Emilee Skinner
Aaliyah Crump pushes in transition, guarded by Keziah Lofton, at the Friday's U17 trials. *Photo by Chris Hansen.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado. – The USA Basketball U17 National Team Trials have wrapped up the second day of action with three sessions in the books. Friday was the first day media was let in the building, getting to cover two of the three total sessions.
The field of 42 kids is quite the change from the larger groups of years past but the pace of play with the smaller group and the ability to get terrific matchups is a plus of the new format.
The morning session saw quite a few players playing a bit fast and a lot of players penetrating only to find length waiting in help. There were a lot of shots in the four to seven feet range that didn’t find their mark. The flow and pace of play really got good in the afternoon session, allowing players to find their spots to make an impact.
ProspectsNation.com has both publisher Brandon Clay and Managing Editor Chris Hansen in the building. Here’s there first impressions from the countless talented hoopers making plays.
Lauren Hassell of Clarksville, Tennessee, guarded by Nation Williams of Las Vegas, Nevada. *Photo by Chris Hansen.
CLAY’S STARTING FIVE
In my opinion, there are over 20 players on hand who could make the final roster. Here is a look at five of them who caught my attention with their play on Friday:
Crump has long been on the national radar making the USA Basketball 16-and-Under Roster last year. She does what she does well at a high level. Crump is a true shotmaker with the type of length that few possess at her size. She consistently knocks down the open jumper when she has time and space. In that regard, Crump is one of the nation’s best shooting specialists. She has more size than Tessa Johnson who played such a crucial role in South Carolina winning the national title in April with similar shooting prowess.
Green stands out with her physicality on the perimeter. She was attacking off the bounce looking for contact then playing through it to finish. Green also showed touch from beyond the arc when her feet were set. There’s a lot of positive takeaways from what Green showed here on the first day of scrimmage gameplay. The committee will need to keep a close eye on Green tomorrow with a tough decision awaiting them on her place.
Fresh off of matchups against Elite 60 prospects Brandie Harrod, Avery Hjelmstad and Kate Harpring, Hassell came into Colorado sharp and ready for the action. Her length and skill set is a potential separator as she gets older. Hassell blocked a shot into the wall so hard that the entire took a collective deep breath. That type of play in a room like this is indicative of the upside Hassell possesses.
Skinner was in Las Vegas with me last fall but was unable to lace up her sneakers for that event. Her game was on full display here. She’s a versatile scoring option capable of creating downhill or hitting the open jumper. Skinner is making a push to be considered in the Top 10 of the rising senior class nationally. Her game is built on getting buckets coupled with a pace of play that not many in her class can rival.
Speiser’s skill set as a shotmaking specialist is hard to put a value on. She has all the makings of a player who goes on to deliver alongside a primary scoring guard similar to Kate Martin at Iowa alongside Caitlin Clark this season. Speiser has consistent range out beyond the 3-point line. Much like she did in Memphis last July, Speiser makes the opposing team pay when they give her space.
Jessie Moses of Penn Valley, Pennsylvania, pushes the ball in scrimmage action. *Photo by Chris Hansen.
HANSEN’S SIX IN THE MIX
A year ago the game at this level was just a tad too fast for Byles to operate efficiently, in spite of her obvious talent. Friday’s two sessions made clear the game has slowed down and her scoring skill set and ability to handle the ball as a big wing shined bright.
Crittendon, like Byles, was caught playing too fast a year ago. Her pace of play today was exceptional and she was able to slash, fly around, create extra possession and knock down a few shots from deep as well.
The knock on Douglas has been that she doesn’t want to mix it up inside even though she’s 6-foot-6. Well she didn’t get that memo for the day. She was versatile but was arguably the most physical inside presence across both of Friday’s sessions.
Grant seems to have zero issues playing the savvy vet role in this group. She was a sniper for the U16 group a year ago but it was great to see her find her moment in the Friday afternoon session and take over with assertive play that gave her teammates a big boost of confidence. Once she flipped the switch is was a different game.
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Harpring came out early and showed she can defend the ball, apply pressure, and do so without fouling. She had some really challenging matchups and she was impactful. The evening session she got her offense going with long jumpers and a host of midrange finishes.
Moses came out strong Friday morning and appeared to be one of the guards who was willing to set the tone physically. She really played both end of the floor in a fearless way. She got red hot her last game on Friday afternoon connecting on three long balls in a row before the defense had enough and started picking her up at half court.
Brandon Clay serves as the Director of Scouting for ProspectsNation.com and owns The BrandonClayScouting.com Evaluation Report, which is read by more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide. He also serves as the Executive Skills Director for the Brandon Clay Scouting Academy Series.
Chris Hansen is managing editor of ProspectsNation.com and serves on the McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Trophy selection committees. He was a co-founder of and the national director of scouting for ESPN HoopGurlz from 2005 until 2012 and is the director of the Check Me Out Showcase and ELITE is EARNED events. He can be reached at chris@chrishansenbasketball.com.
