Olivia Smith – Class of 2028

• Interesting player as she has length and height for a guard.
• Shoots the ball well, but doesn’t seem to look or hunt for her shot.
• Projecting a year or two out, if she works on her physical strength she can increase her range, finish better around the basket better and be a stronger rebounder.
• Could be a disrupter on defense with her length.
• Needs to utilize her dribble better meaning she sometimes just dribbles to dribble which places her in tough spots on the flloor.
• When she understands where she can make an impact at the next level (shooting, defending and rebounds) by using her length, she can be really good.
• Upper and lower body strength will help her explosiveness.
• Tends to stand up too much on both ends which slows her game down.

• Has a quick release and good form on her jump shot.
• She will grow into her frame. Right now she is playing up two years and the physical part of the game shows.
• If she will embrace the physicality of the game, by working on her strength she could be effective at the next level.
• Tends to stay on the right side of the court. To be more effective she’ll need to develop both hands; this will open up more of the court.
• On defense, she needs to have high hands. Her length and height could be very disruptive to opponents.
• When on the ball, she tends to reach out with her arms to slow the ball-handler down when all she really needs to do is slide her feet and keep her arms out to cut off angles.  Arms in = fouls or getting beat off the dribble.

• Rangy player with good length and agility.
• With strength and maturity she’ll grow into a player that can increase her jumpshot range / distance.
• Could be a matchup problem on both ends of the court.

Louisville, Kentucky Run 4 Roses July 11-13, 2024:

• Good height and length for a guard.
• Needs more muscle.
• Needs to look for her shot more.

Lake Point, Georgia War Games 28.5 July 18-19, 2024:

• Good jump shot form.
• With strength she can increase her range.
• Could be an impactful player on both ends of the court.

Concord, North Carolina July 27-28, 2024:

• Good passer, good decisions.
• Disruptive on defense when her arms are out and she moves her feet.
• Finishes around the basket well.

Teach The Game Practice Evaluations

Sessions 1-4:

• Playing defense with a wider base and using her length will be a focus moving forward.
• Jumpshot consistency has improved; range is the next goal.
• Finishing with contact by stretching out and up as opposed to fading from contact can take her game to the next level.
• Using her lefthand to attack the basket, whether into a pull up or all the way to the basket, will allow for her to be a harder player to guard.

Sessions 5-13:

• Jump shot consistency continues to be a focus.
• Good focus and listening skills.
• Able to transfer instructions onto the court.
• Waiting for her to keep “the light” on at all times to see what kind of player she can become.

Sessions 14-21:

• Being more assertive has helped her offensive game improve.
• Continuing to put an emphasis on using angles on defense will improve her game on that end of the floor.
• Running hard on fastbreaks to get to your spot will allow her to get her shot off in space before the defense sets up.