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LBI Event Recap: GUAA Finals Day 1 (Atlanta,GA)

By Steve Reynolds @LBI_Steve, 07/23/19, 10:00PM EDT

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Atlanta, GA: After two sessions during the spring and summer travel season were teams made stops in Pennsylvania and Indiana, 36 teams played in the inaugural Under Armour GUAA league. Now that the regular season is over it is time to see who will take home bragging rights as 32 GUAA teams in the 15U, 16U and 17U divisions made the trip to Atlanta to battle it out over the next few days to determine who will be crowned the champs. Here is a brief rundown on a few top performers on Day 1.

GUAA Finals Recap Day I

2021 Brylee Glenn 5’10” SG KC Lady Run GMC 17U GUAA
Though KC Lady Run GMC 17U came up on the short end of a 1 point loss vs. 1 Nation, Brylee Glenn and her team competed at a high level. However, Glenn was phenomenal as she was able to slash her way to some tough baskets. 1
Nation made it challenging to get off clean shots, but Glenn was up to the task of creating opportunities for herself and her teammates. She battled on the glass and on the defensive end as well, showing that she was willing to do anything to earn a win. Brylee is poised to become a significant contributor at the next level.

2020 Xeryia Tartt 5’8” SG 1 Nation 17U GUAA

Xeryia Tartt was clutch down the stretch of 1 Nation’s 1 point win vs. a very talented KC Lady Run GMC team. Tartt got a couple of crucial steals during the final few moments of 1 Nation’s win. Also, when her team’s offense seemed to stall on two separate occasions, she was able to put her head down and get into the paint to get to the free-throw line. Tartt and her team’s toughness was the key to pulling this one off as the play was physical and fast, but Tartt pitted her team on her back and closed the deal.

2023 Sumayah Sugapong 5’5” PG San Diego Waves 16U
The San Diego Waves are producing skilled, high IQ point guards with tight handles at an alarming rate. In the mold of program mates 2020 Te-Hina Paopao and 2021 Jazalyn Anousinh (more on her later), 2023 Sumayah Sugapong is shouldering PG responsibilities for the San Diego Waves 16U GUAA squad and doing a fantastic job. Sugapong is savvy and competed at a high level vs. kids much stronger than her. She still managed to limit her turnovers and finish a few in the paint as she was able to set up scoring opportunities for herself with good dribble counter moves and footwork. Can’t wait to see her continue to develop.

2022 Taniya Latson 5’8” SG FBC United Youngunz 16U
Taniya Latson was impressive vs. Canada Elite. She’s got elite athleticism and agility that allowed her to hang in the air to get buckets on one end and effectively defend multiple positions on the other. Most impressive was her ability to function at a high level from anywhere on the court. Latson set screens and rolled, and she used ball screens as well. She made plays from the short corner behind the zone as well as from the wing and baseline. She mixed it up on the boards with the bigs and was involved in ball deflecting traps in the open court. Latson is a fantastic talent and should see an uptick in offers as the final evaluation period begins to close.

2021 Jazalyn Anousinh 5’6” PG San Diego Waves 17U
Someone in the San Diego Waves program is training point guards in San Diego and doing a great job of it.
Jazalyn Anousinh showed off her skill and determination in a major way vs. FBC United 17U. From the opening tip, Anousinh was in attack mode. Her elite speed and magical ball handling was the catalyst for an early run for the Waves. In the first few minutes, she beat her man for an easy floater and followed up with a step-back jumper to get the Waves out to an early lead. FBC would go on to dominate the game, but Anousinh was tough to handle, and surely she impressed the dozens of coaches on hand.


 

Team Spotlight

Minnesota Fury GUAA 15U Ellefson

The Minnesota Fury GUAA 15U Ellefson squad is a well-oiled machine. A group of girls that know what they want to accomplish and seem to be having fun accomplishing it. 2022 PG Callin Hake is the one of the spark plugs for thIs group. She has a high motor and dictates the flow of the game by making an impact on both ends of the court. At 5’3”, PG Nicole Bowlin not only facilitates the offense and passes well (she made a sweet behind the back pass coming off an on-ball screen to her teammate for 3) but she allows the game to come to her. She doesn’t allow pressure to speed her up, and she has a nice stroke from three. Speaking of beautiful strokes, 6’0” shooting guard Kassandra Caron can shoot the rock. I mean she was deadly from three. She made several triples, and all of them were nothing but net. The lefty shooting guard, Elle Buzzelle, is skilled and armed with an excellent shot from beyond the arc as well. She handles the ball well and contains the same motor that seems to be a staple of the Fury guards. Finally, the big: 6’2” Lillian Meister, 6’1” Mallory Heyer, and 6’0” Acheampomaah Danso 6’0” all complement each other well. Danso is super strong an athletic. Heyer just tries to our work her opponent and is very difficult to keep off the boards. Meister has the most versatility of the trio as she was effective in the paint and made a couple of triples on kick-outs for good measure. In all, the Fury was fantastic, and they're just wasn’t enough coaches at their game. However, I’m sure that will change in the near future.