Donovyn Hunter
Jenna Villa of Arlington, Washington, is one of the nation's top sharpshooters. *Photo by Eliteye Media.
SEATTLE -- The sun is up on the 2023 class recruiting now. And there was a special crop of rising juniors hooping at the Check Me Out Showcase in Seattle closing out the summer.
Donovyn Hunter of Medford, Oregon.
*Photo by Eliteye Media.Even before competition Hunter stood out. She has a college-ready frame now and in terms of overall athleticism she was sprinting step for step with some of the fastest kids in the region. She’s a power wing with a smooth way about her, even in traffic. She scored with ease as a slasher and shot the ball out to the 3-point arc.
Ava Schmidt (Sammamish, WA), Eastlake High School -- 2023
Schmidt jumps out right away because of her size at 6-2 and her mobility. But she showed a lot more than that. Her foot work both on the interior and on the catch in transition were impressive. She showed soft hands both catching on the move as well as touch finishing. The makings of a terrific stretch 4 player are in the works here.
Kaleta had a strong weekend. She jumped out early with her shooting stroke. This seems to be an area she’s improved on throughout the travel ball season. She has good size at 5-9 and a quick release. She played with good energy and made some nice plays passing the ball as well to get teammates buckets.
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Huntsinger is a front court option with wing athleticism making her ideal for a four-out systems. She has the size schools look for but her agility and ability to get off the ground to finish and rebound really stood out.
Carter is a smooth operator at the point guard position and she showed the ability to play off the ball as well. We’ve worked with her three times in the past year and her assertiveness grows each time out without taking away from her gift of making the right play. She has the ball skill and quicks to create but she really has been a player other players want to hoop with in her camp weekends with us. She’s growing as a a leader and becoming the voice on the floor is next up for Carter.
This summer was something of a breakthrough moment for the 6-4 Hotchkiss, most notably the incredible growth in her confidence. She’s made a big jump in her willingness to be aggressive in traffic. A year ago she was waiting for one-on-one post opportunities to make an impact and she’s now making her presence known more consistently.
Villa is a veteran working with our staff, having competed all over the country. She’s long since established herself as one of the premier long range threats in the region and the country in 2023. She’s also been willing to use her length in the pinch and play a forward when needed. The next evolution for Villa, especially now that her rep as a lethal shooter is well known, is to build a scoring skill set when they run her off the line.
#CheckMeOutNATION
— Chris Hansen (@ChrisHansenPSB) September 1, 2021
Seattle Spotlight 1's
IG had it first: https://t.co/RCrNLX8YEj#ElITEisEARNED pic.twitter.com/M27cb51T1R
The Pitbull was only with us for a day but she showed why high end mid-majors and power 5 schools have the 5-6 point guard on their call and visit lists. The energy she brings to the floor is contagious and you’re never going to get over on her competitively so everything is earned opposite of Samuels. The biggest area she’s improved is her range, which, with two seasons left before college, is right on time.
Malia Samuels of Seattle, Washington, competes at the 2021 Check Me Out Showcase. *Photo by KooVisions.
Chris Hansen is managing editor of ProspectsNation.com and serves on the McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Trophy selection committees. He was a co-founder of and the national director of scouting for ESPN HoopGurlz from 2005 until 2012 and is the director of the Check Me Out Showcase and ELITE is EARNED events. He can be reached at chris@prospectsnation.com.
