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 2025 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.
Has great court vision, makes the right pass, and high energy/high IQ player. Really solid all-around game. While she has a great outside shot with good range, she’s also always looking to make the extra pass.
You never know how a player is going to come back from a knee injury, but when I say Bale has come back stronger as ever, I mean it. I think she looked better than ever at The Classic. Excellent quick release outside shot. Finds and moves to the openings on the perimeter. Great drives into the paint and to the rim. Finished through contact. Rebounded well. Really contributed in every statistical category.
Kept doing a lot of the little things that require effort – tracking down rebounds and making hustle plays. Attacked gaps well offensively. Scored inside and outside of the perimeter, including some crafty finishes around the basket. High energy.
Came off the bench and instantly knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. Proceeded to show her ability to score at all 3 levels, including creating some nice looks at the basket utilizing moves to create separation from her defender. Made some good passes and crashed the boards well also.
Keeps growing her game every time I see her. Always finds multiple ways to make an impact on the court. Love the way she crashes the boards hard and grabs rebounds strong off the rim. Made very smart plays offensively.
Doing all of the little things that lead to success. Facilitates offense well. Sees the floor and knows personnel. Can knock down shots or get to the rim when she isn’t creating. Love how hard she crashed the boards as well.
Knockdown shooter with deep range. Playing with good confidence. Handled the ball well. Did a good job running the offense, but also showed good skills playing off the ball.
Going to be a steal for whichever college she ends up at because she is a very smart player overall. Had some strong finishes at the rim. Shifted body very well to get around defenders. Consistently ran the floor. Did a great job staying straight up on defense. Made the smart play consistently on both ends of the court.
Strong facilitator. Handled the ball and created well. Can be effective playing on and off the ball. Catches the ball ready to fire and smart shot selection. Did a good job getting a step on defenders to force help D to step over. Applied good pressure defensively.
Always a big difference maker on the court. Very legit 2-way player who never makes anything easy defensively and can score some really tough buckets on the offensive end. Showed deep range on outside shot. A lot of toughness on drives. Consistently proves to be a match-up nightmare for opposing teams.
Hit a 3-pointer, got a block, and finished an and-1 play within a 1-2 minute stretch. Consistently scored inside and out. Handled the ball (with pressure) well. Did a great job moving without the ball. Was one of the first ones back on defense every time a shot went up. Made some great plays defensively. High energy.
Has a really solid skillset overall. Always looking to create for her teammates. Nice pull-up jumper and showed consistency in scoring at all 3 levels. Plays very hard on both ends of the court. Constantly looked to get her hands on the ball on the defensive end. Broke out this past high school season and is clearly continuing to show that this AAU season.
Such a smooth game. True playmaker who did a great job creating good looks for teammates. Handled the ball well especially when pressure was applied, keeping head up and making the right play. Deep range on outside shot with quick release.
High energy and effort. Always moving on both ends of the court. Very high basketball IQ. Rarely forces anything and recognizes the gaps in the offense. Good looking outside shot. Absolutely love the way she was consistently being a vocal leader on the court.
Very trustworthy with the ball because she did a great job recognizing what the defense was doing and staying composed even through traps. Wasn’t trying to do too much and just stayed solid throughout on both ends of the court. Made good passes and finished well on drive to the basket.
Used to defer to older teammates a lot, but now that she’s realizing it’s her time to take over, watch out. Impressive all-around game and one of the most versatile players I saw all weekend. Makes some crazy plays using her athleticism including blocking shots, grabbing steals, getting deflections, and so on. Can elevate over defense to knock down shots and finishes in crafty ways around the basket. Outside shot looked good as well.
