Depending on who you listen to there were probably 7 or 8 Top 25 nationally ranked schools in attendance at
the She Got Game & Capital Invitational events held this weekend in the Washington, DC area. Max Preps
and Blue Star both ranked 8 of the schools who played this weekend, while ESPN had 7. Overall 12 different
schools were ranked coming into this weekend with Desoto being the consensus #1.
That ranking will be changing the next time rankings come out as Sidwell Friends took down Desoto on
Saturday in a heavily attended heavyweight match. Coaches from many of the top colleges and universities
were on hand as was a packed crowd at The St. James, a prestigious multi purpose sports facility in the DC
suburbs. Two nights earlier Sidwell Friends dispatched Christ the King, ranked in the top 25 by both ESPN &
Max Preps at home in a new event named the Capital Invitational. Christ the King is also listed as a “next”
regional top 5 in ESPN, where they held the 2 spot. Those 2 wins should be enough to make Sidwell Friends
the new #1.
Where everything else stands is discretionary and a matter of opinion and I have my thoughts that I will roll out
in an upcoming article including a Top 25 that includes all programs who play a high school based schedule
that include a significant portion of games in the United States. This list would include teams from the United
States and Canada as well as schools that are independent in nature who may allow kids to reclassify or have
previously reclassified.
A brief synopsis of some of the better games I watched this past weekend.
Thursday @ the Capital Invitational –
Desoto vs Bishop MacNamara – One take away I had from this weekend is that there are about 6-7 schools
that are a cut above the rest in regards to size, speed, strength and overall talent. These 2 programs are in the
conversation, with lineups that look college ready today. Desoto was too much for Bishop Mac, packing in the
zone and forcing Frank Oliver’s club to make perimeter shots, which they did not do consistently enough and
the huge Desoto front line limited Bishop Mac to many 1 shot possessions.
Friday @ She Got Game –
Riverdale Baptist vs Dunmore – In what looked to be the marquee matchup of the evening on paper, failed to
live up to its billing as Riverdale has been bitten by the injury bug and missing some marquee players. What
remains to be seen is could they have handled top 2023 prospect Ciera Toomey even if they had everyone
healthy. Toomey and 2022 Drexel signee Moriah Murray put on a show and were hands down the best 1-2
punch in the building on any of the days. Their chemistry and ability to play off each other was impressive as
was the coaching of Ben O’Brien who I thought did a phenomenal job this weekend going 2-0 by wide margins.
Saturday @ She Got Game –
Desoto vs Sidwell Friends – In the matchup for the #1 ranking nationally, Sidwell and Desoto had a hard fought
battle. It was a close game for 3 quarters in a low scoring game in which both teams struggled to score. In the
end Leah Harmon got hot in the 4th quarter and made a few key 3’s to seal the victory for Sidwell. Kiki Rice
had a nice game on both ends of the floor, while Jadyn Donovan was in foul trouble for significant portions yet
still impacted the game with some tremendous blocks. Kendall Dudley also stepped up and knocked down a
huge 3 after Desoto had taken their first lead 22-21. Dudley’s 3 created some separation and Sidwell pulled
away from there.
Winston-Salem Christian vs Central Pointe – Based on the # of college coaches watching this game, you
wouldn’t have thought of this as a marquee matchup but both teams are extremely well coached and both have
numerous D1 prospects flying way under the radar. This game was an absolute blood bath as I tweeted during
the game. Tons of uncalled fouls made it tough for either team to get going in the first half as the score was
just 16-10 in favor of Central Pointe, based out of Florida and featuring many South American and Caribbean
based players. The second half was more of the same but the teams adjusted and the scoring picked up.
Winston Salem was on the ropes late in the 4th down by 12 when they finally started to wear down the Central
Pointe guards. The turnovers Winston Salem was able to force helped them complete the comeback barely
squeezing out a 43-42 victory for Delaney Rudd and crew.
A short list of some of the my favorite players from the event –
While there were literally 100’s of college prospects for every level of college basketball these players caught
my eye with either a stand out performance or as an intriguing college prospect. Of course there were many
nationally ranked players and I would be remiss to say they didn’t catch my eye but they are mostly well known
and well chronicled and I think it’s a disservice to other kids to just write about the kids who are already well
established household names.
Julie Ruiz – 5’5 – 2022 – Central Pointe – Some key traits of a high quality point guard are the ability to handle
the ball under pressure and make good decisions, Julie definitely was able to do that. Another quality would
be the ability to guard on the ball and disrupt the other team’s primary ball handler. Julie definitely excelled in
this area as well. Ruiz also finished when expected and was more than adept at finding the open man and
executing the offense. The downside is that Julie isn’t overly tall nor does she look supremely athletic, but I
think far too often college coaches and scouts get hung up on potential when production probably should be
valued more. Uncommitted but should absolutely be on the radar of colleges from mid major on down.
Moriah Murray – 5’8 – 2022 – Dunmore – The Drexel signee was one of the most fun players to watch at the
event. Her motor never stopped going and her understanding of the game coupled with her passing ability,
oftentimes to 2023 star Ciera Toomey made her an exciting player to watch. She had a few really nice reads
off ball screens and hit at least one 3 from behind a screen when a defender tried to go under. She’s got a
great build that combined with her effort make her a physically dominating lead guard. She should really be
able to come in and help Drexel immediately.
Fadima Tall – 6’1 – 2023 – Georgetown Visitation – The one trait that all the players on my list have is that they
all play really hard. I thought Fadima did an excellent job of using her size and strength to disrupt plays, grab
rebounds and generally just be a beast on the floor. In the game I watched vs Bishop Loughlin, a team with
significant size and strength, Tall was able to assert herself physically to dominate the game.
Deniya Prawl – 6’ – 2025 – National Christian – Prawl is a young player with loads of upside. She’s long and
athletic which makes her perfect for the press and run style of play coach Boogie Washington is known for.
She did a great job transitioning in the games I watched making herself available for easy buckets. In the half
court she did a nice job of finding her way to the lane and using her superb athleticism to position herself for a
number of key rebounds.
Ines Goryanova – 5’7 – 2024 – Putnam Science (Hill) – Of all the players at this event, none had more of a
coming out party than Goryanova, who really burst onto the scene with a breakout performance vs PHH Prep
on Friday night. Her passing skills were exceptional as well as her ability to see the floor and make the right
reads. She shot it well enough and did enough other things right that many college coaches and scouts
walked away impressed with the London, England native.
Other Players I liked –
A’riel Jackson – 2022 – Bishop Loughlin – Cincinnati
Gabrielle Hemenes – 2022 – Bishop Loughlin
Gia Cooke – 2022 – Bishop MacNamara – Texas A&M
Princess Moody – 2025 – Bishop MacNamara
Qadence Samuels – 2023 – Bishop MacNamara
Sahyna Jah – 2023 – Bishop MacNamara
Keria Scott – 2024 – Bishop O’Connell
Tara Johnson – 2022 – Blair – Depaul
Jaylin Hartman – 2023 – Blair
Kennedy Henry – 2025 – Blair
Daniela Gonzalez – 2022 – Central Pointe – South Florida
Sofia Munoz – 2025 – Central Pointe
Sa’myah Smith – 2022 – Desoto – LSU
Tionna Herron – 2022 – Desoto – Kentucky
Amina Muhammad – 2022 – Desoto – Texas
Ayanna Thompson – 2022 – Desoto – Ole Miss
Ciera Toomey – 2023 – Dunmore
Sophia Talutto – 2025 – Dunmore
Makayla Johnson – 2025 – Elizabeth Seton
Regina Walton – 2022 – Elizabeth Seton
Toby Nweke – 2024 – Georgetown Visitation
Simone Lewis – 2023 – Georgetown Visitation
Grace Van Slooten – 2022 – IMG – Oregon
Kailyn Gilbert – 2022 – IMG – Arizona
Catalina Ion – 2022 – IMG
Gabby Anderson – 2022 – IMG – Harvard
Kate Koval – 2024 – Long Island Lutheran
Alyssa Laukus – 2022 – Norwin – Chatham
Brianna Zajicek – 2022 – Norwin – Alderson Broadus
Riley Hamburger – 2025 – Paul VI
Jaida Brooks – 2022 – PHH Prep – San Diego St.
Hannah Robbins – 2022 – PHH Prep – New Mexico
Jada Mills – 2023 – Putnam Science
Molly Moffitt – 2022 – Putnam Science
Kyah Smith – 2023 – S3 Academy – Navy
Dream Muhammad – 2022 – S3 Academy
Lanijah Williams – 2024 – S3 Academy
Jalasia Hull – 2023 – Scotland Campus
Kyra Lawernce – 2022 – Scotland Campus
Aidan Langley – 2024 – Scotland Campus
Kiki Rice – 2022 – Sidwell Friends – UCLA
Jadyn Donovan – 2023 – Sidwell Friends
Khia Miller – 2023 – Sidwell Friends
Kendall Dudley – 2023 – Sidwell Friends
Leah Harmon – 2024 – Sidwell Friends
Jamisen Hill – 2023 – St. Andrews
Anajah Ingram – ?? – St. Andrews
Cadence Johnson – 2023 – St. Andrews
Kymora Johnson – 2023 – St. Anne’s Belfield
Saran Moschella – 2023 – Staten Island Academy – Navy
Karlee Lemon – 2022 – TPLS – Goldey Beacom
Sierra Johnson – 2022 – TPLS – Sacred Heart
Grace Pack – 2022 – TPLS – Gardner Webb
Delaney Snyder – 2023 – TPLS
Jazzlyn Wesley – 2024 – Ursuline
JoiMarie Williams – 2023 – Virginia Academy
Sarah Oduro – 2023 – Virginia Academy
Jailyn Alston – 2022 – Virginia Academy
Taylor Henderson – 2022 – Winston-Salem Christian – UNC-Wilmington
Aysia Hinton – 2023 – Winston-Salem Christian
Terissa Brice – 2023 – Winston-Salem Christian
Destinee Barnes – 2023 – Winston-Salem Christian
Jay Rucker – 2023 – Winston-Salem Christian
Andjela Marojevic – 2023 – Winston-Salem Christian
Kristynn Knight – 2022 – Winston-Salem Christian