ROCK HILL, South Carolina – The opening session of the adidas 3SSB girls circuit set the tone for a hyper competitive spring and summer. With 40-percent of the pool play games and 67-percent of the cross-pool games complete, the league is taking shape.
Key Takeaways From Session I
The new additions to the 3SSB girls circuit came in ready. 7 Days, Southeast All Stars and Southwest Select are all undefeated in pool play (2-0, 4-0). 7 Days, led by the nation’s top ranked 2027 prospect, Kaleena Smith, is perfect after one stop. Southeast All Stars (2-0, 3-1), led by the No. 2 prospect in the 2026 class, Kate Harpring, has just one loss which was in a opening night game against 7 Days. Southwest Select (2-0. 3-1), a new group led by a familiar face, program director and head coach Katie Hensle, is off to a 3-1 start with a loaded roster.
Some legacy programs are off to a great start as well. Northwest Greyhounds (2-0, 4-0), led by the No. 4 prospect in the 2026 class, Oliviyah Edwards, left Rock Hill unscathed and put a stamp on their spring with a strong opening night win over a talented Lady Phenom United 17U team.
Minnesota Stars (2-0, 3-1) is looking to defend its 16U title a summer ago, this year vying for the 17U title. After losing to powerhouse Southwest Select on opening night on the Arena floor, the Stars reeled off three in a row behind the standout play of Lee Lee Bell who is second in the league in scoring and rebounding through four games.
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCES
Bella Ragone (GA) – 2026 – Southeast All Stars 17U
Ragone is a big guard who is already on the map nationally as a consensus top 25 player. It was her efficiency that showed her impact in Rock Hill. Among players with at least 32 total possessions (per Synergy) she led the first session with an impressive 1.23 points per possession. She shot 52 percent from inside the arc and 44 percent beyond it.
Kamryn Reinker (MT) – 2026 – Meta Hoops 17U
Reinker was perhaps the biggest riser of the first session. She averaged 17.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for Meta Hoops. She topped 15 points in all four games as was a big part of the attempted upset of 7 Days on Sunday with her 20-point, 8-rebound, 3-block performance.
GiGi Battle (FL/NJ) – 2026 – Central Florida Elite 17U
Battle scored 20 in two of her final three games, coming up a rebound short of a double-double in CFE’s pool win over the defending 17U champions, ETG Midwest. She was also crucial in CFE’s upset of one of the favorites to make a run in 2025, Southwest Select, with her 20 points, six rebounds and 3 blocks in their upset win.
Lee Lee Bell (ND) – 2026 – Minnesota Stars 17U
There may not have been a more dominant opening weekend than the one Bell put together. She went for 24 points and 8 rebounds in the opening night showdown against Southwest Select. Her team finished the weekend 3-1 and her 20 points and nearly eight rebounds per contest is a big reason why.
Danyella Mporokoso (IL) – 2026 – M14Hoops 17U
Mporokoso’s first weekend on the 3SSB circuit certainly went well. Her last game she exploded for 32 points in a showdown with Mass Rivals’ talented guard Elyse Ngenda. She was one of the most efficient scorers of the weekend as well with 1.2 points per possession. She shot an incredible 14 of 27 from 3-point range over the four games.
MATCHUP CENTRAL
Stats are a great tool but the adage in grassroots basketball is that matchups matter. The first session of the adidas 3SSB circuit had plenty of marquee matchups that did not disappoint.
Special K & Harp
To get the two highest ranked guards in the country, regardless of class, on the same floor had the gym buzzing. The game went down to the wire with 7 Days edging out Southeast All Stars 80-76. Both Smith and Harpring played phenomenal and were true to their top billing. Smith led 7 Days with 37 points, including going 5 for 8 from behind the arc, utilizing ball screen action well. Harpring did her big guard stuff too, with 28 points on just 20 attempts while grabbing six rebounds.
Big O & L44
Sometimes with big matchups on paper the players don’t end up gurading each other. But the Greyhounds’ Edwards and Lady Phenom United’s Laruen Hassell, they got to test each other the entire game. Edwards is a 2026 who has established herself as one of the most dominant front court options in the country. Edwards had a cool 23-point, 7-rebound performance with her trademark efficiency. Hassell did her thing as well with 14 points and five rebounds. Seeing the two challenge each other and adjust to each other gave them both the opportunity to get better.
Arije & Watts
The cross border battle between Sol United’s Avery Arije and Southeast All Stars Ella Watts put the rest of the 16U division on notice that impact performers aren’t solely a 17U thing. Arije, a 2027 from Ontario, Canada, impressed scoring the ball at all three levels and using her elite size, finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds in the exhibition game win. Watts made an adjustment to the size and length Sol United had in the paint and found her groove from long range, hitting 4 of 6 3-point attempts. Both are 2027’s who are can’t miss prospects to watch in Session II