2021 I-35 Showcase (San Antonio) 2024 Tip Sheet
A solid group of sophomores were on full display to show me what they can do and as the teams were divided equally with upper and lower classmen, this gave me a good idea of ceilings as well as the overall potential. It also gave me a chance to see players I hadn’t seen due to a variety of reasons, many not good, which is why I tell people over and over, place your daughter in front of someone KNOWLEDGEABLE every chance you get, my record, on and off the court, speaks for itself
Noelani Ajel-5’5 G no notes needed, she scores off the dribble, sometimes hanging in the air to let the defender go by but her ability to finish after contact makes her an “and one” waiting to happen, why because she creates contact and she’s hard to handle because that mid to long-range is very good
Yasmin Alicea-5’7 G did a good job creating her shot as well as getting to her spot to take the jumper which she knocked down with a hand in her face. She doesn’t force anything, handles the ball well, and attacked ti rim strongly
Zoey Antopia-5’6 G when you come out off the top and show the heat you can apply on defense, I’m definitely tuned in yet she also rebounded, against taller players, that spells DESIRE which falls into #THROWBACK and seeing her finish while attacking off the dribble was nice as well
Emily Carranco-5’11 SF showed off the top she could create her shot, I think I just rhymed yet she did it numerous times but she also rebounded, on both ends and finished on both putbacks as well as off the dribble yet she also showed nice move kin the paint to score as well
Kahlen Castro-5’8 G deceptive first step had defenders leaning which enabled her to attack the rim from multiple angles, multiple times yet she also has good body control, even created contact before she finished, after contact
Kendall Castro-5’7 G heady players always leave a lasting impression because you know in crunch time, good decisions will be made yet she made very good decisions all day as she understood when to take the defender off the dribble, when to take the jumper and when to get the ball to someone else, all very well
Maya Contreras-6’2 PF I did what I tell others to do and used my search bar and nothing came up and since she’s 74 inches tall and can play, something should have yet her timing was one of the best all weekend. she follows the ball off the rim, she also can go C2C after rebounding, high upside
Lexie Edwards-6’3 C I added her to the Watch List last year after catching her in a tournament and as I always tell people, I look for progression, so watching her attacking off the dribble, under control, and using her body to finish really made me smile, so was her running the floor after rebounding
Emery Espinoza-5’4 G when I first saw her drop 8 threes in a game, I just SMH, and I’m still doing that because she has shown she is more than just a 3 point shooter. She scores off the dribble with either hand, she sees the floor and she handles the ball in traffic but guess what, she plays the passing lane
Taylor Gerard-6’3 PF all I can say is WOW and watching her launch the long ball gave me a different view of her game. Yes, she scores around the basket, yes she rebounds on both ends but she defended well, in the paint of “on the ball” baseline to baseline” and with her size, college coaches will definitely be excited
Kera Martinez-5’4 G G when I have D circled in both the 1 on 1and 5 on 5, that says a lot yet applying pressure is often overlooked even though it can create turnovers which lead to baskets going the other way. Her jumper was solid, so was her setting the defender up to attack and she saw the floor
Madison McKinnon-5’8 PG heady was one of the things I noticed when I caught her in the 6th grade so I had a good idea of what was coming yet I didn’t see the growth spurt which is really taking her game to another level. She gets her shot off whenever she wants, from wherever and her court vision is very good
Faith Metcalf-5’8 nothing like watching players rebound against taller players, especially when they score on putbacks yet she understands positioning and that’s a big plus, she also understands how to attack the rim and finish after contact but her defense also got high marks
Jazmine Missildine-5’9 G her defense definitely got my attention early, especially with her steals, this includes playing the passing lane yet her pull-up jumper was nothing to be played with, she created her shot under pressure, elevated on the jumper, and showed a quick release
Chloe Montanez-5’3 G court vision just stood out when the bright lights came on and she made passes that weren’t there look easy and if threading the needle wasn’t enough, she scored both on the pull-up jumper as well as off the dribble but her ballhandling enabled her to add even more
Mercedes Moreno-5’3 G sets the defender up well with a deceptive first step, either in the set or the open court and her ball-handling also gives the options as she can attack the basket and finish or attack and hit her teammate
Nicolette Polocheck-6’0 SF watching her continue to elevate her game has been a treat as she keeps showing she can get it done outside the paint. The mid to long-range, yeah I know but her attacking from the wing looked good yet watching her just BATTLE in the paint always is a treat, for me
Adah Snead-5’10 SF uses her size and body well and showed early she could score multiple ways in 1 on 1 drill yet as the day progressed and the bright lights came on, she dropped the mid to long-range and attacked off the basket after contact, plus she rebounded on both ends
Emme Sossamon-5’7 G under control and understanding how to score in the flow will always be noticed by someone who isn’t a novice yet her defense was smothering and observing her take defenders off the dribble with either and finish strongly was nice
Alyxa Martinez-5’2 G has always understood how to contribute doing things that don’t necessarily appear on the score sheet and she probably set screens as well as anyone over the weekend yet she sees the court well, she defends well and she understands how and when to switch plus she rebounded