Scouting the next generation of women's basketball stars at Overtime Select's Takeover
Some of the top high school players descended on Atlanta for the Overtime Select Takeover event. No Cap Space's 'boots on the ground' wraps up the weekend.
With some of the biggest stars who got both now and next in the building, No Cap Space had boots on the ground this weekend for Overtime Select’s Takeover event in Atlanta.
For those unfamiliar with Overtime Select you can find our in depth breakdown of the league and its origins here, but the condensed version? Some of the top high school talents all under one roof hooping. It is as fun as it sounds.
The Investment
Before the events were completely underway No Cap Space was invited on a tour of the Overtime Elite Arena. You see the OTE Arena on the broadcasts, which don’t do the stage for play justice, but that is just a taste of the investment put into these high school talents.
You take an elevator down just one floor and find facilities that are comparable to NBA teams. Anything you can ask for; on court technology, kitchens, fitness equipment, recovery, relaxation areas, and more.
When talking with Overtime’s Shea Dawson it was very clear that the input from the current college and WNBA players involved in advising the league was based around “what do we wish we had in high school?”
Next Up 5’s
Now to the events! The personal favorite of ours was the All-Star Game equivalent, Next Up 5’s.
Remember those stars who got next AND now we previously mentioned? That includes some of the biggest stars of the game — USC’s JuJu Watkins and Arizona’s Jada Williams — providing the commentary for the matchup.
Now it was game time with a couple guest coaches: UConn’s Paige Bueckers coaching against LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson.
Team Paige won the last encounter and we got word that Team Flau’jae had a genuinely tough practice. While this was an All-Star style of game, the players were ready to hoop.
The game would be played in a unique format. The goal is to win every quarter. Quarters one, two, and three would win you one point while the fourth quarter would win you three.
The most unique rule change — and don’t be surprised if you see this copied in other All-Star formats in the future — is the removal of free throws. Instead they were replaced with 1v1’s between the shooter and the player who committed the foul with a five second shot clock. Then it was straight back to the game.
The game itself came down to the wire. Team Flau’jae had itself a 2-1 lead going into the fourth quarter and, in the final minutes, had themselves a tight advantage on the scoreboard.
One rule change I neglected to mention was the ‘money ball’. In those final couple minutes it would be used, doubling the points. This would be the opening that Team Paige needed to secure the win after several consecutive turnovers from Team Flau’jae resulted in buckets for the Husky led squad.
So who stood out? Who should you be keeping an eye on in the next few years?
For Team Flau’jae, Jezelle “GG” Banks put on an absolute show. Banks is one of the top ranked players in the 2027 class and showed why, dropping 25 points. She sat down with No Cap Space after the game and, in a couple weeks, you’ll be able to see how her personality is as electric as her play.
Also from Team Flau’jae, Taylor Brown is a capital ‘S’ shooter. Another guard from the 2027 class — although not as highly touted on the rankings as GG — she is one you need to be looking out for.
After the game concluded we got the chance to speak with some of Team Paige’s key players. Kate Harping, ESPN’s 18th ranked prospect in the 2026 class, proved she is a bucket leading the squad in scoring with 22 points.
Stella Lockhart, a 6’1 forward in the 2026 class, got the chance to speak on what it is like having the college stars around and absorbing as much as information as possible.
ESPN’s #1 player in the 2026 class, Jerzy Robinson, let us know that Paige’s clipboard is certified.
Following the media scrum, as everyone in the press turned off their recorders, Robinson left us with a moment that was even more interesting than her 20 point performance.
“Did any of you all having anything I could improve on?”, she asked us.
It was a question we had never heard a player ask following an availability. This embodies the level of preparedness that this entire group of players have for the moment they are entering in women’s basketball. Every player we encountered was excited and seemed to have an understanding of the importance of individualism, personality, and skill with the media in an incredibly unique way.
We wrapped up our Friday night at the Next Up 5’s hearing from the winning coach Paige Bueckers, we still could not confirm if a seat on the UConn bench is in her far future as a coach.
Queen of the Court and the Trey Ball Challenge
Day two of Takeover weekend brought two events, with emphasis on the individual players: Queen of the Court and the Trey Ball Challenge.
Queen of the Court batted lead off with a tournament bracket that came down to ESPN’s #7 recruit in the 2026 class Oliviyah “Big Oh” Edwards facing off against Jerzy Robinson.
The whole tournament was a war of attrition in the 1v1 matchups and the final was no different. It took a pull-up jumper from Edwards to seal her victory.
The Trey Ball Challenge featured a twist on the normal three point competition as well.
First up was a game of knockout between two groups to decide the top four that would advance. Then came a bracket style where players would move a Gatorade bottle with every make to the next spot. Move the bottle all the way to your side of the table and you advance.
This led to ESPN’s #15 overall recruit in the 2027 class Jessie Moses facing off with Taylor Brown in a traditional three point contest. Moses would catch fire and take the win putting up a score of 19.
Championship Weekend
Up next for Overtime Select is their final weekend on September 14th-15th, where a champion will be decided. Leading up to the title games No Cap Space has you covered, introducing you to some of the best next generation players in the country. Keep an eye out and subscribe to be the first to receive our exclusive interviews when they drop.