Some of Madison365’s best middle school girls’ basketball players were able to shine during an invitational camp in Mequon.
Alyse Winzer, Talia Sanders, Noelle Kuntz, Amerie Crews, Arianna Eddins and Nevaeh Smith, all members of Madison365’s 13U girls team, participated in the camp run by former Marquette star Travis Diener.
The camp, which was held at Diener’s plush training center The Facility, featured 85 middle school girls, among the top prospects in the nation.
For many of the girls, it was their first chance to play against such high-caliber competition.
“It’s more intense than I thought,” Navaeh Smith, who is going into 8th grade, said.
The coaches, led by Diener, included several former Division 1 college basketball players and focused on building fundamentals, defense, and making sure the kids gave maximum effort.
“I’ve learned better moves and better spacing,” Noelle Kuntz said. “It’s good competition. They’ve been hard with defense and all. You had to get invited to this camp, so everyone’s giving it their all.”
All of the girls Madison365 interviewed lauded the talent of the players on hand.
Jaylah Marshall, who’s going into 7th grade, could have been, by most accounts, the top player at the camp.
“It’s been good. The teammates and coaches are good,” Marshall said.
Marshall used her speed and ball handling skills to slash to the rim for several baskets in a late-morning scrimmage. She also scored off of offensive rebounds.
“I’m trying to improve my shooting because I’m really a driver,” Marshall said. “The biggest challenge is probably my shooting. I want to be an all-around player and be able to drive, pass and shoot.”
Her ultimate goal?
“Make it to college and make a million dollars,” she said, smiling.
Marshall’s father, Dajru, said he believed the camp was making a difference in her game.
“From this camp, I’ve seen her sharing the ball and competing hard,” Marshall said. “The defense is really good.”
Dajru said that some colleges have expressed interest in Jaylah.
Madison365 player Talia Sanders also had an outstanding performance during the camp. In one outing, she scored 19 of her team’s 21 points, and turned several heads.
“I learned how to stay mentally strong when you are tired,” Sanders said. “My goal for basketball is to play at the Division 1 level. The competition has been really good, there are a lot of great players here.”
Playing Division 1 was the most common goal of all the players Madison365 interviewed. Many felt as though their path to big-time college basketball is enhanced by attending camps like Diener’s.
Prep and youth girls’ basketball is growing on a grassroots level all over the country. AAU tournaments are expanding to include more girls’ teams and players.
Viewership for NCAA women’s basketball has risen by more than 41% since 2023 and generational talents like Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers have caused a recent WNBA boom.
Still, younger girls are in need of more recognition and parity with their same-age male counterparts when it comes to national rankings and NIL money.
Ed McCants, a former guard with UW-Milwaukee, said that the camp was designed to improve the girls’ skills and visibility.
“There’s so many money and gimmicky types of camps. We wanted to bring in real coaches,” McCants said. “The Marquette coach was here one day talking to the girls, the UW-Milwaukee coach was here one day. We just wanted to give the girls a really high-quality instruction and experience.”
The Madison365 team is 27-6 through the spring and summer tournament season. They finish their 2025 summer season July 18-21 at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Chicago.
