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| Amari Heard 2019 Forward; MS Heat |
In the midst of this hustle and bustle is an up an coming event in the Jackson, MS called the Ballers' Jamboree. This event brought girls in from 5 states to compete in a jamboree where travel coaches could take a look at their players in a competitive setting while not having to worry about the pressure of competing for a trophy.
While travel coaches were experimenting with line ups and assessing player combinations, the Delta Report was also in attendance evaluating teams and players. Though there were no awards on the line, you would be hard pressed to believe otherwise the way the young ladies were going at it.
Team play was great along with some great individual play as well. And believe me, there was no shortage of talent at the Ballers' Jamboree. Below is a tip sheet of some stellar and/or consistent performers from the event.
2016 Class
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| Amber Smith, 6'0" 2016 Wing Louisiana Lightning |
#10 Kiara Williams, 6'1" Power Forward - Arkansas Mavericks; High energy performers who loves to rebound. Strong penetration skill set from the high post and gracefully athletic enough to get out on the fast break and finish through contact.
#17 Shonte Hailes, 5'7" Point Guard - Southern Phenoms; Impressive explosion off first step. Shooting range beyond the arc. Strong penetration skill set while having great court vision in the half court and in transition. Impressive DI skill set.
#18 Jasmine Thomas, 5'7 Point Guard - Louisiana Lightning; After sitting out much of the travel season last year, Jasmine makes her return during the Ballers' Jamboree. Her ability to run a team was impressive along with her basketball IQ and the will to "live for the moment" clutch play.
#29 Tanesha Miller, 6'1" Power Forward - BTA - Most Wanted; Freakish athleticism. Hands large enough to palm two balls. High energy kid whom never seems to get tired. GREAT shot blocking ability. Shoots the 3 ball and has good court vision. DI Sleeper
#18 Jasmine Thomas, 5'7 Point Guard - Louisiana Lightning; After sitting out much of the travel season last year, Jasmine makes her return during the Ballers' Jamboree. Her ability to run a team was impressive along with her basketball IQ and the will to "live for the moment" clutch play.
#29 Tanesha Miller, 6'1" Power Forward - BTA - Most Wanted; Freakish athleticism. Hands large enough to palm two balls. High energy kid whom never seems to get tired. GREAT shot blocking ability. Shoots the 3 ball and has good court vision. DI Sleeper
2017 Class
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| L-R, Aleah & Amber Sutton 5'8" Guards - 2017 |
#9 Nyah Tate, 6'0" Wing - MS Heat, very skilled wing with great shot form and extended 3 ball range. Demonstrated solid ball handling under pressure in the full court as well as the half court. Probably one of the most skilled players in the "Jamboree".
#24 Aleah Sutton 5'8 Guard - Southern Phenoms; very active guard with deadly 3 pt range. Scorers mindset. Aggressive defender on the ball and in the open court. Prefers to play off the ball.
#25 Amber Sutton, 5'8 Guard - Southern Phenoms; A great complement to her twin sister Aleah (above). Attacks the basket aggressively in transition and keeps defenses honest with her own ability to sink the 3 ball.
#31 T'Kyra (TK) Hicks, 5'8" Guard - BTA Most Wanted; Tough minded player who goes about the business of basketball. Excellent rebounder from the guard position, has WNBA shooting range and moves well without the ball. Will be on several watch list after this year.
#28 Kennedi Stephens, 5'10" Post - BTA - Most Wanted; Powerful, athletic and agile. Plays like a female Charles Barkley. If she was 6'1 she would be a BCS recruit. Tough scorer in the paint and showed a soft touch from the high post.
#48 De'Ja Bradford, 5'7" Guard - Lady Warriors; Demonstrated a strong ability to get her shot off. Probably one of the "Jamboree's" top scorers for the weekend. Drew a lot of fouls and had numerous point at the free throw line. Stock should steadily move up...
2018 Class
The Arkansas Elite 9th Grade girls displayed a stellar performance. Several of their players could receive individual accolades. The team played so well as a group I felt it necessary to mention at least the group while pointing out some outstanding play be a couple of their players.
Amber Hawkins, 5'7" Guard - Arkansas Elite 9th; Long and athletic with a winners mentality. Played tough and aggressive the entire game. Found her shot and opportunities for others.
Ariyanna Hall, 5'8 Wing - Arkansas Elite 9th; Strong and athletic for a player her age. Penetrated numerous times and finished thru contact. Nice shot off set her all out mentality in transition.
2019 Class
Amari Heard, 5'10" Forward - MS Heat; After Amber Smith, probably demonstrated the most athleticism of any athlete regardless of grade. Exceptional vertical leaper, scored well in transition and was a terror defensively in the passing lanes as well as on the boards.
which covers a large portion of the south.
Writer/evaluator Leslie Toole has coached,
evaluated and trained athletes for 25 years.
Twitter: @msgbr1 | Facebook: /deltareport
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