Jonnae' Johnson
Endia Banks of E.O.T.O., showed off her explosivenes and scoring ability at Real Deal in the Ville. *Photo by Ty Freeman.
LEBANON, Tenn., -- With many teams in transit from their first event to others that start on the 10th, Real Deal In The Ville saw a wealth of talent come in from several different circuits compete in front of a packed house of college coaches. Here are a few of the standouts from Thursday’s session of games.
Taiye Bello of Southfield, Mich., ignited herself in to a scoring spree late in the second half against a talented interior presence. The Michigan Storm post player grabbed attention with her step through moves on the block showing her ability to lose the defense at the front of the rim.
Stephanie Paul of Naples, Fla., was on a mission, proving herself as a tenacious rebounder the last day of the Real Deal event. The 6-foot, class of 2016 inside and out prospect collected several second chance points for her Florida Future team propelling the offense into rhythm.
Backcourt guard Kristen Nelson of Bloomfield, Mich., caught fire from beyond the arc in the first half of her final game Thursday night. The athletic class of 2016 shooter buried three consecutive 3-pointers, showing her range from beyond the arc.
Kaila Charles of Glenn Dale, Md., is tough to guard going to the basket with her strength, explosiveness, and will power. The Team Takeover incoming senior guard can make the right reads off the bounce; attacking all the way to glass or dishing off into the paint. She'll make Maryland fans very happy in years to come.
Jonnae' Johnson of Dacula, Ga., showcased her expertise offensively by scoring from the left wing in the half court from three different locations. The Georgia Hoopstars guard drilled two back-to-back 3-balls following a visit all the way at the rim for a layup and another power drive to the paint for a pull-up off the glass.
Kaleah Hires of Columbia, S.C., showed her versatility filling both roles as a distributor and scorer. The SC 76ers combo guard found teammates up the court in transition and knocked down a couple treys, followed by a timely mid-range pull-up off the ball screen.
EOTO guard Endia Banks of Lawrenceville, Ga., impressed the spectators off the bounce with an incredible left-hand, extended layup at the rim. It was enough for everyone to take note in the 2017 guard's pure athleticism and leaping ability.
Class of 2017 prospect, Abby Meyers of Potomac, Md., showed the gym her craftiness at the rim with a fancy finger roll layup at the cup. The Team Takeover guard was aggressive and gritty with her play the whole game showing her moxie and competitive spirit in several fashions on the court.
Jackie Young of Colfax, Ind., was relentless around the basket with second chance rebounds and penetration from the elbow. The class of 2016 small forward was fouled on multiple occasions and capitalized by knocking down her free throws.
Shifty backcourt floor general Dana Evans of Gary, Ind., was born to attack the basket. The 5-5 guard put on a scoring clinic, imposing her will all the way at the rim and finding daylight in the mid-range with her illusive ball fakes.
Tennessee Flight young gun Casey Collier of Knoxville, Tenn., was impressive attacking the basket and filling the gym with her energy and toughness. The 5-foot-5, class of 2019 guard has a basketball charisma about her play that grabbed notable attention and was fun to watch.
Wetmore joined ProspectsNation.com in the summer of 2014 after graduating from the University of Washington with a Communications degree. She left Washington as the all-time leader in games played and also played with the softball team in the College World Series. She was the Gatorade State Player of the Year her senior year in high school capping off a career which included three state titles. She can be reached at mercedes@chrishansenbasketball.com.
