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 2027 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.
Knockdown shooter with good range. If you let her get hot, she’ll make you pay by converting the triple. Used her length well to be disruptive defensively. Came up with some nice steals and blocks. Moved well without the ball.
Sniper who knocked down 3’s even with a defender in her face. Doesn’t need much space to knock them down. Definitely a 3-level scoring threat. Deep range on shot. Attacked gaps well. Plays with a lot of poise. So impressed by the way she crashed the boards. Felt like she was in on every offensive rebound when she was on the court. Constantly made hustle plays.
Super versatile overall. Can score inside or out. Love when she uses her length to extend past the defense and finish at the rim. Nice outside shot with deep range and doesn’t let a few misses mess with her confidence. Strong shot blocking skills defensively. Made good reads and wasn’t giving up anything easy.
Love her tenacity defensively. Can always rely on her to get deflections and steals because she is constantly getting her hands on the ball. Made aggressive drives to the rim and finished with contact. Floaters, pull-up jumpers, and outside shot were looking good. Loved the fearless attitude and recognition of how to adjust to finish over bigger defenders. Was doing all the little things and was really active on both ends of the court.
Says a lot that she’s a definitive standout even playing up at the 17U level. Excellent aggressive drives to the rim and to get in the paint. Showed a variety of ways she can score. Knocked down outside shots with good range. Creates well for teammates. Strong ball handling skills. Sees the floor well.
Good ball handler who utilized a variety of moves. Shiftiness with the ball created great separation. Utilized a variety of moves. Got into the passing lanes to come up with steals. Used body to finish shots with defense on her hip. Knocked down outside shot while also finishing at the rim and in the paint.
Made some tough baskets. Finished through contact. Crashed the boards strong. Used length well on the boards and defensively. Showed a lot of versatility with the way she could play and defend multiple positions.
Can score in a variety of ways. Catches ready to fire from 3 and has a nice outside shot. Made strong, zippy passes to teammates. Very active in help defense and on the ball. Makes a lot of smart plays with and without the ball – high basketball IQ was clear.
Has great handles. Uses a variety of moves to constantly keep the defense guessing. Made some great passes in transition and clearly has an excellent feel for the game overall. Only got to see a small stretch, but still walked away impressed by the improvements she’s made to her overall game.
Created for teammates on the offensive end. Great form on outside shot and good range as well. Can hit off the dribble or catch. Pull-up jumper looked good. Has excellent hands defensively. Can really be a lockdown defender. Also did a good job of never giving up on plays and stayed aggressive going after the ball.
