2013 Fall Exposure League Week 1 Recap II

What an unbelievable 2013 Fall Exposure League Week 1 we had. The atmosphere was great.
The gym was packed. The crowd was into the games. And several players put on a show! LeMoyne Owen's new head coach took in the action, along with Rust College's Head women's basketball coach.

Emanye Robertson (White Station/2015) kicked the league off by scoring the first two points. Unfortunately, she was the only player that seemed to be able to score for California knocking down 15 of the team's 21 points. She could have easily quit but it's just not her nature. She is an energizer bunny that keeps going and going and going.  She is a point guard with the ability to get to the basket. Going to the basket creates opportunities for her to get to the free throw line also. However, don't try to play her for the drive. If you do, she will knock down the jump shot. She hit 2 three pointers in the game.


Every player on the Memphis team scored. But 6'2 forward Alexyse Thomas (Horn Lake/2015) stole the show. She is a huge presence on the floor. She dropped off 16 points in Memphis' win. Alexyse can pass. She can come out the paint and set picks. Plus she knows how to roll to the basket and call for the ball.

Game 2 gave fans a chance to witness a match up of finesse against power. First for Notre Dame, all around guard Kaylan Pugh (St. Mary's/2015) represents power. It's no secret how she has averaged over 20 points a game since playing varsity as an 8th grader. She is a scorer with a mature body frame and gets to the basket. She used her power to finish with 12 points.

 


You may not be familiar with Tennessee's Kiara Golden (Center Hill (MS)/2014). She represents finesse. She is one of the smoothest players I have ever seen in this area. The first thing that came out of a friends of mine's mouth was "She is so smooth". I have been watching Kiara since she was in the 8th grade. You could see her swag back then. Now she has the maturity to go with it. She is a lefty athlete.  She can score with the left and right hand in a variety of ways around the basket and knock down the 3 point shot. As a point guard, she has a vision on the court which allows her to make some nice passes to her teammates in the open court and towards the block.  She lead the league in scoring with 17 points.



Game 3 gave me an opportunity to see a different side to Victoria "Torri" Lewis (MHEA/2015). Torri is known for her shooting abilities. However, during Week 1 she displayed that she can set teammates up also. On several occasions, Torri penetrated to the basket and dumped the ball off as defenders drew to her. At 5'10, she also made her presence known to the smaller guards. On a couple of series, a quicker guard got by Torri and thought they had a wide open shot. To their surprise, Torri recoverd by blocking their shot attempt. Torri lead Louisville in scoring with 11 points.



6'2 Forward Manaya Jones (Raleigh-Egypt/2016) put on a show in the paint. Knee problems has hindered her in the past. But during Week 1, Manaya looked real good. She looks quicker. She pulled out all the moves on Saturday. She played with her back to the basket. She shot jumpers from short corner extended. Manaya finished with 14 points for UConn.





Two young players that stood out were 8th grader's Johne Stewart (Snowden) and Aliyah Wells (Briarcrest). Johne plays for UConn and she is a flashy point guard that can shake and bake. Aliyah plays for Louisville and she is a slender 5'11 post player that can get up the floor extremely fast. I will be adding these two to my watch list.

2013 Fall Exposure League Week 1 Scoring Leaders from Patosha Jeffery