2018 PBR Heart of Texas Tip Sheet
ALEXYS KING (AUSTIN ELITE RFW)
FRISCO, TEXAS- The Heart of Texas continues to be one of April’s “Premier” events and talented players from all across the country were on hand to showcase their talents in front of an abundance of college coaches. I opened my viewing on Friday at the Fieldhouse in Frisco and over the course of the weekend, I had a chance to see so many players capable of playing at the next level and here are some
DINIAA McZEAL (LA TEAM G4WYW)
2019
Alexys King-5’8 guard (Austin Elite RFW) one of the few players I’ve personally seen drop 8 or more threes in a game, high school or in club basketball before numerous college coaches however the importance of being able to catch and shoot the ball with accuracy is something she has worked on and it shows. Strong body, can take defenders off the dribble and finish plus she rebounds and defends
Kara Wurm-6’0 PG (Texas Elite 17U Silver Jones) the game starts at the one but when you add an abundance of things to go along with running a team, that’s nothing but positives. She’s long and athletic, finishes, rebounds, good timing for put-backs , oh yeah, she handles the ball and sees the floor
Rachel Williams-6’1 PF (Texas Inferno) tall and athletic, fought for everything in the paint off the glass, on both ends of the court and she also finishes strong. Good timing, runs floor and still has upside
Diniaa McZeal-5’5 PG (LA Team G4WYW) there are few things more satisfying, for me, than writing about a player in MS and seeing what I said come true as they’re about to enter their senior year. Catch and shoot from anywhere under pressure, fast, with ball, attacks strong and finishes stronger plus she defends
Tianna Smith-5’1 forward (Houston Skyrise 17U Platinum) strong body and physical is always a plus especially when you can finish powerfully. Rebounds strong but she’s attacking from wings more and making things happen, good things
Treece Daily-5’4 PG (Aggieland Sports Alliance) she’s a savvy PG that can handle the ball under pressure and can get the ball to the right people at the right time. Comprehension has always been a plus; nice mid to long range shot opens things up for her to create either for herself or teammates
Bailey Lewis-6’6 post (HG Elite Watts) has steadily improved her game over the years, runs the floor and finishes well and she also rebounds on both ends, that 78 inches is not one of many typos but neither is this, you can’t teach size is one of those saying but the effort she shows tells me she’s still not done with upside
Zaria Collins-5’10 forward (Pro Skills 17U Black) when you show you can handle pressure on the way to a state championship win it helps with OT victories in front of wall to wall college coaches. Powerful body with a pull-up, I’ve seen her she nail shots with players hanging on her but she also finishes, rebounds and defends
AMANDA TURPIN 3220 ELITE-ARY
2020
Rhyle McKinney-5’9 guard (Lone Star Magic) its one thing when you can shoot the long ball accurately like McKinney but she was probably one of the best catch and shoot players at the event that shot it well. She also creates off the dribble but that scorer’s mindset is something you can’t teach
Madison Garrett-5’7 guard (Texas Lady Breakers Gold) as a 7th grader she did so many things that impressed me and even now, the things I saw back then have been tweaked and she’s added more, much more. Nice pull up in transition, handles the ball in the open court while being defended and gets to the basket multiple ways
Nicole Nash-5’8 guard (HTX Fire 2020) continues to impress me with her long range and accuracy but she’s creating her shot even better and also taking defenders off the dribble for either the midrange or all the way to the basket
Amanda Turpin-5’8 guard (3220 Elite-Ary) you have scorers and you have scorers who get theirs in the flow and Turpin does both. If she needs to take over, she can hit 5 or 6 in a row from mid to long range and then sometimes you look at the score sheet and see her stats and just think why as she does it silently too. Very smooth player
MARISSA TELL (SOUTHERN KRUSHERS ACADEMY)
2021
Bre’Yon White-6’0 guard (Houston Lady Roadrunners) two years ago she started playing basketball and 4 inches later she’s on the verge of being a #BCSLock and that in itself should tell you something. I love explosive jumpers, either for rebounds or shooting, she finishes strong and defends in the paint or coast to coast
Taylor Thomas-5’7 guard (DC Queens Platinum –WTX ) she not only see the floor well but handles the ball under pressure. Nice first step enables her to set defenders up and she attacks from everywhere on the court
Brianna Wietelman-5’11 forward (Team Oklahoma Red 9) good body, plays bigger than height and won’t back down on the inside. Finishes strong against taller players, runs the floor and rebounds
Diamond Smith-5’8 forward (Lady Pumas Select) physical on both ends yet under control. Rebounds against taller players, finishes against taller players, strong. Nice pull-up, release is nice and accurate, I’m also accurate about her high upside, she brings a lot to the table but wait till its set
Marissa Tell-6’0 forward (Southern Krushers Academy) long and athletic and knows how to slice by defenders for baskets and I saw that a couple of years ago. I love progression, she’s 6’0 and mom was a BCS player so watching her add more to her game is no surprise. She elevates on jumper and elevates over others for rebounds and put backs
ASHLON JACKSON (HTX FIRE 2019)
2022
Aliyah Collins-5’3 PG (Brazos Valley Elite) upside is scary and every time I see her she’s added something else. Speed with ball was always there, she’s under control and that pull up can be devastating plus she understands the importance of playing the passing lane which gets her easy baskets on the other ends
Ashlon Jackson-6’0 PG (HTX Fire 2019) I called her a #BCSLock way under 6’0 but the things she keeps adding, like NBA range from five feet deeper just adds to it. Handles the ball and sees the floor but the comprehension and poise has always been there, she can rebound and go coast to coast or throw a no look in traffic for an assist and that midrange is looking very nice
Mikaykla Parks-5’7 PG (Oklahoma Lady Thunder 15U ) when you understand the game, that’s always a great start to running the one and when you’re also able to take defenders off the dribble or just knock down the long ball, defenders can’t ease up. She keeps adding more each time I see her and she’s not even in HS
Kameron Goodman-5’5 guard (Pro Skills 14U Red) range, athleticism and speed sort of gives you a picture yet you can fill in the background is that she has a players mindset and makes things happen and when you can turn a game around by not just scoring, that’s huge especially at her age
Keely Cummings-5’3 PG (Houston Skyrise 2022 Mike) I’ll tell this story forever, I saw her as a 3rd grader dribbling between her legs and asked her if she could play and she responded “come see” She opened the game with a spin move for a lay-up, a steal and a 3, all in less than 20 seconds and looked over at me and I knew right then so let me say this, very savvy PG that controls tempo, directs traffic and makes the right pass combined with good ball handling and defense, btw the she’s still dropping the long ball, 5 in a row down the stretch for a win