The Under Armour Next Elite 24 showcase concluded on Saturday, with the top women’s basketball players in the nation competing against each other in a televised “all-star” game, looking to prove themselves ahead of the upcoming fall season.
Twenty four of the top recruits from the Class of 2025, 2026, and 2027 came out to display their talents, with 18 of the bunch being five-star recruits.
Here are three quick takeaways from the Under Armour’s Next Elite 24 women’s showcase on Saturday.
Kaleena Smith dominates
Anyone who was watching over the three-day event in Brooklyn could quickly tell that Kaleena Smith was in a league of her own, despite playing against recruits both older and bigger than her.
Smith started her weekend with a few strong sequences in the scrimmage on Friday, showing how smoothly the game to her.
But on Saturday, the No. 1 player in the 2027 class left everything on the table, dominating the field as the best player in attendance.
Smith showed out early in a battle against 2025 five-star guard LA Sneed, drawing a foul and hitting a three on consecutive possessions, while also recording a steal in the sequence.
In the second quarter, the talented guard just made play after play, dominating with her decision making in the pick-and-roll, constantly finding an open roller, although her bigs missed a number of layups off the entry passes.
Not only did she constantly get teammates involved with good passing using both her dominant and off hand, but Smith showed her ability as a three-level scorer, absorbing contact for an and-1, while controlling the pace in transition to find her spots.
In the second half, the guard continued to take over, hitting a tough, deep stepback three-pointer on 2026 five-star Kate Harpring, who closed out hard on the contest.
Not afraid to drive into traffic, Smith was able to set up several open looks from deep for her teammates, drawing attention to the paint as she kicked out to either the corner or the wing.
Overall, it was just the innate feel for that game that the No. 1 recruit showed off, proving that the heightened stage against some of the toughest competition in the country wasn’t too big a challenge for her.
And, even with her abilities on the offensive end, Smith remained scrappy defensively, fighting for rebounds, despite her smaller frame, while looking to strip the ball away and record steals as well.
To end things, Smith hit the game-winning shot, sending Team Fire to the win column, likely earning her MVP honors.
Overall, Smith ended with a team-high 20 points, hitting eight- of-12 shots, including three- of-seven from deep. Additionally, she added four assists and four steals on the day.
She was the best player on the court over the three-day period, cementing herself as the top 2027 recruit and potentially even the top recruit in college basketball, regardless of age.
Transition leads the way
Saturday’s game had more of an all-star contest feel, so there were more fireworks than you’d expect, but there was still a strong competition on both sides.
Fom the beginning of the game, it was clear that this one would thrive in transition, as both teams looked to run from the jump and push the pace.
It began early in the first quarter when guard Dee Alexander hit forward Kaelyn Carroll with a good lead pass, but the latter couldn’t convert on a contested layup. From there, we had a two-minute stretch where both sides were pushing the pace, creating shots in transition. However, neither team could really convert in a sloppy stretch overall.
Kaleena Smith thrived in transition with her entry passes, as she had a pair of consecutive passes to fellow guard Natalie Kussow, who hit a layup and was fouled on another to generate some offense for “Team Fire.”
Towards the end of the first half, the duo connected on a 2-on-1, give-and-go in transition
But, it wasn’t only a one-sided battle, as guard Destiny Jackson of “Team Ice” thrived in transition, constantly pushing the pace with her speed and attacking the defense, leaving teammates open for three-pointers and layups.
One of the key drills on Thursday was working chemistry in 3-on-2 and 2-on-1 situations, and you could clearly see those situations occurring in the game itself, with guards pushing the lead pass and letting things work from there.
When it came to the top player on either side, be it Kaleena Smith for Team Fire or Destiny Jackson for Team Ice, working in transition was key to helping their team make winning plays.
Standouts
Smith was a clear standout of the day, but she wasn’t the only player who made their mark on the competitive contest Saturday.
Destiny Jackson was the other top standout, but the guard excelled outside of the transition space as well.
Jackson showcased her passing abilities, both in the open court and in the half court, proving to be an all-around point guard.
But, when her team needed points in the second half, the guard took over as a scorer as well, tallying multiple baskets, including a tough, switch-handed layup, keeping the game close.
Jackson finished the game with 12 points, four assists, and three steals, shooting four-of-eight from the field.
The overall hustle and intensity that she brought on both sides stood out, marking Jackson as one of the top players at the showcase.
Elsewhere, I liked what I saw from five-star Saniyah Hall, who was one of the more impressive shot makers in attendance.
While there were some ugly moments from both teams, including a ton of missed layups, Hall was a spark offensively for Team Ice, starting her day with a three-pointer after sizing up her defender.
Hall’s confidence wasn’t ever down during the day, as she hunted her opportunities, which led to a three-pointer late when the game was a close contest with the Elam Ending in play.
She had a game-high 21 points, while grabbing nine boards as well and shooting nine of 15 from the field in a strong outing.
Additionally, I was impressed by five-star 2025 guard Deniyah Prawl, who proved herself as a scorer.
Early in the game, she got a feed on a kickout from five-star Zakiyah Johnson, knocking down an open three.
Later, in the second half, Prawl really got into a groove, stepping into a midrange jumper, hitting a three, while also scoring a nice layup going to her left.
Overall, with the competitive juices flowing, Prawl was able to knock down the jumper, while scoring at all three levels.
She ended the day scoring 10 points, although the efficiency wasn’t as strong, shooting four-of-11 from the field.
Overall, it was a day filled with talent on both sides of the game, with several players finding ways to stand out among the competition.
