Cap Hill Classic 20th: My Favorites From 15s

Continuing my series with standout players I liked in the different age groups, this lets me highlight players regardless of how their team performed for the weekend. Most of these players were still around deep into things, but some of them are more under the radar types that aren't in the stadium for the finals. Here's some players I really like after this weekend:    Reagan is one of the hold overs from last year's very talented 14s team that lost a bunch of talented players, but sometimes when players leave, it creates a chance for another star to rise. That's what we are watching here with Reagan. She's got height, she moves well for her size, and plays defense well enough to play all around. She stood out enough at the net with some big hits and strong blocks. Everything you'd expect from a girl over 6 foot tall in 15s, but where she really impressed me was watching her bury a back row kill with perfect form late in a tie game. She plays with heart, and with a little chip on her shoulder. That motivation is great for young athletes, I'm all in on this one.     Yeah, this is odd for me too. I generally don't write about the very top prospects because they don't need my help. They know how good they are and are out there proving it every day. I could honestly pick 5 girls from that Metro Travel 15s team and be done with this post, but I told myself I'm only going to pick one at a time and spread it out. Today, I'm going with Carolyn, but not for her outstanding play ON the court, what most impressed me about her this weekend was her behavior and work ethic OFF the court. I was around checking out some courts, because times are off by an hour or two all the time and it messes up my rough schedule, and while I was browsing, Metro was in between games, and Carolyn was off on her own, just bouncing a ball off the wall getting touches, refining her touch, building that muscle memory. Just pure work ethic of a girl that just can't get enough. It wasn't for the coaches, or the media, it was just to stay sharp and keep getting better when no one was watching. THAT is what separates the great from the good players and the superstars from the great players. Carolyn is absolutely going to be a superstar and I can't wait to see her journey.     Jemma is one of the next big things for me. She's only in 8th grade, but is playing up on a talented 15s team for BAVA that went to nationals last year. Her defense is top notch, shes got great lateral speed, and her platform is great. A good accurate passer is a big reason for the success on that 15s team, and as she goes into HS next year, things and opportunities are only going to be more plentiful for her. She's going to be one of the top ranked players in her class right out of the gate this summer.     Much like the other Metro Travel team I'm going to try to share the love and not just list a bunch of them. Harper is a fantastic DS, and was a big part of the reason 15 National had a good run at Cap Classic last weekend. Every game I got to see her, she was constantly getting big hits back in the air, and getting the ball in good spots so that the offense could do their job. She's one of the more steady defenders in the back row and those are becoming more and more important with the number of 6 foot plus girls dropping bombs back there on so many teams. Harper did a great job showing her range and keeping balls up many DS wouldn't even bother trying for, she's the heart of this National team.     [program_tooltip program_id='484770' first='VA' last='Juniors'] had a very strong showing this past weekend. This won't be the last of their players I write about this season, but had to start somewhere. I'm a huge fan of their 16s team, and I'm very familiar with their 17s, who have one of my favorite players. But their 15s really shined this weekend too. I heard from multiple people this was the team that really surprised them in the 15s division. She's a pin that can play all the way around with good arm strength and 12-6 swing (think hours on a clock). I think she might have a little more power even hiding in there as she gets older and more experienced, but she does a good job using her long arms to get the ball down and shows a great line shot.    These are just players I took notes on that I liked as I was walking around, or that played well when I made my way to watch their team for whatever reason. The 15s division is loaded with talent here and I left out quite a few of my favorite players so that I have something to write about for the rest of the season, but these guys deserved to get some love at this point in the season. Next up, 16s.

Continuing my series with standout players I liked in the different age groups, this lets me highlight players regardless of how their team performed for the weekend. Most of these players were still around deep into things, but some of them are more under the radar types that aren't in the stadium for the finals. Here's some players I really like after this weekend: