DMV Stock up Showcase: Next Players Up

When looking at such a large group, having two scouts with differing opinions and only having so many spots to give out to top performers, it's natural that there are going to be players overlooked. Sometimes it's a case of we just didn't see you at the right time. Sometimes it's a case of too many moving parts all at once. Sometimes we just get it wrong. These are a few of the players I had in mind for top performers that just missed the cut this time, but I'll be looking for next time.    Sophia has had a run of bad luck here. First, she's at a club that added a bunch of very tall, talented middles, then here, she was on my list to get some top performer attention but got squeezed by the total number we could pick. Sophia had the 2nd most power of any player I saw here, and I joked with her is an OH in Middle clothing. She's shorter than other middles, not clearing 6 feet, while the girls ahead of her at [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] are all over 6'2, but she does have a very solid vertical which negates that disadvantage. There are a couple flavors of middles you run into out there on the courts, the big, powerful ones that don't move a lot and can just raise their hands over the net, and the very agile, athletic middles like Sophia, who uses her vertical to surprise hitters and get up to make big solo blocks. Hitting wise, she's explosive, and when paired with a setter who can put the ball where she likes it, she's a dangerous weapon. She's a big part of [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last='']'s 2nd team, but there are a lot of other clubs not as lucky to be stacked up the middle where she would be a star top team player if she chose to go that route.     JoJo is a talented DS who plays on a very deep Howard team in HS. She's got a solid platform and makes good passes, doesn't make a lot of mistakes, and covers her area as well as you could ask anyone. She plays in one of the lead DS roles for Maryland Juniors, and should be a strong contributor for Howard this coming season as a legit state title threat. Her consistency is her biggest strength, allowing teams to focus on other areas of need, knowing that she's going to cover her ground.     Maddie is a solid pin hitter that falls into that "tweener"category. Her defense and serve received have improved over the course of the season, to the point where she sometimes plays the all around 6. With another inch or two either height wise, or vertical wise, she would be putting balls down consistently on the 10 foot line, as it is, she leverages her timing to get the ball down, both down line and cross court. She's got a wonderful roll shot that she uses to get a good number points and she's very smart about when to use it. Maddie's serving has really taken a step forward this year, having multiple runs over the course of the season, and her block game at the net has been improving steadily as well.     Makena fell victim to the number of players at the showcase this weekend. I knew who she was and that she would be there, but when it came time to find her on the courts, I kept missing her. She's a solid DS with good speed and passing that makes her teams better. At this event she just slid in between groups and I didn't get a chance to catch her as much as I'd like, but she's a player that those of us in the area know to keep an eye on.    That about clears out my notes for this showcase. I'll be on the lookout at the next one next winter, and in the meantime, I should have plenty of posts about HS season, looking forward to catching up with my Maryland volleyball folks. Feel free to stop by and say hi if you see me in the wild, I'll be at AAU Nationals in Orlando this weekend, and then you'll catch me at a lot of Anne Arundel, Howard and Montgomery County games come HS season.

When looking at such a large group, having two scouts with differing opinions and only having so many spots to give out to top performers, it's natural that there are going to be players overlooked. Sometimes it's a case of we just didn't see you at the right time. Sometimes it's a case of too many moving parts all at once. Sometimes we just get it wrong. These are a few of the players I had in mind for top performers that just missed the cut this time, but I'll be looking for next time.