5 Key Players to Watch this Summer – Dabbs Blog

If you read my blog with any sense of regularity, you will see I repost stuff from Jim Dabbelt’s blog. He follows girls basketball in our area and does a great job highlighting the individuals and teams that are performing well.

In a recent blog post, he identified five players from each class (2013, 2014, 2015) that are playing this summer that he deems elite players to watch. Syd made his list for the class of 2014. Below is the listing from her class. You can read the entire list on his blog.

Class of 2014

One kid who exploded onto the scene last year is Sydney Brackemyre from Clinton Massie.  While this site introduced her to the Miami Valley as a freshman, she has introduced herself to all the major college coaches around the country with some outstanding play.  Explosive and athletic, and according to Jenkins, she has earned her spot among the top 3 juniors in the Dayton area.  He stated there isn’t a thing she can’t do, she is quick and skilled enough to play the perimeter.  While her dedication to the game is huge, her stock has gone through the roof.

Another kid who has drawn the attention of those “in the know” is a young lady who has become one of the top all around guards in Ohio in the 2014 class.  Ashton Lovely from Greeneview is a dynamic scorer, and has very deep range to stretch a defense.  Lovely also does a nice job to create her own shot, and can set up her teammates with solid passing.

Last year, she snuck onto the scene at Oxford Talawanda.  Now, there is no place she can hide on the court, as Ana Richter has developed into quite a talented player.  She has a great basketball frame, is fundamentally sound, and is a team player.  Jenkins stated that she sacrifices her own offensive game for the better of the team to win basketball games.  She is a tough kid who just loves to win.

Makayla Waterman from Fairmont continues to mend, and get back to her dominant level of play.  Remember, it takes 12-15 months for a knee ligament to completely heal, and while she is approaching the 12 month mark, she continues to draw the praise from college coaches everywhere.  There is no more of a passionate player across Ohio than Makayla.  Jenkins- “She is an exceptional passer, has great hands, and the best court awareness of any front court player in Ohio.  She makes tremendous decisions and is tremendously skilled.”

If there was one kid I can start a team with, it is Kathryn Westbeld from Fairmont.  She is likely the best all around player in the area, when you take into account all aspects of the game.  According to Jenkins, Kathryn is the biggest mismatch mightmare in all of Ohio, regardless of class.  She is deceptively quick, has great hands, and honestly, when she wants to score, she will.