The second women’s game at the Nike Hoop Summit was announced back on December 19th for April 13th, 2024. Last year’s event was fantastic even with mixed success in attracting the top prospects on the World side. Recruiting coverage is already widespread on the United States side so we will focus on the international options. The gifts that we already got during the holiday season are not enough so we are making another list of players we would like to see at this event.
2024 Draft Eligible Players
Based on how last year’s tournament roster looked, it seems like the key for the World team is the age on the date of the event as opposed to the birth year that is usually the determining factor for international sports competition. As a result, international draft prospects who do not turn 20 until after the game would be fair game, including a possible return for Nyadiew Puoch and Madina Okot. We would love for any of the players in our separate draft article to be considered, but there is obviously some difficulty in securing players who have critical roles on their club teams during a crucial stretch of the season. Evaluators would certainly love to be able to have Isobel Borlase attend after she was not available for last year’s game and she should be free during this time.
Returnees
A number of players on last year’s team are still eligible to return for this event and would be welcomed, especially Toby Fournier, the Duke signee who played more minutes than any player in the event. She was not the only Canadian there and BYU signee Delaney Gibb and Michigan signee Syla Swords can also return. The other returnees who are still eligible are Japan’s Reina Fukuo, who plays for Ohka Gakuen High School, Diora Ressaissi, representing Sweden, a currently uncommitted prospect in this year’s recruiting class, and Marine Dursus, who graduated France’s national training program to play for Angers in the top division.
Last Year’s Wishlist
We created a list last year here and we would be happy to see any of them participate: https://wbasketballblog.com/2022/12/16/our-2023-nike-hoop-summit-world-wishlist/ It is more likely for some players than others with the postseason in Europe making it hard for players who are in the rotation for their teams to leave. Three of the players that we listed have signed with a college for next season, Annika Soltau, a German forward who plays for Freiburg who has signed with Washington, Elina Aarnisalo, a Finnish point guard who plays for Mechelen in Belgium who has signed with UCLA, and Ehis Etute, a forward playing for Diddeleng in Luxembourg who has signed with Oregon. Juste Jocyte has been limited by injuries, but the Washington D.C.-born phenom who represents Lithuania is still expected to play a key role for Lyon in France while her brother plays college basketball at Manhattan. Her club teammate Dominique Malonga has headed to Tarbes Gespe Bigorre on loan for the season, but has also missed some games. Their former youth academy teammate Ajsa Sivka has demonstrated her talent for Slovenia’s senior team and in a second straight season with Schio in Italy.
New Names
It seems possible that a 2007 born player could be invited to this event just like Syla Swords participated as a 2006 born player, but we will stick to 2005 and 2006 born players for new names. While there are players with who have ties to both the United States and another country who may end up representing the World, we will not suggest any players unless they have made a basketball move to acknowledge those international ties, such as playing for a national team.
Jasmine Bascoe, PG, Canada, King’s Christian Collegiate (ON), Villanova signee
One of the difficulties for the World team in this format is having players from everywhere trying to come together in a short period of time to play against a United States team that will invariably have multiple players who have played together and are familiar with the coaching staff so a point guard like Bascoe might help that process. Trusted by Canada to get their bevy of youth national team stars on the same page and firing from the start of each game, she is not the kind of guard who will immediately hunt her own shot. Given that there will likely be players that she is already familiar with involved in this game and the possibility that her U19 coach Carly Clarke could be tasked with the head coaching role in this game as she was in the inaugural event, she would fill a gap that the first World team had before she heads to Villanova.
Ines Goryanova, PG, Great Britain, DME Academy (FL), Baylor signee
The American high school route can be very productive for players without a clear development path, but it can also make it difficult to track progress for a player like Goryanova, who opted to finish her prep career at DME Academy before heading to Baylor. She came through the Barking Abbey system, one of the strongest in the UK and where her mother was coaching, but went the high school route instead of waiting until college, which is the preferred path for British prospects with the difficulty of turning professional early locally. Her time in the United States has allowed her to be seen more heavily on the recruiting circuit at the cost of clearer international exposure and if nothing else, participating in this event would give some insight into her current national team leanings.
Isla Juffermans, C, Australia, Sydney Flames, Louisville signee
The choice between the American school system and starting a professional career is always a difficult choice for promising young basketball players around the world and Juffermans is the latest highly regarded Australian player to choose the college system. A hardnosed center who has started to get minutes for Sydney this WNBL season as an amateur, she is set to attend Louisville. While she is getting plenty of practice time against older players now, it is never a bad measuring stick for her to play with and against other top players her age. Australians have tended to make themselves available for events like this, although she is already set to play the NBL1 season with Newcastle before heading to school.
Kate Koval, C, Ukraine, Long Island Lutheran (NY), Notre Dame signee
One of the top recruits in the class of any nationality, Koval opted to finish high school at Long Island Lutheran, joining their powerhouse program with an international flavor that may end up providing even more players to this event than their inaugural effort. With her international play limited to the 3×3 space recently, there will certainly be interest in seeing her progress in a more accessible setting. Her decision to move to the United States was certainly one with long term thoughts in mind that look to be paying off given the difficulties that young Ukrainians have had in establishing their pro careers as the invasion interrupted their league just as it was looking to be reaching new heights. Of the center prospects around her age, her offensive skillset is certainly the part that stands out right now.
Clara Silva, C, Portugal, Malaga (Spain), Virginia Tech signee
One of the stories buried deep in the lower divisions of Spain in the second half of last season was the sudden emergence at the senior level of Silva after a strong summer at the youth national team level. She had been developing at Malaga after moving from her native Portugal and then everything clicked for her in 2023 and she had a fantastic end to the club season, being a big reason why they were able to win promotion to the second division. As the recruiting hype grew, she played for the U18 national team for the first time and was a revelation early, but the team’s luck turned when it counted and she could not keep them in Division A. She made her decision to attend Virginia Tech and the step up to Spain’s second division has not been too big for her as the team tries to stay at that level. A chance to see her with talented teammates her age would certainly give a clearer indication of her trajectory before college.
Raina Tomasicka, SF, Latvia, Tarbes Gespe Bigorre (France), 2005 Born
Having already traveled to multiple countries to further her career, Tomasicka would certainly be an interesting addition to this event. Coming through the historic program at Riga, she had a number of opportunities to show her promise at a young age. Last season, reaching a critical stage in her development, she made the unusual choice to join struggling Czech club Lokomotiva Trutnov and she got the steady minutes that she hoped for, ending up as their leading scorer. Last summer, she was not quite at the level of prospect that she had demonstrated in past years when it came to youth national team play, but still had enough promise that French club Tarbes, looking to fill their roster as best as they could in the face of financial difficulties, brought her in to provide shooting off the bench. Her season has not quite gone as planned so something different might help her get back on track. With a January 1st birthday, she just managed to sneak into the 2005 year for youth play and future WNBA consideration.
Awa Fam, C, Spain, Valencia, 2006 Born
Recently rumored to be interested in the college route, Fam is a center with great defensive potential who is already adept at finishing the offensive opportunities that she gets. There has already plenty of hype for her over the years as she came through the ranks at Valencia, but playing up two years in the U19 World Cup gave her the chance to show everything as the team’s paint anchor. Her club team increased their post depth over the summer, but that has allowed her to play even more minutes with the reserve team at Paterna and she is averaging a double-double in Spain’s second division. Defense may end up being her calling card, but there is clear offensive progress happening and her free throw shooting this season is encouraging.
Iyana Martin, PG, Spain, Segle XXI, 2006 Born
Massively hyped over the years, Martin’s brilliance reached another level this summer when she played up two years to participate in the U19 World Cup where she was impressive off the bench and grabbed MVP honors thanks to her incredible scoring displays even after a close loss in the championship game. Segle XXI has an incredible track record of bringing through young players with so many minutes available, but this season may not provide the best environment for her in the third division. An event like this could provide a helpful challenge while she figures out future plans as there is certainly plenty of interest in whether her shooting numbers are reflective of her current skill level and more insight into her playmaking potential would be helpful.
Blanca Quinonez, SF, Ecuador, Magnolia Campobasso (Italy), 2006 Born
Not exactly from a country with strong basketball tradition, Quinonez has already made a journey to seek out a better developmental environment. Showing her ability at the Americas U16 level before turning 13, she made the move to Italy and made her top division debut after her 14th birthday and has been with Magnolia Campobasso for five seasons now. The first season was an adjustment from the youth level and practice, but she turned in some strong performances against tough teams. There was a noticeable jump in the next season and the last two seasons have been a level above that. With only brief national team duty and play at events closed to the public, it would be great to see her go against players closer to her age.
Tilda Trygger, PF, Sweden, Valencia (Spain), 2006 Born
A player who is looking to be able to add a college destination too, Trygger is an intriguing long-term prospect that is the kind of player that should interest this type of event. Of more than adequate size to play center, she is committed to expanding her shooting range and faceup game to play forward. She came through the youth system at Lulea, getting chances in Sweden’s first and second divisions. After a strong individual summer with the U18 team at the European Championships, she joined Valencia, getting cameos with the senior team and full national team. Her main club duty has been in a complementary role with the reserves at Paterna, getting the chance to play alongside a center next to Fam from earlier in the wishlist. There is still a lot of work for her to get to the player she aspires to be so an environment like this where practices can be seen could be of great benefit ahead of her next step.
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