Under Armour Next Elite 24 Women’s Showcase: Impressions from Afar
Under Armour Next Elite 24
August 10, 2024 | Brooklyn, NY
Held in Brooklyn, New York, on August 10, 2024, Under Armour Next Elite 24 women’s showcase brought out many of the stars of high school basketball in America. Interestingly, Under Armour “borrowed” several players from other circuits including game MVP candidates Kaleena Smith of the Nike EYBL and Saniyah Hall out of the Power 24 circuit. The majority of players were from Under Armour’s GUAA. This year the game was played at a facility which (from online viewing) appeared protected from the elements. Last year in Atlanta rain played havoc cancelling the girls’ game due to an unplayable court. As for defense there was a fair amount played and team ball was played intermittently as happens in all-star contests.
To the event’s credit, the teams were competitive with each other with Kaleena Smith’s Team Fire ultimately winning 85-75 over Saniyah Hall’s Team Ice which did not score after the 5:01 mark of quarter four. Postings online complained that the minutes were not shared evenly amongst players. One must remember coaches too have competitive juices and unless someone is rigidly monitoring minutes, playing time may not be as evenly distributed as in an intramural contest.
The impressions below were from watching a re-play of the game online with all point references unofficial. No scoresheet was posted online (that this writer could find), and it was not always clear (camera angles and/or announcers talking about something else) as to whom some baskets were attributed.
Commenting below on the rosters listed in alphabetical order with graduation year (home state and any college commitment in parenthesis):
Team Fire
Jacy Abii 2026 (Texas – did not play due to injury)
Dee Alexander 2025 (Ohio; committed to University of Cincinnati) – started and competed but did not have dominant role; highly ranked playmaker got to the paint and rebounded
Aubrey Beckham 2025 (Georgia) – one of the best seniors in Georgia, she did not impact pro or con
Divine Bourrage 2025 (Iowa) – probably the top senior in Iowa for this coming year, Bourrage showed well mostly playing off the ball when she generally plays point guard in high school
Caroline Bradley 2027 (Louisiana) – impressed in what felt like limited minutes with limited scoring; hyped as Louisiana’s next great player, this low-post did not give viewers reason to doubt the high upside for this rising sophomore
Kaelyn Carroll 2025 (Massachusetts) – one of best seniors in New England, Carroll (a versatile player with size) added some physicality in the paint but did not score
Oliviyah Edwards 2026 (Washington) – one of the great athletes in high school today, she wows the crowd with a great play on offense or a defensive block but disappears at times; could be the best player in this class if it all comes together in the future
Bella Flemings 2026 (Texas) – a prolific scorer, Flemings had moments but was not central to this game’s outcome
Kelis Fisher 2025 (Maryland playing at IMG in Florida; committed to University of Connecticut) – highly athletic with up and down productivity when seen this past year in high school, this outing was primarily ‘up’ as she played hard and contributed double digit scoring
Natalie Kussow 2026 (Wisconsin) – Kussow continues to make a case for being Wisconsin’s best player for the coming year; she moved well without the ball creating scoring opportunities in posting 11 (9 in half one) points.
Jordan Ode 2025 (Minnesota; committed to Michigan State) – hit a couple of perimeter shots but was not central to this game’s outcome.
2027 Kaleena Smith drops off a dime in traffic in the scrimmage at the Brooklyn Nets practice facility. (PC: UA Next)
Kaleena Smith 2027 (California) – finished with 20 points (named the game’s MVP) including the final three (which ended the game due to the Elam Ending used by UA in this event); although diminutive in build, Smith plays much bigger than her 5-5 listed height with excellent court vision and ability to hit the three plus quickness on D; perhaps the best high school player for this coming season even though only a rising sophomore, Special K (apt nickname) with continued maturation has a chance to be one of the best players amongst smaller guards ever to play the women’s game.
Team Ice
Kelsi Andrews 2026 (Alabama) – scored only a few points but battled in the paint and is slowly working her way back from two knee surgeries
Amari Byles 2026 (Texas) - hit a couple of perimeter shots but was not central to this game’s outcome; still did not look out of place
2026 Saniyah Hall works her way to the rim in practice. (PC: UA Next)
Saniyah Hall 2026 (Ohio) – finished with 21 efficient points and was right there with Kaleena Smith for game MVP honors if her team had won; can score at all three levels and seems to know when to do what; helped her case for being considered the top 2026 prospect
Kate Harpring 2026 (Georgia) – did not score but affected the game with good D and passing
Destiny Jackson 2025 (Illinois) – primarily playing point, Jackson was physical and posted a double-digit outing making a case for being a strong pre-season player of the year candidate in Illinois
ZaKiyah Johnson 2025 (Kentucky) – hit a couple of shots but for this game may best be known for having her shot blocked by the much smaller Kaleena Smith
Destiny Lunan 2025 (Arizona) – scored only a few points but showed above average athleticism in doing so
Leah Macy 2025 (Kentucky, committed to Notre Dame) – battled hard in the paint in posting nine points
Ivanna Wilson Manyacka 2027 (Maryland) – was not impactful in this contest scoring just a few points but as one of the top 2027 players did not look out of place
Deniya Prawl 2025 (Ontario, Canada playing at IMG in Florida) – a quality athlete, she posted double digits scoring hitting twos and threes for 11 points.
LA Sneed 2025 (Texas; committed to University of Utah) – scored five points but impacted the game running offense and playing good defense
Olivia Vukosa 2026 (New York) – scored only a few points but spent some of game going against Oliviyah Edwards in what might be remembered as a battle of 2026’s two “Big O’s”.