Destiny Slocum has become the special player we say in the making years ago. *Photo by Ty Freeman.

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MARIETTA, Ga. – The Boise Hoop Dreams lived up to the hoopla, scoring a bracket championship at the Peach State Basketball Power 48 Summer Finale.

Destiny Slocum (Meridian, Idaho), Boise Hoop Dreams – 2016

Slocum may be the prospect of the summer in terms of new buzz but her talent is nothing new to our staff. She has been playing against high school level competition since she was in the eighth grade and had success. In the last year she has sought out top level competition, competing in last summer’s Check Me Out Showcase in Seattle and returning in March for the SoCal Showcase, and establishing herself as on the level of the best players in the West.

Despite a handful of nagging injuries the 5-foot-7 point guard competed at an incredibly hard level for her Hoop Dreams team, helping lead them to a championship. Early in the second half of the semifinal game against West Coast Premier Valley Elite, with her team in a tight game, she fueled a run with a corner three, a steal and a score and a pull up jumper and the game was never the same. Her impact is more than scoring. She is at her best when teams try to stop her and overcommit help defenders as she has vision and touch in her passing game to get her teammates open looks. Of course fans will love the ankle-breaking plays that lead to her shooting but her role as the lead guard comes in all facets of the game.

One thing Slocum does well out of the norm for a point guard is rebounding the ball, especially on the defensive end. When she goes into ball hawking mode she seems to snatch up rebounds and get right into her break. She also play off the ball some with her younger backcourt mate, Tori Williams, a budding star in her own right, which allows the No. 11 prospect in the 2016 ELITE 60 to focus on scoring. The question on hand now is whether or not 11th is too low.

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Nautilus Express

Coach Justin Wimmer’s team finished an outstanding second half of the evaluation period with an overtime win in the JLHemingwayPSB bracket. Class of 2015 point-forward Mika Wester of Newport, Va., hit a game winning pull-up jumper to bring home the championship. This tops off an outstanding July where the ladies of Nautilus competed against some of the best talent at the Peach State Basketball tournaments.

Wester is the primary playmaker for coach Wimmer’s squad. She gave her verbal commitment to Western Carolina over a year ago and is proving that she could be an impact player for the Catamounts in her freshman year. The lanky 5-11 shooter has terrific touch in the mid-range. This roster features another versatile forward in class of 2016 forward Ragan Wiseman of Floyd, Va. She specializes in shooting the basketball from behind the arc, but can also defend her position effectively. The backcourt is deep with energy led by Sasha Morrisette of Kingsport, Tenn. She plays with unmatched hustle and effort. Teaming up with her are two skilled shooters in class of class of 2017Alexis Kiser of Bluefield, Va., and class of 2017 Savannah Dunford of Wytheville, Va.

AROUND THE RIM

♦ A new name for our ProspectsNation.com staff is Lauryn Miller of Kirkwood, Mo., who played for the Missouri Phenom. The left-handed power forward scored the ball very effectively around the bucket in Phenom’s two games. Her performances put her on the ELITE 25 Watch List for the class of 2017.

♦ Florida Future has a number of young and talented players that were checked out by several college programs this weekend. Class of 2017 guard Jarya Outten of Fort Myers, Fla., had one of the highlights of the Summer Finale as she finished a lay-up in overtime for a win over Pistols Williams.

♦ Indy Gym Rats Tan finished a solid weekend behind the play of Camille Coleman of South Bend, Ind. She is a playmaker with good length at the wing position.

♦ Indy Gym Rats Blue won the championship of the MercedesPSB bracket by defeating the Georgia Pistols Platinum. Class of 2017 point guard Jasmine Wright of Merrillville, Ind., is a quick handler who creates space for her teammates.