BROOKLYN, NY- It was Upstate, NY day at the Rose Classic on Saturday with three teams all from the Capital Region coming down to Fort Greene to test their skills on the J.H.S. 113 hardwood against some of the best of the best from NYC, New Jersey, and Maryland.
Many of the brightest young stars from the area brought their best game to Brooklyn on Saturday, and with NYCHoops.net in attendance to take in the action here are those who stood out the most to us with our top performer player evaluations from the best of the best from Saturday's Rose Classic play.
Paulina Paris, 5'7" PG, Team Rio (Albertus Magnus '22)- It was a star-studded effort for one of the best in the Class of 2022 in the country as Paris had 23 points in Team Rio's win over City Rocks on Saturday morning. Her effortless ability to get by defenders and finish using her off hand at the rim was thoroughly impressive, as was Paris' touch from the midrange coming off the dribble and not going right at the defense but seeing what they gave her and knocking down shots from all over the court.
Cianna Roberts, 5'6" PG, Bria Hartley Elite (St. Joseph's '21)- Every time out Roberts seems to impress more and more as she is far more confident as a playmaker with the ball in her hands this year as opposed to this point a year ago. Her vision and ability to create off the bounce is fantastic but it's her shooting touch that seems to have taken her game to another level. Against the Saratoga Sparks it was Roberts once again leading the offense as she has become a major cog of the St. Joseph's offense.
Kaelah Carter, 5'8" SG, Albany City Rocks (Shaker '22)- Coming to the Rose Classic is never an easy thing but Carter showed that once the jitters wear off she can be a major factor putting the ball in the hoop as after a 6 point showing in her first game on Saturday it would be Carter with 14 points to pace the way against the New Jersey Sparks. There was no intimidation factor here as Carter was excellent pushing the tempo in transition while also being an excellent scorer off the dribble and knocking down tough shots to show herself as a tough well-rounded offensive weapon.
Natasha Chudy, 6'1" SF, Saratoga Sparks (Saratoga Springs '23)- While Carter at least had a couple Rose Classic games under her belt coming into Saturday it was Chudy's debut, though she didn't disappoint. Her length and ability to play on the wing and put the ball on the ground and make plays off the dribble make Chudy a unique talent, but it's her finishing ability from 10-15 feet with a good form on her jumper, along with being a tough defensive weapon in the paint that make the young Saratoga Star a standout on Saturday.
Shcira Fowles, 6'1" PF, Women's United (South Shore '20)- Scoring 27 points in a game is a thoroughly impressive feat for anyone in a Rose Classic game, and that's exactly what Fowles did on Saturday as she was a menace inside getting the ball with her back to the basket with the South Shore star showing improved footwork and touch with both hands to finish in the paint. Her perimeter game has taken drastic improvements as well as Fowles knocked down a three and hit a couple others from 15 feet out in a day where Women's United took the W in their early morning contest.
Shania Davis, 5'7" PG/SG, NJ Sparks (University, NJ '20)- They call her "Tink" but they might as well have called her "Star" on Saturday as Davis helped carry the Sparks from New Jersey to a victory with a huge second half performance. Off the dribble there may have been no quicker than Davis on Saturday as she was able to beat the defense and make plays going to the rim in the open floor, however in halfcourt spots when she got just a little bit of room the shot was going up and going down as she connected on 4 three's in a 21 point outing in a victory for the NJ power.
Jenalyse Alarcon, 5'9" SG, NY Havoc (Troy '21)- If only the Havoc could've knocked down more FT's as a team, they could've been 2-0 instead of 0-2 after their two morning games on Saturday. Alarcon though did her part to try and lead the Havoc to the win as she displayed deep range in knocking down 3 three balls in game two, while in game one showing the speed and the playmaking abilities to read the defense and make plays going one on one to the basket. She had 9 points in her first game of the day and 15 in the second outing as Alarcon's ability to finish should have her as among Section 2's top scorers this season.
Kennedy Umeh, 6'3", Maryland Belles (St. Louis School, MD '24)- Not even in H.S. yet, Umeh could be playing Junior's at the Rose Classic but instead she is thoroughly dominating the competition on the main Senior level, a scary thought about what she can be in the years to come. Umeh is a legit 6'3" with a strong frame to control the paint, dominate the glass, and make things happen when she gets the ball down low. It was a 10 point game in Umeh's first outing of the day on Saturday but she easily had double digit rebounds as well, while altering a lot of shots that came her way in a compete outing, one of many in the years to come for this budding star.
