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LBI Event Recap: Nike Nationals-Nike Tournament of Champions Day II (Chicago, IL)

By Steve Reynolds, Marcy Reynolds, Jason Wilkins @LBI_Steve @LBIMarcy @LBInsider, 07/12/19, 8:15AM EDT

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Chicago, IL: The 2019 Nike Nationals and Tournament of Champions continued from the McCormick Center on Thursday. As tournament play began and teams started taking steps towards championship a few players together some impressive performances on day two.

Here are the top teams and performers from Thursday’s action.

 

Nike Nationals-Nike TOC Day II Top Teams

Idaho HoopDreams Black
Do you know where Meridian, Idaho is? Or have you heard of Nampa, Idaho? Well let me tell you, Idaho has some girls that can play at the next level and there have not been enough coaches at there games. The backcourt of Trinity Slocum and Laila Saenz has been solid. Both shoot the three at an extraordinary clip and handle the ball exceptionally well. Both dictate the tempo of the game and are smart, and seemingly two plays ahead of everyone in the court. 6’4” 2020 Peyton McFarland is quite the presence in the paint. The elevation she gets on her face up and turn around jumper is elite, and she's very difficult to deal with considering her height and wingspan. Young bucks Jayden McNeal and Naya Ojukwu have great frames, run the floor well, slash and finish when given the opportunity. Idaho may not be a hotbed for basketball, but this HoopDreams Black squad deserves your attention. 

Team Takeover 8th JR EYBL
I told my partners at LBI that I believe that the Team Takeover 8th Jr EYBL team may not be the best 8th-grade team I’ve seen in the last two years, but they are the deepest. One of the things very intriguing about this squad is the blend of youth and talent. 2024 Madisen McDaniel is the engine that makes this high octane road show go. She’s unbelievably tough and talented and flat out finds a way to get it done. 2023 Qadence Samuels has shown she’s going to be one of those hybrid forwards that can guard multiple positions seamlessly as well as get her team extra possessions due to her motor and activity. I’m smitten with Sahnya Jah’s potential. She’s one of those positionless players that don’t deserve to be put in a box. I saw her do a little bit everything at a high level on Thursday. 2023 Dabrya Clark has the wingspan of kids much taller and her composure is scary for her age. She can take you off the bounce or shoot it with range. The one-two punch of Clark and McDaniel will be a formidable one for years to come. Then watch out for 2025 Kyndal Walker, 2024 Savannah Curry, and 2024 Kennedy James. All three have developed skill sets and contribute in their own ways for this powerhouse. So here’s to continued success for these young stars as they attempt to take over youth basketball.

NJ Sparks 14U
At 9:15 am, I was sitting on court 46 expecting to watch a solid matchup between KY Fusion 2024 and IL Elite Gold. Right before halftime, the KY Fusion called a timeout. I started to glance around at the other courts when I noticed 6'3 post player Mikaela Hubbard sprint the floor, catch a full-court outlet pass and lay it in. I immediately grabbed my bag and walked over to court 50, where I stumbled upon a matchup between the NJ Sparks 14U and West Suburban Dream 8th-Blue. The NJ Sparks were down almost 10 with 12 minutes to go in the game. The Suburban Dream had a couple knock down shooters that got hot early. Even though the NJ Sparks are a YOUNG team, they are full of 2024's that can straight up HOOP. I enjoyed watching their ability to break the Suburban Dream's press for easy layups. I was really impressed with Lauryn Swann (2024). She is a shifty, smooth guards that can get to the basket and hit shots from the outside. Her ability to pump fake and explode sets her apart for other guards her age. She was a one girl press breaker as she dribbled through the defenders like they were cones. She would go coast to coast, dropping dimes left and right to her two post players, 6'0 Alexis Rosenfield (2024) and 6'3 Mikaela Hubbard (2023). These physical post players are built to rebound and finish. They have the ability to drop step either way in the paint. Both need to continue developing footwork and finishing ability, but the talent is there. With 3 minutes to go in the game, NJ Sparks were up 12 and pulled out a victory. There's a big future for this young team!

Tree of Hope 16U EYBL
Small forward, Taliyah Clark, was all over the place for her team. She scored from quick backdoor cuts to creating some buckets of her own with crafty moves on the block. Clark also did a fantastic job of stretching the defense with the three-point stroke she possesses. Her partner in crime down low was 6’1” Molly Moffitt. This girl flat outplayed her butt off-running the floor extremely hard. Moffitt made a few shots in a very congested lane down the stretch with fatigue setting in for everyone. She also managed to grab several rebounds over some big and physical frontcourt players. Tree of Hope’s outside game was definitely not asleep. Floor leader, Malia Smith, dropped several long bombs for her team as well. Smith exemplified true leadership skill, talking, pointing and encouraging her girls all game. Point guard, Jocelyn Wyatt was the catalyst for this squad for sure. She picked her spots well, never forcing anything. Her court vision allowed her to pick apart any pressure that came her way. Wyatt can score from just about anywhere she chooses. She made big threes, created easy mid-range shots for herself and flew to the basket with ease.

All Iowa Attack 16U EYBL
It’s no surprise to anyone who has ever seen pretty much any All Iowa Attack team play, that the three ball is definitely going to be a huge factor in the game. I’m not sure if they have some top secret-special concoction that they are feeding those players, but whatever it is it’s working! All those girls have nothing short of bonafide flame throwers. Caroline Waite not only kept things moving on offense but knocked down some long balls as well. Although Jada Gyamfi is listed as a power forward and can play inside, she also has a deadly deep three as well. Jada also finished some nice plays in the paint for her sharp shorting team. 5’10” shooting g guard, Rylie Kruse put her stamp on the game as well, hitting long ball after long ball. Kruse showed off her ridiculous range at times, hitting from NBA range for sure. This Iowa team is without question one of the best shooting teams around.

Nike Nationals-Nike TOC Day II Top Performers

2021 Dynastee White 5’8” SG Lady Gymrats 16U Gold EYBL
If there was something that completely stood out to me when watching the way Dynastee White plays, it was that she knew exactly how to put pressure on the defense to draw multiple fouls. She crashed the offensive boards hard and was able to get shots off when the defense was out of position. Then she drove with a ton of perseverance to the lane, usually drawing a whistle. She pretty much made a living from the free throw line in the first half. In the second half, White picked up exactly where she left off standing on the free throw line. She’s was so hard to guard when she used her skill and toughness getting to the basket.

2021 Arianna Smith 6’2” SF All Ohio Lavender 16U EYBL
With not much size offered up to oppose her inside, Arianna had a field day in the paint. She ran the floor hard and was rewarded with some easy buckets in transition. However, those were just about the only thing that came easy today. Smith was forced to work for everything she got. She set tough picks around the perimeter, allowing her guards to get loose, took bumps and flashed hard when full court pressure came and crashed the offensive boards with reckless abandonment, giving her team much needed extra possessions. Arianna definitely knows what her game is and did a great job staying within herself today.

2022 Amiya Jenkins 5’9” SG Kentucky Premier 16U EYBL Cann
Jenkins showed early that she could do a little bit of everything. Amiya used her length to put some pressure on smaller guards in the backcourt, mixed it up nicely with the bigger players down low when rebounding and did a great job in passing lanes off the ball. Jenkins also showed she can be a very good scorer if need be, knocking down some big threes when open. She managed to finish transition buckets easily with her superior athleticism and did a great job creating shots off the bounce as well.

2021 Joclyen Wyatt 5’8” PG Tree of Hope 16U EYBL
Point guard, Jocelyn Wyatt, pretty much had her way today. She is an unstoppable high-level player that commands attention at all times. Her well-rounded game was on full display for all to see today. Wyatt showed off her crazy good court vision, picking apart transition defense. She also made light work of help defenders closing out a little aggressively, hitting one-dribble jumpers like layups. Wyatt controlled the tempo of her team by pushing when able but also slowing it down in hopes of getting a good shot. She absolutely led her team to a very nice victory over a tough Team Northwest squad today.

2022 Taylor Charles 6’2” SG Midwest Elite 16U EYBL
Midwest Elite has a superb athlete and developed basketball player in 6’2” Taylor Charles. Taylor has jaw-dropping athleticism that she used to exploit bigger, slower opponents. Her amazing vertical leap allowed her to jump over the top of the smaller ones too. She was a do it all stud today; hitting shots behind the arc, creating flashy baskets off the bounce and definitely tossing in some offensive putbacks. To go along with her elite scoring Taylor is a phenomenal two-way player as well. She repeatedly soared above the rest when pulling down rebounds and had several block shots that were brought her way. 

2021 Paige Hodgson 6’2” PF Midwest Elite 16U EYBL
Hodgson was super smooth as she glided across the court today. She ran the floor extremely well for someone her size. As I waited for this 6’2” frontcourt player to get going inside, she stayed outside the perimeter making all the right plays. She also shot the three ball with extreme confidence and consistency. Paige looked very comfortable handling the ball and making the correct passes with smaller quicker guards hanging around. Hodgson also played the pick and roll situation very well, hedging hard and moving her feet well to stay in front of the quicker guards.

2023 Sahnya Jah 6’1” SF Team Takeover 8th JR EYBL
Sahnya Jah can do whatever is required and whatever is asked as she is a multifaceted and talented young basketball player. Jah was murder in the open court and was a handful in the half court setting as well. She scored on back to basket moves vs. smaller guards or by simply pulling up over the top of helpless defenders. Sahnya Jah has a cheat code, and she was using it. 

2023 Maddie Cox 6’1” SF ProSkills 14U Donnelly
As if her size and length wasn’t difficult enough to contend with, Maddie Cox just seems to slowly wear down her opponents with her skill and motor. ProSkills got off to a sluggish start vs. CA Ballaz but were able to come away with the 46-45 win. Cox made her impact in multiple areas of the game. Most eye-catching was her ability to guard literally every position on the court over the duration of the game. Cox is a mismatch offensively and she had all the tools to exploit CA Ballaz inability to cover her. 

2021 Calli Stokes 5’11” SG South Bay Breakers 
Some kids just love to play. Calli Stokes strikes me as one of those kids. I was gasping for air just watching her play from end to end. Stokes is a two-way player that gives an equal amount of energy on both ends. If you need a stop or a three, or anything in between...Stokes is your girl. She proved to be the difference in South Bay Breakers early afternoon win over Ring City Elite.

2021 Trinity Slocum 5’7” PG Idaho HoopDreams Black 
Trinity Slocum was quick on the draw and accurate with her aim as she made multiple threes in both halves vs. MBA. Slocum has a great feel for the game and was always under control whether on the point or off the ball, in transition or in the half court setting. She was seemingly two or three steps ahead of everyone in the court which made the game easier for herself and her teammates.

2023 Brynn McCurry 6’0” PF NJ Magic
Brynn set the tone from the beginning. Her opponent knew this was not going to be a walk in the park by any means. McCurry drew foul after foul on players underestimating her determination to get a bucket. She played with such ferocity in the paint; drawing and ones, snatching big rebounds and blocking shots into adjacent courts. Brynn was excellent moving, diving, and cutting without the ball. She posted so hard at times that it naturally drew the help over to protect the basket. Brynn was a dominant force for her team today.

2023 Meghan Mrowicki 5’9” SG Wolverinas (IL)
Speed was the name of the game for Wolverinas shooting guard Meghan Mrowicki. She darted and slashed her way to a barrage of first-half buckets vs. All Ohio Xpress. Mrowicki was impossible to stay in front of and just when you thought she would be stopped she used her sneaky athleticism to change directions or finish over the top. The Wolverinas have a great crop of guards and Mrowicki is among the best. 

2022 Kyla Oldacre 6’5” C All-Ohio Xpress 
If you love throwback, physical, no-nonsense bigs, then you’ll love Kyla Oldacre. She’s the top center in her class in my opinion as she has grown leaps and bounds since last summer. She runs the floor like a locomotive, rebounds on both ends, and is an intimidating presence. Most times you don’t hear about centers being versatile but Oldacre is just that and she’s just scratching the surface of her potential. 

Day II Noteworthy Performances

Lauryn Swann NJ Sparks 14U (2024) 
Lauryn is SMOOTH. She is athletic, slashing PG that is shifty in transition. She has great court awareness and knows when to get to the rim and when to dump the pass to her bigs. She has a nice outside shot that she'll look for off-pump fakes and step backs. She has the potential to reach the BCS level. 

Madelynne Petroelje MBA 2023-Randel (2023) 
Madelynne is an IQ player who can shoot it! She has a size advantage over her defenders which lets her use her body to score. She finds her teammates and can see the court. She is a must watch player.

Lexi Salazar West Suburban Dream 8th - Blue (2023) 
Lexi surprised me the first play of the game when she crosses half court, drove towards the left elbow and hit her defender with a combo move (behind the back, cross) into a pull-up. She has the ball on a ROPE. The second half of the game, she moved off the ball and hit multiple three's from deep showcasing her range. 

Kloe Froebe IL Elite Gold (2024) 
Kloe is an unassuming player. She is very smart with the basketball and has good court vision. She has a nice midrange jump shot and can rip & drive to the basket. She is young but has so much room to grow.

Mikaela Hubbard NJ Sparks 14U (2023) 
This 6'3" post player is physical and tough. She gets good positioning down low and knows when to pass out to her shooters when she is being doubled (which trust me, was almost every possession in the 2nd half) Once Hubbard develops a consistent motor, WATCH OUT.

Taylor Woodson North Tartan 9th Elite (2023)
Taylor is a 5'11 PF who is very athletic. She has the ability to push the ball in transition and looks to score in the paint. She leaps for rebounds and scores off putbacks. She can be a major player for this North Tartan program in the years to come.