Alright y’all, buckle up for my scouting day at the MT Class C Girls State hoops frenzy yesterday. Seriously, those bleachers felt like they’d swallow you whole by halftime.
Getting My Bearings (And Coffee)
Dragged myself outta bed stupid early, bleary-eyed, feeling like roadkill. Grabbed my big notebook (the trusty spiral kind), my halfway-decent digital camera – nothin’ fancy, just gotta catch the moves – and practically mainlined a giant gas station coffee. Drove out to Summit High gym. Parking lot was already buzzin’ like a kicked-over hornets’ nest an hour before tip-off.
Shoved my way through the crowd, muttered apologies like a broken record, finally found a spot on the bleachers halfway up. Wiped the sweat off my brow – place was gettin’ steamy already – flipped open my notebook to a fresh page, scribbled down the teams warming up: “Westfield Wildcats vs. Pine Grove Panthers.” Started just kinda… watching. Taking notes on how they moved, who seemed fired up.
The Standouts Blew My Mind
You always hope to spot the next big thing, but dang. The Pine Grove point guard? This kid Number 11. Wow. Barely scraped 5’5″ maybe, but played like she was 6’5″. Handled the ball like it was glued to her fingertips while runnin’ full tilt. Saw her thread a pass no-look, behind-the-back through two defenders, right into her teammate’s breadbasket under the hoop. My jaw actually dropped. Scribbled in my notebook: “11 PG – PGrove. Insane handles. Sees EVERYTHING. Floor general fr.”
Then for Westfield, this wing player, Number 23. Pure hustle. Never stopped moving. Leaked out on defense, got like three easy buckets just from outrunning everyone. Defensively? Stuck to her girl like chewed gum on a hot sidewalk. Made it look so darn effortless. My notes got messy: “23 Wing – Westfield. Track star w/ ball?? Motor DOESN’T QUIT. Defense lockdown.”
Found myself starin’ at the stats sheet later, couldn’t believe the bigs either:
- Kayla “The Wall” Richards (Oakmont): Seriously lived up to her name. Changed EVERY shot near the rim. Big body, smart hands. Felt the floor vibrate when she blocked one.
- Alisha Chen (Riverton Point Guard): Shot the lights OUT. Deep three-pointers like they were layups. Defense dared her, she made ’em pay. Cold blooded.
The Not-So-Shiny Bits
Course, not all sunshine and rainbows. Spilled lukewarm water all over my notes midway through the second game – epic fail. Had to rewrite half the dang things with soggy paper. Later, tried takin’ a action shot of this amazing drive, perfect timing, and some dude stands up right in front yelling “DEFENSE!” right as I clicked. Photo ruined. Just a blurry back of a t-shirt. Grrr.
And the pretzel? Ten bucks! For basically stale bread and salt crystals. Highway robbery, people.
Wrapping It Up (Sore Butt Edition)
By the final buzzer of the last game I scouted, my butt felt fused to the bleachers and scribbling felt like carpal tunnel was settin’ in fast. Packed up my damp notebook and tired camera. Head was still buzzin’ with crossover moves, deep threes, and Kayla swattin’ shots into next week.
Drove home exhaustedly, already replayin’ highlights in my head. Scouting these girls? Made the soggy notes, the ruined photo, even the ten-dollar pretzel kinda worth it. Raw talent jumps out at you on a court like that. Seriously pumped to see where these names pop up next.