City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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MANHEIM — The 2025 Girls’ Under Armour Association circuit wrapped up play with the GUAA championships at Spooky Nook this past weekend, with pool and bracket play culminating in Monday morning’s 15U, 16U and 17U GUAA title games. CoBL had writers in attendance on Saturday, Sunday and Monday for games at various levels.

Here’s Pt. 4 of our recruiting coverage from the weekend, focusing on players from both the region and all around the country:

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Finley Parcher (2027 | Northwest Blazers GUAA 17U)

Parcher had some serious family history to live up to at Lynden (Wash.) High School. 

Her two older brothers, Carter (25) and Bubba (20), had both hooped at the mid-sized public high school located up near the Washington/Canada border, both winning two state championships in their times there. 

Only a rising junior, Parcher’s already got them equaled. The do-it-all 6-foot-1 wing helped the Lions to an undefeated season and had a double-double in the WIAA 2A state championship game as Lynden’s girls defended their 2024 crown with a 17-point win. It’s the program’s fifth state title in the last two decades. 

“I come from a small town, like 16,000 people, so that’s our culture there, it’s awesome,” said Parcher, who’s also a standout volleyball player for the Lions. “I just grew up with (basketball) and fell in love with it and the game and all aspects of it.”

Parcher said both of her parents played junior college basketball, while her brother Carter ended up pitching at Cal State-Bakersfield. There’s no doubt that college hoops is in Finley Parcher’s future. 

Already, six schools have offered: Gonzaga, Oregon State, UNLV, BYU, Washington State and Florida Atlantic. So far, she and her family have taken a six-hour drive to Gonzaga, but visiting the rest are a priority, with visits to be scheduled around volleyball practices and games this fall. 

Parcher’s toughness and versatility were on display on Monday morning as she contributed 12 points, 11 rebounds and two assists as the Blazers beat the Comets in a 17U consolation game. She put in work on the offensive glass, coming up with eight rebounds on that end, and did a good job of kicking the ball right back out to a teammate to get the offense moving again, only putting it back up at the rim if she had a clear look. 

That willingness to play inside and out and her general toughness is a trait college coaches point out to her, she said, and it’s not hard to figure out where it comes from.

“I honestly think it starts with growing up with two older brothers and an older sister,” she said, “and just battling for anything in the house.” — Josh Verlin

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Abbie McFillin (2027 | Comets GUAA 16U)

It became a recurring chorus this summer: a round of applause and No. 25 running back up the court.

Surrounded by talented players on the Comets’ 16U GUAA team, Abbie McFillin has been effective and efficient and playing with a lot of confidence in herself. Whether it's running the point, shooting the ball or filling in the margins, the rising junior at Archbishop Carroll contributed to a lot of winning over the past few months.

After making a statement Sunday morning, McFillin is ready to build off a productive summer.

“We have open gyms at Carroll and I just play around good players all the time,” McFillin said. “It’s about getting the open shot and the best shot and I just know how to do it now, I guess. I play with the Eberz all the time, they’re hard to guard and when they’re guarding me, it’s hard so I think that’s really helped me, along with my team here.”

McFillin dazzled Sunday morning, scoring 36 points in the Comets’ GUAA quarterfinal win over WBC We Trust in the 16U bracket. The 5-foot-8 guard scored her team’s first six points and routinely found, took and converted high-quality shots in a standout effort.

Earlier this summer, the guard picked up her first Division I offer from La Salle heading into the high school live period. She was able to add Drexel to her offer sheet on Tuesday 

“It’s actually really exciting,” McFillin said. “Seeing my phone have coaches calling it’s like ‘woah, this is really paying off,’ and it’s really cool too. Playing in front of this many coaches, you don’t get that often.”

McFillin spent her freshman season at Carroll coming off the bench while her older sisters Felicity and Maddie started. With Felicity graduated and Maddie out until the final two games of the season last year due to a torn ACL last summer, Abbie succeeded Brooke Wilson and assumed the role of point guard at Carroll.

It was a new role for her but one that McFillin grew into well throughout the season while also relying on her teammates. She did much of the same this summer, not often playing rushed and instead usually making the right play or taking the right shot.

“My shot and my footwork,” McFillin said as her areas of emphasis. “I wanted to make sure I had my feet down and I was balancing.

“Sometimes, the pace I play at is too fast where I get a good shot and I don’t finish it. I was having that problem in Carroll’s season where I’d get to the rim, hit it off the backboard and it wouldn’t go down so I’ve been able to slow down my pace and that’s helping a lot.”

McFillin also plays midfield in soccer at Carroll and before long, it’ll be the start of preseason. Before that, she’ll likely be in the gym plenty alongside her Patriots teammates starting preparation for what will likely be a season with high expectations.

“After the last two years, everybody is ready to go,” McFillin said. — Andrew Robinson

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Natalie Kussow (2026 | Wisconsin Lakers GUAA 17U)

Stopping Natalie Kussow was not something that anyone could quite figure out how to do this weekend.

The 5-foot-11 wing from Hartland, Wi. repeatedly showed off her ability to score, and do so in bunches, leading her Wisconsin Lakers team to the 17U title game before coming up just a few points short against a loaded West Virginia Thunder group. Kussow, the 2024-25 Gatorade Player of the Year for Wisconsin,  displayed a true three-level scoring ability with some huge games throughout the event.

While she might have looked like a walking bucket during the UAA finals, Kussow said it’s been a progression that she’s glad to see the results of.

“It’s definitely taken a lot of hard work,” Kussow said. “All my coaches, trainers, everyone I work with, they’ve been great and that’s what’s really helped me develop as a player.

Kussow was sensational in a 38-point effort against a strong SA Finest team on Saturday and poured in 30 points in the 17U semifinals on Sunday. She came out firing on Saturday, knocking down a three to begin the game, converting an and-one layup, sinking another three, scoring on a drive and finally canning a third three in a 14-point opening quarter.

The wing made 16 baskets, six of them coming behind the arc and four of them adding a free throw on the end in compiling her 38 points. It was the and-ones that were notable as that was an area Kussow wanted to work on this summer.

“One big thing is just getting stronger,” Kussow said. “At the next level, everyone is bigger, faster, stronger so my being stronger and playing more physical will help me adjust.

“I definitely tried to up my three-level scoring and just be able to affect the game in multiple ways.”

Kussow said it was around seventh grade when she went all-in on playing at the next level. She had a school record 47-point game as a sophomore at Arrowhead Union High School in a state championship season, then helped her team back to the semifinals this past year.

While Kussow and her Wisconsin Lakers teammates were playing out the extended final live period over the last two weeks, her brother Peter heard his name called by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Her brother, a right-handed pitcher and the top high school prospect in Wisconsin, had been committed to Louisville but opted to sign with the Mets to begin his pro career.

Natalie is drawing plenty of college opportunities of her own. The rising senior passed on naming specific offers but said most of her interest has been from the Big Ten and ACC and is hoping to make a final decision more toward the end of the summer.

“I’ve enjoyed the process and talking to all the coaches,” Kussow said. “They mention my competitiveness, I think I’m pretty competitive and aggressive so that’s one big thing that seems to have stood out.”

Kussow has a busy August lined up. She’s playing in Overtime Select for Jordyn Palmer’s RWE squad and also earned an invite to Curry Camp, both will be a first-time experience for th

“It’s an honor,” Kussow said. “I’m very grateful for it, I know not everyone gets that kind of opportunity so I’m really glad I have a chance to go to both of those and be around the kind of players that will be there.” — Andrew Robinson

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Lailah Wright (2027 | Western PA Bruins GUAA 16U)

The most eye-opening result of the PIAA state championship weekend in March was South Fayette’s 45-37 upset of Philadelphia powerhouse Archbishop Wood in the girls Class 5A final.

The Vikings had won four straight state titles. Wood’s calling card is defense, but the Lions had a skinny sophomore point guard who wouldn’t be scared off or sped up. That was Wright, a true pass-first point with enormous upside she’s just started to discover.

“On this circuit, she’s playing against athletes that are just as fast as her, just as strong,’’ said Bruins’ coach Rachel Wojdowski. “So it’s, how are you going to differentiate? 

“I see Lailah as maybe not a point guard, maybe a one or two. She needs more maturity handling things, keeping a calm head when people get scrappy. But when we get to crunch time, she’s still definitely my playmaker.’’

Wright named Paige Beuckers, the former UConn star now with the NBA Dallas Wings, as her role model. Beuckers, a consummate scorer and creator, is definitely a one and two.

In her team’s 40-38 loss to Example Sports Monday, Wright did not attempt a three-pointer, and missed two critical late free throws.

“I have worked a lot on three-point shooting,’’ she said. “Obviously that didn’t show up in the game. I have to work on my free throws, obviously.’’

Wright brings an intriguing package even without a finished shot. She’s quick and explosive, both on the floor and in the air. Now that mostly translates to a drive-and-dish game on offense and tone-setting energy on defense. She plays with a lot of passion.

Even if she’s not yet a scorer, it’s easy to see how she could eventually rack up baskets from all over the court.

“Right now, for Lailah, it’s working on a lot of little details,’’ Wojdowski said. “If she develops a nice jumper, with her ability to elevate, … not a lot of people have that. She could be unstoppable. She’s got a really high ceiling, and she’s already a human press-break.’’

Wright, 5-7, said she has two D1 offers, from UMBC and Le Moyne. She’s quiet by nature, but said she’s enjoyed being recruited so far.

“It really is fun,’’ she said. “It’s a lot of talking, meeting new people. I’m (quiet), but I’m trying. I’ll work hard, see what happens. I have a long way to go.’’ — Mike Gross

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Sydney Mobley (2027 | WV Thunder Johnson GUAA 17U)

Not that she needed the confirmation, but Sydney Mobley got an indicator she might have a bright future in basketball in the sixth grade.

That’s when Ohio State gave the talented 6-foot-2 forward her first scholarship offer and that list has grown as exponentially as her game since then. Mobley, who is from Ohio and carries a four-star rating by ESPN, helped a loaded WV Thunder roster win the GUAA 17U title this weekend, all with plenty of college coaches lining the sidelines.

There was a lot for them to take in as Mobley showed that she’s still far from done growing as a player.

“It’s the competitiveness of every possession, it’s almost in my head like it’s a new game,” Mobley said. “At the start of a defensive possession, I’m ready, I want to get that stop and go on offense. Every moment is competitive in basketball and that’s why I love it.”

Mobley said she’s currently carrying around 35 Division I offers, with some of her most recent ones including South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Florida State and Georgia within the last two weeks. She also has Alabama, Auburn, Iowa, Kentucky and Notre Dame counted among her expansive list of offers.

She credited her parents and WV Thunder director/17U head coach Scott Johnson for helping her keep everything together during the recruiting process.

“It’s definitely been really fun talking to all the different schools and seeing what they have to offer,” Mobley said. “At times, I feel like for most kids in this position, it can get pretty stressful trying to balance being a teenager and talking to coaches but at the end of the day, I’m blessed to have the opportunity to talk to all the schools I’ve had the chance to talk to.”

Mobley, who plays for Big Walnut High School in Ohio and had a program-record 38 point game this past season, is strong and skilled in the post. However, she’s made it a mission to be even more versatile than that, looking to show this summer that she can stay on the floor and do more than just control the paint.

The forward was invited to the USA Basketball U16 team trials in May and will compete in Overtime Select next month in Atlanta.

“I’ve really been working on conditioning,” Mobley said. “I mostly work in the post, but I’ve been working on more guard things and not just the regular post stuff. My usual position is in the post, back to the basket, but I’ve been transitioning out, working on my jump shot and attacking the basket.”

Mobley was a force in her team’s tight win over a loaded IFN team from Texas on Saturday morning, netting 20 points including the game-winner. Just as impressive were some of the things she did with the ball, including a behind-the-back dribble near midcourt as she brought the ball up the floor and got her team into its set.

She first picked up a ball in third grade and was already a college prospect three years later. Mobley said her parents were instrumental in helping her see the potential in front of her and have pushed her to not settle at any point along the way.

“I like to look at old videos with my family and we just look at how far I’ve come even from two years ago when I started high school,” Mobley said. “Even from then to now, it’s been a huge difference.”

Mobley, who has been with WV Thunder the entirety of her travel career, said she’d like to try and narrow down her options to a top 15 or top 10 in the fall but didn’t set a hard timeline for anything. She’s still got another year of high school and another summer to go and she may even look like a different player a year from now at the rate she’s going.

“I want to be as productive as I can and as versatile as I can,” Mobley said. “Any coach, any play style, I want to make sure I can be effective on any team in any style.” — Andrew Robinson

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