2015 John Lucas Last Run Girls Showcase Recap
The John Lucas Last Run Girls Showcase was a success again in its 3rd year.
This event brought to the City of Houston all levels of NCAA College Coaches from across the
country and some of the most sought after girls’ talent. Friday kicked off with a FREE skills and drills session giving coaches another viewing opportunity to evaluate individual player skill ability and adaptability to higher level instruction. Surprisingly there were some younger players who stood out in this session and demanded everyone’s attention. The 2018-2021 Classes definitely have birthed some very good talent and it is going to be exciting to watch them grow and develop into highly skilled players. Some of the team matchups gave us a preview of what to expect in competition for this upcoming school season and it also exposed some hidden individual talents. Texas, especially Houston, is a Hot-Bed for girls’ talent. It’s growing at a very rapid pace. The John Lucas events and training opportunities will without a doubt help this girls market propel upward with no limits. His passion for the game and love for kids reaching their dreams is a perfect concoction for success.
The tournament was filled with so much talent that it’s absolutely impossible to capture every stand out player and every moment but below are some of the highlights of the Last Run and the teams who participated.
1. Atascocita High School had some good matchups especially against North Shore. Very competitive team with good energy, they were able to push the ball up the court and keep up with the pace of North Shore’s prolific point Chasity Patterson.
Jada Burks, 5’1” -G- 2016 stood out at the PG position with her exceptional speed and the ability to break down defenders.
Hannah Hopkins, 6’2”- F/C- 2016 with her size underneath is an athletic Forward/Center. She has a good skill level, rebounds the ball, boxes out, smart decision maker. To become a more powerful threat she will need to build lower body strength for a quicker leap and explosiveness.
2. Barbers Hill High School performed well and had a spectacular game against Westbury Christian. As a somewhat young team they make good decisions on the floor, good cuts and give/go lay-up opportunities. Their guards are active on both ends and make sure to give their highly ranked post touches every time down the floor.
Charli Collier, 6’4”- F/C -2018 #2 in the Country in her class is definitely an elite top performer. She has a soft touch on her shot, nice size in the paint to block shots but is very versatile on the perimeter, has nice face up game, good mobility and lateral quickness, attacks the rim, can initiate transition.
Madison Armer, 5’11” -G- 2018 is an aggressive player, she reads the defense well, does a good job in moving after getting rid of the ball and was able to get some effective give/go scoring opportunities. I really liked her focus and how in tune to the game she was. A nice long wing player that can get shots off or get movement so the defense has to make decisions.
3. Bellaire High School has some small quick guards that, if they aren’t contained, will get fast break scoring opportunities all day long. They will get to the rim and they are able to feed their post player who can score and get second shots from her rebounding. They didn’t have a high percentage of FG from the perimeter most come in penetration off of transition or breaking down slower guards off the dribble.
Audrianna Brown, 5’4” -G- 2017 is a quick player. She will take outside shots if left open but will blow past her defenders if given enough space. She will need to develop a left hand for better ball handling and not be a one dimensional player.
Mya Hollinashed, 6’4” -C- 2017 has a noticeable nice long body. She is mobile, agile on the floor. She was hard to box out because she does a good job underneath giving her team 2nd and 3rd shot opportunities. She has descent footwork and post moves and can get stronger for more explosive moves and counter moves. Her leaping ability can also get better for lateral quickness.
4. Blue Star Houston Skyrise has a good young team. Full of energy on the floor. They are still growing and getting an overall team identity and IQ for the game but definitely compete.
McKinizie Green, 5’5” -G- 2019 is from Manvel High School. She is a jet quick guard. She has quick Hands on defense and causes a lot of deflections, she can score at will, finishes with floaters , off the dribble moves to the paint are more explosive as she continues to get stronger legs. She can and will take perimeter shots. She will have High major opportunities.
5. Channelview High School is another aggressive team. They play very well together, strong competitive group of girls. They have some good mid- major players who are being highly recruited.
Ariana Taylor, 5’11” -P- 2018 is a strong young player. She plays with intensity, very strong with
the ball, gets position for rebounding, digs in on defense, she can improve her ball-handling but
she will be a threat no doubt.
6. Clear Creek High School is a smaller team, not much size but capable of causing havoc on the perimeter with their guard play and movement. They have young players on the roster so growing is still evident but they have an apt for learning so they will be successful.
Lauren Sinclair, 5’6” -G- 2019 is another guard with speed. She has descent ball handling, can get to the basket off the dribble. She can improve her visibility by being more consistent and by
defining her game, finding her identity as a player. She definitely has potential.
Keondra White, 5’8”- G- 2017 is a good facilitator of the ball , she is good off of the dribble, She
will need to develop an outside shot working on her technique and form.
7. Crossover Athletics is a highly competitive team. They love contact, play very physical, they love attacking the basket, digging in on defense, go for loose balls, rebound, get second shots. They had some great matchups and a close one to the end with Houston Dream.
Dunnashean Evans, 5’5” -G- 2016 attends Bellaire High School has the potential to be an elite guard, highly athletic, good Lead guard ball handling, attacks off the dribble, quick, aggressive on both ends, a scorer mind.
Bria Cesar, 5’11” -SF- 2016 attends Austin High School Fort Bend she has nice athletic body, very agile, also an aggressive player.
8. D Gib Nation 17U was another team with some good young talent on the roster. This team was ready to compete each game. They were also aggressive, were sometimes not spaced well on the court or got a lot of ball movement but were competitive on both ends of the court.
Miya Crump, 6’1” -G/F- 2018 attends KIPP Academy. She is a raw talent, descent ball handling,
She was on the perimeter and can score, not afraid of contact and can play physical. She can
become a standout player if she picks up her game intensity on both ends of the court, run
the floor, work on ball movement and spacing.
Ogechi Nwodo 6’4”- F/C- 2017 attends Sharpstown High School. She is actually new to the game she has great size in the paint, rebounds with power, gets the ball out for transition, nice body and strong, she can block shots. She will need to work on her footwork in the post, her post moves and scoring ability.
9. Dekaney High School is a true competitive team. They ran the ball, dig in on defense, pressure the ball, attack the basket. They had some absolutely great matchups against North Shore, Hightower, and Wagner. This team is full of potential and I look for them to have a good season.
Jaelyn Richard-Harris, 5’2”- G- 2016 is small but a strong athletic player. She is able to capitalize off of her size and quickness. Lead guard ball handling, scorer, a defender, explosive to the basket. She competed against one of the top guards in the city, Chasity Patterson, and was able to hold her own very very well. She gets the job done. Definitely a High Major prospect.
Jasmine Smith, 5’7” –G- 2017 very athletic guard, a scorer, can shoot with descent range. Has potential for a D-1 school. She had a good performance for coaches to watch.