September 16, 2024
Top-20 recruit Kate Harpring named inaugural Overtime Select MVP
By Hunter Cruse
New high school league spotlights 15 top prospects in championship game
ATLANTA — Overtime Select, a new high school women’s basketball league showcasing the nation’s top recruits, concluded its inaugural season by crowning a champion on Sunday afternoon.
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Double Dynasty struggled to contain Iso World’s Kaleena Smith, the No. 1 recruit in the 2027 class, throughout most of the championship game. Despite its attempts to trap Smith every time she touched the ball, the 5’5 draft guard slithered through traffic to create numerous scoring opportunities for her teammates and give Iso World a seven-point advantage entering the fourth quarter.
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Double Dynasty head coach Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood, a former guard at Tennessee and Maryland, adjusted her team’s defensive coverages to counter this. She assigned Kate Harpring, the No. 18 recruit in the 2026 class and a taller 5’11 guard, to match up against Smith.
“We had to change [our defense] up a little bit,” Wiley-Gatewood told The Next. “The fourth quarter is important to everyone and they weren’t ready for that. If we did that earlier in the game, they would’ve made adjustments.”
Harpring excelled in the fourth quarter, effectively containing dribble penetration and challenging rim attempts in isolation, including two blocks on Smith.
“We needed a bigger guard to slow her down and get her tired,” Double Dynasty guard Mya Pauldo, a Tennessee commit in the 2025 recruiting class, told The Next.
Harpring also pieced together some impressive drives, scoring four points to open the fourth quarter to turn the tide for Double Dynasty quickly. She finished with a game-high 21 points and three rebounds on 69% shooting from the field, leading Double Dynasty to an 83-73 victory and earning MVP honors.
Harpring, the daughter of former NBA player Matt Harpring, currently holds offers from South Carolina, USC, UCLA, among others. She will only continue to rise up recruiting rankings in the coming years.
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For Iso World, Smith recorded 20 points and an impressive nine assists to two turnovers in the loss. Sisters Lola Lampley, No. 19 recruit in 2026, and Jayla Lampley, No. 47 recruit in 2025, combined for 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Overtime Select’s debut season showcased over 50 Top 100-ranked recruits, offering them the chance to compete against the top high schoolers in the nation, grow their social media platforms and receive valuable resources to navigate the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) landscape.
“It’s a really cool environment here at [Overtime Select],” Harpring said. “I’ve never really played in front of this many fans, so I feel like this [experience] got me used to playing in this atmosphere and against the best players in the country.”
