Pittsburgh, PA: Coming off of winning the 2016 Adidas Gauntlent National Championship, the Western PA Bruins, directed by John Tate, has quickly become one of the top travel team programs in the country. This past Sunday the Bruins held their annual high school skills and drills open gym at Penn Hills HS (PA) for all returning players as they are prepare to have another strong 2017 season. Trainer Nate Brown put players in attendance through a series of ball handling and shooting drills that kept them engaged and very active. Here are the evaluations for a few players that caught our eye:

Ayanna Townsend 2018 6’2” Post
Townsend rebounds the ball well, and scores frequently around the basket.  Ayanna posted up strong and made some very nice back to the basket moves. She is active on both ends of the court and works hard.

Gia Thorpe 2018 5’8” Point Guard
Gia sees the floor and runs the offense. She is impressive as she changes speed in the open court and runs the transition well. She knows her position and does it very well. Always looking to make the extra pass, Thorpe creates easy scoring opportunities for her teammates.

Gabi Legister 2019 6’1” Post
Too strong inside for many defenders, Legister ran the floor hard and finished with contact around the rim.  She showed a developing face-up/mid-range game possessing soft hands and a smooth finish.  She has really improved since July.

Madeline Moore 2019 5’11” Wing Forward
Moore made strong assertive moves from the wing.  She is in great condition and noticeably strong as she looks for contact and draws tons of fouls.  Madeline faced up defenders in the post and attacked the basket.  As an added plus, she has a nice stroke from 15 feet.

Makenna Marisa 2019 5’11” Wing Guard
Makenna is a bigger guard who is athletic and can really stroke it from deep. She is a smooth scorer who finished with either hand around the rim and also showed the ability to put the ball on the floor. Perhaps most impressive, Marisa has a very good attitude and is willing to work!

Tayonna Robertson 2019 5’11” Wing Guard
Robertson really crashed the boards hard! A long framed athlete, she gets to the rim quickly and efficiently.  Tayonna finished very well around the rim, extending and using her length! She is also a lock down defender who can guard numerous positions on the floor.

Tess Myers 2020 5’8” Wing Guard
Myers has all the qualities of a big time wing; she shot the ball well from both the mid-range and deep. She uses her body to shield away smaller quicker guards and never looked timid even under constant aggressive pressure!  Tess moves very well without the ball, allowing her to always to be in position for offensive put-backs.

Jordan Edwards 2018 5’9” Point Guard
Jordan is very comfortable leading her team. She got the ball to teammates in transition and has improved her shot from 3 point range.  Edwards was able to score off penetration in transition as well as in a half court setting. Jordan really did a great job of using her athleticism to lock down on defense.

Alexa Williams 2018 6’1” Post
Alexa is a physical force in the paint. She blocked and altered shots.  She has good hands and is able to catch and finish easily over opponents. She showed her ability to handle the ball in transition after getting the defensive rebound.