the event that she can face the basket and score as well as take defenders off the dribble
ALISHA BROWN & MADDIE COX
2023
Gisella Maul (Nike Cy Fair 2023 Evans) to be honest with you, I’m so amazed at what she’s added in a short span of time that it’s mind boggling. She already has BIG 12 offers on the table and believe me the table has been set. She scores so many ways, off the dribble, either hand as well as mid to long range and now she’s spinning her way through traffic for baskets with ease
Maddie Cox (Nike Cy Fair 2023 Evans) watching her grow up on the court, both in height and skill set has me smiling because this same young kid was putting a 3 ball shooting exhibition together at her older sister’s game 3 or 4 years ago is now doing BEAST LIKE stuff inside as she controls the inside yet still can spot up and shoot the ball. Blocking shots with either hand, scoring with either hand and even handing out assists
Alisha Brown (Team Motivate ) good body, good hands and good understanding of the game as she keeps the ball high, can put it on the floor but that lost art of following your shot definitely doesn’t apply to her because she gets it. She also rebounds strong and finishes stronger, with contact
Sophia Placke (True Texas Hoops 2023) multiple scorers on this squad but Placke scored multiple ways down the stretch. I love watching young players understand how to create their shot as well as get it off in tight situations, well and put it in the basket, she does all of that and scored off the dribble with or without contact
Rakayla Jones (DC Queens Silver 2023) watching her attack relentlessly to the basket was refreshing as well as diving on the court of loose balls but that midrange is clicking and to top that off, she’s creating her own shot in traffic not to mention defending better on the perimeter. The icing on the cake is that she battles for rebound, on both ends
RAKAYLA JONES
2024
Kennedy Evans (Nike Cy Fair Elite 2024-Red) tell you what, I was definitely seeing red after being blinded be her NBA range threes torching the nets. She grew a little and extended an already impressive long ball shooting ability but her athleticism and ability to stop and pop for the mid or blow by defenders has her in pretty good shape
Caya Smith (BTR 2024) I would say she’s going to be hard to handle but she already is. She’s tall, long and athletic and she can control the game both offensively and defensively and that’s an intangible you don’t see often. She’s enhanced every aspect of her game since I saw her a few months ago but she’s nowhere near the finished product
2025
Katelyn Evans (DC Queens Black 2024/2025) a growth spurt as well as adding more muscle certainly hasn’t slowed this young lady down at all. I guess her poise on the floor is what impresses me more than anything else, she doesn’t flustered no matter what the situation is and her range has gotten better along with her defense and rebounding. Scores well around the basket with either hand and she battles for everything