Standout high school basketball players like Freshman phenom Giavonne Belton (Pike High School and Team Teague) was one of the first additions to a bright roster preparing to hit the court for the first ever Prep Ball Stars Combine for Girls on March 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mention the name Prep Ball Stars, the Prep Ball Stars Midwest Challenge, or the Prep Ball Stars Combine and one of the first things that instantly comes to mind is the remarkable list of high school basketball players throughout the Midwest who have seized their chance to stand out and make more of a name for themselves in the game through their hard work on the hardwood.
Eric Hunter, Jr. (Purdue), Aaron Henry (Michigan State), Xavier Pinson (Missouri), Trevion Williams (Purdue), Jarron Coleman (Ball State), Kevin Easley, Jr. (TCU), Mekhi Lairy (Miami of Ohio), Damezi Anderson (IU), Marcus Bingham Jr. (Michigan State) are just a few who have showcased their talents as Combine alumi players and now find themselves contributing to major college programs, all gearing up for some upcoming March Madness. That’s beyond impressive and is testimony to the work being done with Prep Ball Stars.
Now it’s time for the girls to take their time to shine and brighten their horizons in the Midwest.
“Many girls and their parents asked me throughout last year, “When are you going to have a combine for the girls”? These girls work hard in the gym, so this will be a great outlet for their talent, exposure, and time to grow as student-athletes,” said Anthony Leach, Prep Ball Stars founder.
This March, Prep Ball Stars will host their very first Girls Basketball Combine (March 1) at The Factory in Indianapolis, Indiana for Grades 7th-12th and include on-going coverage and analysis from both Prep Ball Stars and BallerTv, who will provide players with game footage from the Combine and the chance to compile individual highlight tapes after the event. Players attending the Prep Ball Stars Combine will receive training from some of the best training professionals in Indianapolis and will be pushed between the lines with players getting the most from their natural abilities — players like Freshman hoops phenom Giavonne Belton (one of the top players in the Class of 2023), Talia Harris, Madison Geary, Zoe Allen, Marier Fuller, and Maddie Freeth to name a few.
“We will track all the measurements over time thanks to D1 Training and with Joey Burton — one of the top national trainers around the game of basketball these days — will conduct our training on shooting with the girls to open the camp. The response has been awesome as we lead into the Combine and the Girls are excited to get on the basketball court.”
For Leach, who also serves as an analyst with MIC Network where he’ll call basketball games around the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference, the importance of striking the balance between dedicating yourself to “getting better” and excelling as a student-athlete remains rooted in the vision of Prep Ball Stars. Holding the first Girls Basketball Combine in March now becomes the perfect crossover that allows these young aspiring players to equally apply their talents, from the court to the classroom.
“My advice is to keep working,” Leach said, echoing a familiar philosophy of Prep Ball Stars since he first launched the program in 2011.
“There are just as many scholarships available for basketball for girls as for the boys, or a very close number at all levels. They can now better understand how they can utilize the game of basketball to further themselves and their education.”