2029 5-11 PF Anai’jai McClendon – Jet Training – Northside-Warner Robins
Maybe the top stock riser from this past weekend, Anai’jai McClendon announced her presence with her physically dominant play. The Region 2-5A Honorable Mention selection is a powerhouse inside. McClendon is capable of playing bully-ball on the low block as she has a variety of blossoming moves with her back to the basket. She showed the ability to back down defenders, drop step with a battering ram of a shoulder, score with both hands and the skill to be able to catch and finish on the other side of the rim with reverses to evade shot blockers. I really liked what I saw from her defensively. Anai’jai is a brick wall as opponents bounce off her when trying to make their way to the rim. She does a tremendous job of walling up with her arms straight up to avoid fouling. Unsurprisingly, McClendon is a vacuum of a rebounder in traffic. In a 44-34 win over FBC BounceNation she double-doubled with 17 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals before chipping in 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 4 blocks in a loss to Team Elite Hubbard. I’ll be curious to track McClendon over her next three years. She already has an advanced style of play inside which should translate well to the college level years from now.
2028 5-10 W Morgan Yuhas – Jet Training – Windsor Academy
Morgan has displayed steady growth from when I first watched her as a freshman at Houston County. Yuhas’ comfortability and overall feel for the game have improved as she has gotten more and more reps. Starting as more of a frontcourt forward, Morgan has developed into a wing while still maintaining the versatility to play around the rim. Yuhas has length on the perimeter and while she might not be an elite athlete, she is highly active and very effective with how rangy of a defender she is. Morgan is a reliable hustler who gets on the floor and competes at a high level. Her offensive game features a pretty three-point shot. Over the weekend, Yuhas played a key role in helping handle the ball vs. pressure, an area of her game which is continuing to get stronger. Through two games, a 44-34 win over FBC BounceNation and a 45-25 loss to Team Elite Hubbard, Yuhas sank a total of three threes. She had 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks in Game 1 followed by 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in Game 2. With two more years of development ahead of her, Yuhas is on track to become a viable college prospect, likely for D-III and NAIA programs.
2028 6-0 PF Candela Cal Benquet – Jet Training – Grayson
Part of the Class 6A State Runner-Ups at Grayson, Candela Cal Benquet got sporadic minutes throughout the season but in her time, caught my eye with her size and upside. Playing with Jet Training over the offseason, Benquet has played a much more prominent role and has again flashed intriguing skills for a 6-footer. Cal has a sturdy frame that is capable of banging inside. With more and more burn, I think she can get into even better shape which will help her quickness and leaping ability. I came away impressed with her shooting touch. She looked very comfortable working the high post as she knocked down three jumpers against FBC BounceNation. In the paint, Candela dropped in a floater upon flashing to the ball, she scored on a baseline reverse and converted a putback as she finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. While she didn’t score against Team Elite Hubbard, Benquet still impacted the box score with 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. Consistency will be big moving forward for Benquet. I think there is untapped potential and she is just beginning to scratch the surface. With steady work over her final two seasons, I think Benquet could draw significant attention from college programs starved for size.
2029 5-11 W Samayiah Florence – Team Elite Hubbard – Woodward Academy
Samayiah is a burgeoning jack of all trades. She averaged 4.9 points, 6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.3 blocks as a freshman at Woodward Academy. Florence translated those same Swiss Army Knife skills to the Georgia State Tournament as she racked up 11 points, 3 rebounds and 5 steals against Jet Training. Samayiah is capable of creating mismatches with her length and more importantly, her energy. She was a nuisance in the 20-point win as she made splash plays defensively on the perimeter and around the interior. I liked what I saw from her offensively as well. While all of her points came in transition, Florence didn’t just score by running the floor as she also had a nice coast-to-coast floater upon clearing a rebound. Samayiah has good speed with the ball and a nifty handle, able to go between her legs and straight into pull-up jumpers with fluidity. When covered by more traditional forwards, she was able to blow past them with a quick first step. Upon beating her first defender, Samayiah showed court awareness as she sucked in the defense before finding open teammates. Adding shooting range will be an area of focus over her next three seasons, but Florence has great tools to work with as she projects to play a major role for the War Eagles over the course of her career.
2029 5-6 G Jaydah Baker – Winners United EYCL – Putnam County
Already established as one of the better freshmen in Georgia after winning Co-Region 4 A D-I Player of the Year, Jaydah’s high-energy play carried Winners United past Grind To Shine as the do-everything playmaker posted 12 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 1 block. Baker’s energy sets the tone in the backcourt. Her athleticism and feel allow her to make things happen on both ends of the floor. She’s smooth with the ball in her hands, strong attacking with her right hand as she can finish at the rim gracefully or drop off sharp over the head swing dump passes to her bigs on the opposite block. The All-Stater netted a pair of threes and found her other three baskets in transition, two coming off steals. Mixing in some more weakside attacks will help diversify her offensive game, but her instincts and effort make her an influential young guard and one of the best outside of Metro Atlanta.
2031 5-1 PG Mahaylie Stovall – Grind To Shine – Troup County
Only a rising eighth grader, Mahaylie was extremely impressive playing up in 15U. Stovall looks like a future cornerstone for the Troup County Tigers, currently starring at Gardner Newman Middle School. While she is small in stature right now, Stovall is strong in physical size with a compact frame capable of playing against bigger competition. Mahaylie has a quick crossover to change directions. Her scoring touch is advanced as she is able to sink pull-up jumpers with a hand in her face. Stovall shoots the ball well over ball screens and is crafty with how she is able to get to her spots. She went for 18 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in a 61-50 loss to Winners United, draining five jumpers from short pull-ups to three-pointers.