COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado -- The USA Basketball U16 trials brought together three No. 1 prospects from three different classes. All three -- Samantha Brunelle (2019), Kylee Watson (2020) and Azzi Fudd (2021) -- remarkably made the cut from 133 to 18. The final 12-player roster won't be announced until Sunday, but we couldn't wait to tell you what we saw and heard out of the three soon-to-be-superstars.
Samantha Brunelle
The not-so-veteran veteran of USA national teams, Brunelle won a bronze medal with USA Basketball at the 2016 FIBA U17 world championships a summer ago. The 6-foot-2 forward has only improved since.
Brunelle has added versatility to her offensive game, beating defenders from inside or from deep, and doing it with a sense of ease. Need proof? As a sophomore at William Monroe (Standardsville, Virginia), she averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.4 blocks and 2.2 steals per game.
"I worked on the same things that I did last year," she said of her approach to trials. "My overall fundamentals and being focused and ready to perform."
What Brunelle considers her weakness would be a strength for most anyone else.
"Defense is my weakness," she said. "But, I use my length and anticipation to help me."
OK, noted. But that's not what we observed. What we saw was that offensive versatility leaking into her defense. She can defend virtually any position on the floor and is smart in how she approaches it.
Offense, check. Defense, check. And now for that special something.
We call it a hint of swagger. Brunelle knows she is a talent and she knows that she has leadership qualities that only add to her persona. It's a unique trait that only the elite of the elite prospects portray. You get the sense that others like to play with her.
"There are a lot of younger players here this year versus last year," she said. "I'm playing my game and showing what it takes to be on this team again."
Kylee Watson
Size, quickness, motor, versatility. If ever there was a recipe for a No. 1 prospect, that's it.
Watson, who USA Basketball lists at 6-4, has the size to defend a bigger, true center and the quickness to step out of the block and defend quicker players.
With superb interior footwork and a consistent delivery, Watson is emerging as an elite face up-4 prospect. She is skilled in the block, outmaneuvering defenders and finishing in traffic, utilizing either hand to finish plays.
Did we mention that she goes the extra mile to improve her game?
"I run track, the 400 meters, which helps my conditioning immensely," she said.
Watson, who averaged 16.4 points., 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks as a freshman at Mainland Regional (Linwood, New Jersey), says she has gotten better at making reads when drawing a double-team in the block and also feels she is improving off the dribble.
"I know I have to get better at my shooting, in particular my face-up game," she said. "But I have been working on [it] in game speed conditions."
Watson maintains an edge over her competition with a consistent energy level and a motor that runs hard, especially on the glass. She picks up bonus points in the paint on effort alone. And she seems to have fun doing it.
"This is an awesome experience," she said.
Azzi Fudd
The most anticipated young prospect in recent memory, here's what you need to know about Fudd: She has the "it" factor in her game. Twelve players from the 2021 class attended trials; one remains.
Smooth off the dribble with physical attributes ahead of her time, the 14-year-old guard from The Potomac School (McLean, Virginia) simply delivers. And delivers. And delivers again.
Just about the only time we noticed Fudd struggling was when she was asked what it would mean to her to make the USA team. "Wow! I don't know if I can process ... the travel, the memories, the experience," she said. "Wow -- that would be crazy!"
Fudd, listed at 5-11 by USA Basketball, has an uncanny ability to create spacing while elevating on her shot and softly releasing the ball inside 15 feet, defying those taller than her.
Fudd's success might not be by accident. She came prepared.
She said she used an altitude mask to assist with her endurance and paid mind to other details as well.
"I also got a couple of FIBA basketballs so that I could get used to the feel of the ball," she said.