Classes for high school students either already have or will start back up in the next week or so, which means we can expect a couple of ‘back-to-school' fall basketball showcases taking place. The ‘Assist Student Athletes' team, led by CEO William Carter, specifically stayed busy this past weekend in hosting two separate events within the regions of Northern and Central Virginia, respectively. Saturday (8/17) saw the annual ‘ASSIST 804 Top 48 Camp' happen in Prince George High School's (Prince George, VA) gymnasium. Two split sessions, girls in the morning to early afternoon followed by boys from mid-afternoon to evening, made up the entire hoops-filled day. The very next day (8/18), ‘Assist' took things up North to Hayfield Secondary School (Alexandria, VA) for the inaugural ‘ASSIST DMV Top 100 High School Showcase,' featuring all male hoopers. I had the opportunity to cover the entire weekend and also once again ran into my Phenom Hoops co-worker, Frank Bennett, during Saturday's second session. In addition, it was also good to catch up with former Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)/professional overseas standout Bo Jones, who did an excellent job operating the majority of Saturday's drills. All sorts of players in different age ranges, both familiar and new faces, arrived to compete and get better throughout the weekend; something that I personally deemed as achieved, overall.
Around 28 young ladies showed up for the Girls opening session on Saturday morning. They set the day's tempo from the start and worked really hard for over four hours. Out of the many Richmond high school programs represented, I tweeted that Highland Springs High School (Highland Springs, VA) had the most participating members; with seven players total.
My Saturday Standouts
Sydney Boone '21 – Highland Springs HS (Highland Springs, VA): Arguably, nobody had the ball on a string better than the 5'7' guard during Saturday. Boone established herself as a name to know last season, earning a second team selection on the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 5 all-state squad, and looks even more confident heading into her upperclassmen years. She has elite abilities to function as a combo guard and brings a craftiness to the floor that's fun to watch. Her handle, above-average court vision, and scoring feel all makes her one of the top guards returning to Region 5B. Boone will need to become a bit less high volume and not force the issue as much at times but everything else in her game already looks very promising. Finishing as the Camp's Co-MVP, she should lead the way of a competitive Highland Springs roster. William & Mary and Longwood University both have already offered.
Sierra Johnson '22 – TPLS Christian Academy (Midlothian, VA): One of the most active players in the building, I liked a lot about the sophomore's capabilities. Johnson has a good 5'10' height at the wing position and knows how to find an edge in making as many winning plays as possible. She showed some of the best athleticism in camp and played hard at all times. Her aggressive style of play resulted in many slashing drives to the rim, where the whistle typically blew for drawn fouls. Off of the ball, Johnson also looked pretty good as spot-up shooter from three-point land. With still has a lot of room for growth, I see her taking a big jump once she adds on more shot-creating skills. She does a lot of things well already at that age and may see an even bigger role for TPLS this season.
*Side note: Both Johnson and Boone have attended this camp for four years now.
Kimaya Williams '22 – Highland Springs HS (Highland Springs, VA): If I had to pick any camper who possesses some of the most potential moving forward, my choice would have to go the young Williams. Only 14 years old, she already stands at 6'1' and displays a great deal of intangibles that should excite both her coaches and Springers fans. Playing on the wing, the sophomore can produce both inside and out but looked more comfortable near the rim once competitive drills and games started to occur. Williams rebounded some of the best out of her peers and I deemed full-court passing as a nice skills of hers. She can definitely step out to make shots but her size advantage and toughness should lead to several post mismatches in the future, which I see becoming a big problem for whoever's on the defensive end. Great effort all day from Williams, who shared Co-MVP honors with her high school teammate, Boone.
Messiah Hunter '21 – TPLS Christian Academy (Midlothian, VA): A highly regarded next-level prospect in the 804, Hunter attracted attention as soon as she arrived to Prince George's grounds and showed an on-court feel that speaks volumes. Scoring-wise, versatility defines her game the best. At 6'2,' she's similar to Williams in being able to put up points in different areas around the rim. However, I'd say Hunter plays more fluidly when creating personal looks and knows how to get her shot off whenever she wants. She has a great nose for the ball, sustains a good motor, and gives a lot of effort. Finishing at the rim looked like a big struggle for her on Saturday but getting to the free-throw line worked in a pretty effective manner. There's high talent written all over the 2019 VHSL Class 3 all-state first teamer, who's picked up offers from Virginia Tech, Temple, and N.C. State, amongst others. The already established TPLS program just became even more eye-popping with Hunter now in the system.
*Hunter was ultimately awarded Camp MVP.
Taylor Wiggins '22 – Midlothian HS (Midlothian, VA): Without question, Wiggins had THE most imposing presence within the entire gym once the competitive atmosphere took over. The 6'3' forward has all of the necessary requirements to work as a forceful forward who can completely own the paint. I liked how well she fought to get position on the block and protected the rim consistently. She had good timing in swatting away shots; sending a message early on. As far as rebounds go, Wiggins stood out as a top performer in that area but must make sure to rid a habit of ‘going over the back' for boards. It's not intentional but nonetheless unnecessary fouling that I'm sure she doesn't want to deal with. Her aggressiveness excites me the most; being an intangible that all coaches love for their bigger players to have. If she works on developing more go-to post moves, we may see her become one of Midlothian, VA's top forwards quite soon.
Madison Murphy '21 – Manchester HS (Midlothian, VA): I first noticed how seriously Murphy approach her pre-workout form shooting immediately after her arrival, which led to the sophomore making shots the farther she distanced herself from the basket. As Saturday morning continued on, the 5'7' guard's shot-making remained efficient and easily one of the purest in the gym. She's a heavy threat from the perimeter and fixates her eyes on the rim quickly once catching the ball. Murphy does best off of the ball but also showed some good separation when placed in iso situations. She can lure her defender to sleep and quickly use hesitation moves to get a foot past. Her obvious scoring skills makes me feel she can be more assertive in calling for the ball and looking to put points up. Defensively, she communicates well and works hard to never let her opponents feel too comfortable. Definitely one to keep an eye on this year in the Manchester Lancers' program.
Kiaa Boyd '21 – Highland Springs HS (Highland Springs, VA): Another piece of the Springers' core group, I see similarities in Boyd's game to Murphy's as a notable perimeter shooter. The 5'7' junior guard heated up later on in the afternoon games to erupt for various stretches of knock-down shooting. She has a quick release upon getting her feet set and knows how to lose the defense often. On the other side of the ball, Boyd plays tough and makes me feel she can turn into a solid ‘3&D' weapon for her team these next two seasons. In addition, she makes hustle plays and goes after rebounds pretty well for a guard. Touching up a bit on her handle will need to act as a main area of focus.
Be sure to also check out my ‘2019 ASSIST 804 Top 48 Camp; Boys (8/17/19)' recap of standout