USJN Qualifier – East --By Joe Costa
WEST DEPTFORD NJ. 32 teams from 6 states came to the
RiverWinds Community Center in West Deptford NJ this past weekend for the kick-off
event of the 2016 USJN season. The USJN Qualifier - East tournament is the
perfect opportunity for coaches to fine tune things for the upcoming NCAA
Evaluation weekends. It also serves as a preview of the talent we will
hopefully see in the next two weekend.
We expect to see some good things from some familiar faces
along with some newcomers in the upcoming weeks… Players that are frequent
fliers on our pages like: Lauren Park Lane, the 5-5 Point Guard is a flashy,
fiery competitor that now is stronger and wiser after her Freshman year in high
school.
It seems as if 2018, Forward, Danielle Cosgrove has been 6-3
forever. Because of her talent and height, she has always stood out in a crowd…
Now Danielle has progressed and seems poised to turn her game up a notch and
produce big things at the next level.
A newcomer, well she will be to some college coaches, not to
us, is 5 foot 11 inch, 2020 Wing Maddie Burke. Burke is the real deal has
multi-faceted talent, she is playing her first season with the Philadelphia
Belles. Maddie has risen to a whole other level this spring and with that comes
a lot of expectations.
Below are a few others that showed well this past weekend…
Quick Hitters
Alexa Brodie – 2020 – 5-5 – Point Guard - Philadelphia Belles
– Has big time point guard skills, interested in seeing her skills versus top
level competition… Strong on the drive and finish… Really good in the open
court.
Grace Sacco – 2017 – 5-5 – Point Guard - Philadelphia Belles
– Solid ball handler, Good in tight spaces… Reads the floor and delivers strong
passes… A little bit of a gambler with her pass attempts.
Maggie Kirby – 2018 - 5-9 – Guard – Blue Star Upstate NY –
Good handle… Long and athletic… Finisher.
Alexandra Tudor – 2018 – 6-0 – Forward - Blue Star Upstate NY
– Face the basket forward… Can get to the hoop and score quickly… Efficient.
Julianna Okoniewski – 2018 – 6-1 – Forward - Blue Star
Upstate NY – Scores within the team offense… Calls for the ball, head and hands
up… Finishes well around the hoop.
Graceann Bennett - 2019 - 6-2 – Forward - Blue Star Upstate
NY – Knows where the hoop is and how to get the ball on the rim… Nice baseline
jump-shot… Passes well in traffic in post area… Needs some left hand finish
work.
Kerry Flaherty – 2019 – 5-8 – Guard - Blue Star Upstate NY –
Good basketball instincts… Solid ball skills… Scores from various spots on the
floor.
Shelby Funchess – 2018 – 6-1 – Forward – Keystone Karma – Has
some ability to go with her size, a lot of work to do in a short time…
Awareness in the post… Long reach.
Megan Baldassarre – 2018 – 6-0 - Forward – Mid-Penn Motion –
Long and athletic… Good ball reactions… Can improve her ball handling.
Kayla Johnson – 2018 – 6-0 – Guard/Forward - Mid-Penn Motion –
Long, lean, athletic wing player… Good first step… Above average ball handler…
Mid-range jump-shot.
Check back here in the next two weeks as we provide in depth coverage of two NCAA evaluation period events; the USJN Capital City Classic and the prominent Boo Williams Nike Invitational.
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