Stina AlmqvistSEATTLE – The CheckMeOut Showcase is the premier individual showcase throughout the year in the Pacific Northwest. With elite level talent coming from as far away as British Columbia, Sweden and Texas to take part, there was no doubt that the event director Chris Hansen had the place to be for new faces and established names alike this weekend. Here’s a look at some underclassmen who made their presence felt.
Stina Almqvist
Almqvist came from Sweden to shine in the Emerald City. She’s a talented option off the ball at the guard spot. Almqvist made play after play offensively showing a fluidity especially with the ball around the rim in transition that we’ve come to expect from elite foreign born guards since the arrival of Manu Ginobili to San Antonio. We’ll keep an eye on her game over the next year.
Devin Coppinger
One of the few middle school prospects ready for action during the high school session, Coppinger came in ready to prove she belonged. She did just that with her play establishing herself as a potential star in the making. Coppinger does a little of everything with a demeanor that exudes cool while she does it.
Faith Bergstrom
Bergstrom was locked in on Sunday from the moment we stepped on the floor for the Spotlight Workout. She has the size and length on the interior to provide a college with another capable frontcourt option. Bergstrom showed touch on her jumper during the skill session. That’s an area in-game where she can continue to grow.
Katie Fiso
Fiso was so impressive that I mistook her for a high school prospect. Like Coppinger, she was playing up in the high school division. Fiso has both a skill set and moxy that far outweighs her age right now. After her performance in the Spotlight Workout and in gameplay, it’s clear that she has next in the Evergreen State.
Kyndall Hunter
An ultra dynamic guard, Hunter made the trip from Texas to rep Houston like the Astros. She did that and then some with her ability to set the table on both ends. Hunter can create with her shiftiness on offense. Defensively, she showed flashes of being able to change the pace of a game with her skill on that end. Though still a work in progress, becoming an elite on-ball defender should be at the top of Hunter’s development priority chart.
Cassidee Kinslow
What a difference a year has made in Kinslow’s game. Her physicality is noticeably different as is her confidence level on the offensive end. She has become a consistent threat from the outside and has put in the work to take her skill set to the next level. Her laser like focus during the Spotlight Workout session was a major takeaway for me here.
Malia Smith
Much like Kinslow, Smith’s game has turned the corner for the better over the year. It’s evident that the work doesn’t lie. Smith is always dialed in to skill development and will actually travel from Seattle to Atlanta this coming weekend for the BrandonClayScouting.com All-American Showcase. Her ability to make the catch and shoot jumper coupled with her skill as a secondary ball handler capable of getting a team into sets is a major combination.
Nyah Wilson
Wilson brought a bounce the size of her home state of Texas to the guard spot in this elite individual setting. Her ability to make a play getting downhill in a hurry caught my notepad from the opening drills to the last play she made before heading to the airport to fly home. A dynamic scorer in the midrange, Wilson will have no shortage of college suitors from coast to coast.
Photos by Glenn Nelson/@hoopgurlz
Brandon Clay serves as the WNBA Director of Scouting for ProspectsNation.com and owns The JumpOffPlus.com International Report, which is picked up by more than 150 colleges and universities nationwide. He serves as the Executive Camp Director for the Elite Basketball Academy Camps. He serves on the Naismith Trophy Men’s / Women’s College Player of the Year Academy and is chairman of the HS Boys / Girls Board of Selectors and is on the McDonald’s All-American Selection Committee. He also is the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com.
