Danielle Ballard turns heads at Nike Tournament of Champions

After Day 1 of the Nike Tournament of Champions, ESPN Hoopgurlz picked 3 players to highlight. Central sophomore Danielle Ballard was 1 of the 3.

Memphis Central High School starts a youthful, yet explosive backcourt of sophomores Danielle Ballard and Aaliyah Whiteside and freshman Nina Davis. All bring something to the table that's different. Against H.D. Woodson on Day One of the Nike TOC, Ballard stood out, even though Whiteside led all scorers with 18 points.

The start for Ballard was a bit rocky. Her aggressive style against a fresh and well-placed defense led to over-penetration and some blocked shots but as the game wore on her style helped control the tempo and flow of the game. As defenders legs grew weaker, hers seemed to get stronger. The help defense simply couldn't react quickly enough to stop the 5-foot-8 guard. Whenever they did, she elevated and scored with floaters and off-balance runners. She plays taller than her listed height and already plays with the strength of a college player.

Ballard seems to be more comfortable playing almost exclusively on the wing this year as opposed to a year ago when she was playing a lot of point guard. The lefty is shooting the ball from behind the 3-point arc with more confidence. She has a swagger about her.

Defensively Ballard is pretty solid both on the ball and jumping passing lanes. There is another level she can reach with her natural gifts. Her physical style could lead her to be a lock down defender if she so chooses. She traps aggressively in head coach Nicco Bray's pressure defenses without too many silly reaching fouls and can anticipate the pass out of the trap well as well. There aren't many times when she's not the best player on the court and as she plays so will her teammates so being more vocal on the court, especially on the defensive end could be key to Memphis Central's ascent among the nation's elite high school teams in the coming years. The offense seems to take care of itself.

Click here for the complete Tip Sheet

Here's what Peach State Hoops said about her:

Ballard - 5-foot-8 Class of 2012 point guard - showed the skill to get from first gear to fifth gear in 3.4 seconds on Friday night. The Ronika Ransford-less H.D. Woodson Lady Warriors didn't have a roadblock. Ballard got into the lane at well finishing herself and setting the table for her teammates as well. Ballard is a top-flight player and with a consistent jumper to match, she'd be a lock to be one of the country's Top 10 propsects nationwide.

Click here for Peach Stae Hoops complete Day 1 TOC recap