SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — It's pretty rare to see Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley in the same building, especially in Massachusetts. But that underscores how much of a marquee event the Hoophall Classic has become on the girls side.
The annual MLK weekend showcase has long been a top draw for its boys prospects, with future stars from Jayson Tatum to Cade Cunningham to Cooper Flagg competing in Blake Arena at Springfield College. But the Hoophall Classic also used to bring girls teams as well. Then it stopped, but has slowly brought back more and more of the top girls programs around the country. Fans still vividly recall JuJu Watkins, who provided one of the most dominant Hoophall performances I've ever seen when she suited up for Sierra Canyon in 2023.
Friday was solely for the girls. UConn, South Carolina and dozens of elite college programs used it as a premier scouting event. We saw fireworks, including Bishop McNamara (ranked second nationally) making a stunning fourth-quarter comeback to take down top-ranked Ontario Christian in the nightcap. This was my fifth time covering the Hoophall Classic in some capacity, and this year, I came exclusively to cover the girls teams.
I can all-but guarantee that multiple future college superstars and WNBA prospects took the court Friday. A whopping 27 nationally-ranked players were on rosters spanning just five games. We're often in our own New England bubble, but these teams are just on another level — though there was one notable local matchup I'll also highlight. Here are 17 names you should know from this year's Hoophall Classic, listed alphabetically.
Jezelle "GG" Banks, St. James (Va.)
Class of 2027, 5-8 guard
Hometown: Wilmington, Del.
Banks is ranked fourth in ESPN's 2027 class and is on the trajectory of a star lead floor general. She led St. James in points (19), assists (five) and steals (six) en route to a 59-49 win against IMG. Banks can make high-level passing reads to most spots in the half-court. I noticed a great skip pass to the opposite wing for a 3, a driving interior assist after drawing the opposing big's help defense, and a smart extra pass in transition. Banks is explosive off the dribble and likes to pressure the rim, which helped her get to the free throw line (9-for-9).
Taylor Brown, Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.)
Class of 2027, 5-6 guard
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.
Another top 2027 lead guard who shined, Brown sits 33rd in ESPN's rankings. She was torching Sierra Canyon defenders off the dribble in LuHi's 70-60 victory, finishing with 20 points, eight assists and four steals. Brown's handle and burst made her a relentless threat to get to the basket, and she also did a great job taking the first hit of contact and then finishing. She made two of three 3-point attempts, including a pull-up bucket using a screen from Savvy Swords. Brown also showed great awareness when she drew multiple defenders on drives, consistently making the right read and finding open teammates.
Abby Casper, Northwest Catholic
Class of 2026, 6-0 forward
Hometown: Cromwell, Conn.
NCAA: Holy Cross
Friday's Hoophall slate opened with an intriguing local matchup between Northwest Catholic, our No. 1 CIAC team, and Springfield Central, third in our MIAA Top 10. Though Northwest Catholic came out on the losing end, Casper set her program's all-time scoring record during her 15-point, 12-rebound double-double. She's a strong, versatile forward who overpowered defenders in the post and on the glass, but Casper can also handle the ball and win with 1-on-1 drives. She's among the top prospects in New England's senior class.
COMMITMENT CENTRAL:Â Why Casper chose Holy Cross
Harmony Golightly, Mater Dei (Calif.)
Class of 2027, 5-7 guard
Hometown: Fullerton, Calif.
Every year, there's at least one or two unranked talents who capitalize on the Hoophall stage. It's one of my favorite storylines and Golightly seized her moment this year. She posted 17 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, leading Mater Dei to a 53-39 victory against Christ the King. Golightly opened her scoring with a sweet spin move into a layup. Her hesitation moves and quick changes of pace off the dribble kept the defense guessing throughout the game, and Golightly draws inspiration from one of the NBA's great off-dribble scorers.
"I really watch a lot of Jordan Poole. He's my favorite player," Golightly said. "I feel like he's pretty underrated. He's such a great player."
To be clear, Golightly is drawing plenty of college interest. She has offers from a few West Coast schools, plus Auburn and UCF. But a game like this could help launch her into the next tier of prospect status.
Tatianna Griffin, Ontario Christian (Calif.)
Class of 2028, 5-11 guard/forward
Hometown: Chino, Calif.
The No. 1 ranked sophomore in the nation, Griffin tallied 17 points and seven rebounds in an ultimately shocking loss to Bishop McNamara in the final seconds. She's a strong wing who loves to drive the ball and isn't afraid of contact. Griffin specifically found a hot spot around the left elbow area that she went to frequently for pull-up jumpers. She's definitely more impactful on the ball than without it right now, but Griffin has a lot of confidence for her age.
Stevi Harmon, IMG Academy (Fla.)
Class of 2028, 6-0 guard/forward
Hometown: Bradenton, Fla.
Harmon definitely turned the heads of some scouts and analysts in attendance as she put on the best shooting display of the game. Her 20 points included six 3s; Harmon sets her feet quickly and is super consistent on set shots and shooting off movement. She even mixed in a nice sidestep bucket. I imagine we'll start seeing her name more as 2028 national radars start filling out.
Jordyn Jackson, St. James (Va.)
Class of 2026, 6-1 guard/forward
Hometown: Arlington, Va.
NCAA: Maryland
The seventh-ranked senior prospect amassed a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double with five blocks and three assists. Jackson was a standout defender with her ability to slide her feet and stick with fast drives, plus her length and strength. She also drew a ton of defensive attention and made smart passes in response. I liked one play in particular where Jackson looked trapped under the basket, pump-faked and managed to kick out to Dru Carlton for 3. She's going to be fun to watch at Maryland with New England native and current Terrapins star Oluchi Okananwa (Peabody, Mass.)
Jaylah King, Bishop McNamara
Class of 2028, 5-9 guard
Hometown: Baltimore, Md.
Bishop McNamara does not pull off its comeback without King, whose 21 points helped her team stay in the game before the eventual winning surge. She went toe-to-toe with the more highly-touted Griffin and won a couple of times with sharp drives for layups. King also attacked closeouts for layups, went at mismatches and brought needed energy on the boards. She isn't on the shortened 2028 rankings yet, but King will be at some point, and she's already got plenty of high-major interest.
Ashley MacCalla, St. James (Va.)
Class of 2o27, 5-11 guard
Hometown: Middletown, N.Y.
MacCalla racked up 10 blocks in St. James' win against IMG to go with 10 points and six rebounds. Some of these chasedown plays and 1-on-1 rejections on drives were jaw-dropping. MacCalla literally looks like she's bouncing up to the rim, be it on a block or a mid-air hanging layup. She's effortlessly athletic, but she also competes hard and smart, only drawing two fouls in the game. MacCalla sits 46th in ESPN's 2027 rankings.
Giavanna Mars, Springfield Central
Class of 2028, 5-6 guard
A quick pause on the national stars as we return to the opening New England matchup. Mars shook off a poor start to emerge as a go-to player down the stretch of Springfield Central's 56-44 victory over Northwest Catholic. She ended up with 15 points (almost all coming in the second half), seven rebounds and two steals. Mars is quick off the dribble but can get to her pull-up shots, and she's a weapon in transition and a high-energy perimeter defender.
Mars gave a very honest answer about her second-half turnaround that showed a lot of maturity and self-reflection.
"My team noticed that my body language (and) my facial expressions were down. When I got that first foul, I just threw everything away — second foul, I just completely took myself out of the game, emotionally and physically," she said. "My coaches sat me down. They talked to me. My teammates talked to me. Second half, I came in the game, I got a few pep talks from each one of my teammates. They told me that this is not my game, this is not who I am, it's not how I play. And hearing that from them, coaches and the crowd — it's all one big family, and they just all told me, 'You need to step it up. It's not who you are.'"
From a local angle, Springfield Central's takedown of the three-time defending CIAC champions was massive. They'll be getting a boost in our next MIAA Top 10.
"I think this win is actually really big for us, because people all over the place were saying that we weren't built for this team. This team was going to blow us out of the water," Mars said. "So we came out and showed them who we really were."
Jordyn Palmer, Westtown (Pa.)
Class of 2027, 6-1 guard/forward
Hometown: Oxford, Pa.
Westtown earned a 50-40 win against Bullis at the Hoophall Classic (for some context: this team beat Hoosac, arguably the top NEPSAC girls team right now, by 22 points in November) behind Palmer's 21 points and 12 rebounds. The No. 6 national junior prospect is a fascinating watch. Though Palmer isn't a very fast or explosive athlete, her scoring moves are so refined that she can maneuver her way to a lot of rhythm shots. She also seems unbothered by contact around the rim and can bump and separate for pull-up buckets.
Jerzy Robinson, Sierra Canyon (Calif.)
Class of 2026, 6-1 guard/forward
Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.
NCAA: South Carolina
Robinson was the most impressive individual star on Friday, scoring 33 of Sierra Canyon's 60 points to go with 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Her combination of physical strength, court awareness and competitive fire was unreal to watch. Robinson demanded post touched and bodied defenders for buckets. She hit three of her seven 3-point attempts. She's an advanced passer who made great high-low feeds and fired some laser skip passes to the opposite corners. And she can rise up and shoot over defenders off the dribble. Robinson, ESPN's fifth-ranked prospect, brings a serious locked-in intensity that would terrify me as an opponent. I think she could be in the JuJu Watkins level of "Where were you when..." type of Hoophall legends.
Qandace Samuels, Bishop McNamara (Md.)
Class of 2027, 6-2 forward
Hometown: District Heights, Md.
Samuels provided the go-ahead layup in a thrilling, 57-55 comeback victory for Bishop McNamara against Ontario Christian. That was just the exclamation point on 21 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and two blocks from the 14th-ranked junior. Samuels is a difficult cover as a wing with long arms and long strides that help her win on driving layups. But she also showed remarkable confidence as a pull-up shooter, hitting sidestep 3s and mid-range shots. Her two blocks included an impressive chasedown swat and one where she stuck with a defender on a drive, both aided by her length. Samuels' physical tools and clear flashes of skill make her an exciting long-term player to watch develop.
Kaleena Smith, Ontario Christian (Calif.)
Class of 2027, 5-6 guard
Hometown: Perris, Calif.
The most well-known name in high school girls basketball is "Special K," and the No. 1 junior showed why with 25 points against Bishop McNamara. In this game, Smith found opportunities shooting off the catch and around screens (4-of-8 from 3). I thought the opponent did a decent job containing Smith's handle, but she still attacked on drives and did a nice job of pinning defenders with her body and separating. Smith's scoring arsenal is just so diverse: floaters, finger-roll layups, pull-up shots and more that all come from innate creativity. Smith played in another Hoophall game that wasn't part of the main schedule on Saturday and poured in 45 points.
Savannah "Savvy" Swords, Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.)
Class of 2026, 6-1 forward
Hometown: Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
NCAA: Kentucky
Swords ranked right up among my favorite watches from Friday. Her 19 points, six rebounds and three steals don't even tell the whole story of how impactful she was in LuHi's win against Sierra Canyon. Her defense in the post was rock-solid, she canned three of four 3-point looks off a variety of shot types, she drove the ball hard and even drew a charge. I understand why Kentucky did well in landing Swords, who slots in 19th in ESPN's 2026 class. She's not the exact same archtype as local star and current Wildcat freshman Kaelyn Carroll (Dedham, Mass.), but both are stellar shooters and skilled forwards who can make plays off the dribble and add defensive impact with their length.
Olivia Vukosa, Christ the King (N.Y.)
Class of 2026, 6-4 center
Hometown: Whitestone, N.Y.
NCAA: UConn
Auriemma attended the Hoophall Classic in part to watch Vukosa, the third-ranked senior prospect and the crown jewel of UConn's latest recruiting class. Vukosa is a physically imposing center who owns the paint on both ends of the floor. She collected 14 points, 13 rebounds, four steals and two blocks in the loss to Mater Dei. She displayed overpowering strength and determination to carve out space in the post and on decisive cutting layups. Vukosa also did a great job as a rim-protector, stepping up and/or rotating over on several drives to block and alter shots. She runs the floor hard and her size will remain a major advantage in college.
Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka, Bullis (Md.)
Class of 2027, 6-1 guard/forward
Hometown: Frederick, Md.
Wilson-Manyacka, the second-ranked junior in the country, has all the tools to be a matchup nightmare. She's a quality perimeter shooter who looks comfortable firing away quickly from a standstill or moving around screens. She also attacks driving lanes hard and has an interesting bag of pull-up scoring tricks. Manyacka is long for her position as a wing and had a huge chasedown block at the rim. She finished with 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in Bullis' loss to Westtown.
