Cy Fair Evaluation Tip Sheet-High School
2014 NICOLE IADEMARCO THE WOODLANDS
Anytime I get a chance to look at players in various settings it’s a plus for me and with over 100 young ladies on hand for the Cy Fair Evaluation Camp this past weekend, I had a chance to observe many for the first time along with the countless others I’ve seen over the years. The thing I preach over and over is to work on your skills every chance you get and what I always look for as an evaluator is progression and from what I could tell, the vast majority of these young ladies are doing just that, working on their skills and progressing. Give this camp the same five stars I gave to the Young Guns Camp I attended in Dallas last year and the Ganon Baker event a few weeks ago, well run and organized is always a plus for my hectic schedule.
With next level players galore, it’s always hard to just single a few out for a “Tip Sheet” because of the eight I’m naming from the early session, I could easily interchange about twenty other players, the camp was that loaded and it’s great to watch players develop over the years and for the ones I saw for the first time to the ones I’ve watched almost forever, remember I’m looking for improvement the next time I see you on the floor
2014
Tiara Davenport-5-11 forward-San Antonio Johnson
I’d heard about this young lady from a number of sources and was totally blown away when I saw her at the Fort Bend Tournament last year and after having a chance to see her again over the weekend, the wind is even stronger. I call her a forward yet that’s only in name because she has the ability to play multiple positions very well and with her strength and athleticism, not to mention scoring ability, all will have her ready for the next level off the top. Even better news is the fact that she hasn’t peaked
Artavia Ford-6-2 post-Colleyvile Heritage
Every time I’ve seen Ford over the past two seasons, I’ve watched her get better, not only skill wise but court maturity as well. The first thing that impressed me during that initial viewing was her strength and college ready body, which again was a couple of seasons ago. She was already a terror on the defensive end and showed she could be a rebounding machine at the next level. This season, her offensive skills showed improvement, I didn’t realize how much until observing her this weekend where she’s doing things more fluid
Nicole Iademarco-6-1 guard-The Woodlands
Iademarco is one of those players I’ve watched what seems like 10 years however it’s probably been around four seasons and one of the things she could always do was shoot the long ball. What she’s done over the years is add mass to her body along with taking her offensive skills to another level and with her size and wing span, she has no problem not only getting her shot off on anybody, but making it consistently, something that has her as one of the top shooters, wait, scorers in the state
2015 ERICA SANDERS SAN ANTONIO JOHNSON
2015
Kennedy Leaonard-5-7 guard-Southlake Carroll
Sometimes my words seem prophetic when I evaluate a player and after checking Leonard’s game out during last season’s Sandra Meadows Classic, this is what I said “Poised beyond her years, this young lady has a very bright future and whatever she’s missing during her growing years will not be a problem once it’s all said and done.” Well to sum it up in my own words, bad grammar and all, after seeing her perform this weekend, she “ain’t “missing much. Smart, skilled and possessing that “killer instinct” on the offensive end has me knowing I called this one right
Adeola Akomolafe-6-1-forward-El Dorado
After watching her performance before looking at the camp roster, I cracked up when I saw the name of her high school because it fits; she was a Cadillac on the court. This young lady is so explosive when she goes after rebounds that the one word that stands out in my head is relentless, which is somewhat of a lost art. It’s no surprise to me that she averaged a double-double in high school and I don’t just throw out “Beast” statuses just because. Her effort truly blew me away and with her upside, there is no telling how good she will be
Erica Sanders-5-8 guard-San Antonio Johnson
Like Davenport, my first glimpse of Sanders was at the Fort Bend Tournament and what impressed me back then was how hard she went on defense. Strength and speed are always an added plus at any position, but especially at the guard spot and Sanders definitely has that. She also has the ability to score and her athleticism is through the roof. Another good thing about her is the fact that her best basketball is still ahead of her
Karissa Black-5-10 forward-McNeil
I love using that search bar on my blog and although I lost track of Black, low and behold here she is. This is what I said a couple of seasons ago “not only can get to the hole at will, she explodes and is solid as a rock.” What she’s added from what I saw at the camp is the ability to hit the midrange jumper consistently, another lost art, and also has shown a great deal of improvement on the defensive end. With her height, I’m projecting her to be on many next level short lists because of her guard like skills
2016
Rachel Tapps-5-8 guard-Cy Ranch
I didn’t see Tapps play until the playoffs started however I had heard from a number of reliable sources the kid could play. Although she played JV until the playoffs started, that was only to get the reps she needed and when she moved up, it didn’t take me long to realize she has a bright future. Athletic and fast, not to mention the lost art of anticipation, a few minor details need to be tweaked however what I’m projecting is a guard who is going to be making noise in the city on both ends of the court once it’s all said and done
Another camp loaded with talented players but I’ve always preached about Texas talent and the state is getting the national recognition it deserves. Coming up, the saga continues as a loaded 2017 class just added more artillery with numerous “can’t misses”
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