The Under Armour Next Elite 24 Showcase concluded on Saturday, with some of the nation’s best women’s basketball players competing in a televised “all-star” game to prove themselves heading into the upcoming fall season.
Twenty-four top recruits from the 2025, 2026 and 2027 entering classes were on hand to showcase their talents, with 18 of them being five-star recruits.
Here are three quick takeaways from Saturday’s Under Armour Next Elite 24 women’s showcase.
Karina Smith wins by a landslide
Anyone watching the three-day event in Brooklyn could quickly see that Karina Smith was in a league of her own, despite competing against rookies who were older and bigger than her.
Smith started the weekend off with some strong plays in a scrimmage on Friday, showcasing just how smoothly the game went.
But on Saturday, the No. 1 player in the 2027 class gave it his all, dominating the field as the best player in attendance.
Smith was active early against LA Snead, a five-star 2025 guard, drawing a foul and making consecutive 3-pointers, then recording a steal in the process.
In the second quarter, the talented guard dominated the pick-and-roll with his decision making, consistently finding the open roller and making play after play, while the big men repeatedly missed layups off the entry passes.
Not only did Smith consistently get his teammates involved with quality passes using both his dominant and non-dominant hands, but he also absorbed contact to convert and-ones, controlled the pace in transition and found his spots, showcasing his ability as a three-level scorer.
The guard continued to take control in the second half, closing out the game with a tough, deep step-back 3-pointer to 2026 five-star Kate Harplin.
Smith was not afraid to get stuck in traffic and was able to kick out to the corners or wings to draw attention in the paint while also setting up open shots from deep for his teammates on multiple occasions.
Overall, it was just an innate feel for the game that the No. 1 recruit displayed, proving that the tough stage against the toughest competition in the country was not too much of a challenge for her.
And despite his offensive ability, Smith was also tenacious on the defensive end, fighting for rebounds, stealing balls and recording steals despite his small size.
In the end, Smith scored the winning shot to give Team Fire the victory and increase their chances of being named MVP.
Smith finished with a team-high 20 points, making 8 of 12 shots, including 3 of 7 from 3-point range, and also had four assists and four steals on the day.
She was the best player on the court over the three days of competition, solidifying her status as the top recruit in the class of 2027 and potentially the top recruit in college basketball regardless of age.
Migration leads the way
Saturday’s game had more of an All-Star contest feel to it than expected, but it was still a tightly contested game for both teams.
Right from the start of the match, it was clear that this was a game to be dominated in transition, with both teams looking to push the pace and get on the attack early on.
It started early in the first quarter when guard Dee Alexander got a good lead pass to forward Kaylin Carroll, who couldn’t score on a contested layup. Over the next two minutes, both teams picked up the pace and made shots in transition, but overall it was a sloppy game with neither team able to score.
Karina Smith was active in transition with an entry pass, making two consecutive passes to fellow guard Natalie Kussou, who made a layup and another after being fouled to jump-start Team Fire’s offense.
The pair made some great transition plays with some two-on-one give-and-gos late in the first half.
But it wasn’t all one-sided. Team Ice guard Destiny Jackson thrived in transition, constantly pushing the pace with her speed, attacking the defense and creating opportunities for her teammates to take 3-pointers and layups.
One of the key drills on Thursday was working on coordination in three-on-two and two-on-one situations, but those situations were also evident in the game itself, with the guards pushing for the lead pass and things going from there.
For both teams’ top players, whether it was Team Fire’s Karina Smith or Team Ice’s Destiny Jackson, their performance in transition was key in helping their team win.
Outstanding
While Smith was clearly the standout player on the day, she wasn’t the only one to stand out in Saturday’s competitive matches.
Destiny Jackson was another standout player, but the guard also excelled outside of the transition space.
Jackson showed off his passing ability in both the open court and the half court, proving he is a versatile point guard.
But when the team needed points in the second half, the guard stepped up to be the scorer, scoring multiple points, including a difficult switch-handed layup, to keep the game close.
Jackson finished with 12 points, four assists and three steals on 4-of-8 field goal attempts.
The overall enthusiasm and intensity she displayed on both ends of the ball was outstanding, and Jackson made a name for herself as one of the showcase’s top players.
Additionally, I loved the play of five-star Saniya Hall, one of the most impressive shot-makers in attendance.
There were some rough moments for both teams, with many missed layup attempts, but Hall overpowered his defender to make a three-point shot, becoming the driving force behind Team Ice’s offense to start the day’s game.
Hall never lost confidence all day and took advantage of his opportunities, making a three-point shot late in a close game that featured Elam endings.
She had a strong performance, scoring a game-high 21 points, grabbing nine rebounds and making 9 of 15 field goals.
Additionally, he was impressed with 2025 five-star guard Deniya Prowl, who has shown some ability as a scorer.
Early in the game, she caught a kickout from five-star Zakiyah Johnson and drilled an open 3-pointer.
Then in the second half, Proulx picked up the pace, hitting a mid-range jump shot, a three-pointer and even a nice layup down the left wing.
Overall, there was a competitive spirit and Proulx was able to make jump shots while scoring at all three levels.
Although she wasn’t the most efficient, making just 4 of 11 field goals, she still finished with 10 points.
Overall, it was a day packed with talent on both sides, with several players finding ways to stand out amongst the competition.
