Barrett started off her the summer with a fantastic performance at the Nike Midwest Showdown where we anointed her the MVP. (See Midwest Showdown Eval [1]) She continued on to the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival and finally onto the summer circuit with her club team the Tennessee Flight.
The USA Basketball YDF was a tough environment to stand out in, especially for a player that doesn't dominate the basketball. Touches were limited for almost all the interior players. She
LaSondra Barrett
did some good things but playing amongst the trees with guards dominating the ball this didn't provide the best showing for the LSU-bound forward.
Back on the summer circuit she got things going, especially in early July. On the heels of a good showing at the Nike Girls Skills Academy she tore up the End of the Trail tournament in Oregon City. She showed again her mid range game with the ability to knock down the jumpers as well as penetrate against posts and forwards. Her passing continued to impress. She has the ability to make some impossible interior passes because she knows where the defenders are. She's not the biggest or the strongest at the forward position but she's strong and smart. She competes against bigger interior players and has a toughness that she really plays an inch or two taller than she really is.
Her leadership and basketball savvy are the things that really separate her from other good players and put her in the elite category. Her team struggled late in the summer and she may have worn down with the cross country travel. If she continues to expand on her range she will become a very tough player to stop. Defensively she is well above average. She moves her feet well laterally for her size and position. She has good hands and anticipation and occasionally surprises the bigger post players by blocking a shot or two. She's an underrated athlete, probably because she's got a smoothness and poised posture about her.
Ball handling, strength and improving her range are the areas for improvement I see before she suits up in college. She's a hard working kid who will make her teammates better in practice as well.
Discuss This on Our Message Board:
Click Here [2]
Chris Hansen is the National Director of Scouting for Women’s Basketball at HoopGurlz.com. He leads the panel that evaluates and ranks girl's basketball prospects nationally for HoopGurlz. Chris has been involved in the women’s basketball community since 1998 as a coach, trainer, evaluator and reporter. He can be reached at chris@hoopgurlz.com [3].