Big South Qualifier – Texas Middles to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The qualifying season continues at full pace as teams from all around the country attempt to secure their spots in the 2023 USA Girls Junior National Championship. Texas club teams are no exceptions, as they are flying all across the nation to play in those events and book their tickets to Chicago from June 28-July6.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This coming weekend will present several opportunities with National Qualifiers taking place in different locations and one of them is the Big South Qualifier, a 24-division event that will take place in Atlanta from Friday to Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some Texas teams will make the trip East and we're previewing the tournament by featuring some of the players who can have big roles for their clubs. Today we'll look at some middles:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Julia Wright","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32924","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Dawson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Houston Stellar","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Wright's consistency in the middle is a huge asset for her Houston Stellar 15 Elite team that will be on the court in the 15 Open division. She plays with a lot of energy and does everything any team needs from a middle, offering a reliable scoring option who's frequently available in transition and making a big impact on defense with her strong blocking. Wright's mobility is a big part of her game as it allows her to be involved with a lot of what her team does on the court.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-641c699b83bec"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17237537/641aca4e6655b40a1839ad1d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-641c699b83c3a"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["212737"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Rugley is a big part of a strong AVA TX 16 Adidas team that has been among the best in the Houston area this season and will contend in the 16 Open division in Atlanta. Although she's very strong on both sides of the ball, it's Rugley's blocking that stands out the most. She really has everything in her game when it comes to shutting opponents down, from being a good jumper and having long arms to reading the game well, timing her jumps and doing an excellent job with her hands to take up space from opposing hitters. She's also a very strong offensive player who can hit multiple sets and is very difficult to stop when she gets into a rhythm.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-641c699b83c9f"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15472433/640efddbf326f80e8c828de4' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-641c699b83cc0"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["198344"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Larkin's stock rose a lot during the last high school season, when she helped Summer Creek win their first district title, and she has maintained her strong level of play for club with Houston Stellar 17  Elite, which will appear in the 17 Open division. She's a very dynamic player, who combines excellent athleticism and a high-energy game that is really impactful. Larkin's blocking is incredibly strong and one of the main ways in which her team scores points. She's also a reliable offensive player who makes a strong approach, jumps high and swings hard through the middle.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-641c699b83d19"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15089140/640ed591f326f80e8c822996' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-641c699b83d43"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["186238"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Middle is a position of strength for the Alamo 17 Premier team that will compete in the 17 Open division and Kuyn is one of their standouts there. Versatility and mobility are possibly the two words that describe her game as she can do a lot of different things on the court and is always on the move too. Kuyn is very long and jumps really well, being a strong offensive weapon for the team - she can also score at a high clip from either pin. Because of her excellent mobility and length, her blocking is also a factor. Kuyn is an extremely well-rounded player too, who can pass and play defense.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-641c699b83d99"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17321966/6416ffbff31c8009607a84fc' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-641c699b83db6"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='519547' first='Rheanna' last='Deen-Jackson']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32924","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Atascocita","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Houston Skyline","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Deen-Jackson forms a formidable middle blocker duo with Jaela Augusta and the two will be a part of Houston Skyline 17 Royal's play in the 17 Open division. Very long and athletic, she has excellent footwork and that positively impacts her game on both sides of the ball. Deen-Jackson can put a lot of power into her offensive approach even if she doesn't have a lot of time and space to do it and that translates into strong swings every time she goes up. She's also really solid at patrolling the net and shutting down opposing hitters with her big block.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-641c699b83e42"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18067280/6412179a23528e0434f30f17' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-641c699b83e63"} /-->