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Girls: Upstate SF is a special talent

When you look at the Section 4 area right now you could easily make a case that this is the strongest basketball that the region has ever seen with many future Division 1 talents proving to be worthy of the attention they are getting, and one of those players who has made a name for herself quickly is 6'1" forward Zaria DeMember-Shazer (Elmira '20).

An incredibly versatile player who has showed to be able to play a numerous positions on the floor, DeMember-Shazer shined on the AAU circuit with BNY Select 15's in July as she looks primed for her first Division 1 offer.

Even though DeMember-Shazer has been a top talent in Section 4 for a couple of years now, she has remained level headed and humble throughout. Many players who do what she did, which include being a major part of Elmira H.S.'s run to a Section 4 Class AA title, would play knowing they are a future star, but according to BNY head man Rob Baxter, that isn't the case with this special talent.

"Zaria has had a big name at a young age but she still is a warrior and has a tremendously high motor," Baxter stated. "She goes after every loose ball, she is tough, great in pick and roll situations, and is very active on defense."

A great athlete who can guard wings, forward, or centers, DeMember-Shazer came off a strong high school season and while she could've made a splash immediately during April, Baxter and fellow BNY coach Mike Constantine decided to go at a slower pace with her and kept her in workouts until the July Live Period where DeMember-Shazer got to showcase what she could do in front of all the college coaches.

Taking advantage of her opportunity to play against some of the best in the country in front of dozens upon dozens of college coaches, DeMember-Shazer showed that she could be a post-up forward just as much as she could be a face up 4 who could stretch out enough to where her range proved to go beyond the three-point line.

Defensively DeMember-Shazer was strong as well and all of that combined meant a long list of schools decided to reach out to Baxter about her.

"We are really trying to organize her list right now but we have gotten calls from schools in the ACC all the way down to schools in the MAAC and NEC,' Baxter admitted. "There were probably about 35 schools who called about Zaria."

Adding to that, the month of August has seen DeMember-Shazer go out to Buffalo and Fordham where she played at each school's Elite Camp, shining and showing that while young, the talent is there for big things going forward.

The future for DeMember-Shazer is truly limitless as she is long and still growing. What's scarier is that she is still refining and developing her offensive skills, and there has to be real thought that when it all comes together, DeMember-Shazer could be a future high-major talent as she looks to once again dominate Section 4 basketball this season.

Go to NYGHoops.com for more girls articles.


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