Girls Player Watch: Kerry Flaherty
Playing on a City Rocks team that has proven themselves to be able to compete with anyone in New York this season, one of the more underrated players on that team continues to be 5'9" guard Kerry Flaherty (Saratoga Springs '19).
Only a rising junior, Flaherty has shown to be more than capable of playing either guard spot, she has a strong perimeter jumper, and with her aggressiveness at putting the ball on the floor and attacking the rim, there is little doubt that more Division 1 schools will be chasing her sooner than later.
It was a solid sophomore year for Flaherty as she averaged 16 points per game in leading the Blue Streaks to one of their best seasons in recent memory. She was able to score from all points on the floor, but her defense has really brought her game to another level this season.
Comfortably able to guard both ones and twos, Flaherty was a shutdown defender for long stretches and more times than not limited the oppositions leading scorer to under their season average.
The hope for this AAU season was that Flaherty could build upon her high school season and get her name out there as a player who deserved Division 1 attention, and that was a major reason as to why she decided to play with City Rocks this spring and summer and play against some of the top teams from across the country.
Earlier on this month during the first July Live Period session, City Rocks went down to Kentucky and played at the Run 4 the Roses Classic and the Battle in the Boro Tournament, and it's there that Flaherty really proved to be able to have her game translate to a higher level, something that City Rocks head coach Keith Danzy said was definitely noticed.
"Kerry absolutely showed she can shoot the ball extremely well, she is tough and aggressive and made a lot of great plays for us," Danzy stated.
Going into this week's second part of the July Live Period, City Rocks will be down in Georgia competing in the Atlanta Summer Slam and the The National Championship where Flaherty hopes to build on her momentum. She has a handful of Division 2 offers, and Holy Cross has a heavy interest in her on the D1 level as well according to Danzy as he knows that the more she is seen, the more Flaherty's stock will rise.
Seeing her as a multidimensional player with the ability to become even better with more strength and consistency, the future is without a doubt bright for Flaherty who Danzy believes will begin to take off even more in the weeks and months ahead as one of the Albany areas top future prospects.
"There are definitely a few schools who are getting more interested in Kerry and we are just trying to build her interest up even more now, and if she keeps playing the way she, is I know that will happen."
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