Emilee Harmon, the 6-foot-1 forward from Pickerington, Ohio, looked like a completely new person in Atlanta from my previous viewing at the USA Basketball Youth Developmental Festival. Admittedly so I left the YDF in Colorado Springs in June with tougher critiques of just about every player because of the level of competition involved. Also Ms. Harmon was coming off a leg injury that she was still getting strength and confidence back from. All in all I gave her a pass waiting to see her again when she was healthy and I'm glad I did. Playing with her club team everything is different from her posture to her first step. Playing in Atlanta she has a confident swagger about her and she showed a lot more skill than she did in Colorado just a month ago.
What's most intriguing is her passing ability. With her swagger back and intact, she was creating from the mid-post off the dribble quite a bit but not for herself, usually for teammates and she plays with a ton of players that know how to put the ball in the hole. She sees the floor very well and is able to make skip passes from the perimeter and from the post position. For an interior player she's got nice handle with the ability to protect the ball on change of direction by going between the legs or behind the back while staying in control. She is one of the top five players on this team and comes off the bench, probably because she's one of the few 09's but it doesn't seem to bother her or have an effect on her energy. She raises up pretty easily when she goes into scoring mode and her release is nic eand high. Her length also helps and she plays a little taller than the 6-1 she's listed at.
The next step it appears is regaining her strength. I had never watched her play prior to her injury but most have told me she's lost a lot of strength weight in being out for so long. Adding strength would definitely help her take the abuse of playing in the paint and making a bigger impact defensively.
Kelli Thompson, the 6-foot wing from Compton, Calif., looked great in multiple viewings in Atlanta. The Cal Sparks looked like a completely different team than the one I saw in Irvine back in May. Thompson just has a smooth and cool demeanor about her, like she wasn't afraid of any shot whether it was a 20-point game or the game was in the balance. She has a very strong build and doesn't get pushed off the ball very often. She has an aggressive style of play but she doesn't play out of control, in fact playing in control is probably her most impressive attribute.
Thompson showed great range and a nice release. Her sweet spot appears to be the corner. On her club team she is surrounded by numerous players who are adept at dribble penetration and she is always ready and waiting to punish the defense for helping. She also hit some shots from behind the arc from the wing as well, a few that were a couple feet behind the line. She also finished strong in transition showing another level to her game besides catch and shoot. She has adequate handle that could get better with repetition. Generally she uses her body well to protect the ball and create space but playing a little lower would make her even more effective,
D'Frantz Smart
something I think she'll need for college when the defenders will be a bit quicker. She plays the passing lanes really well but could improve on the ball and again playing lower would help her be more explosive and cover more ground.
D'Frantz Smart is the best 5-foot point guard in the country and she's better than most that are half-a-foot taller than she is. Any college that is looking for a strong point guard who can make things happen and understands how to get her teammates the ball, needs to take a look at this kid. Get over her height right now because she'll do more things on the offensive end for her team than a prototypical sized point guard with half her skill will get done on either end of the floor.
Smart is one of the quickest players in the tournament and has great command of the ball even at full speed. Her stop and go is very impressive and her low center of gravity allows her to explode out of these moves and attack the defender's hips with ease. She is strong enough as well that once she's into the defender's hips she has them beat and holds all the cards. In the open court she is a blurr. She gets the ball from end line to end line as fast as anyone I've seen so far with the dribble and she is pretty good at protecting the ball in traffic and going in for a score. Defensively she is fiesty on the ball and likes to get into the ball handler and force the action. All, in all she is a dynamite player who will make some folks wish they hadn't gotten all caught up on her height before it is said and done. She's not a Dymond Simon but she is a handful and a very very good point guard.