JUST US GIRLS: A SHOWCASE THAT BECAME A DREAM EVENT
The Just Us Girls Showcase has been taking place for more than a decade. From the beginning, this event has always been about something much bigger than basketball: raising money for cancer survivors.
The games have always been enjoyable. But this year, something different happened.
This tournament took on a life of its own.
It became a dream event for college coaches. It may have been the best fall dead-period basketball we have seen in years. The amount of talent that showed up this weekend was simply stunning.
There were nationally recruited players, committed Division I players, players holding D1 offers and, perhaps most importantly, players who introduced themselves to the basketball world.
SATURDAY: THE UNDER-THE-RADAR CREW
Saturday was the day of surprises.
First, Isla Fry of IHA absolutely dominated St. Rose. St. Rose had zero answers for her. Fry once again showed why she is one of the most recruited players in the 2028 class.
Her performance wasn’t really a surprise.
But then came Georgia D’Angelo.
And that performance?
Shocking.
D’Angelo instantly put her name on the long list of legitimate Class of 2028 Division I prospects.
Her lightning-quick jumper was on full display, but what impressed me most was that she showed she is much more than an elite shooter. Her first step off the bounce was electric and, at times, almost impossible to contain.
Then came the defense.
Then came the toughness.
It was the icing on the cake.
Miss D’Angelo is the new best thing.
And if she continues playing like this, college coaches are going to be fighting for her signature.
Then there was Maya Morrison of DePaul.
Morrison already has a number of Division I offers, but she isn’t necessarily a household name throughout the Shore basketball community.
Well, Saturday she introduced herself.
She took over games with her talent, skill, basketball IQ and energy. She was everywhere. She was, quite simply, Superwoman all afternoon.
But the story of Saturday had to be Vanessa Vowteras.
The NJ Thunder showed up with plenty of social-media hype and tagging going on.
But the Thunder would have been better off focusing less on the media hype and more on Vanessa Vowteras.
Vowteras went for 30 points as the Angels, a mix of eighth- and ninth-graders, knocked off the Thunder.
The Thunder did get a stunning performance from sophomore Avery Goldfeder.
Goldfeder is looking like a player getting ready to take the next step. She carried the Thunder on her back for much of the game before ultimately coming up short.
Saturday was simply a great day of basketball.
But Sunday?
Sunday was BIG GIRL DAY.
SUNDAY: THE BIG GIRLS CAME OUT
First, Colts Neck looked like a well-oiled machine and dominated the competition.
And Emily Donahue is proving that she is a FIRST TEAM ALL-SHORE TYPE OF PLAYER.
She did it all Sunday.
Then there was Gil St. Bernard.
Once again, Kaitlyn Platt looked like a grown woman playing against little girls when Gil St. Bernard took on Trinity Hall.
She simply dominated.
But Melina Miller, who has committed to Rider, also opened her bag of tricks during the blowout win for Gil St. Bernard.
For Trinity Hall, Ella Kryal was a terrific bright spot all weekend.
Trinity Hall would come back later and knock off DeMaest High School, with Kryal and Gianna Schoor carrying the weight in a terrific win.
MANASQUAN: TEAM OF THE DAY
If you ask me, Manasquan was the team of the day.
And Calista Vowteras left absolutely no doubt that she should be considered the leading candidate for Shore Conference Player of the Year.
She was outstanding.
But what impressed me most was Manasquan as a team.
They were energetic.
They were exciting.
They were deep.
They were experienced.
And right now, if you ask me, Manasquan is the favorite to win the Shore Conference.
They have talent. They have experience. They have depth. They have, by far, some of the best young talent in the state, like freshman Kylie Anzzolin and Vanessa Vowteras with more is on the way!
But they also have something else.
They may have the best coaching staff, top to bottom, in the entire state.
That matters.
RBC SHOWS WHAT IT CAN BECOME
Red Bank Catholic also picked up its first win as a group together.
And there was a two-minute stretch where RBC showed us exactly what this team can become.
Sofia Rude showed us what we should expect from her over the coming years. When she plays inside-out and gets into her mid-range game, she looks every bit like a future Power Four player.
Sue Lashley was once again a rebounding machine.
Avery Goldfeder was excellent yet again.
But the key to everything may clearly be Casey Zammitt.
Once again, Zammitt was RBC’s most dependable player.
SO MANY PLAYERS. SO MANY STORIES.
There were simply too many great performances to mention everyone.
Callie Unkel of Middletown North had 6 threes in a win and showed why she is a player worth watching.
Arcadia Walters, who will attend Holy Cross, and future D1 player Jordan Salisbury were dynamic.
Laney Krosnowski of St. Rose showed that she may be the key to St. Rose making some noise this season.
And that was the beauty of this tournament.
There was talent everywhere.
Committed Division I players.
Players with Division I offers.
Under-the-radar players.
Sleepers.
Young players who looked like future stars.
You could look around the gym and find a story everywhere.
We saw Rumson-Fair Haven and Team Miller in a barn-burner won by Team Miller.
We watched St. Thomas Aquinas prove that life goes on after multiple Division I players transferred out at the last minute.
And we saw Jim Danella coaching on the sidelines for DePaul while his daughter and all-time great Christina Danella looked on.
Those are the moments that make events like this special.
THIS WAS MORE THAN A BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
From the referees to the scorekeepers, from the organization to the overall atmosphere, this event was spectacular.
There were coaches in the gym.
There were coaches watching online.
And there were plenty of players who made sure those coaches had something to watch.
But the best part of the entire weekend had absolutely nothing to do with recruiting.
It was the reason this event exists in the first place.
A GREAT CAUSE.
For more than a decade, Just Us Girls has used basketball to help raise money for cancer survivors. TRACEY SABINO has truly created some beautiful. Something bigger than ourselves over the years.
This weekend, the basketball was outstanding.
The talent was incredible.
The games were competitive.
The surprises were everywhere.
But ultimately, basketball was the vehicle for something much bigger.
And that’s what makes the Just Us Girls Showcase so special.
Great basketball. Great people. Great cause.
You couldn’t ask for much more from a weekend.
NBS STARTS THIS WEEKEND… we currently have 9 spots available!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DBJMnjjr2Afam6k1lbhg7_vqIP52dXThSp8Ek5D5sw0/edit
