City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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MANHEIM — The April live periods kept on trucking in Lancaster County, with a massive tournament taking place at Spooky Nook Sports — a combination of the first Girls’ Under Armour Association stop and the Select Events “Live at the Nook!” competition, with hundreds and hundreds of teams descending upon central Pennsylvania for three days of intense competition.

Here’s a catchup with some of the prospects we saw during the first two days of the event, focusing on those from the GUAA circuit:

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More Coverage: Day 1 Standouts | Day 2 Standouts | Day 3 Standouts | Notebook (Pt. 1) | Notebook (Pt. 2) | Notebook (Pt. 3) | Notebook (Pt. 4) | Notebook (Pt. 5) | Notebook (Pt. 6)

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Darriana Alexander & ZaKiyah Johnson (2025 | West Virginia Thunder 17U) 

Darriana Alexander and ZaKiyah Johnson were the young bucks for the West Virginia Thunder during a run to the GUAA 17U championships last summer.

Now, they are the vets.

The pair of versatile 2025 wings are still playing an age group up for WV this winter, but they are the only holdovers from last season’s title team as they began the pursuit of another this weekend in Spooky Nook.

“We kind of have to develop a new team now,” Johnnson said. “We’re the only ones from last year. It’s kind of a work in process but we got the hang of it.”

Darriana Alexander & ZaKiyah Johnson, 2025 West Virginia Thunder 17U

Johnson joined the Thunder in July last summer, and she and Alexander instantly clicked. Watch them on the court and it’s pretty easy to see why as they have a lot of similarities to their games.

They’re tremendous athletes with good size — Johnson is listed at 6-0 and Alexander 6-1 — and take turns handling the ball and pushing the pace in transition.

Both are ranked in the Top 5 of HoopGurlz 2025 rankings (Johnson No. 2 and Alexander No. 5) 

“We built our relationship together really fast and we transferred it over to the court, and it gets better each game, each day,” Alexander said.

“I feel like we’re kind of the same player,” Johnson said. “We got our ups and downs with each other, but it’s pretty fun.”

During Friday’s action the duo led their team to a runway win over Colorado Basketball Club before pulling away from the West Virginia Thunder. However, during the season they got a chance to go up against each other when Johnson’s Sacred Heart Academy (Ky.) squad used a big fourth quarter to take down Alexander’s Purcell Marian (Ohio) team, 82-65.

“It was a good game, and then my team got caught up in the moment at one point in time and they took the game over, but it was a very competitive game,” Alexander said.

The Thunder teammates got the opportunity to guard each other during the contest.

“Very versatile, she can do a little bit of everything,” Johnson described Alexander’s game. “She keeps me up on the court too. She kind of is my little pick up on the court. She’s a great player, and I don’t think anybody is better than her forreal.”

“Literally basically the same thing she said about me,” Alexander added. “ Just watching her, I get better, and I help her get better. She keeps my head up the same way.”

The duo already have about 40 Division I offers each. Johnson said college coaches like how they are both mismatches, faster than anyone they match up with in the post while bigger and stronger than those they play against out on the perimeter, while still able to beat their defender with the bounce.

With still two more high school seasons to go, they still have a long ways to go in the recruiting process. Johnson took a visit to Louisville this past fall and Alexander visited rival Kentucky. Neither has any other visits scheduled at present, mentioning they like heading to football and basketball games on campus.

Alexander mentioned there are a few schools that have stood out thus far in the recruiting process, but she hasn’t narrowed anything down yet. Johnson said that process will begin closer to the fall before she starts her junior basketball season.

The focus at present is winning another championship.

“We got to build our relationships with each other and with the new team, and I feel like we got it for another year,” Alexander said. — Owen McCue

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Jillian Jekot (2024 | Comets GUAA 17U)

The annual coaching roulette that takes place every March and April always has ripple-down effects into the recruiting world. Jekot felt that wave come this spring, when the Pitt program she was committed to underwent a coaching change; Lance White and his staff out, Tory Verdi and his staff in from UMass.

Jekot, who hadn’t been recruited by Verdi and his staff the first time around, wanted to make sure she had the chance to reassess her decision, and so on Monday announced she was back on the market. 

“They hadn’t really recruited me, he’s never seen me play, I’ve never met him, it’s good to build a relationship there before I decide hey, I’m automatically still going to go to Pitt,” she said. “That’s why I opened it up, but I don’t want ot put any pressure on myself, I just want to go out there and play with my teammates and do the best I can. I love AAU season, that’s what it’s all about.”

Her phone had a busy week.

“Oh, it blew up,” she said. “But, you know, that’s kind of expected right now just because of how old I am.”

Okay, “old” might be an understatement considering she’s just finishing her junior year of high school, though that is further along than many girls let their recruitment go, especially one who’s seen three older sisters all go through the recruiting process (and end up in the Big 5). But Jekot knows that this recruiting cycle is going to move faster than the first one, where she had several years of collegiate attention to sort through things and commit. 

Jekot showed why she’s such a hot commodity, scoring 20 points for the Comets’ 17s in a loss to Books & Basketball on Friday night, doing everything from posting up to knocking down 3s. 

Pitt’s still in the mix — Jekot said she expected Verdi to watch her multiple times over the remainder of the weekend, and she’s taking a trip out to Pittsburgh in the near future. After that is unclear; Jekot said she’s already got an idea of which schools of the group that had reached out which she’d be interested in moving forwards, though besides a mention of St. Joe’s — where her older sister Katie Jekot starred and graduated — didn’t name any others who even might be in the mix.

“I definitely will start doing officials soon, maybe after this tournament, maybe after Atlantic City [in May], too,” she said. “I haven’t set up anything yet, I’m still kind of waiting, it’s all fairly new so I’m not trying to rush into anything. I want to make sure this time that I know what I’m getting into.”

She mentioned a commitment will be happening “soon” but then clarified, saying it could come anywhere between this spring and this fall: “It’ll just happen whenever it comes.” — Josh Verlin

Deniya Prawl (2025 | Become One GUAA 17U)

Playing up on the 17U level isn’t anything new to Prawl.

After all, the Ft. Erie International Academy product did it last year, when most of her peers were playing 15U ball. So even with a packed sideline of high-major Division I coaches, Prawl didn’t look bothered in the slightest, impressing with a 23-point performance in leading her squad to a 47-41 win over WPA Bruins’ 17s on Friday afternoon.

“Last year, I feel like I was more flustered in the beginning,” she said, “but I feel this year I’m ready. [...] Learning from the players I played with last year, they were really good, I picked up a lot of their traits, which allows me to be successful in this.”

A 6-1 wing with an impressive wingspan, Prawl is an impressive wing guard, attacking the rim off the bounce and finishing all sorts of ways around the rim, showing a deft touch with both hands and outstanding body control/agility in the lane, navigating through a crowd to get a clean look at the rim.

It’s no wonder that Division I coaches have been all over her: Prawl said she has 23 Division I offers, mentioning UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, Notre Dame, while taking trips to Memphis, Arizona, and Duke; she said of that group, only Duke was yet to extend a scholarship.

“It’s amazing, but it gets stressful at times, making sure you play your game every game, that’s a little hard. But honestly, [I] just take it one game at a time.”

While that part of it might be stressful, Prawl has been enjoying the fruits of her labor. Even though college coaches can’t yet contact her directly, she’s allowed to call them and initiate conversations, something she’s more than willing to do.

“Honestly, I’m loving the process,” she said. “Calling them, getting different (feedback), input from other coaches, them telling me what I need to improve on, all of it is good for me.”

Prawl said she’s working this summer on her ball-handling and play-making, something she certainly flashed a good bit of on Friday, picking up three assists and making plenty more strong passes in addition to her scoring output. 

A college decision is nowhere near: Prawl said she likely won’t commit until her senior year, meaning she’s got almost two full summers of 17U hoops left to go. In the meantime, she’ll just keep getting to know coaches, taking visits and building towards that commitment.

“Wherever I feel like is best for me, building the best relationships,” she said, “is where I’m going to go.” — Josh Verlin

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Jaloni Cambridge (2024 | FBC United 17U)

Jaloni Cambridge and FBC United took no prisoners in their 91-48 win over Team Thrill on Saturday afternoon. Cambridge, ranked by ESPN as the No. 1 player in the Class of 2024, scored 17 points in the first half of Saturday afternoon’s contest, giving her team a 29 point lead going into the intermission.

Being ranked so high can bring high expectations, but that doesn’t seem to bother Cambridge. Cambridge and FBC United went to the GUAA title game last season and are certainly a top contender this season with Cambridge and several of the other top members in the Class of 2024, including Joyce Edwards (No. 2), Zamareya Jones (No. 14), Ava Watson (No. 48) and Shakirah Edwards, leading the way along with a talented young group.

FBC United cruised to a 5-0 on the weekend, thanks in large part to Cambridge. 

“We’re the best team on the circuit,” the 5-6 guard said. “We have the talent, so we just go out and play.” 

Cambridge finished finishing with 20 points in the runaway win over Team Thrill, despite sitting most of the second half with her team in complete control. Watson, who plays at Buford HIgh School in Georgia, also scored 19 points. 

“She’s just flat out a good shooter,” Cambridge said.. “I think she’s one of the best shooters that I’ve ever played with.” 

“I know that I can count on her to make the shot on any given moment.”

On the prep level, Cambridge led her Ensworth (Tenn.( squad to a 27-4 overall record this past season, finishing as the state runner-up in the TSSAA’s Division II Class AA bracket. She was named Tennessee's Gatorade’s State Player of the Year after averaging 26.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 4.3 spg for the Tigers. 

To no surprise, Cambridge has a long list of suitors. She said she has too many offers to list. Her recruitment is still open.

 “I’m taking it slow right now,” Cambridge said. “I’m gonna make sure I make the right decision for me.” 

Cambridge comes from a basketball family. Her father played Division I basketball at Alabama A&M. She’s one of eight siblings. Her sister Jordyn is a two-time SEC all-defensive team player at Vanderbilt and another sister Kennedy was a freshman at Kentucky this past season.

 “It’s a family thing,” said Cambridge. “The love of the game just was kinda there.” — Logan Moyer

Teagan Colvin (2024 | NW Blazers 17U)

The state of Idaho isn’t typically considered a hoops hot bet.

Teagan Colvin is trying to change that narrative.

“Idaho obviously gets a bad rap,” Colvin said Saturday. “We go around and it’s like, ‘People actually live there?’” 

The 5-7 point guard averaged 18.3 ppg this past season as she led Coeur d’ Alene HS to an IHSAA 5A state championship this past season with an overall record of 24-2. She was MaxPreps’ Idaho State Player of the Year.  

Colvin comes from a highly-achieving athletic family – her father played football at the University of Montana, and her mother was a two-sport standout at Southern Oregon. 

“It’s been through my family and it’s in my blood,” Colvin said.. 

 She’s narrowed down her college choices to five – Michigan, UNLV, BYU, Wisconsin and Washington State. Colvin said she has taken unofficial visits to all five, and plans to take official visits over the summer.  

Colvin scored 11 points in the NW Blazers’ low-scoring 49-34 win over NY Havoc on Saturday. Her fiery personality, something she attributes to her success, was on full display in the contest. 

 Her court vision was also a key factor in her team’s victory, as she set up countless baskets with her quick thinking and near-perfect ball placement. 

“I just try to raise up everyone who’s around me and just make the team better,” Colvin said. 

The Blazers went 5-0 this weekend to start the GUAA season on a high note. 

 “I’ve done this for a lot of years and this will be my last one, so it makes it very special to me,” Colvin said. — Logan Moyer

Macy Smith (2024 | GTS Fusion 17U) 

Smith was Fusion’s top player in their 71-50 loss to a star-studded Minnesota Fury team. She scored 16 points in the losing effort, finishing as the team’s leading scorer. 

 Despite her height (5-6), Smith’s best ability is her defensive prowess. She recorded six steals in Saturday afternoon’s contest while guarding highly-ranked Michigan commit Olivia Olson. 

“It feels pretty good,” said Smith of her defensive performance. “I just keep getting better.” 

It’s Smith’s first weekend with her teammates, which she attributed to their mediocre offensive performance as a team. 

 “Just getting used to chemistry,” Smith said. “We’ll keep getting better and better.” 

 Smith, who plays her high school hoops at Strasburg (Va.), currently holds no Division I offers, but she knows what kind of school she hopes to get recruited by. 

 “Somewhere that has faith first and God first,” Smith said. “A family environment that I can fit into.” — Logan Moyer