2017 Marchfest

Marchfest annually signifies the beginning of club ball for the top teams in Texas and this year was no exception. While rosters are sure to adjust and teams will be much improved by the April NCAA evaluation period, Marchfest provides an early glimpse into the level at which teams and their respective players are. All results this early in the club season should be taken with a grain of salt, as this is club ball’s version of the preseason and/or closed scrimmages. However, this is a quality opportunity for scouting services such as Premier Basketball Report get to see so many of the state’s best players in the same event so early.

A tournament highlight, off the court you could say, was the pending announcement of the 2018 Tatum Veitenheimer commitment to Oklahoma. Oklahoma has long been one of the favorites for Veitenheimer’s destination and looks to be a terrific fit for one of the top point guards in the country. Tatum held her cards close to her chest for the duration of her recruitment, so the buzz Sunday morning of the soon-to-be commitment had many anticipating the final result. She shared some nice insight with PBR and left us with the impression that, much like on the basketball court, she went at this process like a poised seasoned pro.

Texas Elite Prime
Speaking of Veitenheimer, she is a key cog on a loaded Prime team. With wins over HTX, Urban Heroes, and DFW Elite – Prime served notice as one of the top teams in the state & country in the coming months. Tatum was spectacular on both ends of the floor. 2018 Texas commit Sedona Prince has taken a major step forward on the defensive end and continues to solidify her spot as one of the undeniable top recruits nationally in the class. She showed all around game on the offensive end and was very impressive in the open court and in the fast break vs a DFW Elite team that likes to speed things up. Flanking Prime in the front-court is the ultra-athletic energizer 2018 Catherine Reese, the steadying hand, IQ, and sharp-shooting of 2018 Bryn Gerlich, and emerging 2018 post Mia Heide. Add in 2018 Rice commit in guard Jasmine Smith, versatile and athletic 2018 Quincy Noble, and silky smooth 2018 lefty Megan Abrams (LA) and you have one of the most complete rosters in the state. As Amaya Brown (NM) is in the last stages of her return from a knee injury last summer (and we are getting great reports), the ceiling for this team is very high. This team can flat out guard!!

CY-Fair EYBL
For my money, the deepest team at the tournament from top to bottom was CY-Fair. Starting with the frontcourt of 2018 UCONN super recruit Charli Collier, the underrated 2018 Audrey Warren, the energy and production of 2018 Mallory Adams, the rugged rebounding and paint presence of 2018 Jasmine Franklin and the pure talent of youthful 2020 Jordyn Merritt make CY-Fair deep and difficult to match up with in an individual matchup sense. Add in the backcourt of USA veteran and hotly recruited Christyn Williams (AR), SMU commit and top 2019 PG prospect Jaden Owens, super athletic and possibly the most versatile defender in the country 2018 Madison Williams, the game changing abilities of 2018 Brooklyn Mitchell, and the advanced game of young 2020 Texas commit Deja Kelly, and you have an all-star roster of elite recruits and one of the early favorites for the EYBL crown in July. The legitimate question here: the balance of the minutes and/or roles. This is not unique to their situation alone, and is obviously a well-known managerial challenge on the club basketball scene.
 
SA Finest Cee Lou
Traditionally, one of the most underrated elite clubs when talking national scope, SA Finest takes a backseat to no one in talent or production. Hotly recruited 2018 NaLyssa Smith, 2019 Louisville commit Nyah Green, 2019 Elizabeth Scott, 2018 Da’Nasia Hood make up one of the most formidable frontcourts in the state and country. In true Finest tradition there are 2 young wings on the top team that you must know the names of in 2020’s Sahara Jones & A’ja Holmes. The backcourt is led by the ultra-savvy & skilled 2018 Desiree Caldwell. Joining Caldwell is sharpshooting 2018 Sophia Ramos and dynamic point guard 2018 Angel Hastings.

Urban Heroes Elite
The Heroes are stockpiled with talent and versatility. The Heroes are led by ascending elite post prospect 2019 Taylor Jones who is flanked by 2018 athletic lefty Bre’Asiajah Mathews, 2019 Tavy Diggs, 2019 sweet shooting lefty Taylor Hutchins who provides an interesting matchup . 2020 guard Myra Gordon is finding her niche as a player as her game is different than her UCONN bound older sister. In the backcourt, Urban has highly skilled 2018 Texas Tech commit Addison Ryan and versatile 2018 Alex Crane (one of my standouts from this weekend). The Heroes are nicely stocked at the forward position, and their size and depth are going to give opponents problems throughout the season.

DFW Elite
DFW is led by one of the most underrated elite national prospects and “you know” nation veteran 2018 Zarrielle Green. “Z” is a personal favorite of mine who produces every time I watch her. Green is flanked by the ultra-athletic 2019 McKinzie Green, 2018 elite perimeter defender Amber Bacon, versatile scoring PG 2019 Endyia Rogers, and 2019 pure PG N’yah Boyd. I would expect DFW to give opponents problems with their perimeter quickness as the club season continues.

CY-FAIR PREMIER Blue
2018 Queen Egbo joined Veintenheimer as the star of the tournament for me. Terrific hands and athletic ability make Egbo one of the top prospects in the class. I love the game of 2018 Cydney Rivera – she is tough as nails and can flat shoot it. 2020 Priscilla Williams jumped on my radar with elite length and shooting ability.
 
  AD Elite
Led by emerging 2018 guards Joanne Allen-Taylor (HOOPER!!) & Britney Oneyeje and flanked by the ultra-athletic and skilled 2018 Monet Jones, and 2019 creative handler Corrina Carter, AD Elite is going to be a headache to play throughout the summer.

ProSkills 17U Black EYBL
ProSkills were without 3 major pieces in 2020 super recruit Sara Andrews, 2018 athletic forward Starr Jacobs and 2018 Texas commit Lauren “Lolo” Davenport for much of the tournament. I was impressed with 2019 Baylor commit Jordyn Oliver, who showed the ability to play the point if needed while still showing her normal scoring prowess. Vastly underrated 2018 guard Aniya Thomas and outstanding young 2020 post prospect Hannah Gusters also caught my eye.

Texas Elite GATA
2018’s Jala Buster (tournament standout) , Keziah Dilworth, D’Asia Collins, and Amaya Lewis lead a defensive perimeter oriented team that pushes pace and is fun to watch.

Texas Elite adidas Gauntlet Premier
2019 Lauren Fields (OK) is an absolute star in the making. 2019 Gabby McBride flashed with her physical presence and ability to rebound and finish. 2018 Jayden Perez is an ultra-skilled and aggressive lead guard. With a couple of other young players to be aware of, watch for the development of this team down the road.

Texas Nation Adidas
Led by 2018’s Stephanie Soarez and Destiny Jenkins and also 2019’s Charlene Mass and Kyra White on the perimeter, Texas Nation has a lot of pieces and versatility. 2018 Shae Routt is also back from injury (always good news) to add talent to the roster.
 
For complete event information including numerous young prospects, Premier Basketball Report subscribers will receive a report to their inboxes soon. There were no rosters available for this event for evaluators, so we are gathering accurate information.