Evals
SLAM CAMP Summer Evals
2017 continued
Jayda Veinot
Ten minutes is all you’ll really need in order to tell that there is no exaggeration when Team Nova Scotia U17 Head Coach, Scott Munro says that “This kid is special”. She has some ability to handle like a Guard, finish put-backs inside, and the court vision to make the team around her better. Put those together with a very high level of shooting ability and you see that Veinot has the capacity of being one of those ‘Swiss Army Knife’ players that were seeing more and more of: Players that have the size and mobility yet have developed the skills to be effective offensively from inside or out.
2018
Justina King and Brianna Breedy
When looking to take in the ‘A’-Game T-Dot squad, I was very impressed by the connection King and Breedy had together. Whether they were playing off of each other, or giving each other a breather when the need for rest dictated, these two were very exciting to watch. With each of them bringing a solid understanding of what is required to be successful from the guard position, it almost seems effortless for them to excel at the Guard position. Both applied nonstop harassing of their opponents on the defensive end, which often led to steals and fast break points going in the other direction. With King’s calm yet deadly offensive mind, and Breedy’s hunger to attack the basket, these 2018s are in for a big summer, regardless of the age of the Senior players they plan on playing against.
Juliette Gauthier
Gauthier showed herself to be a big time shooter beyond the arc all weekend. In her team’s game against Team Ontario U17, having already connected on several 3-pointers throughout the game, she buried a drive and kick out with 3.7 seconds remaining to tie the game, showing her nerves of steel. As a 2018 candidate, her size and shooting touch are intriguing. An added quicker first step to go along with her current package would nicely add to her skillset, but as it stands, defences already need to know where she is on the floor, or else…
Tiya Misir
Staying in the ‘A’-Game camp, this time with ‘A’-Game Seemalulu, I noticed another Point Guard answering the call of duty this weekend in Misir. Her speed with the ball in the open court was something evident quite early in watching her play. In half court sets, she is creative with the ball, and was able to find some daylight for her petite frame when she made up her mind to get to the basket. I would like to see her find ways to reduce her dribble count when looking to kick-off her team’s offensive sets, but this soon to be Sophomore demonstrated on several occasions that good things do come in small packages and her development is worth keeping tabs on.
Fredlaine Verrier
Verrier is a physical Forward that has lots of potential with her back to the basket. In situations where the refs put away their whistles, she was doing just about all that she could in order to carve out ideal positioning in the Post, while looking for an entry pass from her Guards. She proved to be a nuisance to defend because of how physical she was, backed by a lot of energy to keep up the fight well into the fourth quarter. On the defensive end, her long arms afforded her the chance to block shots. With a bit more refinement to her game such as with her post moves and the ability to know when to bite on opponent moves when playing defence, Verrier’s stock could rise significantly.
