You won't find many high school guards with a play style like Northfield Mount Hermon's Zariah Ottley.
The Rockland, Mass., native is 5-foot-7, but she overpowers opponents on drives and racks up rebounds. Ottley can spot up for 3 or get to a mid-range fadeaway jumper. Last year, she tallied up 14.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals for NMH.
Ottley's unique versatility makes her our seventh-ranked prospect in New England's Class of 2027. She'll continue her basketball career locally at Boston University.
For the latest installment of Prospect Watch, NMH coach Grace Rehnquist broke down what it's like to have Ottley as a weapon at her disposal.
Court vision
"Certainly in the fast break, she can throw the ball very quickly. She can get rid of the ball very quickly. She sees the court incredibly well in transition, and then in the quarter-court, she sees a player getting open before they get open. So her ability to dish when she hunts the paint is second to none. I think she is one of the best creators in New England, and when she draws the attention, when she's able to get two feet in the paint, she is either going to score or get a scoring option for a teammate."
A power guard
"She doesn't lose the ball when she goes to the rim. Our saying this year is 'Everything's an and-1, and that's her goal, is that when she gets herself to the rim this year, it's not just getting fouled. It's getting fouled and finishing. She's also working a ton on what she can create when she's getting doubled. Or a turnaround jump shot — using her power to elevate over people. She just doesn't turn the ball over very often when she's getting herself downhill into the rim. So I think just her ability to maintain control (stands out)."
Underrated shooting
"I think part of it is that people would rather her shoot 3s than try to to contain her on the drive. So they give that up in her game, and she's a great catch-and-shoot kid. She shot the ball, I think, 41 percent from 3 last year. She doesn't take a lot of them. She's really, really smart in her decision-making, which I appreciate as a coach. In this era of 'kids are going to shoot a lot of 3s,' Zariah shoots a lot of smart 3s.
"We do get zoned a lot because of our intricate offense. And so Zariah is going to be big in that. She's a great passer, so we put her in the middle a lot, but we'll be flashing her in and out of the middle to get her open looks (and) popping out of the paint to get her some outside touches for sure."
Versatility
"She is just kind of a a Swiss Army knife of a player, I think actually, on both ends of the floor, I think her defense is incredibly underrated, and the way she rebounds the ball is incredible. She was our leading rebounder last year, and just the way that she attracts attention on the offensive end — every year she just adds an element to her game."
Fit at BU
"I just think she's such a steal at the Patriot League level, period. You don't see a ton of athletes like Zariah at that kind of mid-major level. I think knowing the type of offense that Melissa (Graves, BU head coach) likes to run, kind of the four-around-one — they move the ball really well. They drive and dish and try to create for each other, and that fits Zariah super well, and they like to get out and run. So I think Zariah is going to do super well in that style. Melissa always being a great post player herself — they like to find a really good post player and surround her with really good guards who can pass. And I think that fits Zariah's style of play incredibly well."
