Future Stars Showcase

The Future Stars Showcase on September 25-27, 2015 had many of the projected top high school teams from the DFW metroplex getting their first taste of competition. Here is a look at a few of the teams that caught my eye:

South Grand Prairie is a team to watch out for in UIL 6A Region 1. Led by 2017 super recruit Kayla Wells, 6’6” 2018 Uchenna Nwoke and 2018 Amber Bacon, the Lady Warriors are strong at every position. Though young, the Lady Warriors already have a lot of varsity experience. Wells, who has off the charts leadership ability, will be key in leading the Lady Warriors in a district with Duncanville and Cedar Hill. The district experience will serve the Lady Warriors well in preparation for an expected playoff run.

Flower Mound is another team to watch in the loaded UIL 6A Region 1. They Lady Jags have a tough task ahead in defending their Region 1 championship crown, but they have 2016 #1 national prospect Lauren Cox leading the way. One of the keys will be who steps up to relieve some pressure off of Cox. 2016 Marin Mills and 2019 Whitney Cox’s—Lauren Cox’s little sister—continued development throughout the season will be critical in enabling the Lady Jags to repeat their march to San Antonio.

Allen has a lot of pieces to the puzzle, but must bring their young group together to compete in UIL 6A Region 1. They have two effective 2016 posts in DI prospect 6’4” De’Anira Moore and 6’2” Juliette Akinwole. Adding to the elite size on the wing are 2017 DI prospect 6’0” Haleigh Hill and 2017 5”11” Temi Alao (Rice commit). Add to that, one of the most talented young backcourts in the state with three DI prospects in highly nationally rated 6’1” 2019 Nyah Green, and 2018 prospects Jada Peacock and Sydney Hardeman.

Plano is a talented team that could make some real noise in UIL 6A Region 1. Plano has three 2018 DI prospects in Lauren “Lolo” Davenport, Katie Ferrell, and Emma Halverson. Plano also has five seniors to provide leadership and could be a dark horse in the loaded region.
L.D. Bell is led by highly regarded 2017 prospect Lexi Gordon. Gordon is one of the top natural scorers in the 2017 national class and is poised to put up huge numbers. Another team in the loaded UIL 6A Region 1, the Lady Raiders have only two seniors. If the Lady Raiders can find some scoring to offset the defensive focus on Gordon, they could become very dangerous. Watch out for this team in 2016-2017 when highly regarded top prospect 2020 Myra Gordon becomes eligible to join her sister.

Denton Guyer, also in the loaded UIL 6A Region 1, will face a hard battle to get out of the region. Nonetheless, with 2016 DI prospect Bre Wickware and 2017 DI prospect Lauren Heard, the Wildcats are going to be a tough out for anybody they run into come playoff time.

Colleyville Heritage is led by 2018 sharp shooter Bryn Gerlich. Gerlich is one of the top pure shooters in the national 2018 class and has shown an ability to score from all spots on the floor this summer and early in the high school preseason. Being in 6A Region 1 and an extremely young team with only one senior, Heritage may be a year away, but will be a team to watch as I expect them to improve by leaps and bounds as they gain experience.

Richardson is one of the favorites to win UIL 6A Region 2. Led by three 2016 DI prospects, the Lady Eagles have one of the better starting lineups in the region. The key for the Lady Eagles will be how they deal with a lack of a true post and how they are able to develop depth. Even so, 2016 Arleighshya McElroy (Texas A&M commit), Dorian Branch (Houston commit), and Brianna Lester give the Lady Eagles a terrific opportunity to win the region.

Irving MacArthur is poised to make a run in UIL 6A Region 2. 2016 DI prospects Gabby Gregory and Essence Wells will lead the way for a young roster. Gregory’s ability to handle defensive pressure from the point guard position and Wells and company’s ability to score off of that pressure will be key for the Cardinals.

Frisco Liberty enters the season as one of the teams to watch in UIL 5A Region 2. Led by skyrocketing 2017 prospect Jordan Hamilton and 2017 Rebecca Lescay, the Redhawks are poised to make a deep run. 2018 prospect Katelyn Burtch’s continued development in the post is a key factor in how deep the Redhawks can go come playoff time.

McKinney is a very young team, but could make some noise towards the end of the season. Led by highly rated 2018 Quincy Noble and 2018 college prospect JaMiya Braxton, the Lions will have to mature quickly as they have only one senior. Overcoming the lack of size will be key for the Lions.

The Argyle Lady Eagles will look to defend their UIL 4A State Championship title. Led by highly regarded 2017 prospect Vivian Gray and only two seniors including Gray’s older sister Olivia (Fort Lewis commit), the Lady Eagles will look to gain experience throughout the season and make another march towards the state championships in San Antonio.

With four DI committed returning seniors, Argyle Liberty Christian is the overwhelming favorite to repeat as TAPPS 5A State Champs. Led by 2016 point guard Sydney Goodson (Arizona State commit), shooting guards Hannah and Rebekah Hand (Marist commit), and forward Kendall Ellig (Rice commit), the Warriors look to be tough to beat this year.

Plano Prestonwood looks to be the elite contender for Liberty Christian in TAPPS 5A. With 2017 top ten super recruit Jade Williams leading a very young team, the Lady Lions will need 2019 prospects Payton Hicks and Camryn Brown to mature quickly. With only one senior on the roster, Prestonwood will rely heavily on Williams’ on-court leadership.

Dallas Christian will look to make a run in TAPPS 4A. The Chargers are led by 2016 DI prospect Ashlan Miles and 2017 prospect Kaylee Rasbury. If the Chargers get enough inside punch from 6’2” 2019 prospect Taylor Jones, they will have a chance to make a deep run in March.