Grand Rapids, MI – LBI traveled to Caledonia High School to attend the final travel ball event of the 2016 year, the 5th annual West Michigan Jamboree. Games kicked off at 9:00am and lasted the majority of the day. College coaches from all over the mitten state was in attendance. The lady ballers that were there gave them something to see and something for us to write about. Below are a few standouts from today’s events.

Congratulations to the MI Triple Threat for winning this year’s Fall Jamboree!

#3 Sydney Mills 2019 5’11” Wing/Post Michigan Triple Threat
A versatile wing that can play inside and out, Mills did a great job of fulfilling her role on a very talented Triple Threat squad. She showed a nice turn around hook shot in the paint more than once while also knocking down a jumper and a few threes. She has long arms and legs and uses them to her advantage on defense to guard both perimeter and post players.

#10 Kaybrianna Hallman 2021 6’2” Post West Michigan Drive
Hallman is a long player with a solid frame. Her arms are unbelievably long and allow her to not only score with a soft touch around the rim, but also to alter shots in and out of her area. The most impressive thing about this athletic kid was her ability to jump very high on her layups. She also is a strong and consistent rebounder.

#2 Sophia Wiard 2019 5’8” Guard Lakeside Hoops
Wiard was one of the top guards at the event. She has strong handles in traffic and in a set offense. She has the ability to find the open man for an easy shot or score herself. Sophia works hard to get open, and it pays off when she does. She knocked down multiple long distance shots.

#30 Jayla Strickland 2019 6’0” Wing/Post West Michigan Drive
Jayla did an excellent job of running the court and getting in position on both ends of the floor. She showed great spin moves and footwork in highly competitive games. She worked hard to get key rebounds and had some great defensive stops.

#23 Sonaya Gregory 2020 5’5” Point Guard Michigan Triple Threat
Gregory set the standard for hustle at today’s event. Every loose ball she was all over it. Diving on the floor and making sure her team had a chance. She played superb on the ball defense, which led to some steals and easy buckets. Sonaya is very disciplined and always executed any directive from her coach.

#22 Abbey Kembell 2022 5’5” Guard Michigan FBC
Kembell’s hands were on fire, knocking down shots from long range and everywhere on the court. Her small frame is just a disguise because her shooting skills and floor leadership is big. Abbey also showed that she can handle the ball and run her team’s offense when needed.

#3 Paige Sanders 2019 5’6” Guard We Are One
A quick guard with great court vision, Sanders was awesome at getting to the paint and knocking down a quick floater or pull up shot. She played hard on every play, got some nice defensive stops, and was a leader on her team. Paige handle herself well under pressure.

#34 Emily Heintzel 2021 5’5” Guard West Michigan Drive
Heintzel was a strong floor general for her squad. She was able to direct traffic, while handling the ball and getting it to open teammates. She knocked down some outside; both open and contested. The most notable attribute of her game is her defense. Emily is a tough, in your face defender, and did so without getting in foul trouble.

#20 Maize Taylor 2019 5’7” Guard Michigan Mystics-Black
Maize showed great poise today, stepping up as a leader for her team during some critical plays. She played phenomenal team defense; making sure she was in great help position and deflecting several passes. She knocked down a big shot in a very tough semi-final game that her team won and remained even kill in some high pressure situations.

#21 Cara Van Kempen 2019 6’0” Wing/Post Lakeside Hoops
Cara was a key player for her team. She did a lot of the little things. She rotated on defense, fought for rebounds and hit layups in traffic. Cara also showed that she is able to knock down the jump shot when she needs to.