Suwanee, GA–There’s a certain feeling you get when a gym is locked in. Not loud for the sake of being loud, but focused. Every sneaker squeak matters. Every play means something. That’s the energy Suwanee Sports Academy carried all weekend long.
The Women’s Hoops Hidden Gems (WHHG) Summer Slam High School Girls Team Camp brought together some of the best programs in Georgia and beyond for two days of high-level basketball and the kind of exposure that can genuinely change a young player’s future. More than two dozen teams competed across four courts June 5th and 6th, and from the opening tip, it was clear this wasn’t just another summer camp. It was a stage.
What separated this year’s Summer Slam from anything we’ve done before was simple: the best came to us.
Pleasant Grove High School made the trip from Pleasant Grove, Utah which is more than 1,800 miles and they didn’t come empty-handed. Head coach Angela Villa led the Pumas through a perfect 26-0 season to capture the 2026 Utah 5A State Championship. A defending state champion crossing the country to compete at a WHHG event speaks volumes.
The Headliners: Two of the Nation’s Best
I’ve covered a lot of basketball. I’ve been in a lot of gyms. But watching two of the most coveted prospects in the country share a court in Suwanee, Georgia at our event with a number of spectators looking on, was a great look for the first day.
Sutton Villa, the 6’6” center/power forward from Pleasant Grove, is ranked #8 overall in ESPN’s 2028 recruiting class. On paper, that’s impressive. In person, she’s something else entirely. She moves like someone her size has no business moving. Her rim protection instincts are elite and the kind of natural feel for the game that you can’t teach. Scouts have been saying for a while that if Villa reaches her ceiling, she’s a star in the making. After watching her this weekend, I believe it.
Then there’s Finley Parker. The 6’3” forward from River Ridge High School in Woodstock, Georgia is one of the most complete players in the 2027 class, and her commitment to Indiana University is well earned. She finishes around the rim with either hand, knocks down threes with range, and has a high-release mid-range pull-up that’s nearly impossible to contest. What stood out most, though, was her poise. She didn’t try to dominate the moment, she just played her game. And that, more than anything, is what made the players around her better.
Hidden Gems on the Rise: Players Who Made Their Mark
But here’s the thing about Summer Slam, the stars aren’t the story. They’re the backdrop. The real story is what happens to the player standing across from them who’s been waiting her whole career for a moment like this.
Kell High School was one of the most impressive programs at the event, and they brought three 2027 prospects who gave evaluators plenty to think about. McKenzie Green holds offers from Howard and Jacksonville, and after this weekend, that list should grow. Asiah Thompson has an offer from St. John’s and the versatility to play at multiple levels, which you could see why a Big East program is involved. Maliyah Gilbert, who holds a Morgan State offer, showed she belongs on bigger stages. Summer Slam was one of them.
McEachern’s Summer Edwards (2027) was exactly what you’d expect from a program with that kind of culture.. high energy, high motor, high IQ. Nicholls State has already extended an offer, and after this weekend should open more doors.
North Paulding brought two prospects who complemented each other well. Kenzie Hinkson (2028) already holds offers from West Georgia and Jacksonville State which is impressive for the rising junior who is part of what’s shaping up to be one of the better 2028 classes Georgia has produced in a while. Morgan Landrum (2027) carries a Jacksonville State offer as well, and her ability to compete in a high-level environment like this one only helps her case.
Archer’s Hailey Houlder (2028) has a Wagner offer on the table, and at this stage of her recruitment, that’s just the beginning. She also carries a 4.2 GPA, so expect high academic institutions to enter the conversation as her profile grows.
Columbia High School’s Avontey Gilbreath is a 6’4” (2028) interior presence who holds an offer from Mississippi Valley State. She’s still developing, but the tools are there. Stages like Summer Slam are exactly where that development accelerates.
Grovetown’s Sanai McKenzie-Watson (2027) was one of the more versatile players at the event. Offers from Augusta and Georgia College are on the table, and her ability to fit multiple systems makes her attractive at the next level.
And then there was North Cobb’s Jaidyn Taylor (2027). She won’t wow you with one flashy moment, she’ll impact the game in five different ways before you realize it. Webster University in St. Louis has an offer in, and after watching her work this weekend, I’d expect more programs to look her way.
This is what WHHG was built for. “Where the Overlooked Become Undeniable.” That’s not just a tagline, it’s what we strive for with each event and Summer Slam is an example of what we continue to expand with this platform.
For a D2 or D3 coach in that gym this weekend, the value was obvious: you could watch a ESPN Top 100 prospect in one game, and in the next, discover a player who hasn’t received a single offer yet but is every bit as hungry. It’s the intangibles, the fight, the communication, the competitiveness that often get a player noticed more than any highlight reel can.
Summer Slam is only in its second year of existence. And already, the growth is undeniable. These young women came to Suwanee with something to prove, and most of them left having done exactly that.
The best is still ahead.
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David Jones is a journalist for Urban Media Today, a sports broadcaster for the Peach Belt Network, and Founder/CEO of Women’s Hoops Hidden Gems (WHHG). Follow WHHG on X at @WBBGems and on Instagram and TikTok at @wbbhiddengems.
