Perimeter To Power Salt Lakers In Vegas



Gonzaga’s Kelly Graves is one of the coaches who is interested in the Salt Lakers.

The Salt Lakers out of Utah are having a strong summer, and Coach Mishon Johnson is looking forward to matching up with elite competition  at the upcoming FILA Sixty-Four event.

“We have played against a lot of tough competition already, and we’ve won our share of those games,” Johnson said. “We are playing fast and we are shooting the three. Defensively, we don’t press much, but we do pressure the ball. We don’t use junk defenses, we just play good, sound, basic basketball.”

The Lakers will display their brand of ball next at the FILA Sixty-Four, which will include over 48 national teams. The tournament will be played at the Westin Lake Las Vegas from July 27-30. This is one part of a series of previews for the FILA Sixty-Four where we will highlight the outstanding programs who will be competing.

Leading the way for the Lakers will be Kellie Quinn, a 5-9 combo guard from the class of 2014. She has already garnered over 20 scholarship offers.
“Kellie is our best player,” Johnson said. “She is an outstanding shooter, and a tremendous rebounder. She has great timing, and she is one of the strongest players you will see. Kellie also has long arms, so he plays much taller than 5-9.”
Quinn is supported on the perimeter by two rising seniors. Shelly Richards is a 5-9 point guard, and Lauren Delacruz is a versatile 5-8 backcourt player.
“Shelly is a pure point guard who has a great basketball IQ, speed, ball handling, vision and passing ability,” Johnson said. “She is the type of player who can break a press all by herself, and she is a tremendous on-ball defender.
“Lauren plays the two/three for us, but she could be a point guard at the next level. She is the best defender on our team. She just terrorizes our opponents. She always seems to be in the passing lane. Lauren is a great rebounder because she is a quick jumper with excellent timing and great hands. Offensively, she is a slasher with a nice pull up jumper, and she is working on her three-point shot.”
In the paint, the Lakers look to 6-1 rising senior Liz Tomon.
“Liz is an academic wiz who is being recruited by schools like MIT and Harvard,” Johnson said. “She is a solid, strong post player who is learning to compete at the top level. Liz plays at a private school and she doesn’t see too many true post players at that level. She is getting used to playing against bigger kids, and she is holding her own now.”