USJN and X-Plosion Chicago Events Recap

Crystal Dangerfield has been impressive on the best custom essay writing service the circuit even before playing her first high school game. * Photo by Ty Freeman

CHICAGOLAND, Ill. — It was a busy weekend around the Greater Chicago Area with two events that brought together some of the finest talent from around the Midwest. The Battle of the Programs/Elite Oktoberfest from USJN and Blue Star and the X-plosion X-posure were a couple of the many events throughout the country that gave players a final chance to showcase their talents prior to the beginning of the high school season. College coaches were out in force to see and be seen during this evaluation period. Here is a look at a few players that performed well during these events.

By: Stephen Peck Follow @scpeck2

Crystal Dangerfield (Murfreesboro,Tenn.)—TN-Flight—2016

There are times when we see great performances and the frequency of them are literary analysis essay heart of darkness few and far between. This is not the case with 5-foot-3 point guard Crystal Dangerfield. It is really impressive how she rises to the occasion when her number is called. Her strong play lead her Tennessee Flight team to the championship of the Battle of the Programs I division, which included wins over last year’s champion, MoKan Eclipse, and a very strong Cornhuskers Shooting Stars team.

Dangerfield has had an outstanding summer and has proved that she is a big time competitor. What is most impressive is that she has yet to play a single regular season high school game and is playing at a level that rivals that of players her senior. Leadership is one of the intangibles that make good players great and sets them apart from the pack. It is apparent that Dangerfield has stepped into that write an essay about your family role and is ever growing with that responsibility. If we could look in a “Crystal” ball, I’m sure we would see a bright future for Dangerfield.

Spotlight Players

Gabbi Ortiz (Mt. Pleasant, Wis.) — Midwest Elite — 2014

One of the players that caught my attention this weekend was 5-9 point guard, Gabby Ortiz. She possesses ball skills that rival some of the best in her class. The top 100 caliber point guard is a master at creating space to score and creating opportunities for her teammates to make easy baskets. Her ability to knock down shots from the perimeter makes Ortiz a triple threat with her smooth handles and quickness to the rim. As she plays her final two seasons of high school basketball, there will be a lot more interest in this talented prospect which has garnered write college essays offers from several major schools to date.

Khaalia Hillsman (Chicago, Ill.)–Lady Fire–2014

Hillsman continues to impress with her size and skill set improvement. The 6-5 post player has only scratched the surface to what she is capable of doing on the basketball court. As her offensive skills become more refined, she will be a well-rounded asset to her team at the next level. No challenge went unmet this weekend at the X-plosion X-posure event. It was apparent that when her team needed the ball, she was there to rip down the rebound and finish strong at the rim. The aforementioned skill in itself will pay dividends in college.

Parting Thoughts

Jessica Shepard, a 6-2 forward, was impressive with the versatility of her game and the passion with which she played. The Nebraska commit is the total package.

pay someone to write my papers Tori McCoy and Katherine Strong are a couple of young prospects from Illinois to keep on your radar. They both possess real size and raw athletic talent and performed well at the Battle of the Programs.

There were several players that played well at the X-plosion X-posure event. The pool of young talent was deep. A few kids that drew my attention were, Laura O’Connell, Nadia Green, Cymone Goodrich and Nadege Jean, just to name a few.

Stephen Peck is a National Evaluator for the JumpOffPlus.com. He also serves on the selection committee for the EBA All-American, Fab Five and Super 64 Camps. He has been involved in the community since 2009 as a national evaluator. You can reach him via email [email protected] and follow him on twitter @scpeck2