Uncommitted Dallas Area Standouts
Its time for some more D-Town love to be spread. In keeping with my balance theme of writing articles on this wonderful sport of ours, I will be discussing a few athletes that have burst on to the scene. I…
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Continue ReadingIts time for some more D-Town love to be spread. In keeping with my balance theme of writing articles on this wonderful sport of ours, I will be discussing a few athletes that have burst on to the scene. I am very intrigued by the work ethic of the following young ladies. Since COVID-19 (I hate even writing that term) has taken away our 2020 volleyball season, these young ladies haven’t stopped training. I am inspired by them all and after watching episodes of The Last Dance over and over, I am reminded how much work off the court it takes to perfect your craft. If you are a college coach, the following young ladies would be amazing contributors to your program just on their sheer leadership skills and work ethic alone. Oh yeah…they’re pretty darn good on the court too. All three of these young ladies are currently unranked in our initial Prep Dig State Ranking, however, once I update the list in late June, all three of them will be moving up the rankings very rapidly. Stay tuned to see where they land.
Ava Roberts [2022] 6-0 Right Side/Middle (HS: Mansfield/Club: Texas Advantage/ Verbal: Uncommitted)
I am very impressed with this young lady’s work ethic. She has been training extra hard during the shutdown and it will pay off big when she gets back on the court. She plays for the world famous TAV club and shines for them on the right side/middle. She is versatile enough to hit quick sets and high tempo on the pins. She is gifted with a super strong frame that is built for the college game. She will transition very well to the workouts at the next level. She can jump extremely well and rises up with the best of them. What truly stands out is her power on her attack. Her upper body is so strong that the ball comes off of her hand contact so quickly. When she presses on the block, there is no hitter who can break that seal. This is a great weapon for a team to have. She has played against some of the best teams in the nation and she still shines. She sometimes steps inside and runs a slide in transition and also runs quicks from the right. If she is not on your radar yet, you better jot her name down quickly.
Dakota Hartman [2022] 6-0 Outside (HS: Decatur/Club: Attack Volleyball/Verbal: Uncommitted)
The aspect I love the most about Kota is how hard of an approach she takes to attack. She drives her feet into the ground so hard that I’m surprised they don’t leave holes in the ground. It’s almost as if her legs are angry at the ground and she’s punishing it with her jump. I love it. This allows her to sky when she’s swinging. If that isn’t enough, this young lady has an absolute cannon for an arm. She hits just as hard as anyone in her class. She showcases great hand contact control while scoring in multiple ways. She hits line better than most in the age group and can definitely swing the cross-court attack. The way she plays the game is just ferocious and its nice to watch. She has a wicked float serve that is very dangerous to her opponents. Someone take a look at this kid asap. She will not disappoint at all. She is a six rotation outside who has great ball control as well. She is capable of playing on both pins and can shut down opposing hitters with her blocks also as she seals the net very well with a strong upper body and great length in her arms. We will be talking about this player for a long time. She will definitely make someone’s college team soon.
Miller McDonald [2023] 5-8 Setter (HS: Lake Highlands/Club: Drive Nation/Verbal: Uncommitted)
This young lady excites me. She plays for a newer club out of the Dallas area, Drive Nation. They were formed by former NBA great Jermaine O’Neal. Their state of the art facility allows them to train at a very high level. Miller is a setter who loves her craft. She can be seen in a gym by herself setting to a target often. Her work ethic at such a young age is inspiring to watch. The ball comes off of her hands so smoothly that you can tell she was born to set. The fluidity of her arms during her follow through is a sight to see. She possesses great footwork to track the ball down and has excellent posture throughout her set. The set that truly raises my eyebrows is when she goes against flow behind her to a right side hitter. It usually takes years to master that set as it is one of the most difficult to perfect. Miller is pretty close to getting it perfect. When I see her do that at this young Freshman age group, I just shake my head and know that volleyball is in great hands with young players of this caliber already. It is safe to say that this young lady is one of the next great Dallas area setters. I suggest you college coaches take note NOW.
There are many more amazing Dallas Area players to be aware of. Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following Texas Family!