NXTPRO Wichita Standouts
Easter weekend had the NXTPRO/PRO16 basketball session in full swing. Across 4 age groups, there were a ton of standouts and players who shined bright. In this article, I’ll dive into who stood out to me the most.
Mariah Conally | 5'10 | CG | Southern Ties PRO16 17u | Bishop McGuinness (OK)
Mariah had a strong showing this weekend as she was a threat on both sides of the ball. She has a great balance of impacting on offense and defense. At 5'10, she can use her height advantage to shoot over defenders but also guard players in the paint. Conally is very smart with the ball and stays patient, waiting for the right opportunity to make something happen. She frequently drives in the paint, drawing the foul through contact. Reading passing lanes and having a good eye for the ball is a special trait akin to her.
Kennedy Glenn | 5'8 | CG | Southern Ties PRO16 17u | Booker T. Washington (OK)
Kennedy showed out this past weekend. She proved she's an elite level scorer who can make life very difficult for her opponents. She's got a quick release for her jumper and a great ability to get to her spots. She racked in a total of 21 points in one of her games with 15 of those being in the first half. She heats up quickly and does not slow down. She can provide for her teammates as well on both sides of the ball.
De'Andra Minor | 6'1 | SG | Southern Ties PRO16 17u | Grind Prep (OK)
De'Andra made it look easy out there in Wichita. She can easily facilitate the rock and get it wherever she wants at any time. At 6'1, she can run any position and do it very well. She was the tallest for her squad this weekend so she served as the primary center piece in the paint but she brought the ball down the court and knocked down shots from the perimeter as well. She's a 5 star recruit with nearly 50 Division 1 offers to play at the next level. She deserves every single one of those as she is the complete package of a player.
Emma Barnhart | 6'0 | SG | High Impact 17u | Winnetonka (MO)
Emma had a solid weekend in Wichita. She caught my eye on Day 2 when she caught fire and got in her zone cashing in from several spots. She had several big time plays such as hitting a catch-and-shoot 3 ball from the perimter, forcing a turnover on the other side, running the floor, then shooting in traffic from the stripe for another bucket. She's got a strong but agile 6'0 frame that allows her to guard several positions as a big time contributor to her squad.
Mikenna Main | 5'2 | PG/SG | High Impact 17u | Oak Park (MO)
Mikenna was one of the most intriguing players of the weekend because she impacts the game regardless of her height. She's a small guard with a high basketball IQ for scanning the court, looking for the playmaking opportunity. She flashes to the ball and open spot on the perimter to knock down contested jumpers. She does a great job of getting to her spots as well as getting her teammates the rock in their zones. She stayed calm under pressure when serving as the primary ball carrier all weekend against high level competition.
Laney Gonzales | G/F | Unity 17u | Deer Creek (OK)
I was impressed with Laney's performance over the weekend as she did a great job of keeping her composure when things weren't going smooth on the floor for her squad. She stepped up big time when her team needed it the most. She has a good feel for the ball as she can take it down the floor and control it in the paint against taller defenders. She had several instances where she drove through a defense, absorbed the contact, and finished strong off the glass. She brings a tall and slim frame to the game that allows her to stay quick on her feet but also present on defense.
Graycie Murray | 5'10 | Southern Ties PRO16 17u | Stillwater (OK)
Graycie is an absolute sniper. She was relentless in every game from every distance she shot from. Regardless of the hand in her face or defender in front of her, Graycie was on fire. She has one of the smoothest jumpers I've seen and it brings a high arc to connect from deep. Not only can she shoot the lights out, Murray can impact the game by grabbing boards, communicating across the floor, finding the open teammate, and playing lockdown defense. It is important and impressive to note that she played up on the 17u squad all weekend and still shined bright.
Karissa Davis | 6'0 | G/F | High Impact 17u | Oak Park (MO)
Karissa had a strong showing at Wichita. She is definitely the player who you want to have the ball in control when looking to score. Most offensive sets are ran for her or to get her to find the open man when the defense collapses on her. She does a great job in the paint and on the perimter. Down low, she has good footwork to stay strong in the paint for tough finishes through contact. Beyond there, she has a smooth jumpshot which helps her knock down shots from any distance.
Kaelin Horton | 5'5 | G | Southern Ties PRO16 16u | Newcastle (OK)
Kaelin is a sly fox out there on the court. She patrols the perimter looking for the right opportunity to make a play. There were many times she'd find herself wide open on the perimter for a 3 pointer opportunity which she would routinely knock down. She has solid handles to help her navigate a defense and look for the open teammate. She also has great overall court vision.
Jailiana Salas | 5'7 | G | Southern Ties PRO16 16u | Newcastle (OK)
Salas was a fun player to watch as she could compete with anyone on the court with no problem at all. At 5'7, she's able to hold her own against the mismatch and force the turnover from her opponent. Just like the rest of her teammates, Salas is an excellent shooter at all ranges. She does a great job of running the floor as well. She had many plays made with her high school teammate Kaelin Horton on the fly.
Giada Gates | 5'4 | G | Southern Ties PRO16 16u | Norman North (OK)
Giada is also a great shooter from all spots on the floor as well as a great defender. She's a perfect example of what you would want out of a 3-and-D player. She has a good feel for the game and can find a way to impact it on both sides of the ball. Gates has electric speed which benefits her in transition buckets.
Taylor Brakefield | 5'9 | G/F | Southern Ties PRO16 16u | Yukon (OK)
Taylor is an excellent 2-way player who can do it all out there. She makes the biggest impact on defense as she puts some serious pressure on the ball carrier at all times. She's not afraid to get physical with her opponent and make them work for every step they take. She's got shifty handles that can get her past any defender where she flourishes in the paint for tough buckets through contact.
Jaelynn Carter | 5'9 | SG | High Impact 17u | Oak Park (MO)
Jaelynn is known for her ability to shoot the rock very well from distance, but in Wichita she was a bully in the paint. She did a great job of using her size to her advantage where she would push through the defense for hits off the glass. Being able to shoot it well, control the rock, finish through contact, and provide reinforcement on defense is an excellent game to have which Carter indeed does.
Piper French | 5'6 | G | CMA 16u | Stanton (IA)
Piper is one of the more crafty guards in this list as she has a bag full of tricks to create shot opportunities not only for her but her teammates as well. Everytime she made it close to the bucket she pulled out a smooth move such as a high rip-through or hop-step keeping the ball high to score. She did a great job of shooting it as well. Smart guard with good handles.
Amira Harrison | 5'3 | PG | Southern Ties PRO16 16u | Yukon
Amira is truly one of a kind. I don't think I've seen someone at her size be able to move and pinpoint the rock with such ease and precision as she does. It is fun to watch as she can heave the ball down the floor right in the hands of the open teammate. QB1 material. She had a great weekend playing up with all 2028 graduates. She held her own very well. She's super shifty and hard to guard.
Annie Seat | 5'6 | G | Unity 16u | Edmond Memorial (OK)
Annie showed some serious defense this weekend. She picked up several blocks from every spot on the floor. She could be out on the perimter or inside the paint, she could find the right time to strike. She also reads her opponents' eyes and jumps through passing lanes to grab easy steals. She did a great job in transition where she could feed the open teammate or finish off the glass.
Khloe Peeler | 5'9 | G | Unity 16u | Edmond North (OK)
Peeler was also a big defensive threat in Wichita. Her and Seat were a tough duo to compete against. She's more physical and a bit taller which she uses to her advantage. Her blocks came more in the paint thanks to her good eye for helping on defense. She also had great success in the paint when connecting for tough buckets.
Kinley Pruett | 6'0 | F | Unity 16u | Canute (OK)
Pruett was a major help in the paint for her Unity squad this weekend. She does a great job of staying down when working on defense and preventing easy buckets past her. She's a tall and strong forward who can not only provide down low but in the backcourt as well. She served as the ball carrier down the floor several times and she did it well, staying calm under pressure and not folding.
Sylvia Groves | 5'10 | F | Unity 16u | Mustang (OK)
Sylvia had a solid weekend with several good performances in Wichita. At 5'10, she's able to impact the game at all levels. She shoots it well, stays strong in the paint, grabs rebounds, finds the open teammate, and makes her opponents work on offense. Her best trait that does not go unnotcied is her ability to be very coachable at all times. If she made a mistake, she quickly owned up and fixed it right away. Her coach would ask her to do something and she handled it with ease and confidence.
