Day one of the Adidas Summer Championships brought the best Adidas girls basketball has to offer. Here are just a few of the standouts from day one.
2017 Michaela Onyenwere (New Mexico Heat Elite Gauntlet) – Onyenwere is quite possibly the best pure athlete in the tournament. Onyenwere is a lock down wing defender who also crashes the glass on both ends of the floor. Onyenwere has a nice handle and is terrific attacking the basket. Onyenwere compliments her attack game with a very good mid-range jumper. Onyenwere is one of the most hotly recruited players in the 2017 class.
2018 Jhakya Dilworth (Texas Elite adidas 17U GATA) – Dilworth has showed continued improvement throughout the summer and shined during day 1. Dilworth is a good athlete and highly skilled. Dilworth can accelerate with either hand and is a very good ball handler who can create her own shot at will. Dilworth has a fluid stroke from 3. The thing that is really improving Dilworth’s stock is her ability to defend on the wing and rebound on the defensive end. Dilworth has created quite a buzz amongst college coaches that will only get louder as the July evaluation period concludes.
2019 Aijha Blackwell (Team St. Louis RED) – Blackwell showed well in both games she played, especially in her 1v1 matchups against elite 2017 prospect/defender Michaela Onyenwere. Blackwell was able to get past Onyenwere multiple times with her ability to handle the ball. The most impressive part of Blackwell’s game is her vision/passing off the bounce. Blackwell also has the ability to finish in and over traffic and hits perimeter shots, keeping defenders honest. Blackwell’s elite combination of size and skill will make her one of the most sought after players in the class.
2020 Sasha Goforth (AAO Banshees 2017) – Goforth was moved up to the Banshees top team and showed well playing against elite competitors 2-3 years older than her. Goforth’s combination of size and skill are hard to match. Goforth has a nice wiggle to her and is able to get by defenders at will. Goforth is also a very good spot up shooter from multiple spots. Goforth is a long defender who stays in front and contests and could become a lock down defender with added strength and experience.
2021 Brooke Demetre (GBL Team Candace Parker 16u National) – This was my 1
st time seeing Demetre and all I can say is WOW!! Very good size and athleticism, knock down shooter out to the 3, and a very good ball handler who creates her own shot off the dribble. I was very impressed Demetre’s ability to stay in front of opponents 2-3 years older on the defensive end and grab rebounds.