EVALUATION

Midwest Kick-Off Classic

Throughout the weekend, Ava showed off a growing offensive skillset that made her a difficult matchup and allowed her to impact the games in a variety of ways. She has notable height, and with her effort, she often can use her length and wingspan to be disruptive on the defensive side and then use her size to score over defenders on offense. She was also not shy when it came crashing in with the bigger players around the rim and inside the paint when it came to fighting for rebounds. At times, she was able to simply outwork or out-hustle opponents to the ball. She was selective when it came to looking to take her opportunity to score the ball. She didn’t look to force poor shots or take contested shots if she could get the ball to her teammates for a better look during the weekend. Her area of opportunity would be to work on not going for steals or deflections as often as she did, and when she missed it, would have her out of position, and at times put her teammates in a position where they have to help or leave people open. With her height, at times, just staying in front can help her make opponents take contested shots and use her natural skills to be more effective. 

MN AAU State 2024

Ava showcases her strong hands and swift footwork. She has excellent spatial awareness and she does a nice job of catching the ball strongly when she is surrounded by a crowd of defenders. She rolls hard to the rim and finishes well with both hands. Very stout at the defensive end of the floor and is a big time communicator for her team. 

Summer Showcase MN 2023 

Doherty is a strong scoring lefty. She showed her ability to score multiple different ways with her shooting ability as well as willingness to seek out contact on her drives. Her ability to protect the ball on her drives and focus on the rim still finish was at a high level. She was able to finish on both sides of the rim and is crafty with her finishes off the bounce. She showed off her handles as she kept a tight handle as she handled pressure and was near a crowd inside the arc. Her area of opportunity would be to not turn down open shots as often as she does. With her willingness to make extra passes and keep the ball moving, she at times missed good open looks from 3-point range as well as at times passed up opportunities near the rim that she had the ability to finish. She should look to always make the defense pay when they leave her open or give her a good look on the offensive side of the ball.