695HOOPS WHERE IT'S ALWAYS ALL ABOUT THE GIRLS
Friday, November 7th
The Girls Middle School Showcase returned to the DC area on November 7th. Riverdale Baptist was the host school this year but a last minute scheduling conflict forced us to move the event to nearby CH Flowers High School. The last minute change caused a few logistical problems, but the girls did not seem to notice. The players started filing in around 5:15pm for the 5:30pm check in. 46 players from DC, MD and VA participated this time around.
Riverdale Baptist head coach Sam Caldwell got the girls started with some stretching and warm up drills. The players then gathered with their respective teams for the night. Each player was introduced to the crowd on hand and we were off and running.This showcase was full of talented players who showed up to prove something. It is not easy to play with different players than you are used to with a coach that you are not familiar with but I thought the girls did a great job. Coach Billy Taylor handled both Red teams for the night in the 7th and 8th grade games and Jay Nolan coached the Blue 7th grade team. Tameka Addison handled the Blue 8th grade team.
Here is a look at each player in the showcase and some of what we saw.
Promise Cunningham, 5'8" Guard, James Gholson Middle School 2019.
Promise had an outstanding performance. She is a superb athlete that showed she is capable of dominating a game. She scores in the paint and can knock down threes. She rebounded, threw some sensational passes and added a couple of empatic blocked shots. She played with a lot of confidence.
Delicia Pinnick, 5'9" Guard, Cardinal Shehan, 2020.
Delicia is a long, rangy, athletic guard with good size. She showed off her full arsenal in DC. She has a great handle with both hands and uses the floater well. She knocked down some threes and got some baskets in transition. She is not a one way player. She is active and aggressive on defense as well. She played as if she had something to prove. Mission accomplished.
Caramina Tanedo, 5'8" Guard, Patuxent Valley Middle School, 2020.
Caramina played in last year's GMSS DC as a 6th grader and held her own. She is strong fundamentally and has grown as well. She can finish with both hands and has a great shot form. She knocked down some perimeter shots and made some nice moves inside. She is also a solid defender. This was a great showcase for Ms. Tanedo.
Ryann Evans, 5'9" Forward, Glenelg Country School, 2019.
This was the GMSS debut for Ryann and she made it a good one. She passes the eye test immediately because she built to play ball. She is a versatile player that looks like she will play multiple postions in high school. She can score, rebound and defend. She has an impressive wing span and her vertical leap is solid.
Rain Green, 5'1" Guard, Roland Park, 2020.
This was Rain's GMSS debut. I thought she turned in a good performance. She is a good ball handler and she is active, coming up with steals and deflections. She seemed to be near the ball all the time. She made a nice highlight reel behind the back pass for an assist.
Sydney Lewis, 5'10" Forward, The Mclean School.
This was Sydney's second GMSS this fall and she looked good. She has a strong post game with a couple of good finishing moves. Her shot form is good and brought a physical presence to the game. 2020
Kaylah Ivey, 5'6" Guard, Riverdale Baptist, 2020
Kaylah had a great GMSS debut. She is a solidly built and athletic guard that has the tools to play both guard spots. She was exceptional in transition and has a great basketball IQ. She showed the ablility to take over the game for stretches.
Synia Johnson, 5'4" Guard, Matthew Henson Middle School.2020. This was a strong debut for Synia in the GMSS. She has real good shooting form from deep and looks like a natural scorer. She is an exceptional athlete and she finished nicely with both hands.
Simone Edmunson, 5'11" center, St. Mary's Piscataway. 2019
Simone arrived too late to get the standard individual photo but she immediately made her presence felt. She has legit size and showed off some offensive skill by making some layups and a short jumper. Looking to see more of her in the winter.
D'erra Townes, 5'8" Guard/Forward, White Oak Middle, 2019. Explosive, skilled athlete that can score in bunches.
Morgan DeBeary, 5'1" Guard, Old Mill Middle, 2019. Morgan returned to the GMSS for 2014. She showed improved ball handling to go along with her high basketball IQ.
Alyssa Hayashi, 5'1" Guard, Ridgeview Middle School, 2020. Alyssa likes to push the ball on the fast break and she makes the right play. Good help side defender that comes up with steals.
Ebony Hansberry, 5'2" Guard,Chesapeak Math & IT South, 2020. Ebony is a rugged player that attacks defensively. She gets low and moves her feet well. She has a good first step with the ball that allows her to penetrate effectively.
Tian Addison, Lake Elkhorn, 5'4" guard, 2019. Tian had another strong outing at the GMSS. She is a solid defender and she has developed a nice step back jumper.
Jalen Douglas, 5'4" Guard, Milton M Sommers Middle School, 2020. Excellent at closing out on shooters. Boxes out well for a guard. Plays physical and hard.
Colby Cooper, 5'3" Guard, St. Anne's School of Annapolis. Colby played in two GMSS events this year. She plays an aggressive, attacking style on offense.
Kaitlyn Parker, 5'9" Guard/Forward, Gwynn Park Middle School. 2020. Explosive athlete with good size. Strong in the paint and runs the floor well. Great at getting her shots off over smaller players and drawing fouls.
Iyanna Warren, 5'3" Guard, Accokeek Academy. 2019. Talented and quick guard with a nice repertoire of moves on offense. She can run the point but has the skill set to be effective as a combo guard. She showed a nice pull up jumper and shot the 3 well too.
Seanice Lyons, 5'4" Guard, Imagine Foundation Charter School, 2019. Smart player with solid fundamentals and nice form on her shot.
Makayla Adams, 5'8" Forward, Benjamin Tasker Middle School, 2019. Good size and length. Nice wing prospect with a good mid range jumper.
DeKeithlyn Brown, 5'9" Forward, St. Francis International, 2019. Ms. Brown is a year ahead academically in school. She held her own with her athleticism and ability to score in the paint.
Alexis Hazel, 5'7" Forward, Meade Middle School. Physical and strong defender that plays the passing lanes well. Made a lot of hustle plays. 2020
Maura Devine, 5'6" Guard, Ellicott Mills Middle School, 2019. Maura is a great ball handler and passer. She can knock down shots and is fast enough to get past most defenders. Great showing.
Nhaikiya Smith, 5'4" Guard, St. Peter's School of Waldorf.2020. Ms. Smith played in the Baltimore GMSS and returned for DC. She was much more confident this time. She played aggressively on offense and made some good passes. She hit a nice step back jumper and made good decisions all game.
Miciyah Washington, 5'3" guard, Benjamin Tasker Middle School. 2019. Nice shooting guard with the emphasis on shooting. Her jumper was wet!
Brianna Milline, 5'1" Guard, Walker Jones Middle School. 2019. Brianna was one of the better defenders in the showcase. She was looking to lock up full court on somebody every possesion and she was good at it. She gets low and moves her feet properly. She sets the tone for her team.
Denai Bowman, 5'4" Guard, Stephen Decatur Middle School. 2019. Quick player. She uses her speed and fast hands to defend aggressively. She plays with intensity at all times.
Kylie Morris, 5'2" Guard, Academy of St. Mathias. Kylie was injured and could not participate. 2020
Andria Gadson, 5'3" Guard, Riverdale Baptist, 2020. Tough, quick, smart player that will take a charge from bigger players.
Destiny Ryles, 4'10"Guard, John Paul Regional, 2020. Lightening quick guard with good hands on defense. Has the ability to create space and get good shots.
Cori Robinson, 5'5" Guard/Forward, Benjamin Foulois, 2019. Physical, strong, versatile player that runs the floor. She can knock down the 3 pointer.
Sasha Bates, 5'2" Guard, Browne Academy, 2019. Scrappy guard with a knack for coming up with the ball.
Trinity Palacio, 5'4" Guard, Alexandria Day School, 2019. Talented offensive player, can score and finish through contact.
Reniyah Ross, 5'8" Guard, Annapolis Area Christian School, 2019. Crafty guard that can is at her best scoring in the lane. Nice slashing game and always a threat in transition.
Bria Welcome, 5'3" Guard, Stephen Decatur Middle School.2019. This was Bria's first GMSS. Good defender, mixes it up with bigger players with no fear.
Simone Walmsley, 5'8" Guard/Forward, Monacacy Middle School. 2020. Nice wing prospect from Western Maryland. She is a smooth offensive player that plays at a deliberate pace. She has a good basketball IQ and shows great patience and feel for the game.
Taniya Christian, 5'6" small forward, Monacacy Middle School.2020. Tough, physical guard with a nice shot. This was her GMSS debut.
Aislyn Riggs, Lake Elkhorn, 5'10" foward. Aislyn is a smooth forward with a soft touch around the basket. She is really starting to play with confidence every time out. One WCAC school has her number 1 on their wish list.
Rayne Tucker, Ernest Just Middle School, 6'0" forward/center. Rayne has a nasty drop step move. She is a good finisher and a strong rebounder. Solid post prospect.
Kaniyah Harris, 5'7" Guard/Forward.Walker Mills Middle School, 2020. Physically strong and just scratching the surface of her potential. Gets off qualit shots at will and draws a ton of fouls. Strong candidate for the GMSS All Star Game in March.
Mesa Floyd, 5'1" guard, James Madison Middle School. This was her second GMSS in 2014. She is a fast guard that can score. She uses the floaters and mid range shots to score over bigger players.
Saniyah Greenhow, Guard/Forward, Briggs Chaney Middle School. 2020. She has good size, soft hands and is able to catch and finish in traffic. Good debut in the GMSS.
Danielle Dyer, 5'5" Guard, Bullis. Danielle has great form on her shot and she shot the ball well. She drove left and finished well. She knows how to get her shot off. 2020.
Janai Brown, 5'8" Forward, Imagine Foundation Charter School. 2019. Nice looking wing prospect. She is long and lanky with a good wingspan. She has a good IQ and looked to make the right play at all times.
Nielah Jones, 4'10" Guard, Cathedral of Mary our Queen, 2019. Extremely fast point guard that uses her speed as a weapon to disrupt the offense.
Kailah Major-Taylor. 5'8" Forward, Riverdale Baptist. 2019. A last minute addition to the event. Kailah looked a little nervous in her first showcase. We will evauate further during the winter with her middle school team.
Copyright 2010 695Hoops. All rights reserved.