The Classic is a basketball tournament hosted by Ohio Basketball that was held at the Kentucky Expo Center on May 17-19, 2024. It brought in teams from all over the US and beyond. Throughout the 3-day event, I walked around to various courts watching games from a variety of age groups and divisions. As I was watching, I took notes on players that stood out to me. Rather than putting these into paragraph form, I wanted to type the actual notes I wrote as I was watching each game. Below you can read about the 2026 players that stood out to me throughout The Classic (listed alphabetically by last name).
Please note: There are a few write-ups below that were already featured on X (@riseupsports1) during the tournament, but the majority are new player write-ups. Also please take into account that I typically only caught one game per team, so these notes were based on performance in that specific game. Please let us know if any of the information below is incorrect and we will get it fixed as soon as possible.
Very impressive facilitator. Threw a dime off a pick-and-roll to start the game and get her team on the board first. Controlled the pace well, knowing when to push it and when to slow things down. Love the aggressive drives to the rim. Finished well with contact. Can be effective on or off the ball. Good hands defensively and moved feet well to cut off drives.
Very tough and speedy guard. Plays with high energy and constantly moving. Made multiple hustle plays on both ends of the court. Looks to push it down the court in transition and made some great passes to push pace. Shifty ball handler. Keeps head up and has good court awareness. Can knock down 3’s and made good drives.
Knocked down a couple of 3’s within seconds of me walking up to their court. Proceeded to show that she’s much more than just a shooter and can contribute in a variety of ways. Handled the ball well, made some good drives to get into the paint (including some nice floaters), and showed a lot of versatility on both ends of the court.
Definitely felt her impact when she was on the court. Showed why she’s a 3-level scoring threat. Also showed a lot of versatility on both ends of the court. Did a great job drawing help defense on drives and kicking to open teammates. Moved well without the ball. Slid feet well defensively.
Strong facilitator. Creates well and has good court vision. Nice fakes caused the defense to shift. Strong finishes at the rim and good outside shot. Delivered some great passes. High basketball IQ. Defensively, was ready to step into the passing lanes to come up with steals.
Was doing all of the little things like consistent strong box outs, making hustle plays, running the floor, etc. Created well for teammates. Strong drives to the basket and to get into the paint. Outside shot was looking good. Handles were looking stronger than ever. Really a tough all-around player.
To put it simply, just a really special talent. Best playmaker I saw throughout the entire tournament. Can create for teammates and for herself exceptionally well. Very crafty with the ball. Super quick, shifty handles. Can handle any pressure that’s thrown at her. Tough finishes and a true 3-level scoring threat. Her ability to create space on a dime makes her very tough to defend. Has already picked up 2 additional D1 offers since the tournament ended.
Strong overall skillset and it really shows when you watch her. Always contributes in a variety of ways and is a true 3-level scoring threat. Strong, aggressive drives to the basket. Very in control with the ball in her hands.
Excellent defensive intensity and pressure. Came up with multiple steals both in the passing lanes and from just taking it from the ball handler. Outside shot looked good and followed up shots well. Quick first step allows her to create space from defenders.
Making a big impact on both ends of the court. Knocked down an outside shot to start the game and had multiple strong finishes inside as the game went on, including finishing through contact. Put in some serious work on the boards and was very disruptive at the front of the press. Made strong passes in transition and in half court sets.
Can score in a variety of ways. Made a lot of smart plays with the ball. Was always willing to make the extra pass. Had some tough finishes, elevating over defenders to knock down jumpers and around the basket. Reads passing lanes well defensively. Very effective in the front of the press. Uses athleticism well.
Played PG and SG well. Great range on outside shot. Runs the court with a purpose. Moves well to get open on the perimeter. See huge improvements in her all-around game every time I watch her play.
Long and uses her length well. Wasn’t making anything easy defensively, coming up with multiple blocks and steals. Consistently ran the floor. Finished well around the basket. Showed multiple moves she can utilize down low. Also showed she can extend to knock down jump shots.
Great outside shot. Squares up well and can knock 3’s down quickly. Not only did she crash the boards well, but she really recognized where the ball was going off the rim to give herself better positioning for rebounds. Very impressed by her rebounding ability especially for a guard.
Lefty had some awesome finishes at the rim including through contact. You really feel her impact on both ends of the court when she’s in the game. Good fakes were effective in making the defense shift. Created well for teammates. Knocked down multiple triples. High energy. Love the aggressiveness defensively.
Shot. Blocker. Felt like she had 3 blocks in the first 3 minutes of the game. Really disruptive defensively even when she wasn’t coming up with blocks. Good touch around the rim offensively. Consistently runs the floor well. Great length and she uses it well.
Really expected to see her run down to the post because of her size and length, so I was very impressed to see her bringing the ball down the court instead. Handled the ball well, could elevate and finish over defenders on drives, and outside shot looked good. Used length well to be disruptive defensively.
