Houston Stock Up Showcase – G’s Top Performers – Vol. 1
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Prep Dig had a stop of its Stock Up Showcase in Houston on Saturday, offering high school sophomores, juniors and seniors a great opportunity to compete against (and with) some of the top talent in the region and to showcase…
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Continue ReadingPrep Dig had a stop of its Stock Up Showcase in Houston on Saturday, offering high school sophomores, juniors and seniors a great opportunity to compete against (and with) some of the top talent in the region and to showcase their skills to scouts and college coaches.
There were around 60 prospects on the court during the event held at the Texas Tornados club, coming not only from H-Town, but also from several other cities in the Lone Star State, such as Austin, San Antonio, McAllen and Corpus Christi, and it was a highly competitive, yet very fun atmosphere.
Fellow Prep Dig scout Mallori Howington, myself and the court coaches were paying attention to everything and were pleased to see many prospects standing out with their strong play. We’ll spend the next few days highlighting them and here are the first names we’d like to give a shoutout:
Having watched Bernard in action a few times during the last club season, I wasn’t surprised at all by her strong play, but the way she dominated the net against some very talented prospects was truly impressive. The middle blocker seems to have learned how to use her length and physical tools in the best possible ways and her block was really hard to get by during the match-like drills. Bernard’s movement on the court was really smooth and she was also among the best in terms of quickly making herself available offensively after going up to try to get a block.
Highlights
Stanley caught my attention early on, during the first warm-up drills, because of how much energy she put into it. I had watched her before in club events, but had a chance to take a closer look on Saturday and she displayed many interesting skills for a libero. Stanley’s quickness is the first thing that stands out in her game as she’s incredibly quick with her movement on the backcourt, getting to balls not many others would. Her ball control was also excellent and Stanly also displayed a very positive attitude when she was not on the court, encouraging the prospects that were in action during the drills.
Highlights
Malaya Bennett Malaya Bennett 5'8" | OH Hendrickson | 2025 TX
Malaya Bennett Malaya Bennett 5'8" | OH Hendrickson | 2025 TX
Bennett was one of the names to stand out among our strong group of outside hitters because of her great all-around game. Her offensive strength was on display during the very first drills, when she was among the most efficient hitters, combining impressive vertical, power, skill and vision in a very good way. In the match-like drills, it was possible to see that her decision-making was also very solid when she had to face strong blockers in front of her. Bennett also did a very good job with her passing and got some very good digs when playing defense.
Hailey Strickland
Hailey Strickland
Strickland was one of the last setters to get on my radar during the event and what drove my attention to her was her amazing serve. She got several consecutive aces with her tricky and powerful floater and that made me notice the other positives in her game. A very strong prospect from a technical standpoint, she was very accurate with her sets and didn’t lose precision even when she had to work with passes off the net. Strickland also worked hard on defense and displayed excellent ball control to make some plays in the right back position.
Still a freshman, Pierce was one of the top right side hitters to appear in our event. She did well in the attacking drills and was even better in the match-like ones, where she displayed an interesting ability to adjust to different sets. Pierce is tall, very athletic and gets off the floor extremely well, but there’s a lot of vision and understanding of the game in her offense too as she made very good decisions, showed some great resources and was very consistent with her offensive efficiency. Blocking is another strength in her game as she can go up really high up at the net and always has her arms in a good spot, taking over space from opposing hitters.