The National Championship brought a ton of talented teams to Kentucky to compete for the last live period of July. We walked around the 50 courts at the Kentucky Expo Center throughout the tournament taking note of players who stood out to us. Now when we say stand out, we mean a player who caught our eye for one reason or another. While that may be a team’s best player, it also could simply be a player whose effort made it impossible for us to not notice them. Below you can read about some of those players that stood out to us throughout the event. 

Please note: Some of the write-ups below were already featured on X (@riseupsports1) during the event. Please let us know if any of the information below is incorrect and we will get it fixed as soon as possible.

Ava Moore

2026 Dana Evans Elite E40 | Class of 2026
Excellent drives to the basket. Attacked gaps very well. Good pull-up jumper and can score at all 3 levels. Nice moves to create space from defense. Plays with good energy on both ends of the floor. Made smart plays defensively.

Anna Boone

2026 KYD Thunder | Class of 2026
Good length. Scoring threat at all 3 levels. Great cuts and active hands. Crafty finishes around the basket. Just kept finding ways to make good stuff happen for her team offensively while also making a nice impact on the other end of the court.

Peyton Yoder

1on1 Milwaukee 2026 | Class of 2026
Love how strong she is with the ball. Goes after rebounds hard and is determined to come up with the ball. Nice touch offensively. Strong drives to the basket and handled contact well. Made good passes up the court off of rebounds.

Elizabeth Grimes

2026 Kentuckiana Hoops Ewing | Class of 2026
Good job running the offense and love the aggressive drives. Looked to create for teammates but recognized when to take it herself. Have to respect her ability to score inside and out & the way she draws contact on drives to the basket.

Mikalee Bennett

2026 Kentuckiana Hoops Wathen | Class of 2026
Showed a lot of toughness. Handled the ball well. Quick handles caused the defense to constantly shift over which led to open driving lanes. Used body well on drives to keep defense away from being able to block it.

Laylah Bly

1on1 Milwaukee 2026 | Class of 2026
Provided a very nice spark when she stepped on the court. Nice scoring ability. Defense has to respect the fact she can knock down the 3 or get to the rim. Quick moves. Good handles and passing.

Leah Stinson

2025 Louisville Lady Trojans | Class of 2026
Very good control when the ball is in her hands. Smart shot selection – wasn’t forcing and was making good reads. Love the effort and willingness to do whatever she can to help her team have success.

Mahijah Fall

2025 Louisville Lady Aces | Class of 2026
Came up with some big rebounds when her team needed them the most. Made some strong post moves and finishes as well.

PLEASE TAG THE FOLLOWING PLAYERS/TEAMS IF YOU KNOW THEM:

#21

2026 Team Sharp
Very smart player who can make a lot happen. Great vision and passes including no looks. Can score at all 3 levels. Active defensively. Facilitated the offense well. Tenacious rebounder.

By Alyx

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