West Branch Summer League

•••

MVP

Kailyn Brown

Poland – 2020

Even though Poland lost to West Branch in the finals, I couldn’t ignore the complete month that Kailyn had. Every single day at West Branch she brought it. She does so many things well, she doesn’t rely on any one part of her game to make her stand out. She can really hit the three, when she gets hot she gets going quickly. Her handles are nice, she has the ability to create her own shot with a great step back or pull-up off the dribble. She has a very strong build and will power through people at the rim. Her athleticism is above average as well and she uses it well by attacking the boards with an intensity that few guards do, or can. She is a dominant lefty, and while being one handed is a little more acceptable for lefties, if she could bring along her right hand a bit, it would take her game to an even higher level!

•••

1st Team

PG Casey Johnson (2021) Salem – What Casey does well may go unnoticed and unappreciated by many, but not by me. The best on ball defender of the league, not only creating turnovers but regularly limiting the opponents best player. She also takes great care of the basketball, can handle any pressure and still get into the paint to create for teammates. She’s a very capable slasher who can finish with either hand. She has to continue working on her long range shooting to increase consistency and also add in some midrange scoring and she will be even more well rounded.

CG Abbie Davidson (2023) Salem – This young lady is tremendously skilled. She’s always in control of the rock and handles the ball very well. She’s very shifty and understands change of speed, change of direction and change of level. Abbie can attack the rim and finish strong or finish with finesse. Her shot is very nice, great form and mechanics. She has yet to play a high school game, but I’m excited for that. I’m hoping that she shows the same focus and intensity on the defensive end as she does the offensive.

G/F Peyton Alazaus (2020) West Branch – Peyton was the best shooter in the league, hands down. The 5’10” guard has incredible range, comfortably using proper form from 6 feet behind the arc. She has a very quick release and has the ability to shoot a high percentage off the catch or coming off screens. Rebounds well for a perimeter player and handles the ball well too. Quickness is maybe her area needing the most work, while she isn’t a bad defender, she can have trouble keeping smaller faster guards in front of her on the perimeter.

F Molly Howard (2021) McDonald – Molly is a walking bucket. She’s about 5’10” and shoots the three consistently good. She also has the ability to get tough buckets in the lane as she often times uses her length to create space and either score or get to the line. Every time I see her she gets less and less reliant on sitting out at the three point line, she’s really turned herself into a multidimensional scorer. I’d like to see her tighten her handles up as she can sometimes get stuck being guarded by smaller quicker guards that make it tough for her to put the ball on the floor.

F Kylie Dyrlund (2022) Lake – Kylie has length and athleticism to go with a strong awareness and IQ. Its pretty rare that a player can hound the ball on the perimeter as well as protect the rim just as well. No ballhandler is safe, guard or otherwise, when Kylie is hunting for a backcourt steal and layup. Her motor on defense is incredible, she will get after every loose ball and she will make all kinds of hustle plays. She’s a great slasher who can use both hands, but I haven’t seen much as far a jumpshooting, that’s the area of her game I would like to see more of.

•••

2nd Team

PG Ellie Begue (2021) Lake – Ellie has impressed me with her improvement. From a kid that wasn’t relied on much last year, to a kid who keeps the motor running this year. She’s a tough defender usually in charge of checking the opponents best guard, there’s no back down in her blood. She is starting to be a reliable deep shooter and is very quick to the basket. I think more experience at the position and being in charge of the offense will be great for her, I fully expect her to continue to grow and mature.

PG Carly Scarpitti (2020) West Branch – Carly is a calm composed influence for the Warriors. She has good speed and toughness. She does a great job of attacking off the dribble and getting pitches to the shooters or creating in the lane. She has a good understanding of the offense and what they want to get, plus she doesn’t force anything. Would love to see her develop a more consistent jump shot and be more of a threat on the perimeter.

G Sophia Costantino (2021) McDonald – Sophia may be the best player in this summer league at making tough shots. I don’t mean bad shots, but unpredictable, uncommon shots in the girls game. She uses the glass a lot, she spins opposite of what you’d expect, she gets off the floor unexpectedly. She’s always keeping her defender and shot blockers off balance. She also knocks down the spot up three well. The one thing that I think has to improve is her on ball defense. Quickness isn’t her strong suit and if she can step that part of her game up it’ll take her to another level.

F Jaden Hamilton (2020) Salem – Jaden is a very intriguing player. She has really good tough for a kid 5’10” or taller, and she has a pretty solid frame. She can really shoot the long ball and shows some willingness to get physical and bang inside. I definitely believe she can be an impact player. I would really like to see some consistency, if she could get to the point where she goes hard all the time it would really make a huge difference for her an the Quakers.

P Danielle Vuletich (2021) Western Reserve – Danielle is such a force on the court, simply by being on the court. She demands at least a double team every time she touches the ball. I think she does a tremendous job passing out of the double teams. She is also hitting the boards harder than I’ve ever seen, I’m starting to see some nasty while rebounding. Right now she has the luxury of scoring easily in most cases because she is substantially taller than anyone. I think it’s imperative to her success at the next level that she develops legitimate post moves and counters that can be used against bigger defenders she wont see until college.

•••

3rd Team

CG Sarah Seaman (2022) Garfield – The kid can stroke it, when she is on, she’s on! Quick release and doesn’t have to be set to get a good shot off. She can also put the ball on the deck and create. I like her energy on the defensive end is solid, she has active hands and can turn a turnover into a layup quickly. Would love to see her hit the weight room and get stronger, it would impact her game tremendously.

G Coletta Miller (2021) Minerva – Like her size and build, she’s strong enough to guard bigger yet quick enough to guard smaller. Has a nice ability to slash and create, picks the ball up nicely around the rim and finish to avoid traffic or reach ins. Haven’t seen much from a jump shooting perspective, I would like to see her be more assertive with her shot as opposed to relying on attacking all the time, maybe add some catch and shoot to the resume.

F Krista Perry (2021) Crestview – Krista has a very solid frame and keeps getting stronger. She continues to get better from deep and shows quickness to the basket, and strength to finish. Aside from her strength she doesn’t overwhelm in any athletic category but she is smart and knows the game. She’s a solid rebounder but I think that if she can find a fire and a passion to rebound out of position and get nasty on the boards, and want every rebound, her game will grow greatly!

F Jenna Smith (2022) Garfield – I like Jenna’s attack mentality, she will battle with anyone. I like how she can get post players in the high post and beat them. She’s crafty at the rim for her size and position. I really like her willingness to hit the glass. She can play on the perimeter some but she doesn’t let that go away from her bread and butter in the paint. When she adds a reliable mid to long range jumper she will become even more dynamic.

P Gracie Lyon (2022) Fairless – Lots to like about this young post player. She’s easily 6 foot and still growing, she has a very solid frame and runs well with it. I like her hands and her footwork isn’t bad either. She definitely knows what to do with the ball as I seen some faceup, baseline drives, and a nice touch from midrange. As she adds some go to post moves with her back to the basket she will become a tough guard in her league and beyond.

•••

(6/24/19)

Emma Bartlett (2021) Austintown Fitch – Active defender, has good length and strength. She shot the long ball well tonight and showed some ability to make plays off the dribble.

Brooke Bobbey (2020) Poland – Tough kid, has a nonstop motor and nice athleticism. Not a big time scorer but she can get to the rim and finish. She loves to make plays for her teammates.

Sophia Costantino (2021) McDonald – Sophia continues to show off her ability to knock down the three and also hit tough shots in the paint. She’s not overwhelmingly athletic but she is unpredictable and you can tell she watches a lot of basketball by the moves she makes.

Maddie Howard (2021) McDonald – Made some plays tonight. She has very good length, at around 5’10” and long arms she catches your eye. She can knock down some shots and finish at the basket.

Kennedy Miller (2021) Western Reserve – Kennedy was really getting hot on the kick outs from the post. She does a great job getting the ball into the post, and making herself available and ready to shoot after her defender doubles. She does a nice job of getting the offense set and moving.

Grace Mills (2021) Garfield – Seen some really nice things from her today, she showed she can be a go to scorer, and carry the scoring load. She hit some tough shots in the paint as well as some long range jumpers. She can definitely score the ball well.

Abby Perry (2022) Salem – The kid has something, she is smooth and gets out in transition well. She has some quick hands and some nice handles. She has a nice looking shot but wont be counted on to score or get many shots up for the next few years with the talent on the team. Definitely worth keeping an eye on.

•••

(6/10/19)

Ellie Begue (2021) Lake – Ellie continued playing well after a solid weekend at Barberton. She started with some deep quick release 3’s. If she’s hitting that shot consistently it will make Lake a tougher team to guard. She also got after some pretty solid PG’s in her matchups today, she has good energy and toughness.

Abbie Davidson (2023) Salem – This youngster is tremendous. Incredible basketball awareness and a sixth sense. She shoots the ball well but she handles it as another level and finds plays that not many can see. She is going to be special, that’s for sure.

Emma Egli (2021) West Branch – Emma is very easy to like, very unassuming on the floor but she just keeps competing. She is very fundamental and takes care of the ball. She’s really good in transition where she keeps her head up and sees defenses well. She’s small, and while I wouldn’t consider her fiery necessarily, she’s not getting pushed around, she’s all business.

Gracie Lyon (2022) Fairless – Solid 6 footer, and a very solid frame. She runs well for her size, and has decent hands! Not overwhelming with post moves yet but she has the basics and shows the ability to continue developing.

Ashley Mickey (2020) Austintown Fitch – I like her energy and her athleticism. She gets up and down the floor well and has the ability to attack the rim. She doesn’t force anything, lets the game come to her, and always keeps the team concept first.

Coletta Miller (2021) Minerva – Coletta has good athleticism, and good size and build for a guard. Has good speed and strength going to the rim, but also has nice creativity to keep defenders and shot blockers off balance. Gets her hands on lots of balls defensively, resulting in some easy scores.

Krista Perry (2021) Crestview – Krista has good size at 5’10” and you can tell she spends time in the weight room! She has good tough on her shot, and will hit the 3 at an acceptable percentage. She’s becoming a better ballhandler as well, which will only allow her to continue to grow. She is no stranger to the dirty work either as she bangs with anyone in the paint, often times guarding someone much bigger than herself.

Jenna Smith (2022) Garfield – First of all Jenna impressed me because both of her matchups were against bigger, older, and quite honestly, better post players. However that didn’t intimidate her, she took it right at them! the results weren’t always great but she showed some grit. She displayed a nice left hand, showed some nice post moves and showed an effectiveness in attacking the rim from the high post. Great night for her development last night!

Some kids from last week continued to played well. Kylie Dyrlund continued to show off her athleticism and ability to create turnovers along with displaying a really nice left hand. Molly Howard just continues to get buckets, inside or outside, she’s tough to stop from scoring. Casey Johnson continues to show great composure and ball security in the high octane Salem offense. Kailyn Brown continues to lead Poland with her intensity and ability to score the ball, against two of the toughest opponents in the league.

•••

(6/5/19)

Peyton Alazaus (2020) West Branch – Big time shooter, she has uncommonly long range, she has very good form and mechanics, and a quick release. She was born to shoot the 3.

Kailyn Brown (2020) Poland – This kid is ready to put her name on the map. She’s been overshadowed by some very good Poland Bulldogs in the last few years, but she’s ready to lead! Strong lefty that can create her own shot. She shoots the 3 well and can get on a roll. Has handles and can make moves against solid defenders. Scores on all 3 levels.

Sophia Costantino (2021) McDonald – Not taller, quicker or faster than a lot of people but she’s more intelligent than most. She really knows how to manipulate a defense to get a good shot off, and she can make difficult shots. Reliable 3 point shooter.

Kylie Dyrlund (2022) Lake – Had the most impressive night of anyone I believe. Kylie is long and athletic, but she also has a very high understanding of the game. She has great moves around the basket, is unpredictable and frequently outsmarts the defender. On defense she not only can get after the ball, but she also can change shots and protect the rim. Turns steals into layups quickly.

Emma Elia (2021) Struthers – Very high energy guard. Small but smooth with the ball. She doesn’t back down from anyone. Has good speed which helps her do well in transition. She has a solid jump shot and shoots it with nice consistency.

Jaden Hamilton (2020) Salem – Jaden is very intriguing. She’s right under 6 foot and can really shoot the 3. She has a solid build so she doesn’t get pushed around but she seems to have too much of an on/off switch. When she wants to she can be very physical and imposing. Getting some consistency on when she plays hard would be huge for her and would really make her a solid prospect.

Molly Howard (2021) McDonald – Molly is a straight up bucket getter. Her energy and effort level sometimes isn’t consistent, but when she can straighten that out look out! She is right under 6 foot and can shoot the 3 as good as anyone her size. She just flat out knows how to score the basketball on all 3 levels.

Casey Johnson (2021) Salem – Possession PG who really values the ball. She’s stronger and more physical than she may first appear. She does well against pressure and takes very good care of the ball. She is the type that looks to create for others first, she wont miss an opportunity to create for a teammate or miss a kickout to an open shooter. Has a different gear in transition with the ball.

Sarah Seaman (2022) Garfield – Crafty guard that can handle the ball and shoot it. Has some style to her. She shoots the 3 ball very well and can also score on other levels. She’s sneaky quick and gets her hands on some balls defensively.

Danielle Vuletich (2021) Western Reserve – Solid 6’3″, but not just a post. She has nice athleticism and runs the floor well. She is rebounding and showing the most toughness on the boards I’ve ever seen from her. She will often dominate simply because of her size compared to most HS opponents but she continues to develop despite that.

♦