The Florida Insider

111810Picks

2010-11-18T07:24:00.000-08:00

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To me the real feature game of the night is Notre Dame versus UCLA

UCLA has been ranked pretty high in a PAC 10 which really hasnt earned its major status lately except of being lucky that they have Stanford in it. UCLA has some players though and NIkki Caldwell has done a fantastic job building up that program in such a short amount of time allowing kids to have an option to stay out West in So Cal to go to school.

Notre Dame is good though, one player who's been left out of too many conversations is freshman Natalie Achonwa who played on Canada's Senior National Team at 16 years old, the front court player could develop into one of the better players for the Irish who've had a good Devereaux Peters for sometime but Peters really has had issues staying healthy. Add in All-Word Skylar Diggins and Notre Dame could be better then they were last year.

I expect this to be a pretty fast pace high scoring game in which Notre Dame playing at home in South Bend should pull out. My Pick: Notre Dame 83 UCLA 72

Duke vs Auburn

Second dose of high level ACC play for Auburn in less then a week, coming off a close loss to Florida State at home Auburn travels out to Louisville again to play Duke. Duke is coming off a pretty convincing win against USC where they won by 25. I think this game could be around the same, likely for Duke to be winning by high double figures. Duke grinds it out on you and looks like one of the more balanced teams in the country at this point. My Pick: Duke 71 Auburn 56

Tennessee vs Virginia

Tennessee is good this year, it'll be interesting to see how many consecutive games that Simmons can put up 20 or more and tonights guard match up with Chyna Crosby will be her second test and the first one she passed pretty easily versus Shoni Schimmel (Louisville). Tennessee's overall size and athleticism is going to cause big problems for UVA who lacks an offensive weapon like Monica Wright they have had in the past. If Virginia can keep this close they might be a top half of the ACC team but at this point I am not really convinced of that.

The Pick: Tennesse 81 UVA 57

Other Notes: Look for Samford who plays a similar style to Vandy to possibly keep it close in that game tonight both teams are execution fundemental teams obviously Vandy's got more soldiers but Samford's well coached.

South Carolina and Clemson battle for the State bragging rights, Clemson has a new coach and South Carolina has a pretty new team I like South Carolina in this one but not sure by how much. South Carolina had a pretty good win over Illinois the other day at home and looks to be better then many predicted at the start of the season.

Florida vs Depaul - Florida's beat two mid majors that arnt going to win their league now roll up to Chicago to play an expirienced DePaul team many have high expectations for in the Big East. Florida's lack of skilled guard play and post offensive capability make this first game against a BCS opponant a bad match up for the Gators. The Pick Depaul 77 Florida 51

Princeton vs Rutgers - You have defense versus offensive execution ... Rutgers comes back from a 0-2 road trip to play the defending Ivy League Champs and I'll pick my upset special Princeton 49 Rutgers 46 in a low scoring game.

Ole Miss vs Arizona - Valencia McFarland is a player to watch for Ole Miss who's had some close calls but still is 2-0 as is the visitor Arizona who rolls in to Oxford tonight. I think that Ole Miss is pretty well coached and will continue to improve throughout the season and if McFarland has a strong offensive game they'll prevail at home. The pick Ole Miss 66 Arizona 59

Other Games to watch

Green Bay vs Wisconcin - The Pick Green Bay by 7
NC A&T vs Old Dominion - The Pick NC A&T by 3
Memphis vs Indiana - The Pick Memphis by 4

FAUJU

2010-11-17T18:12:00.000-08:00

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Back on the scene for a little college basketball action

Jacksonville nearly beat South Florida the last time out only to fall in the end. FAU after routing Webber on Friday, were upset by Kennesaw State.

Talking with Coach Dugan, FAU will be missing their top returning player, Lyrell Barfield 5-8 G SR for an extended period of time. This is FAU’s real play maker in the back court and from the looks of the game will really hurt them as long as she is out. That being said their freshman will need to keep stepping up, freshman Kim Smith (Minneola, Fl), Latavia Dempsey (St. Petersburg, Fl), and Chaquera Kent (Titusville, Fl) are averaging 24.5 points per game more then 25% of the teams offense and averaging nearly 50 minutes per game collectively.

FAU I predicted to be one of the better teams in the Sun Belt this year, I still believe that to some extent but a lot will depend on their trip to Jacksonville, nothing more then 3-1 would really make me think that. While I am a little more optimistic then most, FAU has lots of new players.

JU had a down year by their standards last year but looks strong with a route of the University of Tampa in the pre-season and playing USF close in the first part of the year.

I told Coach Dunn earlier in practice whoever signed Crystal Bell 5-8 JR should get a bonus because the kid is just making plays all over the court and while she doesn’t have a ton of skill scoring the ball she is big on both the offensive end (rebounding) and on defense where she’s a freak athletically.

Kim Smith 5-8 G from Minneola, Fl makes her first start tonight as a freshman for FAU tonight, Smith led FAU with 23 points in their first game and has been first or second in minutes played their first two games as well.

The story of the first half was the ability for Jacksonville to take 17 more shots then Florida Atlantic and while JU Just shot 33% from the field they had four more makes then Florida Atlantic who shot only 39%. Florida Atlantic turned the ball over 13 times and allowed 14 offensive rebounds in the first half alone.

Ashanti Williams busted out with a big first half for the Dolphins with 12 points hitting 2 3’s and four freethrows while going 3 for 5 from the field. FAU was more spread out with their point distribution and had had 9 different players score in the first half. Jacksonville lead Florida Atlantic 40-34 at the break .

Florida Atlantic was somewhat handcuffed by the scouting report and played Jacksonville a lot of 2-3 zone but the reality is that you probably should pressure JU they really lack point guard play with only having a freshman in Ronisha Mitchell and Jennifer George a junior who isn’t particularly athletic. Also in the book was stopping GiGi Thomas and FAU did a pretty effective job of that limiting her to just 2 freethrows on 0-2 shooting from the field in the first half.

FAU isn’t really dominant in the paint or at point and really you have to have one or the other, their freshman are a little passive right now you can tell there is a lot of indecision on who’s job it is to carry the team.

FAU struggled to handle the ball and get rebounds which really cost them the game. Defensively they’re so new and havnt really got a lot of team defense going yet and have a lot of new kids who don’t really understand the need for intensity on defense they couldn’t really come back and force turnovers when they got down at the end. They made a few plays on defense before just falling apart with 3 turnovers and 2 offensive rebounds in the last minute of the game only trailing 6. The final score ended up being 78-66.

Terri Stamps led FAU in scoring but they really needed her more on defense and to attack to get others involved for the team’s success.

Enough about FAU….JU is much improved from last year super athletic and playing really hard. It’d be hard for me to imagine they’d finish worse then 4th in the ASUN and have a chance to knock off Wake Forest in a few weeks when the roll into town. Some of the stats for JU where pretty impressive . Ashanti Williams finished with 22 points on 7 of 12 from the field. Both Taneskei Richardson and Lynsey Paschal finished with double doubles …. Paschall 13 & 10 and Richardson 11 and 17. Fau committed 22 turnovers and gave up 24 offensive rebounds and everyone knows as long as that happens you cant win.

MorganTuck

2010-11-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

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Keil Moore from Peach State Basketball reports that Morgan Tuck 6-1 F Boilingbrook, IL has committed to UConn.

Tuck was at the Baylor/UConn game last night and had taken several official visits to her top schools which included but were not limited to Duke and Illinois where her sister will attend.

Tuck's commitment is the first in the slew of top front court players that could come out in the 2012 class and to me is only behind Clarksville, Tn's Bashaara Graves in the 2012 power forward class. Graves is rumored to be heading to either Kentucky or Tennessee.

NationalFOY

2010-11-17T05:24:00.000-08:00

Who will be National Freshman of the Year? After big performances in their first games Meighan Simmons and Bria Hartley look to be leaders for the honor but there are other candidates as well. Take the chance to vote here on the Florida Insider.

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NorcrossvWheeler

2010-11-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

While I was up in Georgia this weekend I took a trip over to Wheeler High School to see 2013 #1 player in the country Diamond DeShields of visiting Norcross.

DeShields is #22; Wake Forest signee Dearica Hamby is #23 , Victoria Carter 2012 offers from Clemson and Florida is #24 , Jasmine Kemp and Patrice Butler are the two posts for Norcross.

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MondayNightBasketball?

2010-11-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

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Monday Night….Basketball?

Well it was a pretty interesting first weekend of basketball with several top 25 teams falling and some close calls in the process but tonight should be by far the most interesting day of the four day old season.

Baylor vs. Uconn

Last year Baylor kicked off the season at Tennessee losing by double figures before avenging that loss and making it to the final four only to lose to Uconn in the process. Baylor hasn’t had it easy in this pre season losing starting point guard Kelly Griffin to quitting the team and not having the services of Mariah Chandler who’s nursing a knee injury. Uconn got 30 points in the first half from Tiffany Hayes last night as well as 18 from all word freshman Bria Hartley. To me I think that the strength of Baylor is inside with Brittany Griner while Uconn is strong on the perimeter and most of basketball on this planet circulates around guard play. Baylor is searching for a guard and could spend most of the non conference hoping they can turn Odyssey Sims into the player she was supposed to be post ACL surgery as the #2 recruit nationally. Can Baylor do it again? Lose early in the season then turn around and knock off Uconn? Well last year that is exactly what happened with Tennessee….the difference this year is that this match up probably wont happen until the final four.

How good is Uconn? As good as everyone else on the team aside from Maya Moore is…if they consistent effort from Hartley, Hayes and the rest of the gang they should win the national championship again. Some people are talking of Stanford being their first loss since they beat them in St Pete in the Final Four more then 2 years ago. I think the guard play of Uconn is going to be something people are really underrating. If Geno can get anything out of the middle look for it to be a long year for opponents and this just to be a replay of the last 2 seasons. The pick for tonight? Uconn 77 Baylor 63 …. But what will the result be when it matters….only time will tell.

Maryland vs. Georgetown

Maryland is another team ACC coaches are talking about as a big sleeper. Georgetown is picked pretty high in the Big East but still hasn’t really proved anything at the highest level. Tonight I expect it to be a little lower scoring then later in the season as the trend has been teams struggling to find offense in the opening weekend, the large crowd expected in support of Georgetown in their small arena should be interesting to see what type of game atmosphere. In the end I think Georgetown is a little frail in the front and doesn’t have the heavy strong post to beat Maryland and I think Maryland is on the way back to possibly being nationally significant and maybe a year away from the final four. The Pick for tonight? Maryland 65 Georgetown 59

Other Games

Xavier vs. Michigan

Xavier is rolling in to Michigan their 2nd BCS opponent in as many games. Michigan isn’t a bad team but is playing a team which could be playing the last weekend of the year. The pick? Xavier 81 Michigan 69

Florida State vs. Auburn

Florida State has been rolling on all cylinders this season and pre season so far, this will be the first real test for Natasha Howard who might be a candidate for national freshman of the year. Look for FSU to be pretty strong this year and this could be the first time people get a real sense of how good they are early in the season on a national level. While I think Auburn has improved this year just gaining of year of experience I see them being a year away from contending with a top 15 team nationally. The Pick? FSU 67 Auburn 59

Duke vs. USC

Well this isn’t a football game, but I expect Duke to really be on a mission this year to get back in the final four and this game might be a little over hyped. USC struggled some in their first game of the year and Duke is really good. If USC can hang in it says a lot about how good they will be in the PAC 10 this year and possible an NCAA tournament team for Michael Cooper. Watch to see how good Chelsea Gray is she might be the impact player in the freshman class to propel them into the final four. Also see if Krystal Thomas has improved at all her senior season will be her final judgment on what type of player she was on the court in Durham. The Pick? Duke 70 USC 53

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1on1ElemIbiam

2010-11-15T12:33:00.001-08:00

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Ellem Ibiam is a 6-4 post from Fayetteville, Georgia, a senior who’s already signed with Hall-of-Famer Dawn Staley, Ibiam is ready for her senior year and looking forward to possibly winning a state championship. We take an opportunity to go one on one with Ellem Ibiam.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

EI: To win a region and State Championship title

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

EI: Im working on adding more post moves to my game, and ball handling.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

EI: I looking forward to winning some SEC/National titles and just growing more as a player at South Carolina.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

EI: Temi Fagbenle

Kenny: Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

EI: My Mom

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

EI: Yes, As long as he is happy then its right for him.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

EI: Erika Desouza

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

EI: Not sure yet, looking forward to some big changes this year.

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1on1KatherineZander

2010-11-15T12:31:00.000-08:00

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Katherine Zander is one of the top 2 sport athletes in the state of Florida. A swimming champion is taking her skills from Orange Park, Fl to Norman Oklahoma and the 6-3 forward will play basketball for Sherri Coale and the Oklahoma Sooners, we take this chance to go one on one with Katherine Zander.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Katherine: To fully recover from my ACL injury and to help my team win state.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Katherine: My outside game. I have been working on hitting the 3 while having the versatility to be able to drive the ball to the hoop as well.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Katherine: I have committed to play basketball for the University of Oklahoma. I am most looking forward to playing with some amazing players and being coached by some of the best coaches in the nation.

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Katherine: My coaches and my parents.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Katherine: No. He should have stayed by his teammates and supported them.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Katherine: Jane Appel

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Katherine: UCONN

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1on1ErikaFord

2010-11-15T12:22:00.003-08:00

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Erika Ford has been one of the top players in Georgia the past few years and is headed to play for Andy Landers and the Georgia Bulldogs. We take this opportunity to go one on one with Erika Ford.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Erika: Win State && Region :)

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Erika: Ball handling && a more consistent jump shot.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Erika: Signed to Georgia I’m looking forward to moving on to play @ a D1 school, and improve my game.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Erika: Cierra Burdick and Diamond Deshields

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Erika: My high school coach, and my mother.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Erika: No, he should have stuck with the Cavs because there was chemistry there and on the heat, its too much ego and power.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Erika: I honestly have no idea.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Erika: GEORGIA!

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1on1BrittanyCross

2010-11-15T12:17:00.001-08:00

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Brittany Cross is a 5-10 forward from Timber Creek High School in Orlando Florida. Cross, a junior had a big sophomore season and is looking to put Timber Creek on the map this year as they start their season.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Brittany Cross: My goals this year is to win districts and even go further than that to states, also to improve my game itself.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Brittany Cross: I'm working on my ball handling skills all around and building up my confidence on the court overall.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Brittany Cross: My recruiting is going well right now. I plan on visiting some schools of my top choice this year.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Brittany Cross: I would have to say Alexis Prince.

Kenny: Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Brittany Cross: My dad

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Brittany Cross: Yes, I think he did because now he has a better chance of getting a ring with them because of the great talent they have on that team.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Brittany Cross: I think I play somewhat like Dwight Howard.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Brittany Cross: UConn no doubt about it.

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1on1PachiyaannaRoberts

2010-11-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

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Pachiyaanna Roberts is a big time 2012 player from Atlanta, Ga. We take this chance to go one on one with Pachiyaanna Roberts.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

PR: Win region and state with my team.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

PR: I'm working on shooting off the dribble since its one of my weaker points.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

PR: Recruiting is going good, as of right now i like Clemson and South Carolina, im looking for a school with good academics mostly.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

PR: The best would have to be Diamond Deshields.

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

PR: My mother

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

PR: Yes because I think that what Lebron James wanted he couldn't get playing for the Cavs.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

PR: Lebron James
Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

PR: Definitely UConn

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1on1TheranyDunnigan

2010-11-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

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Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

TD: My number one goal for the season is to just enjoy my final year of high school basketball with my friends my other goal is to just get further in the post season than they did last year because this is my first year playing with this team.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

TD: Parts of my game that I’m definitely working on are my mid range shots and just being more in control in the games so i can be a better playmaker.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

TD: Well I verballed to NC State in June, what looking forward to is actually being there getting to play and everything.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

TD: Best female basketball player I've ever played against would definitely have to be Jantel Lavender.

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

TD: The person that inspires me would be Maya moore she just gives her all every time she's out on the floor, she inspires me to play just as hard.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

TD: That's a tough decision, being from Cleveland part of me is saying no because i wanted him to be here but I mean it's his life i still think he's a great player overall and wish him the best.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

TD: I think my game is kind of like Tina Charles, she's very aggressive on defense she's a monster on the boards and she can score at will down low.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

TD: Connecticut, I mean right now I just don't see anyone knocking them off so i'm going to go with them.

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ChattETSU11122010

2010-11-12T17:47:00.001-08:00

11/12/10 - East Tennessee at Chattanooga

I had both East Tennessee and Chattanooga ranked pretty high in the East Coast Mid-Major poll coming into the year. Both though have sustained some significant losses. The losses start with East Tennessee State losing three main players for them Siarra Evans and Taronda Wiles to graduation while Tarita Gordon will miss this season with a knee injury she sustained in the summer. Chattanooga had similar issues with players deciding not to return as well as one of their top incoming freshman deciding she would not enroll until the spring semester.

ETSU is talented, Tara Davis is probably one of the best mid major guards in the country and they return Latisha Belcher from injury. As you could see in the pre-season boxes its been a chore getting her back in the flow of basketball after missing nearly two years. Belcher missed some layups and easy sticks in the UTC game but if she starts regaining her touch boy they’re going to be good.

At this point Tara Davis makes ETSU go they’re a little stagnant on offense but so athletic and big compared to UTC and the rest of their league that the get away with just out athleting you. I’ve come to the assumption both teams are going to be pretty good this year whether they’ll be as dominant as the past I doubt but it wouldn’t shock me to see either team win their league and give some major’s a run for their money in the non conference. Destiny Mitchell is probably ETSU’s best new comer a power guard who rebounds the ball and has good size is going to be a tough match up for a lot of people throughout the season.

On to the game

1st Half - Pretty even it was UTC’s balance versus Tara Davis’s going wild for 18 first half points on only 9 shots and hitting 3 3’s. ETSU was able to gain a 1 point lead by only turning over the ball 5 times all half. 2nd Half - A lot of the same, UTC had no answer for Davis and when ETSU could use her to tote the load for ETSU, UTC was unable to find someone on the offensive end who they could go to as a player who could just create and score at will. UTC got down 12 with around 400 left in the game and just never could get buckets, Gwen Washington knocked down a shot with about 300 minutes to go with the shot clock running out that put ETSU up 14 followed by Latisha Belcher adding a free throw to extend the lead to 15. The final score was 77-60 Tara Davis finished with 23 points and freshman Destiny Mitchell finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Chattanooga is more of a system team while they do need talent they need chemistry, experience, and kids who buy into the system more. Whitney Hood is a transfer from Clemson who gives the Moc’s a defensive presence but is more of an offensive liability on the offensive end where she doesn’t really fit the scheme of what UTC wants to do in spread the floor and have kids who are interchangeable. In the end Hood just didn’t score enough and finish if she does they could be pretty good once again.

Star Watch

Kim Smith - Florida Atlantic - 23 Points 7 Assist 0 Turnovers vs. Webber
Valencia McFarland - Ole Miss - 7 Points 7 Assist 1 Turnover 7 Rebounds vs. Jackson State
Kevi Luper - Oral Roberts - 28 Points in a 110-58 Win vs. TX Arlington
Jamierra Faulkner - Southern Miss - 20 Points 6 Assist 3 Rebounds vs. McNeese State
Tara Davis - East Tennessee -

Opening Day Winners - Figurative and Literal

Jacksonville University - After a rough 2009-2010 campaign they went down to Tampa and only fell to South Florida by 5 points they’ve lost the last two years by 10 total points to the Bulls.

Point Guards in Mississippi - Jamierra Faulkner (Southern Miss) and Valencia McFarland (Ole Miss) both are freshman and hand big days for the respective clubs in wins. Both will be leaders for those programs for four years.

Xavier - The Musketeers looked like they were on a mission steam rolling South Carolina today in Columbia to kick off the season.

Tom Hodges - Kept Morehead State close with Kentucky for a half and had clearly the loudest out fit of opening day.

Jessica Breland - North Carolina - After battling cancer, Breland was back on the court for the Tarheels today as the kicked off versus North Florida in a romp.

Kendra Long - Georgia State - After switching from Georgia Tech to Georgia State late last spring the freshman Long scored 13 points against Tech today and kept Georgia State close to only a 10 point loss.

Robin Pingeton - Missouri - Took a team which wasn’t very good last year and got a win over a good Memphis team picked pretty high in Conference USA and beat them by 20 on the road today Kudos!

SamanthaPrahalis

2010-11-12T07:19:00.000-08:00

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Seems that Ohio State Guard Samantha Prahalis has been suspended for the first 3 games of the season including today's kick off versus Temple and later in the weekend against Louisiana State, both big games for the Buckeyes who start the season atop the Big 10.

I have an Insider report that Prahalis's suspension stems from a trip she took to her boyfriend at the time Evan Turner's NBA Draft Day. Prahalis supposedly flew to the game at the expense of Turner or his agent and the NCAA constituted it was a violation which resulted in the 3 game suspension. Turner was the 2nd pick in the NBA draft last year and also attended Ohio State he is currently on the roster of the Philadephia 76ers. Turner and Prahalis were known to have dated during their tenure at Ohio State, it is unsure if they are still together but that would be the story regarding her suspension.

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2011RecruitingClasses

2010-11-12T07:06:00.000-08:00

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Recruiting Classes

I always read these times of year how the BCS ranking computer is used to crank out some type of recruiting class ranking, this would be a great tool….if the computer 1) Knew what each team needed and 2) Had accurate evaluations on the players in reality we only know #1 so lets look at who did the best jobs of signing players to address their needs and put them in contention to move up or stay atop of their league or the world of college basketball.

1. Stanford - The best class in the country not because of the BCS computer rankings but the point guard spot and athletic guards have always been a struggle for the Cardinals. This year they pick up two guards that really can help them along and possibly contend for the national championship. Jasmine Camp a 5-8 guard from Georgia and Amber Orrange 5-8 guard out of Texas both will significantly help Stanford in their title quest. Other Signees: Bonnie Sammuelson 6-2 F; Erica Payne 6-2 F; Taylor Greenfield 5-8 G

2. Duke - Like Stanford has struggled at the point, the reason Duke hasn’t been in the final four or won a national championship of late is the center position. Krystal Thomas was regarded as a top 10 player out of high school but just hasn’t blossomed into the college All American some projected her to be. Enter Elizabeth Williams whether you have her 1 or 2 in the country you’d hope that would be a big improvement real quick for Duke. Amber Henson 6-2 F Tampa, Fl struggled some this summer and was hurt but similar to Burdick she’s a face up 4 player who’s very skilled and could be very good. Duke also has Kalia Johnson 5-8 Guard who’s a good athletic defender and 6-2 wing player Whitney Knight of North Carolina.

3. Tennessee - The signing of Ariel Massengale to me is a sign of trouble for this season in Knoxville at the point guard spot because it seemed like if Lauren Avant or Meighan Simmons were operable that they would just hold on to them until 2012 Andraya Carter came in and then try to snag an additional guard with them in 2012. That isn’t the case and the Vols have probably ruled themselves out of another top 10 guard in the 2012 class because there just isn’t enough playing time to go around. The addition of Burdick is a good one a skilled front court player who is good in the half court for sure will be a different dimension then just having 6-4 kids. Harrison I think will serve as a role player for the Lady Vols she’ll really have to kick it up a few notches to be remembered when it is all over.

4. Uconn - Kaleena Lewis is a good pick up to any team and so is Kiah Stokes, seems like Uconn is waiting in the bushes for the 2012 class players. Lewis will have to pick up some scoring for Maya Moore who graduates and Stokes gives Uconn an athletic post presence and depth in the front court. Both players address needs but the real judgment of the Huskies future will be in the next two recruiting classes.

5. California - Cal picks up Erika Johnson, Brittany Boyd and Reshaunda Grey. While Johnson and Grey are similar to what Cal already has and only hopes to upgrade what they already have. The impact player for the team is Boyd who will add depth at guard which is the position which they were most hopeful to improve on to get the team farther along.

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6. Kentucky
7. UCLA
8.Texas A&M
9. LSU
10. Georgia Tech

OpeningWeekend

2010-11-11T14:12:00.001-08:00

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Top Opening Weekend Games

Nov 12th

Morehead State at Kentucky - Tom Hodges takes the reigns as the youngest head coach in Division I women’s basketball with one of the top mid majors in the country Chyna Bozeman. Kentucky is coming off a big elite 8 appearance last year and now is trying to repeat the success of last year. McDonald’s All American point guard Jennifer O’Neil will make her debut for the Wildcats likely starting in place of out-for-the-season Amber Smith. Matthew Mitchell was the head coach at Morehead State prior to coming to Kentucky. The Pick: Kentucky by 15

St. John’s vs. Marist - St. John’s is looking to repeat on the successes of last year retuning Shekinna Smith, Marist has been one of the top mid majors in the country for the last several season which makes this match up of athleticism versus system play all the more interesting. The Pick: St John’s by 8

Ohio State vs. Temple - Another game of a solid mid versus Goliath, Ohio State is the early favorite to win the Big 10 lets see how Temple stacks up to the challenge of the Buckeyes. The Pick: Ohio State by 12

Georgia State at Georgia Tech - Sharon Baldwin Tenor a Atlanta native makes her return to the metro area facing off with top 25 Georgia Tech and while this game may not be the most competitive the addition of football at Georgia State makes them a program which could make the leap in to the BCS if the situation is right in the next 10 years. The Pick: Georgia Tech by 19

Missouri at Memphis - The coach who got the Missouri job versus the coach rumored to be heavily involved in it. At Illinois State that staff did a great job coaching those kids up and while they may not have the talent right now they play a Memphis team who’s atop conference USA to start the year. The Pick: Memphis by 6

Xavier at South Carolina - While 8 months ago this looked like a mammoth of a game Kelsey Bone vs. Xavier front line, it looks a little more one sided now but South Carolina is rumored to have had a good pre-season and if there is one thing Dawn Staley can do is get a lot out of a little. Kevin McGuff and Xavier have a brutal non-conference schedule this year which starts tomorrow in Columbia. The Pick: Xavier by 9

East Tennessee at Chattanooga - While no one really knows either program too well except for Wes Moore was that guy who took the ECU job then went back, Chattanooga and ETSU have both won the last few conference championships in their respective conferences. ETSU lost all conference players Siarra Evans and Taronda Wiles and Chattanooga lost a fair amount of their team as well. Chattanooga got beat pretty good last year it’ll be interesting to see the result of the this game this year to kick off the season. The Pick: Chattanooga by 7

Tennessee vs. Louisville - The resurgence of Tennessee versus the resurgence of Louisville…if Louisville is competitive then it is good news for them … it will be fun to see freshman Shoni Schimmel take the floor for the first time for the Cardinals. The Pick: Tennessee by 11

Seton Hall vs. Florida Gulf Coast - Seton Hall and Anne Donovan take a team picked pretty low in the Big East down to play the upset giant Karl Smesko and Florida Gulf Coast who’s won as many games in the last 10 years as any program in the country. The Pick: Florida Gulf Coast by 8

Rutgers at Cal - A big early season game for both teams to see where they are at both have had strong recruiting classes but havnt translated that into post season success yet we will see where they are at quick! The Pick: Cal by 4

Illinois vs. Illinois State - State turned over this year and Illinois has gotten a ton of talent but yet to translate that to the wins and losses column a very important game for the Illini … The Pick Illinois by 8

UCLA at San Diego State - One of the best mid majors in the West takes on the Lady Vol of the West in UCLA. UCLA has been building for 2 years to keep progressing they’ll need to go on the road and get a W. The Pick: UCLA by 3

Upset Alert: Florida A&M at Arkansas - Last year FAMU knocked off Florida and South Florida the first week of the year lets see if Arkansas can not repeat that.

Nov 13th
Central Florida at Florida - Former Florida assistant Joi Williams returns to Gainesville for the pre-season NIT, after a down year for UCF Williams wants to prove the Knights can compete if they get a chance to play in a BCS conference in the near future. On the flip side there is a lot of pressure in Gainesville for the Gators who were picked last in the SEC pre season. The Pick: Central Florida by 4

Nov 14th

South Florida at Middle Tennessee - After winning the NIT in 2009 and making the NIT last year the Bulls have beefed up their schedule and head to Murfreesboro to play against the back to back defending Sun Belt Champs. Both teams have had significant roster changes where Middle lost Alysha Clark the nations leading scorer to graduation. Look for Andrea Smith 5-8 G who transferred in from Gulf Coast Community College one of the top newcomers in the Big East this season, last year she was National Junior College Player of the Year. South Florida also gets 6-1 W Daleisha Carn returning to action since transferring from Alabama. Middle Tennessee has had strong outings from Kentucky freshman Ebony Rowe who notched 20 points in their last pre season game. One thing for sure there will be a big crowd and a lot of points scored. The Pick: Pick Em’

Georgia Tech at Old Dominion - A solid RPI game for both teams, Georgia Tech is rather underrated in my opinion look for them to take it by double figures against Georgia native Tia Lewis and ODU. The Pick : GA Tech by 11

LSU at Northwestern - A new backcourt with Allison Hightower gone but LSU is still loaded with athletic talent. Northwestern has continued to improve and could be a player in the Big 10 later in the year but I am not sure they have enough to take out Van Chancellor and the Tigers this early. The Pick: LSU by 9

Rutgers versus Stanford - Doesn’t get any easier for C Viv on the left coast as they play #3 Stanford. I look for Stanford to score a lot against a good defensive team in Rutgers. Point guard play is a question for the Cardinals but they should over come it in this match up. The Pick: Stanford by 17

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1on1Peytonwhitted

2010-11-10T07:27:00.000-08:00

Peyton Whitted is an athletic sophomore forward from Greater Atlanta Christian School in Georgia. Whitted is down to several schools in recruiting all of which would be lucky to have her services, we take this chance to go one on one with Peyton Whitted.

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Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Peyton: Becoming a leader, Taking full responsibility and not pointing fingers, Putting my teammates before me.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Peyton: Defense mostly, and also my ball handling.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Peyton: I visited Purdue last month, taking an unofficial to Purdue next weekend. Top Schools right now are Duke Purdue UGA

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Peyton: Kaela Davis, Andraya Carter, Diamond Deshields.

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Peyton: My Mom

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Peyton: No, he should have stayed where he was. Too many superstars on one team.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Peyton: Baylor

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1on1JovanaMandic

2010-11-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

Jovana Mandic picked up a Division I scholarship without ever playing any high school basketball. Mandic a senior at the Rock School in Gainesville is committed to play for legend Coach Cynthia Dyke at UNC Wilmington. We take this opportunity to go one on one with Bosnian native Jovana Mandic.

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Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Jovana: Win as many games we can, hopefully a team national ranking, progress as a player, prepare for college basketball.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Jovana: My post moves

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Jovana: I committed to University North Carolina Wilmington. I am excited about becoming a part of great college team .

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Jovana: Nika Baric

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Jovana: My parents

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Jovana: No

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Jovana: Lauren Jackson

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Jovana: Connecticut

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1on1KiraGordon

2010-11-10T07:22:00.000-08:00

Kira Gordon is a 6-0 2012 forward from North Cobb High School. A starter on the Georgia Elite Club team Gordon is ranked in the top 150 players nationally and is poised for a big junior year. We take this chance to go one on one with Kira Gordon.

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Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Kira: Win state championship, win region.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Kira: Shoot the ball from the outside more consistently and penetrate to the right as well as finish with the right

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Kira: My list of top schools: UGA, WVU, GSU, VT, USC and SIU.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Kira: Diamond DeShields

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Kira: My mom and Kelvin Powell

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Kira: No, he should of stood by his team... I don't think he will be the same at the Heat.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Kira: Tamika Catchings

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Kira: UConn

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1on1KristaDonald

2010-11-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

Krista Donald is a top 100 recruit in the class of 2011, a Mississippi native is headed to play at tradition rich University of Georgia and Andy Landers.

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Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Krista: Perfect season... District Championship... State championship..

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Krista: Ball handling...Consistent shot....Patience with making moves...

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools?
If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Krista: Looking forward to how great "Bulldog nation" really is...

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Krista: April Sykes

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Krista: Myself

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Krista: No, because it's too much of the same personnel...and too much "fire power" with big egos...

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Krista: Tamika Catchings

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Krista: UConn

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EdgewaterSpruceCreek

2010-11-10T05:37:00.000-08:00

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Last night top 20 national recruit's Alexis Prince (2012) and Trimaine McCullough (2013) took the court for the firt time together. Here is some video highlights of the first half where the led 40-12 over Spruce Creek. The final of the game was 69-26, Edgewater is the top team in Central Florida and the favorite to win the class 6A State Title.

Notable Players on the vide: #21 Alexis Prince (2012) #5 Trimaine McCullough (2013) #15 Halee Clark (2014)

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1on1AudrishaWilliams

2010-11-10T05:14:00.000-08:00

Audrisha Williams is a freshman at Cherokee High School like her sister, before she graduates she could have the option of attending nearly every school in the country. We take this chance to go one on one with Audrisha William 6-3 C from Cherokee High School in Canton, GA.

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Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Audrisha: My goals for the season is to keep improving every game and do what ever I can to help my team win.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Audrisha: I am working on scoring with my right hand (Audrisha is left handed) and my post moves on the right block.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Audrisha: Recruiting is going well my sister and I have visited Tennessee and Georgia Tech but I have gotten a bunch of letters so I am very excited about it being just a freshman.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Audrisha: Aunesha Williams! Because when I play against her whether it is in the driveway or on the court I always play my hardest.

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Audrisha: My mother.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Audrisha: I do think Lebron made the right decision because the only way for him to win an NBA Championship was to get the right players around him and the Heat did that for him and the Cavs were never able to do that.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Audrisha: Shaquille O'Neal

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Audrisha: UConn

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1on1AuneshaWilliams

2010-11-09T05:53:00.000-08:00

Twin Sisters Aunesha (left) and Audrisha (right) Williams 2014 national prospects in the class of 2014.

Aunesha Williams a 6-2 Power Forward out of Canton, Georgia is only a freshman at Cherokee High School but well known around the south as one of the top recruits in the country. Already visiting Georiga Tech and Tennessee, and getting mail from USF, LSU, Clemson and Georgia the versitle power player could turn out to be one of the best players in the country before its all over. Along with her twin sister Audrisha 6-3 C 2014 you will be sure to see them make a major splash on the national scene in the near future.

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Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Aunesha: My goals for the season are to improve each and every game and help lead my team to a great season. I am very excited about my first year of high school basketball.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Aunesha: I am working to get better at using my left hand and trying to work on my offensive game as well.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Aunesha: I am only a freshman but my recruiting is going well I have already visited Tennessee and Georgia Tech and gotten mail from LSU, South Florida, Clemson and some other schools so I am excited about my future.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Aunesha: Morgan Jones (2011 #9 HG Nationally)

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Aunesha: My mother

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Aunesha: I think Lebron made a very bad decision, in my opinion he would have been better off in Cleveland.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Aunesha: I would have to say Kobe, because we are both pretty much beasts!

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Aunesha: Of Course UConn!

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1on1ChadarrylClay

2010-11-09T05:33:00.000-08:00

Chadarryl Clay is one of the top uncommitted guards in the country in 2012, a staunch defender and athletic scorer and distributor Clay is looking to make an impact in the SEC right away which includes several of the nations top schools we take this chance to go one on one with Chadarryl Clay.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Chadarryl: My goals this season are to win state, and become an all stater

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Chadarryl: Right now I am working hardest to improve my defense.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Chadarryl: Recruiting is going really well so far I have visited Tennessee, Florida State, Auburn, Virginia Tech, and Kentucky.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Chadarryl Clay: Former Lady Vol, and now at Chattanooga Faith Dupree.

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Chadarryl: My Dad.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Chadarryl: Yes, because he didnt have much help when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Chadarryl: Allen Iverson is who I think I play like the most.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Chadarryl: I think that Tennessee will be back on top and win the National Championship this year.

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WCBBPreview

2010-11-08T07:24:00.001-08:00

Florida Insider Women’s College Basketball Preview (East of the Mississippi River)

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I feel like a lot of people focus on covering women’s college basketball on a national level I know what I know and will focus on covering east of the Mississippi this year. I will write up some games that I go to and cover the conferences here some too. I will update by top 20 Majors and 15 Mid Majors bi weekly throughout the year as well as having a notebook to keep up with the happenings of women’s college basketball on the coast we all care about the most.

Top 20 BCS Programs (EOTMR)
1. Tennessee
2. UConn
3. Duke
4. Kentucky
5. LSU
6. Florida State
7. Maryland
8. Georgetown
9. Georgia Tech
10. Georgia
11. St. Johns
12. West Virginia
13. Vanderbilt
14. Notre Dame
15. Louisville
16. Rutgers
17. South Florida
18. Syracuse
19. Auburn
20. NC State

Pre-Season BCS Team (10 Players)
Jasmine Thomas - Duke
Cierra Brevard - FSU
Lynette Kizer - Maryland
Alex Montgomery - Georgia Tech
Maya Moore - Uconn
Sugar Rogers - Georgetown
Skylar Diggins - Notre Dame
Shennika Smith - St. Johns
Victoria Dunlap - Kentucky
Shekinna Strickland - Tennessee

Pre-Season All Freshman Team BCS (10 Players)
Chelsea Gray- Duke
Natasha Howard -FSU
Tyanna Marshall - Georgia Tech
Bria Hartley - Uconn
Natalie Achonwa - Notre Dame
Meighan Simmons - Tennessee
Kaniesha Horn - Alabama
Samantha Drake - Kentucky
Jennifer O’Neil - Kentucky
Ronika Ransford - Georgia

Top 15 Mid-Major Programs (EOTMR)
1. Xavier
2. Arkansas Little Rock
3. James Madison
4. Dayton
5. Charlotte
6. Middle Tennessee
7. Morehead State
8. Memphis
9. UAB
10. Chattanooga
11. East Tennessee
12. Central Florida
13. Long Island
14. South Carolina Upstate
15. Murray State

Pre-Season Mid Major Team (10 Players)
Amber Harris - Xavier
Tashia Phillips - Xavier
GiGi Thomas - Jacksonville
Chelsea McMillan - USC - Upstate
Tara Davis - ETSU
Brittany Kirkland - UNF
Chyna Bozeman - Morehead State
Brittany Carter - Memphis
Ann Marie Lanning - MTSU
Chasity Reed - UALR

Pre-Season All Freshman Team Mid-Majors
Shawn Randall - ETSU
Ronisha Mitchell - JU
Lakeisha Crouch - Xavier
Lynette Holmes - Xavier
Orsie Szeci - Duquesne
Aarika Judge - UCF
Ebony Rowe - MTSU
Kim Smith - FAU
Takia Brooks - FAU
Tai Brown - UNF

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Atlantic Sun Conference
The Favorite: East Tennessee - The return of Latisha Belcher from a knee injury as well as Tara Davis in the backcourt put the Bucs near the top of the league that they have won 3 straight years. USC Upstate - Has to be considered as much of a favorite returning a strong front court and finishing 3rd in conference play last year.
Not too far Behind: North Florida - 2 points away from their first NCAA berth since making the transition to Division I, the Osprey’s return one of the best backcourts in the conference in Julie Syquio and Brittany Kirkland
On the Rise: Jacksonville - Had several years where they nearly won the whole thing before being down last year looked very good in the preseason and are led by senior GiGi Thomas.
Top Freshman: Shawn Randall 5-8 G ETSU; Ronisha Mitchell 5-5 G JU; Chandler Merkerson 6-0 F UNF; Destiny Mitchell 5-10 G ETSU
Top Player(s): Tara Davis ETSU; Brittany Kirkland UNF; GIGI Thomas JU; Chelsea McMillan Upstate
On the Recruiting Front: JU has picked up Brittany Holliday 5-8 G South Carolina, look for her to be one of the top players in the league from the go.

Atlantic 10 Conference
The Favorite: Xavier - A layup away from the Final Four last year puts the Mustketeers back in position to possibly make their first Final Four run ever.
Not too far Behind: Dayton - Slam has them as a top 10 team nationally, while I don’t think theyre that they certainly a very good team. Charlotte - A perennial powerhouse in the A-10 has suffered being in a league that typically hasn’t got 2 bids, but one of the better mid majors in the East.
On the Rise: Duquesne - A young team on the rise in the A10, the top of the league is very good on a national level but Duquesne could be the next very good team in the future.
Top Freshman: Orsei Szecki - Duquesne; Lakeisha Crouch Xavier
Top Player(s): Amber Harris Xavier; Tashia Phillips Xavier
On the Recruiting Front: Allyson Mallott has decided to stay home and will attend Dayton, one of the biggest commitments in the conference.

Atlantic Coast Conference
The Favorite: Duke - The Blue Devils return all world Jasmine Thomas for her senior year and have plenty of depth and experience. Look for them to be a fair way ahead of the rest of the league.
Not too far Behind: Florida State - Natasha Howard an upgrade on #6 Pick Jacinta Monroe? Maybe not right away but look for the ‘Noles to be near the top of the league once again. Maryland - After winning a national championship Maryland has looked to continue their national prominence look for this recruiting class to put them back in that discussion sooner then later.
On the Rise: Georgia Tech - Tech has as physical and athletic of a back court as anyone in the country. Tyanna Marshall comes in to lead the freshman class for Tech and they return All-World Alex Montgomery for her senior year.
Top Freshman: Chelsea Gray - Duke; Natasha Howard - FSU; Alyssa Thomas - Maryland
Top Player(s): Chyna Crosby - UVA; Jasmine Thomas - Duke; Alex Montgomery GA Tech; Lynette Kizer - Maryland; Shenise Johnson - Miami; Jessica Breland - UNC; Brittany Waters - Wake Forest.
On the Recruiting Front: Duke brings in Amber Henson and Kalia’ Johnson to an already loaded line up for next season.

Big East Conference
The Favorite: Uconn - The Huskies return Maya Moore and add Bria Hartley they should be a contender for the national title once again, although its questionable if they will go undefeated.
Not too far Behind: Georgetown - Sugar Rogers had a big time breakout season as a freshman as one of the leading scorers in the Big East look for Georgetown to be in position to contend for a Big East title in the near future.
On the Rise: South Florida - Additions of Akilah McDonald 6-4 FR; Andrea Smith 5-8 JR (JUCO National player of the year); Sasha Bernard 5-6 SO (Transfer from Indiana) and the return of Jasmine Wynne (JR/ACL Injury) and Porcha Grant (Medical 5th Yr) make the Bulls a much improved team.
Top Freshman: Akila McDonald USF; Bria Hartley Uconn; Shoni Schimmel Louisville; Natalie Achonwa Notre Dame
Top Player(s): Maya Moore Uconn; Tiffany Hayes Uconn; Sugar Rogers Georgetown; Skylar Diggins Notre Dame; Andrea Smith South Florida; Shennika Smith St Johns; Alyssa Busy West Virginia
On the Recruiting Front: Pitt is reloading next season with Loliya Briggs 5-10 W out of Jacksonville’s Potter’s House Christian Academy.

Southeastern Conference
The Favorite: As Bob Corwin always says it’s Tennessee’s to lose, last year they barely made it out before losing to Baylor but this could be one of the better Tennessee teams since they lost Candace Parker, there are surely high hopes in Knoxville.
Not too far Behind: Kentucky had on of the best years in program history last year and returns Victoria Dunlap last year’s SEC Player of the Year. The injury of Amber Smith hurts but Kentucky brings in all world NYC guard Jennifer O’Neil to help at point and Samantha Drake adds depth in the front court.
On the Rise: Alabama - Tierney Jenkins has been one of the most underrated players in the SEC for the past several years look for her to team up with super frosh Kaneisha Horn to be one of the top perimeters in the league.
Top Players: Tierney Jenkins - Alabama; Jasmine James - Georgia; Victoria Dunlap - Kentucky; Lasondra Barrett - LSU; Marah Strickland - South Carolina; Jasmine James - Georgia
Top Freshmen: Valencia McFarland - Ole Miss; Stephanie Holzer - Vandy; Meighan Simmons - Tennessee; Kaniesha Horn - Alabama; Samantha Drake - Kentucky; Jennifer O”Neil - Kentucky
On the Recruiting Front: LSU has snagged Anne Pederson 6-1 W The Rock FL and Krystal Forthan 6-4 PF from Texas to load up their future front court.

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1on1AlexisJones

2010-11-07T15:09:00.000-08:00

Alexis Jones was a member of the U18 Fiba Gold Medal team this past summer with some of America's top players. The explosive lefty left DWF Elite for the Lady Cardinals where she took them to the championship of the 2010 Basketball on the Bayou. A top 20 recruit nationally we take this chance to go one on one with Alexis Jones of Texas.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Alexis: Myy goal is to work hard every day. also want my team to get better every day and for us to get what we want in the end, to win state.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Alexis: I am working on my right and I am tryin to jump higher then I jump now.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Alexis: I have visited the University of Texas so far but am focused more on the season and achieving our team goals then my recruiting at this point. I dont have a list of top schools as of yet.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Alexis: There are a lot of good players out there it would be too hard for me to identify one that was the best.

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Alexis: My dad.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Alexis: Lebron did what was best for him so I think that he made the right decision.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Alexis: I think I play most like Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Alexis: I dont know who will win but I will be paying attention as the season progresses to see who will end up champions in the end.

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1on1DominiqueSimpson

2010-11-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

Dominique Simpson is rated as one of the top 5 freshman (2014) prospects in the state of Florida. A dead eye shooter, Simpson has already had schools from the Big East come to Jones High School to show their interest. The last time someone made the trip on the Rio Grande Ave was for WNBA player Shavonte Zellous we take this opportunity to go One on One with Dominique Simpson.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Dominique: To get good grades and have a good season with no injuries! I also want to gain a bond with my teammates so we can play better on the court.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Dominique: I want to work on my left hand and jump shot.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Dominique: I've visited USF. I havent really thought about all my top schools (just being a freshman).

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Dominique: Alexis Prince

Kenny: Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Dominique: My mom, Family, and most of my coaches.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Dominique: Yes. Because he came to Florida :)

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Dominique: Many people tell me I play like Rajon Rondo, and I think I play like him also.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Dominique: UCONN.. again..

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1on1DominiqueWilson

2010-11-07T13:18:00.000-08:00

Dominique Wilson is a junior at Mceachern High School in Powder Springs, GA where she is one of the elite prospects in the 2012 class and one of the top players in the state of Georgia we take this opportunity to go one on one with Dominique Wilson.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Dominique: This year my goal is to win state's with my high school team.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Dominique: I'm working on my defense, my goal is to become a better defensive player.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Dominique: Recruiting is going great. I have been to Memphis, Auburn, Georgia Tech and South Carolina. I plan on going to visit St.Johns Florida State West Virginia and Louisville soon.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Dominique: The best player I have ever played against is Diamond Deshields (2013/Norcross/GA)

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Dominique: my dad

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Dominique: I really dont care about lebron james because im a kobe fan ...GO LAKERS!!!

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Dominique: Chris Paul

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Dominique: UConn

1on1JasmineJenkins

2010-11-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Jasmine Jenkins 2012 East Hall GA is one of the most underrated players in the country. A powerful guard who burst on the scene this summer is starting to get the attention she deserves and is excited about having another strong season of high school basketball. We take this opportunity to go 1 on 1 with Jasmine Jenkins.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Jasmine: My goal is to win a Lanierland Championship (major, local tournament), Win REgion Championship, make it to the Final Four, Receive first all around team, first all-area, first all-region team, & MVP awards again.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Jasmine: My pull up jumper, communication skills, and off-ball defense

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Jasmine: My recruiting is finally picking up. I've had Clemson attend my practice, November 2nd. Florida Gators have called my AAU coach. I visited Western Carolina, and they offered a scholarship. I will be visiting more schools in the near future.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Jasmine: Andraya Carter 2012 Buford committed to Tennessee.

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Jasmine: My sister. She was a basketball player as well, and a very good on at that. She was going to committ to Sacremento, but her health issues got to her first. She has inspired me to strive for excelling greatness and reach my goals.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Jasmine: I don't think Lebron made the right decision just because of the simple fact, you can't have too many superstars on one team. Wade, Bosh, & Lebron may sound like a dominate combination, but there's always conflict between superstar mentalities.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Jasmine: I thinkI play like Diana Taurasi because she is explosive on the offensive end, and can hold her own on the defensive end.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Jasmine: I would say unless the girls did some major work in the offseason, UConn will gladly take another 30 point win in the championship. However, they graduated Tina Charles. Needless to say, they still have Maya Moore---Uconn.

1on1NyreHarris

2010-11-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

Nyre Harris is a top 100 recruit in the class of 2012 she is an athletic wing player who can do it all and brings tons of intensity to the court. We take this chance to go one on one with Nyre Harris.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Nyre: my main goal for this upcoming season is just to lead my team to become something sucessful.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Nyre: Being more confident in my shot, pull up jumpers and trying new things.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Nyre: recruiting gets crazy haha but its going good. hard to choose, but I have a few in mind.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Nyre: The best player I played aganist would proberly chelsea gray from St Marys, now at Duke.

Kenny Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Nyre: the person who inspired me and actually made me the player I am is my aau coach, coach que.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Nyre: I think he did make a good decision going to the heat. he wanted to win a championship and i think going to the heat will make a better chance going but not beating my team LAKERS! haha

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Nyre:hmm NBA OR WNBA.. umm have no clue!

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Nyre: UCONN is the BEASTY team, but i dont know hopefully some other team but i would have to say uconn just cause there so rawwwww :)

Ask the Insider Nov 5

2010-11-05T06:44:00.001-07:00

Ask the Insider 11/5/10

Kenny, Where do you think that Elizabeth Williams will wind up, just wanted your take? - George

George Thanks for the question, I think that Williams will end up at Duke like I said somewhat from the beginning. With Virginia out now, the home town affect is gone and distance to me is out of play with Duke and Tennessee neither being right around the corner from Virginia Beach. I think that the academic reputation of the schools will be the deciding factor, clearly with a basketball program she really cant go wrong it would shock me if either school in the next four years didn’t come away with multiple conference championships and Sweet 16 appearances. To me Duke’s been the leader from the jump and has the edge academically but we will see Tuesday when she is supposed to announce. - Kenny

Kenny, How will 2011 recruiting and the final results which should be known soon affect 2012 recruiting? Kevin M.

Thanks Kevin, I will run down some information about the top 5 recruits in 2012 and my feeling on how 2011 will impact them and who the early leaders are. (Rankings by Peach State Hoops)

#1 Moriah Jefferson TX - To me Jefferson is one of the best point guards I have seen in a while. With Alexia Standish headed to Texas A&M, Cassie Peoples to Texas, and Odyssey Sims already assuming a starting role at Baylor this season the chances of her staying in Texas arnt very good. It looks like early Jefferson has already visited Uconn and Tennessee already has a point guard in the 2010, 2011, and 2012 classes so unless she knows something I don’t I would think they arnt at the head of the pack. Look for her to be Uconn’s to lose with possibly UCLA, Oklahoma, among others in the mix. No remaining recruit has a lot of bearing to chance Jefferson’s course but with Massengale to Tennessee it might have ended their pursuit of the 2012 star guard.

#2 Breanna Stewart NY - Typically these types of players are committed to Uconn before we can even have this discussion. While you would think wherever Elizabeth Williams decides to go would adversely affect someone’s ability to get Stewart, I hear that there is a good chance that Stewart and Williams would want to play together so look for the winner of the Williams sweepstakes to be in the mix for Stewart. As dark horses don’t count out possibly Penn State, the home school Syracuse, and possibly even Kentucky for Stewarts services.

#3 Imani Stafford CA - Stafford could end up being the best in the end but has some work to do to have the most impact at the college level as a freshman. Stafford has already visited Duke on the East Coast and it wouldn’t surprise me again if Uconn and Tennessee were in the mix. Stafford’s brother plays in Washington DC in the NBA so possibly Maryland and Georgetown could get involved based off of that but look for some west coast schools USC, UCLA, and Cal to lead for the player with the most upside since Brittany Griner in the front court.

#4 Jordan Adams CA - At one time was the #1 player in the country but can play all 3 guard spots on or off of the ball. I would assume her list is pretty similar to Staffords without maybe Tennessee (we talked about guard play earlier at Tennessee). Dark horse for Adams? Possibly Texas where she can play along side Cassie Peoples and both guards can score a lot very quickly. Of the top 5 I know little to nothing about Adams recruiting much of this is speculation will keep you updated.

#5 Morgan Tuck IL - Tuck has recovered well from a knee injury which cost her much of 2010, Tuck has already visited Duke and Uconn and her sister is headed to Illinois. I would assume Notre Dame would have some chance at her services as well as possibly Northwestern with their current revival and Purdue. Tuck will keep an eye on Stafford and Stewart because while they’re much taller they all like to face up and go inside outside it would be hard for me to believe that the 3 would end up at the same school or if that she would go somewhere where one already paired with a 2011 top flight post.

Kenny, Who do you think has addressed their needs best in this recruiting class and who has the best overall recruiting class? - Creed B.

Creed, thanks for the email. Stanford, they needed guards and bring in Amber Orrange TX and Jasmine Camp GA who both are athletic guards who can run the show. Also it seems that some people are winning in this class because they’re not taking a ton of kids like Florida State, Maryland, Uconn, among others because they know how strong the 2012 and 2013 classes are. Duke and Tennessee both have good classes right now Elizabeth Williams could put them over the top. For someone a little farther off the radar Ole Miss has done a good job bringing in front court help in their 2011 class to continue their success from last season and give freshman point guard Valencia MacFarland some help. Kentucky could soar up the charts of they still can land the back court of the NY Gauchos Benitjah Laney and Brioyna Canty.

Latest commitments: I am 4 for 6 on my original predictions with Asia Boyd now committing to Kansas and 2012 pg Majorie Butler being headed to the University of Georgia.

1on1SydniEpps

2010-11-05T05:17:00.000-07:00

Sydni Epps is a big time power wing forward in the class of 2012, narrowing her choices and entering her junior year. A Philly native Epps takes this chance to go one on one with the Florida Insider.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Sydni: My goals for this upcoming season are to Progress as a player and work on the little things to make me a better player. Also Team chemistry is a must for this upcoming season for me.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Sydni: I'm working to improve my mid-range jumper and creating moves off the dribble. I would like to add some more off the dribble moves.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Sydni: The recruiting process for me has been pretty solid, alittle overwhelming at first but its going smooth. So far I have visited Villanova, James Madison, George Washington, St. John's, Hofstra, Temple.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Sydni: would have to say on the AAU Briana Butler From William Penn Charter

Kenny: Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Sydni: I would have to say my Mother has inspired me most to become the person i am today , because with every challenge she has faced she has overcome and has become even stronger and the same goes for me. But as a Player I would have to say Yolanda Laney ( AAU coach) because from day 1 she has always believed in me and seen my potential as a player and i respect that so much.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Sydni: I do think Lebron made the right decision. He did it for himself , not for the people around him.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Sydni: I didnt really know who i play like, But I admire Maya Moore she is definitely one of my favortie players along with Sue Bird and Tony Parker.

Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Sydni: Uconn is Definitely going to pull it out again this year

1on1JasmineKelly

2010-11-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Jasmine Kelly is a junior at Nova High School in Davie, Fl an athletic 5-7 guard who's gotten interest from USF, Richmond, ODU, and UNF. One of the more underrated players in the state will be looking to make a name for herself along with one of the best backcourts in the state this season.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Jasmine: My goals for this coming year and every year is to put my team first. When you do what it takes for your team, everything else will fall into place. I would also love to win the State Championship.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Jasmine: I am working really hard to gain more confidence in my shot, and to take more of them.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Jasmine: The process is just starting for me. I have received letters and emails from several schools. I plan to visit some schools that I have interest in, and not only look at their basketball program, but their academics as well. I am being recruited by Charleston, Old Dominion and UNF

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Jasmine: As of late, Alexis Jones from the Alabama Cardinal, this girl was an all around player.

Kenny: Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Jasmine: My mom has inspired me most as a person, she has always told me that there is no limit to what I can acheive. Coach Steve Smith inspired me most as a player, he was the first one to believe in me as a player, and inspired me to believe in myself.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Jasmine: I feel that Lebron made the right decision to go to the Heat beacaue it seems as if he did what would make him happy, and not worry about what everyone else thinks.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Jasmine: I think that I play most like Rajon Rondo. I am a defefensive player, and am not consumed with being the highest scorer on my team. I like to get the ball to the person who I think is in the position to take the best shot.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Jasmine: I think that UConn will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship. They have an experienced and well rounded team.

1on1EbonyWells

2010-11-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

Ebony Wells is one of the top uncommitted players in the country in 2011, originally committed to Georgia Tech the 6-3 senior has re opened her recruitment and will be a hot commodity in the late signing period.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Ebony: Get over my 1000 pts, become a better rebounder, win region and go to state, be close as a team, win and have fun doing it

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Ebony: Rebounding, moves away from the basket

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Ebony: Recruiting is good, have visited nc a&t so far, havnt decided where i will go but i have a few schools in mind =)

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Ebony: I dont even know her name but it was at a georgia tech camp when i was younger and she was a sr. i couldnt do anything with her

Kenny: Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Ebony: The three people who took me and made me into something when i first started playing were Coaches Coleman, Jackson, and Wade with the Big South Dream Team out of Atlanta

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Ebony: Yes, because he had to make the best decision for HIM and not everyone else. they weren't getting it done in ohio so he had to go where he had a chance to make something better happen. if he is happy then others should be happy for him

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Ebony Wells: have no idea lol

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Ebony: UCONN is beast but i am pushing for for someone to break that record. FSU; Xavier; somebody is going to make some history

1on1DriNazario

2010-11-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

Adrianna (Dri) Nazario is a super athletic 2011 point guard from Charleston, WV. Nazario originally committed to Virginia Tech but now is open and one of the top unsigned players in the country.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Dri: Make it to states and win them

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Dri: Pull up of the dribble

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Dri: Its going okay a little rocky. Yes I've visited a few.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Dri: It's hard to tell

Kenny: Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Dri: My mom, dad, little brother, and my coach tony

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Dri: Yes ! thats my team ! and they can build a dynasty

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Dri: ummm dwade maybe depends on the day

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Dri: I have a feeling uconn will take it again

1on1MoniqueMax

2010-11-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

Monique Maximillien is a 6-3 post player who started for the Miami SUns this year and is a junior at North Broward Prep. Many Division 1 schools have been to see the long athletic forward who is rated by the Florida Insider as one of the top 15 juniors in Florida.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Monique: My goal for this high school basketball season is to win districts and go to states.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Monique: The parts of my game that I'm trying to add on to is ball handling and dribbling.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Monique: Recruiting is going good, I haven't visited any schools yet but I plan on visiting FSU, USF, Xavier, and maybe Tennessee Tech.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Monique: The best female basketball player I have ever played was Sandra Garcia. (Wake Forest)

Kenny: Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Monique: The person who has inspired my the most to become the person and player I am today was my dad.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Monique: I think that it was the best decision for LeBron James to go to the Heat. Since he was with Cleveland for about 7 years and couldn't win a championship he made the decision to move on and go on another team who is more promising to receive a ring. I know a lot of people in Ohio was upset when they found out but it's the NBA and this is his job, and the goal on everyone's mind is becoming number one. LeBron did what was necessary to do so.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Monique: I think I play more like Alonzo Mourning. I see myself as more of a defensive player and is really good at help defense. I'm not only good at blocking shots but I can also take a charge.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Monique: I think that UCONN will win the championship hands down.

1on1DoriFiore

2010-11-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

Dori Fiore is a senior captain at Ocoee High School and played for the Orlando Comets. She spent her junior year at West Oaks Academy one of the top private schools outside the FHSAA. This year Fiore wants to take Ocoee from a team who didnt win a game last year and put them back on the map, we go one on one with Dori Fiore here.

Kenny: What are your goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Dori: As a senior, captain, and one of the role players at Ocoee High School, my goals for this season is to not come in last like everyone expects us, have a better record than last years, and to do whatever it takes for my team to win.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Dori: Right now, I'm working on my handles, passes, and getting my shot up having a quicker release making it hard to block.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Dori: No, I haven't visiting any school yet. My coach has two colleges in mind for me and my best friend, Vaeliza Kilpatrick, up in Michigan and Massachusetts.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Dori: Yashira "Cheetah" Delgado (Freshman at Arkansas)

Kenny: Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Dori: My AAU coach, Howard Ringer, is one of the many people who has inspired me. He was the one coach I felt that believed I had the potential to play on the next level. Even though he was hard on me, I know it's going to pay off.

Kenny; Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Dori: Yes, I think he made the right decision. This shows that he's not only in it for the money. He wants what everyone want in the NBA, to win a championship.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Dori: I'm not too sure of a NBA or WNBA player I play alike. But, the person I like to watch play is Diana Taurasi.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Dori: In my opinion, I think UCONN is going to take the championship.

1on1MadisonMcDonald

2010-11-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

Madison McDonald is a 5-7 guard from St Augustine High School. She has been one of the top players in St Johns County for several years and has played club basketball with FGB and the St Augustine Celtics the past year where the finished 2nd at Fila Nationals. I take this opportunity to go 1 on 1 with Madison here.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Madison: My goals are to definitely be a leader for my team and to improve my overall game. Also, the main goal is to take my team the farthest we can go into the state tournament. One last goal would to be able to play basketball at the college level.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Madison: I am working extremely hard to improve my defensive game. Also to become a bigger threat on the offensive side as well. I want to add more to my offensive game and be more versatile.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Madison: My recruiting is going good. I am definitely keeping my options open to any college. I haven't visited any schools yet, but I plan to do so in the near future.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Madison: I think the best female basketball player I've ever played against would have to be Loliya Briggs of Potter's House Christian Academy.

Kenny: Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Madison: My dad has definitely been the person to inspire me. He has always been there to tell me what I need to work on and he pushes me to my full potential.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Madison: I do think Lebron did make the right decision going to the Heat, because I think that team can accomplish what every NBA team wants to accomplish, which would be making it to the playoffs and winning.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Madison: I think I play most like Ray Allen, because he can shoot the ball very well and get to the hoop as well.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Madison: I think UCONN will win the championship just because they are very well coached and have the most talent out of anyone.

OneonOneAprilCarson

2010-11-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

April Carson is a 2011 player from Nova High School a staple in the South Florida Lady Jaguar organization got more then 50 contacts from colleges during the recruiting process and was featured on ESPN Rise in 2011. Carson committed to the University of North Carolina Greensboro during her junior year. Carson takes a chance to go one on one with FGB and Kenny Kallina here.

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

April: My one and only goal is to win a Class 5A State Title.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

April: I am really working on creating off the dribble and improving my ball handling skills. I am developing a right hand too.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

April: My recruiting was very exciting. I verbally committed to UNC-Greensboro in September of 2009, but I had plenty of offers from division 1 schools along the way. I am most looking forward to being a part of a winning tradition at UNC-Greensboro. I feel that I can really fit in there and help lead the program back to the top of the Southern Conference.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

April: I would have to say the best player that I played against was Loliya Briggs of the Potters House and Lady Rams.

Kenny: Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

April: My dad really inspired me to play basketball. I got a late start playing basketball at the age of 13 and he saw enough in me to help me reach my goals of playing Division 1 basketball. He has dedicated so much of his personal time to help me and he never complained once.

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

April: Yes, I think he made a great decision. Not because I am a heat fan, but because he already gave 7 years of his life as a pro and several years of his life as a prep to the state of Ohio. They should be happy that he has went somewhere where he can fulfill his dreams of being a champion. All great players that have won championships did not do it by themselves.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

April: I think my game resembles Sue Bird because I feel like I can knock down shots like her and I have the basketball IQ like her. My handles will catch up to her soon.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Women’s NCAA Division I Championship this year?

April: I think Baylor is going to upset UCONN this year and win the National Championship.

1on1ImaniStafford

2010-11-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

Imani Stafford is ranked as a top 5 junior nationally by nearly every publication possible, Stafford was a member of the U17 Olympic team this year and takes this chance to go one on one with me...Kenny Kallina

Kenny: What are you goals for this coming high school basketball season?

Imani: I want to be CIF Player of the Year and lead my team to a CIF & State Championship. I want to average 20pts, 20rebs, and 10blks, an improvement from my 15,15, & 7 last year.

Kenny: What parts of your game are you working hardest to improve or add to it?

Imani: I'm definitely working on my ball handling and my basketball IQ, first and foremost. But most of all, my core and leg strength and dominating in the low post.

Kenny: How is your recruiting going? Have you visited any schools recently or have a list of top schools? If you have already committed what are you most looking forward to at the school you’ve committed to?

Imani: Recruiting is going well. I have already visited USC, Duke, Cal State Northridge and Stanford unofficially. I'm narrowing down my list and picking out my top priorities in choosing a college.

Kenny: Who is the best female basketball player you have ever played against?

Imani: The best female basketball player I have ever played against would be the no. 2 recruit of the class of 2011, Elizabeth Williams. The short time over the summer I spent going up against her while with USA, I learned so much.

Kenny: Who has inspired you most to become the person and player you have today?

Imani: I would have to say my high school coach, Steve Smith, he's had a big hand in my development as a person and basketball player

Kenny: Do you think Lebron James made the right decision going to the Heat? Why?

Imani: There's two sides to every story, but in his case, I feel like he just wants a championship, therefore the supporting roles on the Heat were greater than that on The Cavs, so if that be the case then yes, he made the right decision.

Kenny: What NBA or WNBA player do you most think you play like?

Imani: Javale McGee of the Washington Wizards.

Kenny: Who do you think will win the Womens NCAA Division I Championship this year?

Imani: UConn, but I don't think it'll be as easy as last year.

FlaHSPreview

2010-11-03T06:13:00.000-07:00

American Heritage (Plantation, Fl) - Not very well known as a freshman Raygine Moncrief 2013 now after a strong spring and summer has all eyes on her. A national top 25 recruit on paper we will see if she and Brandi Teague can take American Heritage back to Lakeland this year and win it.

Archbishop McCarthy McCarthy adds Destiny Jones and Kristina Rose from Parkway to a team who was already very good look for them to contend for a state semi final playoff berth down in a highly contested South Florida district.

Dillard (Ft. Lauderdale, Fl) - The loss of Dawnn Maye to Georgia Tech is a big blow but no one could have predicted the amount of transfers that would influx this year for the Lady Panthers, if they can get Macy Keen 6-5 Transfer from Northeast to live up to the hype expect for them to be back in Lakeland. Dillard has 2 other Division 1 early commitments in Lauren McGraw (Memphis) and T’Keyah Williams (Tennessee Tech).

Dr. Krop (Miami, Fl) - Ieshia Small has come into her own as one of the top prospects in the 2013 class nationally and Aneesha Daniels is headed to American to run the point for Krop. It is time for Small to turn into production instead of potential and if she does, look out Krop will be very good.

Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fl) - Lexie Brown 2013 committed to Maryland turned into a top 15 recruit nationally in front of our eyes last year and has moved on to North Gwinnett which is a major set back for the Panthers but I expect them to be back in the same situation if Taryn Griffey 2014, makes the same type of leap this year at Dr. Phillips. One Big East assistant says Griffey is already making that leap and with the support of Sydnei McCaskill and company they could make it back to Lakeland if she continues to improve.

Dwyer (Palm Beach, Fl) - Without a doubt one of the most talented young teams in the state. Guard play and maturity will be a test for the Panthers who feature the best front line in the state led by national top 10 freshman Keyanna Harris, Kai James (2013) and Samantha Glodis (2013).

Edgewater (Orlando, Fl) - Edgewater regardless of what people say and match up on paper has one of if not the best one two punch in the state with Trimaine McCullough 2013 (transfer from Wekiva) and Alexis Prince. People are failing to realize that Haley Clark 2014 is a solid d1 recruit who will add depth as well as Christian Potts. Edgewater also returns Samira Cruz 5-7 G who will be another solid role player for them. Edgewater has been to two final fours and won 1 state championship in the last 3 years look for them to get back to Lakeland and be a legit title contender this year.

Jefferson (Tampa, Fl) - Former Coach Tom Mosca who coached several years at the University of Tampa has left to be an assistant at Air Force, not many schools can upgrade anytime someone leaves for the next level but it seems the Dragons have with Jim Baxter. Baxter has an experienced squad who was looking for a change after last year’s disappointing loss in Lakeland to Pensacola. Jefferson has two Division 1 commits already in Benee’ Glanton (Hampton) and Laurie Beaty (Louisiana Lafayette)

Lake Mary (Lake Mary, Fl) - Won the state semi-final game last year on a wing and a prayer (literally) with Morgan Jones’s 40 foot heave against South Broward. While some think Lake Mary will be better they lose some in the front court with senior Shelbi Lindsay’s graduation but add back court depth in Alexis Fitts (transfer from Lake Howell). Prince had a strong outing last year versus Jones, and I don’t see how they can match up with McCullough in the backcourt.

Lakewood (St Petersburg, Fl) - A ton of talent with Kasey Drayton 6-0 W 2013 who didn’t get seen much this year but is a big time player, add in Tiannah Alvarado, Tay’ler Trotter, and the transfer of Shaunice Beamon, Lakewood should be the class of Pinellas County this year.

Leesburg (Leesburg, Fl) - Lost 3 times last year to Vanguard who graduated enough to make Leesburg the favorite in this region. Ashley Perry went from being an undersized post to one of the premier wing recruits in the country. Jaleesa Blue has already committed to FAMU and Leesburg’s chances at Lakeland will be as far as Perry can take them.

Norland (Miami, Fl) - The premier team in Dade County these days has Nia Roberts and added Brittany Dinkins from Miramar. One of the best coached and defensive teams out there look for Norland to be the favorite to win 4A once again.

Nova (Davie, Fl) - An experienced and battle tested backcourt made it to Lakeland two years ago and nearly upset Lake Howell in the state championship game. While Nova’s lost a lot of their front court expect for April Carson (UNCG), Clarissa Codington (STETSON) , and coaching to be enough to upset some people and make a surprise appearance in Lakeland this year possibly.

Pensacola (Pensacola, Fl) - Strong backcourt in Ladeyah Forte (Colorado State) and Kyla Muhammad makes their return to Lakeland likely. The best team in Escambia county and out west will try to go out on top as Forte is a senior this year.

Potter’s House Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fl) - The best team in Florida you’ll never seen in Lakeland has 6 Division I commitments and Hillary Fuller in the 2012 class with a slew of offers. Could if they run the table win the high school national championship this year. Will host Riverdale Baptist (MD), Oak Hill (VA), and the Rock (FL) on Nov 19-21 in Jacksonville a must see event.

The Rock (Gainesville, Fl) - A bunch of names that you cant pronounce that really can play with 2 SEC commitments (Viktorija Damaite - UF & Anne Pederson - LSU) the Rock has a total of 4 players already committed to Division I. They could prove to be a strong test for Potter’s House because of the contrasting styles of play but we will see as they will meet several times now that their both outside the FHSAA. The Rock won the 1A State championship last year.

3 Sleeper Teams
New Smyrna Beach
Orlando Jones
Viera

Fab 4 for Ms Florida Basketball Watch
Morgan Jones - Lake Mary
Alexis Prince - Edgewater
Amber Henson - Sickles
Niya Johnson - PK Yonge

Fast 5 Breakout Players You May Have Never Seen
Ashley Perry - Leesburg
Samantha Glodis - Dwyer
Bre Crum - Sickles
Kristin Mansour - Barron Collier
Joy Brown - Orlando Evans

Super 6 Fab Freshmen
Rolanda Hayes - Viera
Dee Anderson - Viera
Destiny Woodard - New Smyrna Beach
Taryn Griffey - Dr Phillips
Dominique Simpson - Jones
Aisha Edwards - Coral Springs Charter

72Hours

2010-10-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

II am going to preview possibly the most interesting 72 hours in recruiting. A lot of cards could fall by Thursday morning here is what we know so far about events over the weekend.

First lets start at the top. Elizabeth Williams 6-3 C VA Beach, VA is taking her final visit to Duke this weekend which will end Monday. She will then chose between Tennessee, Duke, and Virginia I would assume before weeks end. Like I said before I still expect it to be Duke and sooner then later. Why not Tennessee? Williams has been to Knoxville 4 times since April with Ariel Massengale and Cierra Burdick and has still not committed, in my opinion why visit Duke if you’re going to go to Tennessee and secondly is how many times do you have to be on campus at Tennessee before you commit? This means to me she wont be going there but I have been wrong before.

Georgia Tech kept rolling on the recruiting trail with super 2012 player Breanna McDonald from Chamblee and Dominique Wilson on campus this week. Tech has signed a top 50 player nationally each of the last two years. This year they pulled Sydney Wallace out of the Atlanta area and hope to continue that success in the Metro Atlanta area

Asia Boyd 6-0 W Renaissance MI is down to 3 schools being LSU, Georgia, and Michigan State. It will be interesting to see how this plays out because LSU has already gotten a commitment from Krystal Forthan 6-4 Georgetown TX and have an offer out to 6-1 W Anne Pedersen an important from Denmark who spent the summer playing for the Fairfax Stars now living in Gainesville, Fl. Georgia could lead for Boyd if my analysis stays true, most kids from Detroit don’t like staying up north and at this point Georgia really needs her in their recruiting class.

In the first mis-fire report of the weekend GoVolsXtra.com reported that Isabelle Harrison 6-3 C Hillsboro HS TN has committed to Tennessee (http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/oct/24/harrison-says-yes-lady-vols/?partner=RSS). In fact this is NOT true Harrison has not committed yet and if you click the link the story has already come down. People think Harrison is down to Kentucky and Tennessee and this could hinder Tennessee’s good will they have gotten with Harrison over the weekend on her official visit.

Not a fake rumor, Diamond Deshields 6-2 W Norcross GA 2013 did visit Tennessee this weekend and by pass her Homecoming to do so. Deshields spent the last 2 weekends at Tennessee and UConn respectively. Morgan Tuck 6-2 F Bolingbrook HS IL talked with me some this week and said she really enjoyed her visit to UConn over the weekend and basically has offers from every school she is considering. She has no short list but is going to begin going through the process of figuring out who is going to be a major contender. Along with DeShields, Bashaara Graves 6-1 PF Clarksville Tn was also in Knoxville this weekend to visit the Lady Vols and Tennessee.

Temi Fagbenle 6-4 C Blair Academy NJ has cut Cal and UConn off of their list or vice versa because reports state that she is down to Boston College, Harvard, Columbia and Duke. Seemingly the Duke offer would be contingent on what Elizabeth Williams decides. Word also has another member of Temi’s family is now attending Blair Academy which could push her to stay closer to the Northeast.

Allyson Mallott 6-3 F OH is down to three schools Miami of Ohio, Purdue and Dayton since Notre Dame is out of scholarships and was the main opposition to Dayton getting her I expect her to announce very soon she’ll be attending Dayton.

Brittany Jackson a 5-8 power guard out of Sebastian River, Fla 2012 gave me a partial list of schools she's been offered by and is interested tonight which included Texas, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Alabama, South Florida, Notre Dame, Florida State and Auburn. Ironically Jackson only listed South Florida and Florida State in Florida.

Briyona Canty 5-7 G Trenton Catholic and Benitjah Laney 6-0 W Smyrna DE both visited Rutgers this weekend, both seemed near locks to there as young players but now it seems the Scarlet Knights might be playing from behind. Canty seems to be 50/50 with them Kentucky and South Carolina and Laney has Duke and Kentucky with Virginia and Rutgers trailing by my tally.

Kiah Stokes 6-3 C Linn Marr IA visited Iowa this weekend and in an article http://easterniowahighschoolsports.com/2010/10/18/stokes-watch-its-still-anybodys-race/ it talks how Stokes hasn’t really narrowed it down between her final four at all. I would assume that she’ll leave it up to Elizabeth Williams and Isabelle Harrison to do that.

As predicted in one of my blogs Raven Ferguson 6-0 W Africentric OH has committed to Ohio State after attending her second football game of the fall. Malina Howard 6-4 C Twinsboro OH was one of the first to congratulate Ferguson online and my prediction regarding the 2012 forward is that Ohio State, Maryland and UConn will be the major players in her recruiting going forward. In fact Howard will be taking an unofficial visit to Maryland next weekend according to sources. Lexie Brown top 15 2013 guard who is already committed to Maryland will be there as well as one of the top scorers in Georgia Kylee Smith 5-8 G Alpharetta HS GA who is also in the 2013 class.

Kiana Johnson 5-6 G Whitney Young IL has also been rumored to commit to Michigan State this weekend. Xavier had Rachel Theriot and Briana Glover two big time juniors on campus for Muskie Madness to see Amber Harris throw it down with two hands. Chelsea Jennings top 30 2012 player from Texas took an unofficial to Baylor this past weekend as well.

Khaleah Cooper 2012 PA visited Syracuse this weekend, she said that she really enjoyed the visit. Shay Arnick 6-2 F Dallas Carter committed to Memphis today and Laurie Beaty 5-7 G Tampa Jefferson committed to Louisiana Lafayette. Kaelyn Causwell 6-4 C Wesleyan School 2012 visited South Carolina this on Sunday after being at Auburn on Saturday with Holli Wilkins 6-0 W 2012 who also plays at Wesleyan with Causwell. Majorie Butler 5-8 G The Webb School of Knoxville 2012 took an unofficial to Auburn as well this weekend, Butler has said that Auburn is one of her top four schools. Ieshia Small 6-0 W 2013 Miami Dr Krop visited the University of Miami as did 2014 Rolanda Hayes from Viera HS in Rockledge, Fl. Small also announced she would join Rachel Hollivay, Alexis Prince, and Niya Johnson on the Essence club team tonight. Jovana Mandic 6-4 C The Rock Gainesville has committed to Cynthia Dyke and UNC Wilmington. Christen Johnson 6-3 C 2012 the Lovett School GA has committed to Northwestern. Erica Norwood 5-4 PG Campbell GA has committed to Air Force.

Number1s

2010-10-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here are three updates from the recruiting blog on the #1 players in the country in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

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In 2011, Elizabeth Williams 6-3 C Virginia Beach, VA just finished taking her 2nd official visit this time to Tennessee in Knoxville. Williams will visit Duke next weekend and already has visited Virginia. Brandon Clay via his facebook status says he expects Williams to make a final decision before the month is up. Like I said in a previous blog I believe since this has gone the distance and Duke has been the leader most of the time that she will end up going there.

In 2012, According to the Facebook Blue Star Basketball group Breanna Stewart 2012 NY is down to 10 schools in no particular order Syracuse, Penn State, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Maryland, Duke, Virginia, Uconn, North Carolina and Tennessee. I highly recommend adding the Blue Star Facebook page.

Here are my odds on those 10 schools

Penn State 25-1
North Carolina 25-1
Virginia 20-1
Syracuse 20-1
Maryland 15-1
Kentucky 10-1
Duke 10-1
Notre Dame 10-1
Tennessee 7-2
UConn 5-2
*Disclaimer, this is just a guess by me without any actual knowledge.

In 2013, Diamond Deshields Norcross GA, seemed to have a blast at UConn last weekend for the first night event. DeShields is rumored to be taking an unofficial visit to Tennessee this weekend where her mother ran track. The feedback from DeShields social networking devices would make it hard for me to believe anyone but the Huskies lead for this 2013 prize right now.

OctVisits

2010-10-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

This coming weekend is when all the fireworks kick off for the new season and many schools try to corral the best young talent to see the production known as midnight madness. Midnight madness is somewhat ironic this year with the changing of women's practice rules now women have been practicing for more then a week but because of the men will roll out the balls and act like its the first day. This midnight madness weekend comes less then a month from early signing day and several top flight senior prospects will be on official visits as well.

Starting at the top , Diamond Deshields 2013 prospect out of Georgia many have rated as the top 2013 prospect in the country is headed to Storrs to visit Uconn and the defending national champions. Along with Deshields, Kaleena Lewis the top 2011 prospect to many will be taking her official visit to UConn although she's already committed. Along with that crew it continues to get better for Geno Auriemma who also has the second best uncommitted senior post in the country in Kiah Stokes (Iowa) in for her official according to Bolingbrook (IL)junior Morgan Tuck who is headed also for an unofficial visit to UConn. Tuck is rated as one of the top 10 juniors in the country as well.

In Athens, I spoke with 2012 recruit from Knoxville Webb, Majorie Butler who's one of the top point guards in the country. Butler will be visiting Andy Landers and the Georgia Bulldogs this weekend. Georgia is in Butler's final four schools. Georgia has already had 2013 5-8 G Victoria Carter (Norcross Ga) and Kristina Nelson 6-3 C (Greater Atlanta Christian) on campus this fall but the Georgia Ice teammates say they may visit Georgia State this weekend. Krista Donald 2011 MS and Erika Ford 2011 Chattahoochee GA are making their official visits to UGA this weekend both are committed. In addition today (Wednesday) Shannon Cranshaw 2013 Greater Atlanta Christian who’s already committed, Peyton Witted 6-3 2013 Greater Atlanta Christian, and Kristina Nelson 6-3 2013 Greater Atlanta Christian made visits to the Dawgs Athens campus as well.

Talking with Lexie Brown 2013 North Gwinnett GA is missing Maryland's festivities but plans on visiting the weekend of October 30. Brown is already committed to Maryland.

2011 prospect, Kiana Johnson from Whitney Young High School in Chicago will be Michigan State on an official visit this weekend.

Kentucky might have the biggest weekend of all and the most at stake. In 2011 Kentucky has Hillsboro High School senior Isabelle Harrison, Harrison is down to Tennessee, Georgia and the Cats. Along with Harrison, Brioyna Canty of Trenton Catholic in NJ and Benitjah Laney of Smyrna DE will be visiting Kentucky. This will be Laney's second visit along with Duke. In the underclass Bashaara Graves of Clarksville TN who many have ranked top 10 nationally and a member of the USA basketball team will be on campus at Kentucky as well as Makayla Epps of Marion Co HS in Kentucky. Epps is regarded as one of the top 2 guards nationally in 2013 and father played at UK. Along with them 2013 G Alexis Middleton is going to visit the Cats for the Big Blue Madness. Bria Goss 2011 (IN) and Azia Bishop 2011(OH) who are already committed to Kentucky are on their official visit this weekend as well.

Tennessee will have a big weekend as well with #2 2011 prospect Elizabeth Williams of Virginia on campus. Williams decision, near or far will set off a lot of dominos in the recruiting game seems to be down to the Vols, Duke, and Virginia. Along with Williams, 2012 commit Andraya Carter from Buford Ga will be in Knoxville with her teammate Kaela Davis (2013) both are already committed to Tennessee. Tennessee will also be closing out Cierra Burdick 2011 NC and Ariel Massengale 2011 IL who already have committed to the Lady Vols, both played on the U17 USA Basketball team last year.

Duke will have 2011 official visits with already committed Kalia Johnson (VA) and Amber Henson (Fl). Tomorrow 2012 superstar Breanna Stewart (NY) will be at Duke as well for an unofficial visit. Duke's version of Midnight Madness will also sport 2013 Lanay Montgomery from Maryland.

Kia James 6-5 C 2013 Palm Beach Dwyer said she won't be visiting anywhere this weekend but will be working on getting to the University of Miami in the near future.

Christen Johnson 6-3 C Lovett GA said she isn’t visiting anywhere this weekend but will be visiting Northwestern Monday, October 18th. Northwestern is one of Johnson’s top 5 schools along with Rutgers, Florida, Auburn, and Purdue.

Big time scoring guard Breion Allen from Hoover High School in Alabama will be visiting the Tide of Alabama on an unofficial visit.

They start early heading on visits these days too as 2015 guard Kayla Smith Fayetteville GA has already visited Georgia Tech earlier this spring and now will be headed to Louisville this weekend. Smith says she trains with nationally known trainer Brandon Clay.

Update #1 1043 PM 10/13/10

Kaelyn Causwell 6-4 C 2012 Wesleyan School GA, daughter of former NBA player Dwayne Causwell will not be visiting anywhere this weekend but is headed to Clemson the weekend of the 23rd and then South Carolina the weekend of the 30th. Both are at the top of Causwell's list, who's one of the more underrated posts in the country. Causwell also plans on visiting Auburn this fall.

Aaliyah Kirkpatrick 2013 Butler HS NC is visiting Clemson Friday she said in a message to me. Kirkpatrick is one of the most dynamic guards in the south in 2013.

7:15 AM 10/14/10 Update - I just got a message from Moriah Jefferson 5-7 G Texas Home School (Dallas) and she says she’ll be joining Morgan Tuck and Diamond Deshields at Uconn’s midnight madness. Jefferson said she is currently on the way to the airport to head Texas to Storrs this morning. Along with Jefferson, Kaleah Cooper 2012 PA was going to head to either West Virginia or Georgetown but is staying home to work on ACT prep. One could infer that those were two of her top schools.

Quindella Ford 6-0 W Tupelo MS messaged me saying she was planning on visiting the University of Florida this weekend. This will be Florida's 3rd big visit in the last two weeks with last week having Providence Day's Tiffany Mitchell 5-11 W 2012 on campus along with Randy Moss's daughter Sydney Moss 5-11 F Boone Co KY 2012. All 3 would be good gets for Florida.

Enjoy the big weekend!

Wherewilltheygo?

2010-10-11T06:52:00.001-07:00

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Updated w/ some choices 11/9/10 as of now I am 5 for 7 with 3 undecided see my notes below of the last remaining 3 uncommitted players my comments on the top 5 kids right now that were uncommitted I am 3 for 3 with 2 left of the top 5 that have committed I am 4 for 5 with Harrison being wrong.

As a history major and criminal justice minor I am good at collecting information and sorting it into conclusions. What you need to realize here is all I have done is collected information and am making my own judgment on what will come. Here are the top 10 uncommitted players in the country and my rundown and prediction where they will go. (Jumpoffplus.com Rankings Used)

#2 Elizabeth Williams Princess Anne VA - Well her final four schools are Virginia, Tennessee, Duke and North Carolina. I think that Virginia is the leader, Duke and Tennessee are solid 2/3 with North Carolina looking on the outside in trying to make a final push. One thing with Williams which is apparent is that she’s concerned about the education which is probably the reason she hasn’t already chosen Tennessee. I have heard she’s got some family history with Tennessee and that a teammate that is headed to Duke she wasn’t necessarily close with on her Boo Williams club team. In the end I think that the favorite from the beginning Duke will get her because of the proximity to home, academics, and level of the program. (DUKE) - Correct

#6 Kiah Stokes Linn Mary IA - Word has has UCONN, Tennessee, Georgia, Iowa and Maryland as Stokes final 5. Stokes being from Iowa, I think they’re solid in the mix but think that Tennessee and Uconn lead with Maryland and Georgia coming up on the back end. If Williams goes to Tennessee I’d assume Stokes will go to Uconn and am sure she’s gone through that scenario in her head a few times so at this point I think Uconn leads Tennessee but the timing of Elizabeth Williams commitment could get Tennessee back in. Also UCONN‘s lack of front court and Tennessee‘s excess is easy to see. (UCONN) - Correct

#11 Briyona Canty Trenton Catholic NJ - Canty’s had an interesting recruitment where almost everyone has assumed that she will end up with Laney, well my prediction here says that she wont. Canty’s visits have been Miami, Penn State, South Carolina, Rutgers, and Kentucky. While a week ago I thought Kentucky was leading, and after this weekend possibly in with Miami the common theory has always been she’ll end up at Rutgers near home. I think she’s getting exhausted with the travel of the visits and the process is beginning to wear on her and that in the end she will end up at South Carolina with Dawn Staley or at Rutgers with C Viv. With Rutgers being close I’ll bet on them. (RUTGERS)- Still to be determined, looks like Rutgers and Kentucky 11/9

#13 Benitjah Laney Smyrna DE - Laney has all but ruled out Rutgers and seems like a two horse race between Duke and Kentucky. Kentucky has made a late surge and will have her on campus this weekend. To me if a kid waits to visit Big Blue Madness she’ll be wearing blue so I’ll take Laney to Kentucky possibly even committing this weekend. (KENTUCKY) - Still to be determined looks like it'll be Duke or Kentucky with Virginia with a shot still 11/9

#22 Allyson Mallott Madison OH - Mallott was high on Notre Dame’s list til they ran of out of scholarships and hasn’t been pursued very hard by Ohio State. I think she’s going to end up at Dayton where she has some ties with and located close to. (DAYTON)- Correct

#32 Temi Fabengale Blair Academy NJ - I hear Fabengale is down to Duke, Harvard, and Penn State. With her academics have been a huge lynchpin and another player who’s waiting on Elizabeth Williams to decide. In the end it seems like the academics are going to be the biggest issue and I believe Duke is going to get Williams so I’ll pick Harvard. Since she’s been in the US she’s resided in the northeast and has some family ties to Harvard as well. (Harvard) - Correct

#33 Morgan Jones Lake Mary FL - Morgan Jones makes one thing apparent, she will try to go in and be the best player on the team and whomever doesn’t get her wont have much to get excited about in the 2011-2012 season. Jones visits have been Cal, Missouri, Marquette, Michigan and Northwestern. The key here is that she’s very tight with older sister Tailor who transferred from Florida to Northwestern and they family has strong ties to Chicago, I believe Jones will return to the Windy City for college. (Northwestern) - Down to 3 Mizzou, Northwestern, and Cal - I will still stay with Northwestern - 11/9

#35 Isabelle Harrison Hillsboro TN - Harrison’s older brother David is a former NBA player and I am sure has some influence of the boy’s game on her. Playing for Tom Insell in the summer , brother of Matt Insell at Kentucky, I feel like Kentucky’s always been in the lead. Another player in the triangle between Tennessee, themselves and Elizabeth Williams. I think that Tennessee could end up landing her if the timing is right but it is seeming like all parties are going to go to the grave with Williams decision. Early playing time and familiarity I think will send Harrison to Kentucky. (KENTUCKY) - WRONG! Tennessee

#44 Raven Ferguson Africentric OH Ferguson who’s not originally from Ohio, has or will visit Xavier, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Miami. Ferguson took a vacation as many do down to Miami last weekend for their 41-17 annihilation at the hands of Florida State but people say she will likely end up in the Midwest. I think in the end she’ll decide between Ohio State and Xavier to stay in Ohio and the real decision is does she want to play right away for X or go to Ohio State and be one of the multitude. Ferguson I think will want the big lights of the Buckeyes being from Ohio and the top kids in that state should be their’s to lose. How could they not get her? Unlike many of the recruits above UCONN, Tennessee and Duke arnt involved so we’ll take the logical pick: OHIO STATE. (OHIO STATE)- Correct

#45 Asia Boyd Renaissance MI - Boyd according to Hoopgurlz is down to Kansas, Michigan State and LSU. With Krystal Forthan’s commitment to LSU you’d really question if she’s still considering them. While different heights the book says they still probably still both play a ¾ spot with Forthan having more rep. That decision makes it a lot easier for her to end up staying closer to home in East Lansing where I think she’ll play for Michigan State. Kansas gets hurt with early signing because who wants to see Kansas play football? If it was during basketball season I‘d see them as a legit contender but its too far away and the program isn’t Sparty! (MICHIGAN STATE) - WRONG! Kansas

Commit

2010-10-08T07:15:00.001-07:00

When to commit? Making sense out of all this recruiting mumbo jumbo

Well today’s thoughts, blog, or article is about recruiting. I think so many people have ideas about recruiting that don’t really realize that women’s basketball recruiting is much different then football or men’s basketball that you cant really use them as a crutch to judge what you should do.

To set yourself in the best possible situation you need to start playing premier club basketball as soon as your 8th grade summer if not for sure after your 9th grade year. If you’re a legitimate Division 1 prospect (not player) after that you’ll be getting a fair amount of mail. Remember that once you get the first letter from one of those schools you wont get a second (at least your not supposed to) until September 1 of your junior year. Also you need to remember that the letters are going to be VERY generic because of NCAA rules schools cant be too creative.

If you do a good job your freshman year typically people will invite you to camp and depending on your level of interest and desire to speed up the recruiting process you can go and by the end of camp you’ll pretty well know if someone wants you or not. Typically if someone wants you and is planning on offering you they’ll tour you around campus meet with you in their office and give you some talking to about their school. This also happens on unofficial visits where you can call a school that has mailed you and ask them to come unofficially to see the school their level of willingness to bring you on campus and entertain you will certainly be an indicator of how interested they are.

Letters…Letters…Letters

They are a cool thing, with a letter you can basically tell who’s seen you and you at least exist to them. Some schools arnt big on mailing (or just lazy) so not getting a letter from someone isn’t a big deal either especially as a freshman or sophomore. The real truth becomes Sept 1 of your junior year where schools are allowed to add you on face book, email you and send you regular mail. When you get this stuff you should respond. College coaches are human too (at least part human) and if you make the recruiting process easier for them its likely that they will continue to recruit you because youre making their job easier.

One thing I am a big proponent of is knowing who you are as a player. My dad is a college professor and when I went to college he said 2 or 3 things will really determine where you will end up 1) Do you want to go out of state or stay in state (that will eliminate a lot of people) 2) Do you mind living in a rural area or do you want to be in the city and 3) what do you want to major in. If you ask your self those questions you will be able to get down to a handful of schools. At that point you can start figuring out what types of basketball programs you’re interested in.

Be Proactive

Once you begin to get legitimate mail, email, and offers you really need to follow up on them. Offers are basically contingent on the last time a college saw you play so if they come see you again and you havnt been in the gym or are hurt or whatever reason you don’t play to their level of expectation then your offer could be off the table so understand offers are very time sensitive. That being said, knowing who you are as a player, what you want in college, and who is offering you should be much more important then waiting to take 5 visits as a senior. If you have a coach who cares or a parent they can get you to a school to see it before your official visit. By the time official visits come around most schools already have 1 or 2 commitments then are just messing with kids who were back ups on their original list so if you really want to be someone’s primary choice committing early is a viable option.

If you sit around and wait to a school not at the level of other schools recruiting you you will probably end up just settling for whatever is left over for you and they will settle for you as well because to me unless you’re a premier national recruit October of your senior year becomes a month of desperation and settling where schools and players take something because the alternative is nothing.

Committing early to a school also has an advantage because a college then can correspond with your high school and explain what you need to do to be academically eligible to attend that school the later the two parties work that out the better chance is that it may not work out. So don’t just think that because some guy parades hats around on signing day for football means that for women’s basketball you should do anything but be thorough in feeling out how interested people are in you and making a commitment during your sophomore or junior year. Understand what you want out of college as far as location and academics and narrow your choices that way regardless of whatever it says on the jersey. Finally, its better to commit when youre hot and people are chasing you then put people off and find out only later that your options arnt nearly as good.

Have a good weekend.

2011D1Commitments

2010-10-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

Rank. Player (High School) - College ***Class of 2011 Commitments***
1. Amber Henson (Sickles) - Duke
3. Brittany Rountree (Potter's House) - North Carolina
4. Loliya Briggs (Potter's House) - Pitt
5. Katherine Zander (Orange Park) - Oklahoma
6. Shalethia Stringfield (Potter's House) - USF
8. Tamara Taylor (Boca Ciega) - USF
9. Michelle Woods (Community School) - Miami
10. Danielle McCray (Trinity Christian) - Ole Miss
11. Alexis Brown (Potter's House) - Seton Hall
13. Myeisha Hall (Palm Beach Lakes) - Old Dominion
16. Brianna Wright (Titusville) - Florida International
17. Paulina Zaveckaite' (The Rock) - South Carolina Upstate
18. Wendy Miller (Palatka)- Southern Miss
19. Clarissa Coddington (Nova) - Stetson
20. T'Keyah Williams (Dillard) - Tennessee Tech
21. Lauren McGraw (Dillard) - Memphis
24. April Carson (Nova) - UNC Greensboro
28. LaDeyah Forte (Pensacola) Colorado State
30. Jaleesa Blue (Leesburg) - FAMU
32. Jamie Kaplan (Florida Air) - Tulane
34. Analeesa De La Cruz (Krop) - American
35. Meghan Keough (Tampa Catholic) - UCF
39. Jordan Mosley (Timber Creek) - LaSalle
41. Breanne Davis (Foundation Academy) - Jacksonville
42. Margarita Rosario (Varela) - Albany
44. Christine Mansour (Barron Collier) - Harvard

Breakdown

Total Division I Commitments: 25

BCS Conference Commitments: 8

FBS Conference Commitments: 17

By Conference
Big East: 4
Southeastern Conference: 1
Big 12: 1
Atlantic Coast Conference: 2

Sunbelt: 1
Ohio Valley Conference: 1
Colonial: 1
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference: 1
Patriot League: 1
Ivy League: 1
Southern Conference: 1
America East Conference: 1
Atlantic 10 Conference: 1
Conference USA: 4
Mountain West Conference: 1
Atlantic Sun Conference: 3

NovaWBBStory

2010-10-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

Nova Southeastern will have a new coach this season for the first time ever. 11 year veteran coach Marilyn Rule has been removed from her position. Ann Walker's been named the interim coach, she was at a D2 school in Minnesota before.

Rule was always a great person and well liked in the community, it's definitly a shame it had to go down right before the season in this way. Best wishes from me to Coach Rule.

You can read the story by CLICKING HERE

PG

2010-10-07T06:25:00.001-07:00

My Blog on what colleges look for in point guards and what skills you need to play the point at the next level.

Often times we pick up players to play on our club basketball team that play the point guard spot who really have a tough time figuring out what they need to do to increase their stock and get the scholarship they want.

On a high school team typically the point guard (if the coach is smart) is the best player. Why is this? Well obviously you want your best player with the ball in high school because this isn’t Florida High School football where every team has 9 Division I players. Typically you want your point guard with as many touches, chances to make decisions, and opportunities to score as possible. I having coached high school basketball have run my offense essentially through a ball screen on the point and last year our point guard led the state of Florida in scoring. This was great because our point guard was really good and could score also the emphasis was on her therefore the rest of the team has easier options when it comes to scoring.

This obviously allowing your point guard to just do whatever they want is something that will help offensive production and win games but to me when colleges scout point guards they don’t want someone who’s going to be a volume shooter. I think typically point guards and smaller players in general typically develop quicker then the posts clearly and usually quicker then major wing players because typically they have to let their skill catch up with their size and athletic ability. Also typically there is some type of mental brand that a point guard has as the leader of the team and many coaches, parents and players think that playing point allows you the freedom to shoot as much as you want and really dictate what happens on offense. While at the high school and even low club level that may even help winning and offense the reality is a point guard who’s trained really just to score is someone who will not fulfill their potential as a recruit in getting a scholarship. The most highly recruited point guards usually can score but intangible skills we over look are the main reason their so highly recruited.

Parents, players, and coaches who havnt seen high levels of club basketball are so stat obsessed that they feel for their point guard to justify being a big time recruit they can consistently lean on the crutch of how many points per game they score but in the end starting that mentality at a young age which I see so often really hurts that player in the long run. While so many people are trying to get their point guard the points to get MVP trophies at some tournaments, middle and some high school basketball teaching a point guard how to understand the concepts of basketball and how to play the game is much more important. To play point guard at the next level you really have to understand how to set up the team in man to man and zone situations as well as understanding your personnel. The progression I see as a point guard and even a combo guard goes as following

1) - Being able to defend the opposing position. The bottom line is if you cant guard your opponent you are only so valuable.

2) - Being able to score off a ball screen - Going to the basket as well as if the defender goes under being able to hit shots off the top of the screen.

3) Protecting the ball - in close game situations and in offense not turning it over, there is a market for a point guard who may not be a great offensive threat but can protect the ball and run the offense. In many situations system teams prefer this.

4) Making everyone else better - this is the essence of what I am trying to point out with my writing above. Too often our bottom line in judgment on a player is how many points they have when the test of being really good is your ability to set others up and make your teammates better.

5) Understanding the game - As a good point guard you must understand spacing, game situations, and the tempo of the game as well as your role on offense and defense. Many players I see cant tell if a team is in man or zone and that’s not a good sign. Every year we get talented players who don’t understand the situation in a game and take shots which could jeopardize whether we win or lose a game. The bottom line is as a player especially a point guard you need to watch basketball and study it. Showing up for practice and games is only going to get you so far.

5) Hitting open shots - how under valued is hitting open shots? I watch Andraya Carter (Tennessee Commit) her greatest strength that people don’t really realize is the fact she shoots such a high percentage because she always takes good shots and gets open.

You notice above there isn’t anywhere where I say if you don’t score 20 points per game you wont play Division I? I think also if you are on a good club team you typically are around good players where if you put them in the right situation they will really shine. To stand out at the club level is facilitating the offense and then bringing energy on defense. Most of the time the point guard can dictate how a possession si going to go either on offense or defense. Clearly playing hard at the point guard spot is so important because you are the spark plug to how things are going to go and getting after it on defense or being aggressive on offense is a good start to having success. Colleges don’t want players who are passive that don’t work hard plain and simple. With the way viewing is set up people only see you play games so if your effort doesn’t stand out on offense and more importantly on defense then you wont stand out. Please remember you can negatively standout by shooting too much.

Another thing is if you’re not 5-8 at least you better be able to pass yourself off as an effective point guard because very few schools want to put someone who’s less the 5-8 on the wing unless you’re a national caliber player. If a school tells you they’re going to play you solely on the wing and your less then 5-8 guess what? I promise you at some point you end up playing the point in college.

In closing effort really kills all ills to me. If you play hard on defense and work on getting your teammates involved and have a certain degree of physical and basketball talent you should be able to play at the next level. Colleges are always looking for point guards and there is always playing time for good point guards, you ask why? The problem is there are so few point guards too many of them were worried about how many points per game they were averaging at 12 years old while their parent was keeping their stats.

Top 10 Point Guards in Florida Regardless of Class (Alphabetical)

Brittany Brown 5-8 G Choctaw 2013 - When you talk about power and skill combining that is the definition of Brown. Brown can always get her shot but the next step will be making everyone better once she does that she could be one of the best guards in the country.

Taryn Griffey 5-5 G Dr Phillips 2014 - We talked about doing intangible things at the point guard spot and Griffey tips balls on defense, rebounds well for her size, and makes defensive plays to save baskets at the last second look for her to be the class of the 2014 point guards.

Brittany Jackson 5-8 G Sebastian River 2012 - A few BCS schools want to hand the ball to Jackson’s powerful game for the next four years starting in 2012. Jackson dictates tempo on offense with her strength and athletic ability.

Niya Johnson 5-7 G PK Yonge 2012 - When you talk about forcing tempo on offense few are better then Johnson who’s the top junior point guard prospect in the state.

Trimaine McCullough 5-9 G Edgewater 2013 - A legit scoring point guard who is also a lock down defender. She is making the transition to get her teammates involved but has physical talents you cant teach.

Raygine Moncrief 5-8 G American Heritage 2013 - A great defender who also has a great skill set. A pass first point guard who needs to add some individual offense to her game.

Brittany Rountree 5-8 G Potter’s House Christian 2011 - This guard headed to Carolina does a good job scoring the ball as well as forcing tempo.

Taylor Shaw 5-8 G Parkway Academy 2012 - Another powerful guard who can speed games up or control them at a slower pace with her strength.

Shalethia Stringfield 5-6 G Potters House Christian 2011 - Big time energy player headed to USF does a great job on defense and fearless attacking on offense.

Jessica Thomas 5-5 PG Buchholz 2013 - A quick scoring point guard who is one of the better perimeter scorers with a deep ball and pull up to her game she can really speed things up and make defenses help against her offensive skills.

DiamondDesheildsDunking

2010-10-06T06:37:00.001-07:00

Enjoy

FailingasCoaches

2010-10-06T05:56:00.000-07:00
A lot of time is spent between coaches talking about how players don’t know how to play and a lot of time the result of the conversation is the fact that it is the kid’s responsibility. If we showed up to an 8th grade English class and kids couldn’t read to me that is on the teachers those students have had the last 9 years of school.

Too much of the time we are quick to blame players for mistakes on and off the floor. I think coaching at the grassroots level is not just about winning games which so many of us including myself take too much to heart but preparing players for college and laying a foundation so that if a player does develop and end up being good enough they can play at the next level.

While all this time is being spent training players and doing all these coaching clinics about what play to run we forget the core value of our profession which is preparing kids for the next level first as a person, then a student and finally a player. While some people want to preach academics and how if a student doesn’t get all A’s they shouldn’t play, I’ll tell you I’ve seen my share of kids who’s background in academics is so poor by the time they get to high school its very difficult to have a high level of success. That being said, some kid’s only way out as I like to call it is getting that athletic scholarship and doing everything you can as a coach to put them in the right position to qualify through the clearing house.

These things which I’ve become pretty familiar with over the last few years I knew little to nothing about when I first stepped on the court to tell my team what offense to run at 19 years old (8 seasons ago). Ironically as my talent continued to get better the essence of what specific things we wanted to do on the floor became much less relevant then developing character and setting kids up where they could go to college and play basketball. Again when I started out 19 years ago no one taught me about combining test scores, core classes, online classes, grade recovery, private school options, and the clearing house. I would imagine from that standpoint not much has changed in the last 8 years but we are too worried about winning and losing and in the end too often we fall short in the area of where we can provide the support to help someone get into school.

In the end the player suffers by having to spend 2 years in a junior college or signing with a school they cannot get into. When those cases happen I’d say that the responsibility is pretty well shared between that coach and the player. I truly believe if I have any player for two years we can figure out how to get them into a four year school and if I have them longer then that it’s a near lock. Who taught me this? Some principal? Athletic director? Some NCAA Certified Event Seminar? Of course not I went online and read a ton about it then talked to college coaches because they have the same vested interest in making sure kids qualify to go into school and have success (a contract extension). How fair is it to the first team I coached that I had no clue what it took to get them to the next level? What responsibility did my school or county athletic program have to educate me so that my kids had a chance at making it to the next level? I feel like a big responsibility which they mainly fall short in especially in Florida.

As a coach you are responsible for your player’s success on and of the floor and to me ignorance is no excuse on why that your unable to do that. Last week I had a few high school coaches of players urging their players not to come play in October because they might get hurt or they didn’t know much about the event. Well we played in front of 75-100 college coaches per game at Brandon Clay’s Peach State End of the Road Championships. What many coaches don’t know is that they’re very lucky to get 5-10 college coaches to actually watch their game all year, coaches who get more then the 5-10 have a player who already is a near lock to get a scholarship anyway. Also don’t be fooled if you play at a school where there is some big time recruit they just going there to see the recruit no matter what activity is going on. Colleges get 100 evaluation days per year and they’ll spend days at the school in their math class, watching them play softball, or even practices instead of going to see other teams play a regular season contest. So for players in Florida club basketball is just necessary, like almost anywhere else in the country. Currently many of the best club teams in the country are playing summer basketball to help their players get to the next level.

In the end coaches we are responsible for making sure players are taking the right classes, preparing them to play the position they will play in college, teaching them to play hard, making sure they’re going to quality non scholastic events and preparing them for standardized testing. Too much its about running MY play or what our record was last season or it having to be MY way. Last season every coach in our state scored the same number of points, 0. One of the things I have been thinking about lately is how in every election Ohio and Florida have the same number of electoral votes but yet when it comes to girl’s basketball and scholarships, Florida has less then 50% of the scholarships then Ohio. Last year Florida had 39 Division I scholarships and Ohio had 86. Part of it is the injustice AAU has done by not running top quality events and making things where Florida’s club teams continue to improve and urging them to partner with outside organizations to get more exposure, instead they’re worried about selling hotel rooms at Disney resorts and keeping kids there as many days as possible so their parents can play $16 per day to watch one or two games. In the end as coaches we have to see through that as I did four years ago and stopped going to Disney in July. Anyway you can take offense to this blog or educate yourself for your players because in the end if you don’t do some of these things you’ll never be able to win at the level you really desire or help your kids they way they need you to help them.

A few things you should know as a player or coach….

1) - Core Class - Are classes English; Math; Social Studies; Foreign Language - they are all that counts when you apply to the clearing house so stop taking intensive classes, pottery, and PE and demand that your guidance counselor puts you in the right classes.

2) - SAT/ACT Testing - You cant take an official visit til you take one of these tests when trying to get a score for it you can match different scores from your ACT and SAT to get a qualifying score.

3) - What’s the real difference between Division I & Division 2 and Major and Small Conference Basketball

Division II (Most in Fla) - You don’t keep your pelle grant or bright futures, no paid summer school and medium class support (tutors ect) These schools may give you a partial scholarship

Division I Lower Tier (Asun/Meac/SoCon) - You keep your pelle or bright futures in state, not tons of gear, most travel will be done via bus (possibly regardless of the distance) and some do or don’t offer summer school there is a medium to small level of support fort tutors.

Division I Mid-High (Sunbelt/CUSA/SEC/ACC/Big East) - Some schools give clothing allowances and let you keep your pelle grant, most if not all will fly to most games and some BCS conference schools will charter flights. There will be an unlimited amount of academic support and gear you can get typically.

4) - Grade Recovery & Online Classes - In Florida the Florida Virtual School is free, and one of the only places in the country that you can take classes to help your core GPA online. Your guidance counselor can set you up with this.

5) - Getting Seen - Many people don’t understand what Live, Dead, Viewing Contact Period all mean but I will get it real simple for you. Unless your playing in a high school practice, open gym or game where someone probably is specifically coming just to see you or someone on your or the other team the only time you can get seen is 1 weekend in April 20 Days in July and 1 weekend in October so essentially 26 days, to me its MORE important to get seen as a young player because you can really draw in some attention to yourself and create a market for your recruiting early at that point all you have to do is sustain your level of play or continue to improve and you’ll be set. College coaches recruit what they know at the point of the fall comes around of your junior year they’ll know about 90% of the kids they want to recruit and very few schools will add someone unless they’re head and shoulders above what they have now. I think its important to go out and get seen after your 8th grade year.

6) Scholarship Offers - Letters are not offers, offers come from taking unofficial visits (as an underclassman) and through your coach or some type of electronic correspondence. Its never wrong to ask a school to clarify an offer. What you may not understand is an offer is time sensitive and performance sensitive and isn’t absolute. If you don’t accept that offer then there is a chance it may not be there when you want to take it. Part of being a good player and parent is knowing where you are at, knowing who you are, and figuring out where you fit in. At that point you can decide if the offer is good or not, if it’s a good offer I think after you finish your 9th grade season there is no reason to not take an offer that is a good fit for you. If you wait you may end up with an offer which isn’t as good of a fit. Plenty of times I’ve seen someone get offered and for some reason or another waited and ended up going to a school that is probably not as good as where the original offer was.

7) - Get with the right coach - its much more important to get with a coach who’s going to work for you, support you develop you, and put you in a situation to get a scholarship then win a ton of high school games, trust me.

8) - Skills - To me this is really simple….to play at the highest level you can you need to be able to defend the ball in a variety of situations and then score the ball in a variety of ways as well. Regardless of how skilled you are you have to play hard all the time.

Finally coaches, at some level the end success of our players is how we are judged and its not very good right now, we need to get ourselves closer to Ohio we know we have the talent.

Top5

2010-10-05T05:56:00.000-07:00
10/5/10 Updated Top 5 Per Class

2011

1. Amber Henson
2. Morgan Jones
3. Brittany Rountree
4. Loliya Briggs
5. Katherine Zander

2012

1.Alexis Prince
2. Antoinette Bannister
3. Niya Johnson
4. Brittany Jackson
5. Macy Keen

2013

1. Trimaine McCullough
2. Raygine Moncrief
3. Kai James
4. Ieshia Small
5. Brittany Brown

2014

1. Keyanna Harris
2. Rolanda Hayes
3. Neyja Pettit-Home
4. Taryn Griffey
5. Dominique Simpson

Sample of Scouting Service

2010-09-26T19:08:00.000-07:00
Blog Sample

9/24/2010 - Myeisha Hall 5-8 G West Palm Beach, Fl has committed to Old Dominion.

9/23/2010 - Brianna Wright 6-3 F 2011 Titusville will be taking an official visit to FAU this weekend; odds are that is where she will end up. Wright has made it known she wont be leaving the sunshine state.

9/23/2010 - Talked to Majorie Butler 5-8 PG Webb School TN 2012 told me that she's essentially down to four schools Georgia; Auburn; Stanford and Florida. You can see more on the event page with the EBA Camp write up. Butler said she'll be making a trip to Auburn and Georgia this fall as well.

9/23/2010 - Talked again to Quindella Ford 6-0 W 2012 Tupelo MS and she told me that Southern Miss, Ole Miss and Memphis have made the trip down to see open gyms at her high school

9/23/2010 - Anna Pederson 6-0 W 2011 The Rock supposed to be a big time 3 player from Denmark a must see kid. A well respected college coach told me she could be an impact player in a top 25-50 program right away.

9/23/2010 - 1) It looks like Viktorija Damaite 6-4 C The Rock (Gainesville, Fl) 2011 is a near lock to Virginia Tech. Damaite could switch if Florida comes through prior to signing day. Damaite has no other visits set up at this point I talked to her tonight on facebook.2) Dearica Hamby 6-3 F Norcross GA looks like she's all but done to go to Wake Forest after committing to USF during the summer. I think USf has an outside shot but Hamby said she is leaning towards Wake. 3) Danielle McCray has her final 5 which just includes Florida State (suprisingly) from Florida the rest are Ole Miss Virginia Tech Georgia Tech and Louisville. 4) There is a chance Paulina Zaveckaite who originally committed to USC Upstate could re open her recruiting as well stay tuned.

9/22/2010 - Went through another pre-hire thing this morning which was brutally awful as usualy. Here is the round up, Laurie Beaty 5-7 G Tampa Jefferson recieved an offer from Jacksonville last night. 6-3 F Tiffany Jones NYC 2011 has committed to Syracuse. Jaleesa Blue took her only offer in FAMU and committed earlier this week. Blue is a 2011 at Leesburg HS. Word has that Jovana Manadic is a 2011 not 2012 the 6-2 forward would be a good catch for a lower tier D1 school looking for a post player. Kentucky had home visits with Briyona Canty and Benitjah Laney this past weekend. Elizabeth Williams had a small crowd for her open gym last night which consisted of 3 coaches from Duke, 3 Coaches from Virginia and 1 from Penn State. The Rock in Gainseville also has a 6-0 wing 2011 player a knowledgeable source refered to as an impact player in a top 25-50 program.

Class by Class Ranking Sample

Example: 2011 Top 5

1. Amber Henson U 6-3 F Sickles - Tampa (Duke)
The Dirt: Rough summer dropped to 20 in Hoopgurlz but if she starts playing hard look for her to be the cream of the class from Florida. Word has injury has been some of the issue with her not playing and her performance. Obviously the next check will be McDonald's All American. Brother plays at UNC. ***ORLANDOCOMETS***

Event Review Player Review (EBA Camp 2010)

#15 Cierra Burdick - 6'2" - Forward - Charlotte, NC/Boo Williams (Tennessee)
First Impression: I like Burdick, her skill set, her body, and her game but I am not convinced I like it for Tennessee. Burdick while being a much different player then Glory Johnson has the same type of demeanor and Johnson hasn’t nearly reached her potential in Knoxville.
The Dirt: Burdick really handles the ball well for size and isnt afraid to shoot sometimes she rushes things a little too much. I think if she was more patient she’s skilled enough to score every time. Less assertive tonight, didnt really demand the ball like she did in the earlier game. Struggling to score from the perimeter on smaller quicker players.
Final Grade: “A” Burdick is the most college ready player here where she can shine as a star or play a role in a system. Playing hard will be something she will need to do all the time at Tennessee.

2. Morgan Jones M+ 6-2 F Lake Mary
The Dirt: Looks like she's visiting Depaul; Missouri; Marquette; and has 2 left some say if she stays in Florida she'll go to FSU. Sister taylor plays at Northwestern dont count them out either. ***DEBO***

Next Level 24 Dirt:Shot is very unconventional. Become a pretty good passer and good from the mid range. THE GAME: Shot a lot but didn’t really hit had a couple drives where she missed too. Jones finished with 9 points. Jones has a great body for the game but isn’t super powerful or coordinated when trying to find creative ways to score around the basket. Jones did not hit a 3 during the game. I think Jones could have played better and didn’t show a lot of gym time since the summer. According to #9 in the country by Hoopgurlz she should score more then 9 points. GRADE: B

3. Brittany Rountree M+ 5-8 CG Potters House - Jax
The Dirt: Going to UNC ***JAXLADYRAMS***

4. Loliya Briggs M 5-10 W Potters House - Jax (Pitt)***JAXLADYRAMS
The Dirt: Going to Pitt with staff changes some rumored her to be changing her school but she seems to be sticking too it.

Next Level 24 Dirt:I think Briggs is going to be really good at Pitt. Consistently shooting and adding range will be very important for her. The GAME: Briggs handled the ball ok, its interesting that none of the kids from Potter’s House including Briggs shot the ball very well. Briggs had a few moves to the basket which were impressive and I thought she was most impressive player from the Jacksonville area private school. Grade: A

5. Shalethia Stringfield M 5-7 PG Potters House - Jax (USF)

The Dirt: Committed to USF ***JAXLADYRAMS***

Next Level 24 Dirt: Taking ACT in AM no pre-game notes. THE GAME: Stringfield didn’t really show any range which when talking with someone did scare me. She is a bullet with the ball and tough defensively. She had 1 or 2 impressive drives but at 5-6 less then 130 pounds you wonder how that will hold up in the big east. Grade: B

Ndea Bryant

2010-09-20T14:57:00.001-07:00
Here is a free sample write up from the weekend at EBA Camp on N'dea Bryant you can subscribe to the Florida Insider for all 30+ player write ups email Kennykallina@gmail.com

#19 N'Dea Bryant - 5'11" - Wing - Goose Creek, SC/Low Country Ballers
First Impression: If this kid played for a big time AAU team everyone in the world would want her and possibly people in other galaxies. 6-0 legit wing player good shoulders but not heavy and freaky athletic. Bryant hit’s a lot of mid range shots havnt seen the deep ball but I am buying this stock quick.
The Dirt: Not sure if there’s anyone I’d rather give the ball to on a fast break! Bryant went 0-5 in the first scrimmage but rebounded the ball well and got to the basket. I like how she can take very few dribbles to cover space. Her mid range shot looked good but didn’t really show anything outside the 3 point line. Bryant is so quick, the cross over she has you cant defend. Once she gets a clear path to the basket there's really no stopping her without fouling. Doesn’t finish as well as you'd like yet with the left but none of us are perfect. Bryant is an especially good passer on the break she's done a real good job finding teammates instead of trying to do it all herself.
Final Grade: “A” Best athlete her to do a 5 event track meet and her skill isn’t too far behind her athleticism. Bryant is very unselfish and plays hard. I was really impressed with her.

EBA Camp

2010-09-20T14:45:00.001-07:00
I was at EBA Camp...

It was very good and there is nothing like it anywhere else these days...

My observations...

"A" Graded Players: Mikayla Venson; Cierra Burdick; Lexie Brown; Andraya Carter; N'Dea Bryant; Kristi Mobuke

"B" Graded Players:Brianna Banks; Majorie Butler; Bashaara Graves; Jessy Ward; Briana Day; Kaliyah Mitchell; Taya Reimer

Best in Each Class: 2011: Cierra Burdick; 2012: N'Dea Bryant; 2013; Lexie Brown; 2014 Mikayla Venson

flainsider.blogspot.com

Video

2010-09-15T05:48:00.001-07:00
9/15/10

Who you need to know in Florida - As a coach or player the most influential people in women’s basketball in the Sunshine State! Each person was judged to their direct contact and influence on top players in Florida and then their connections on a national level to promote players.

1. Paul Torres Obel Cruz Miguel Diaz Fitzroy Anthony (Stars Under the Sun/Miami Suns) Has the best stock load of players in the state now, had former WNBA players Sylvia Fowles, Erlana Larkins, and Erica White. Event operators sponsored by Sylvia Fowles. Top 3 Current Player Connections: Raygine Moncrief; Keyanna Harris; Kai James

2. Kim Davis-Powell & Kelvin Powell (Essence/Roundball Academy) Run one of the top travel teams sponsored by Nike in the country. If you’re an elite tier kid they typically have some influence on you. Run Basketball on the Bayou. Top 3 Current Player Connections: Rachel Hollivay; Alexis Prince; Niya Johnson

3. Dan Olson (Girl’s Basketball Report) Runs the largest scouting service in the country and one of the most subscribed to. Olson used to coach d2 basketball in Florida and his home base is Tampa. Top 3 Current Player Connections: None

4. Mike White (All Star Girl’s Report) Runs national level events is based out of Tampa is on the down swing some but still a major player nationally in the event circuit.

5. Tony Bannister (Potter’s House/Jax Lady Rams) Has 6 high major D1 players on his club and high school team. Team travels nationally and is sponsored by Mike White. The main guy in Northeast Florida right now. Top 3 Current Player Connections: Loliya Briggs Hillary Fuller Antoinette Bannister

6. Billy Carson (SheCanPlay) Well respected internet businessman who has large resources daughter committed to UNC Greensboro runs the most active message board in the state. Coaches with South Florida Jaguars. Top 3 Current Player Connections: April Carson; Carissa Coddington Miah Register

7. Jason Hively (Nova HS) Stong high school team the past few years in Davie, Fl coached the South florida Jags has involvement in she can play as well. Top 3 Current Player Connections: Carissa Coddington April Carson Miah Register

8. Macia Pinder (Dillard HS) One of the longest standing coaches in the state has had numerous All Americans and state champions. Currently has Macy Keen one of the gems in the 2012 class is tied into Team Breakdown.Top 3 Current Player Connections: Macy Keen; Lauren McGraw; T’Keyah Williams

9. Richard Walker (South Broward/Hollywood Eagles) Coaches at South Broward was part of Abby Ward’s early 2000’s dynasty currently coaches Hollywood Eagles and South Broward High School.

10. Brodrick Johnson (Essence/PK Younge HS) Essence coach and father of Niya Johnson can be spotted doing scouting for Essence at times during high school.

11. Bob Corwin (Scout) Ran the state in his heyday but now is retired in Thomasville, GA but has numerous national grassroots connections and many college coach connections. Very well respected. Had several WNBA players who played on his teams and started some of the original major travel teams in the state. Top 3 Current Player Connections: None

12. Carlos Adamson (Hollywood Christian/Below the Rim) Runs one of the most well funded travel teams in the state when Breakdown had issues this year Macy Keen and Ieshia Small played with below the Rim. Hollywood Christian is a perennial good high school team as well.

13. Jack Givens & Garfield Blair (Nike Orlando Comets) Used to be the premier AAU team in Central Florida has a Nike team stemming from Givens playing days at Kentucky. Had Amber Henson for 2 events last year. Top 3 Current Player Connections: Amber Henson; Joy Brown; Brittany Jackson

14. Malcolm Lewis (Edgewater) Won state in 07, has 2 starters at Wake Brooke Thomas and Brittany Waters, currently has Alexis Prince and Trimaine McCullough

15. Carla Harris Curry/Kent Forbes (Norland HS) Runs the top high school program in Miami tied into Miami Suns typically has a few D1 players per year and University of Miami alum. Top 3 Current Player Connections: Danneal Ford Brittany Dinkins

16. Fabian Chapov (The Rock) Strong international ties to eastern Europe is the head coach at the Rock in Gainesville. Won the 1A state championship last year.

17. Gina & Dennis Jones (DEBO) Daughter Morgan is an All American had several top flight d1 kids in 2005 but lesser as of late.

18. Johnny Lawson (Winter Haven HS) Tied into Tracy McGrady has worked and developed many of the best players at Winter Haven HS current head coach when LeDawn Gibson left for FAMU. Tied to Essence as well. Top 3 Current Player Connections: Erica Lanier; Charla Nelson-James

19. Robert Moramarco (Event Operator) No direct player contact but runs the largest high school events in the state. Has a good number of college coaches contacts and is in the ear of many high school coaches. Top 3 Current Player Connections: None

20. Reggie Lawrence (Tampa Bay Tech) Coaches at Tampa Bay Tech tied into Erica Young and Essence program as a coach. Top 3 Current Player Connections: Dasia Daniels; Erica Young; Shaunice Hobbs

21. Pat Guajardo (Team Breakdown) During their boy’s dominance had as many resources as any to do the travel team but never latched on to a national sponsorship had Iesha Small this past season. Top 3 Current Player Connections Macy Keen Ieshia Small Lauren Mcgraw

22. Shay Robinson (Edge/Training) Trained most of the good 2012 and 2013 kids in Central Florida tied into Dee Brown close with several travel teams.

23. Roosevelt Lawson / Robert Clark (Next Level) Daughter played at CAL and USF currently has the best collection of young players in Central Florida.

24. Al Austin (Jacksonville, Fl) The state’s all time greatest coached finished #2 in the USA today poll still involved a little at Ribault HS won NIKE TOC in early 2000’s Tied in nationally with USA Basketball and McDonalds All American Current Player Connection: None

25. Willie Powers (PK Younge HS) Best high school team year in and year out in Gainesville hads 2012 star guard Niya Johnson. Has won state championships in the past typically PK’s kids have plaeyd with Essence

30. Adam Hopkins (Parkway Academy) At one point was the top high school program in Broward County had two players go to Rutgers recently but has issues with state association. Hopkins is now the AD at school and will get it back on its feet.

Honorable Mention

Abby Ward (North Broward Prep) Former South Broward coach who coached in the McDonalds all american game coached Tamara James (WNBA) among others won 5 state championships currently has Monique Maximillien

Shelia Pennick (Jean Ribault HS) used to have premier travel team in Northeast Florida had Erica White (LSU) Steffi Sorensen (UF) and now is the coach at Ribault HS.Top 3 Current Player Connections None

Tom Kane (Winning Ways Southwest Florida) Daughter played at Univ of Tampa started out in Orlando running major travel team. Top 3 Current Player Connections Julianne Caravello

Misty Cox (West Orange HS) Coached and built Orlando Boone into a state power, coached Vanessa Hayden (WNBA) and played at Ohio State. Currently has Simiah Blount and Diamond Cooper

David Hudson (Creekside HS) Former Ribault coach in the heyday with Erica White and Dorian Williams well known nationally and respected. Former HC at St Augustine HS. Top 3 Current Player Connections None

James Henry (Website Operator) Run Sunshinestateexposure and has strong ties to Essence and Daytona Beach area. Top 3 Current Player Connections None

Barry Mestel (Winning Ways Orlando) Owns and runs winning ways in Orlando has his own facility.

Kevin Craig (South Walton HS) One of the best coaches in the panhandle for some time at Fort Walton Beach now at South Walton HS Top 3 Current Player Connections None

Barbra Coleman (Dwyer HS/Waverunners) Runs the player influence in Riviera and West Palm Beach involved in Dwyer HS. Top 3 Current Player Connections Keyanna Harris; Kai James; Samantha Glodis

Byrd Crawford (Naples Dailey News Shootout) Runs the best high school Christmas tournament in Florida.

Al Honor (Orlando Comets 15U) Coaches Comets 15’s, niece is Sydnei McCaskill Top 3 Current Player Connections Morgan Robinson January Miller Ronni Williams

I wont rank myself but…

Kenny Kallina - Operator of the only Florida wide scouting service. Director of FGB Club team which is sponsored by the Elite Basketball Family and Blue Star. National Prep Writer for Full Court Press and has been featured in several media outlets. Top Players: Trimaine McCullough Shavontae Naylor Victoria Carter

9/13/10 - Here is the practice Video from the Next Level 24 in Orlando. Below you can find the key of what is going on and who is doing what. I expect to do a fair amount of video on here so enjoy. This is just the first so stay tuned.

0:00-0:05 - Loliya Briggs pass to Tamara Taylor for a made 3
0:05-0:23 - Brittany Rountree turnover Loliya Briggs missed 3
0:23-0:27 - Brittany Rountree pass to Antoinette Bannister missed 3
0:27-0:36 - Trimaine McCullough pass to Morgan Jones pass to Hillary Fuller Block by Rebecca Lyttle
0:36-0:49 - Trimaine McCullough pass to Morgan Jones pass to Hillary Fuller missed layup offensive rebound layup by Trimiane McCullough
0:49-0:55 - Trimaine McCullough to Morgan Jones missed 3
0:55-1:02 - Myeisha Hall pass to Ronni Williams pass to Lauren McGraw turnover
1:02-106 - Layup Dyana Pierre
1:06-1:17- Morgan Jones pass to January Miller pass to Ronni Williams layup
1:17-1:30 - Trimaine McCullough to Morgan Jones pass to Hillary Fuller turnover
1:30-137 - Loliya Briggs pull up jumper made
137-151 - Myeisha Hall pass to Lauren Mcgraw pass to Ronni Williams missed layup by Myeisha Hall

Player Tags: Loliya Briggs 5-10 Potters House 2011; Tamara Taylor 5-8 G Boca Ciega 2011; Brittany Rountree 5-8 G Potters House 2011; Antoinette Bannister 5-9 G Potters House 2012; Trimaine McCullough 5-8 G Edgewater 2013; Morgan Jones 6-1 W Lake Mary 2011; Hillary Fuller 6-1 F Potters House 2012; Rebecca Lyttle 5-11 W Hollywood Christian 2012; Myeisha Hall 2011 5-6 PG Palm Beach Lakes; Ronni Williams 6-0 F 2013 Atlantic; January Miller 5-6 G 2012 University; Lauren McGraw 5-9 G Dillard 2011.

9/13/10 - Here are two clips of 2012 wing Taj Kollore at workouts yesterday during a little 5 on 5. Kollore a player at Olympia HS has been offered by FAU already.

9/13/10 Open Run Clips Featuring: Jasmine Wigfall 2012 Timber Creek; Simiah Blount 2012 West Orange; Akileah Baxter 2012 Wekiva; Rolanda Hayes 2014 Viera; Jessica Causey 2012 Riverview; Taj Kollore 2012 Olympia; Joanie Gavin 2012 Olympia

You can see Jasmine Wigfall 2012 5-8 W Timber Creek a mid major type player hit a pull up jumper and then racks it at the end. Wigfall isn’t very flashy but gets the job done.

You can see in this video 2012 wing player Simiah Blount 5-10 (West Orange) and Keke Baxter 5-7 PG 2012 Wekiva playing some 3 on 3. On the other team in the black jersey is Rolanda Hayes 2014 PG 5-6 Viera. Blount hit’s a jumper, she is one of the better shooters in that class in Florida. You can see how they’re trying to play some 3 on 3 off the handoff pretty good stuff.

You can see how strong Rolanda Hayes 2014 G Viera 5-6 can take the ball to the basket. Simiah Blount 5-10 W West Orange and Keke Baxter 5-8 PG Wekiva 2012 are on this video as well if you recognize them from the other videos. You also see Jasmine Wigfall 2012 Timber creek stick another jumper.

The longest clip. Taj Kollore 2012 Olympia makes a nice drive and its rebounded by 6-2 2012 Post Jessica Causey from Tampa Riverview. Rolanda Hayes 2014 riverview distributes the ball and hits Jasmine Wigfall 2012 Timber Creek for another jumper. Joanie Gavin 2012 Olympia turns the ball over Hayes passes to Blount who sticks the 3. Hayes takes the ball real strong again and misses but you can see how electric she is with the ball. The last play is pretty impressive where Hayes steps back and hit’s the 3.

One Day We'll Write a Book and be Rich

2010-09-14T08:27:00.001-07:00
One Day We’re Going to Write a Book and be Rich

I don’t even really know how to start this. I have thought in my head for a while that today would be coming but never so soon and in this way or alone for that matter but at this point I am the only one who can tell this story. I read a book a few weeks back and thought that this was a basketball book but with basketball comes so much more to life then just the game. The games are just 2 or 3 hour things no one remembers who wins or loses but its not hard to judge the winners and losers of life depending on what they do around the sport and how they live their lives.

To give you a little background on myself I started coaching basketball on the club level at 17 years old I am now 26, about to be 27 and have coached 6 seasons of high school varsity and 9 seasons of travel. For my age, possibly for any age I’ve coached a lot of basketball and seen a lot of things. Some very good some very bad and sadly enough to say this is going to be the saddest story which will span 5 years and ended on September 11, 2010.

My first job was at Terry Parker High School in Jacksonville where I got hired as a head coach at 19 years old. I had no clue what I was doing and we had a rough season with two wins and 21 losses. My second and third year we won 10 games which to me wasn’t good enough so I moved back to Orlando where I took a job that I thought we could really win at Orlando Evans. Little did I realize winning 10 games at Terry Parker and sending everyone to college was a major accomplishment. At Evans I replaced former NBA player Chucky Atkins’s father who was the girl’s coach there for a year. Evans had issues all over the place stemming from poverty, to drugs to really any problem you wanted to come up with it was there. In college I took a bunch of classes about race in the south and race in the United States. It was my opinion that inner city African American children should be given the same opportunities that white students regardless of where they went to school and what their home situation was and regardless of what type of parental support they had. My goal was to take 3 young women in my program with potential for four years and help them make it at any cost.

The story really started out with 2 kids. One was someone who naturally was supposed to come to my school but I had to convince her and her mother to come since the school I was at was labeled a bad school and in reality it was. The second was her best friend in middle school who was not a great student but a hard worker and really wanted to make something for herself. She lived in a different school district but because of some loop hole transfer I was able to steer her and her mother into coming to this school. When I first talked to them about it it just seemed like there was no way she was going to come but I promised I’d see them though and I dedicated nearly 5 years of my life to making this happen. Now she’s on a full scholarships at a Division I school just like we had planned, but not all things go according to plan.

Anyway I had my two star players and a bunch of kids held over from the previous team my goal was to develop those kids into stars and then others would come because of them and eventually we’d be pretty good. The first principal I had at the school just was an amazing lady, she cared about the kids understood what our issues were and wanted us to really reach out to do whatever to help them be successful. Needless to say she was big on second chances for everyone including me because I was far from perfect. The first person I ever worked for in Jacksonville told me that if you always do what is right for the kid then you will never be wrong and that is something I live to until this day. The school that I had just taken this job at had a little different of a set up, they had a 9th grade center where all 800 freshmen would go to (where I worked) then a main campus where the rest of the kids went. The school’s population had fallen every year because of transfers because of its reputation and standardized test scores since early 2000, so I wasn’t dealing with the talent pool which had once went to 5 straight state final fours. The first day of school I walk down the main hallway after making sure both of my other star players had made the adjustment easily and saw in all blue this kid that just looked like a player. She was at least 6 feet tall and was built like an adult and I ran up to her and asked her if she played basketball. She told me her name was Shanay and that she had played at another middle school the previous year that didn’t feed directly into the school that we were at then but she liked basketball. At the beginning of the year we did school physicals and I told her to come to physicals and I would let her shoot around a little and that would allow me to judge her skill. So a few days later she showed up with no money for the physical and it barely filled out so I had to help her do all of that and shot around and the kid had a ton of potential and was legitimately a big time recruit. The thing I remember most about her at the beginning was how she always smiled the kid just could not stop smiling and it always kept me going because I knew if anyone was going to be a player it would be her.

Shanay didn’t really have a perception of playing basketball at the next level possibly the reason she didn’t end up making it in the end. Shanay’s favorite memories were playing basketball for Westridge Middle and winning the “B” division championship. In school Shanay was really a top shelf student she was in all gifted classes and her freshman year she really had no trouble with behavior what so ever. I knew she lived with her dad and had been living with her mom because she had attended a middle school in another area of town. Shanay’s dad was pretty strict all he really wanted her to do was baby sit his young children. Shanay loved those kids she would always make sure she would be home on time to baby sit she always talked about them and I know that she treated them well. Shanay literally had close to 20 siblings half or otherwise that somehow she knew something about all of them. Her other brother had gone to this school and was at Florida A&M on a track scholarship he really saw the potential in her as well as a basketball player. More then basketball to me though Shanay was a fun person always smiling could stay on my level of wit and was just a ton of fun. Our principal at the time really took her under her wing made her feel special like she really mattered which was great support for me because she was the big boss and what she said went. I remember the first or second week of the season Shanay’s new basketball shoes we bought as a team were stolen and my aunt cared enough about her to go out and buy her a brand new pair of shoes. The school, myself and my family really cared about making sure that kid was successful. We got into the season and Shanay started a lot of games, she wasn’t a finished product as a player by any means but could really do some amazing things on the court no one else could so I played her knowing that one day she’d be the best player on the court.

We road out to West Orange High School for a game on the bus in January of 2007. Shanay was still a freshman, typically I would just lie down on two seats and take a nap. I used to hate waking up so early for school its my biggest dislike about teaching. Anyways we had two really great African American female assistant coaches and I was sitting in the seat in front of them laying down as usual. Shanay went on to tell my assistant coach the reason she moved in with her dad was because she had been raped by her brother’s friend during the previous summer and when she told her mom about it she didn’t believe her. I had dealt with some issues of our kids to this point we had kid who were borderline homeless needed money but all had the spirit and drive to make something of themselves. As we got off the bus for the game I found out how little basketball meant and how both of us go off crying. It was raining that day and Shanay asked me why I was crying I told her it was just the rain. I don’t know if we won or lost that game, I truly don’t I just will never forget that bus ride. Later in the season we ended up losing to West Orange in the playoffs to end our season. Shanay and the other 2 freshmen started and played the entire game. At this point I knew we had 3 of the best kids returning for the next season and was pretty excited about year one getting out of the way but little did I know that Shanay would never play her sophomore year.

I figured out in the spring of 07 that it was really important for the kids to play travel basketball. Our school had a huge issue with kids transferring and I felt like doing our own team was better then letting them play for someone else who might steer them to another school. We went up to Atlanta for Brandon Clay’s event before Brandon Clay’s events were what they are now. My principal at the time even supported us going to Atlanta to have the opportunity to play in front of college scouts. We did ok, my two freshmen guards were a little under sized for that level but Shanay was just a monster rebounding, blocking shots and had a great time it was awesome. We stayed downtown at the Marriott and had just a great time. After basketball ended we ended up doing flag football, Shanay was the best kid at that too. Shanay ended up scoring like 5 touchdowns our last game and the referee gave her the score card to keep it was pretty cool, that too was at West Orange on their new turf field.

Once summer hit it was my goal to do some camps and get the team playing together for the next season. We had some major defections we probably had 3 of our top 7 returnees transfer one of being the one freshman guard that I really looked out for. Her mom just couldn’t deal with how bad the school was. We ended up rolling through the summer league until we lost in the semi-finals to Lake Howell who ended up winning the state championship the following year. After the league ended we took a trip up to Jacksonville University who had been recruiting Shanay. the gym at Jacksonville no lie was over 100 degrees. In the morning when I came to pick her up because I was her ONLY form of transportation she was sitting in front of her house crying it had to have been around 7 am of course another day I had to wake up early which I dreaded but at least this was for basketball. Shanay told me that her dad accused her of molesting one of her younger sisters and she was outside crying. I told her everything would be ok but we needed to get to the school because we’d be late to Jacksonville if we didn’t leave soon. In the car she was on the phone with her father and I’ve never seen someone cry as hard as she did that day in my car. I felt so bad. Shanay over the past few months prior to June had begun to question her sexuality. She had not told me directly but I think from things stemming from her rape in the summer of 06 she had really questioned if she liked men or women. I am not of the school of forcing any believe or orientation on anyone you are who you are and I was going to love Shanay and do whatever I could regardless of what she was attracted to. Shanay never really wore feminine clothes even her freshman year partly because her dad wasn’t willing to spend any money on her and she would just wear basketball clothes most of the time. The great thing about going to Brandon’s events were she’d always get a t-shirt and I remember she would always wear the Peach State T-shirts. Back to Jacksonville, we get up there and there is no AC in the gym and we go 0-3 after playing really well in our league in Orlando part of it is because Shanay is just an emotional mess. It was a long day, we ended up leaving Jacksonville which was a 2 hour drive from Orlando around 9 or 10 o’clock at night. On the way back she called her dad and he told her that her stuff was all outside and she couldn’t live with him anymore. This was my first real time dealing with an issue like this because I was new at it. (believe it not it happens once a year to someone) So we got back to Orlando I dropped everyone off because I was the transportation in my 05 Nissan Sentra (still have it today 117k on it) and tried to figure out where Shanay could stay. Shanay who really loved those kids was really upset but her dad looked at her as a homo-sexual and so did her step mother who wanted nothing to do with her. Essentially her step mother blamed her being gay and made up the molestation thing to get rid of her and her dad wouldn’t really say she needed to stay there. It was really sad to see this kid who had all this potential and just needed someone to care about her and say she could sleep there couldn’t even get that at this point at 15 years old. So its midnight or whatever time, it was late and I was tired and somehow we found a place for Shanay to stay, it might have been at our other star players house. Our other star player I don’t think had the most money or anything but her and her mom were close, they were good people, and she was so driven nothing (2 knee surgeries and a broken wrist) could keep her from making it to the next level. Shanay stayed with her for a while then a cousin (loosely used) took her in about a mile away from where her teammate and father lived. I remember telling Shanay one night if basketball didn’t work out that one day we were going to write a book about her life and I’d help her and both of us would be rich because the stuff that happened to her was just unbelievable.

During that summer I got Shanay a job working at the Disney Wide World of Sports doing the clock for those big AAU tournaments. She was probably making more money then anyone in her family was. Kerry Fields and Kim Fessler who ran CFOA (the officials association in Orlando) really helped those kids out giving them jobs to help them have a little spending money. Less then a month from when Shanay moved in with her aunt her aunt kicked her out too. I am a little sketchy on the details. I remember that her other cousin was living there too and he got in trouble with the police for burning something. I remember that weekend being one of the weekends I did not see her because usually saw her every day or kept her working every weekend. I got a call that weekend from Shanay and she told me something to the extent they were burning something and the police came or whatever and luckily she didn’t get in trouble but now we were at the point that she couldn’t stay at her dads house (in our school district) or at her aunts house (in our school district) and had to go back with her mother who lived in another school district and was very anti-basketball because in her opinion it was the reason that she didn’t dress femininely. Being the schemer that I was I figured as long as she didn’t enroll her at the other school or change her address then she would be able to stay at our school and we would be able to keep helping her. Another bad thing happened that summer was that our principal who had been very supportive of Shanay and myself was sent down to the district office because our school had got another “F” grade. The new guy was an athletic director where I went to high school and was all about bringing in his own people. Its ironic how everything was wrong with the school before he came in. We met prior to school starting and things were fine but that wouldn’t last long because instead of us doing what was right for the kids we were going to do what was right for him and that didn’t mix very well with the way I did things.

At the beginning of Shanay’s sophomore year things were pretty hectic she had been in four houses in a year and was really struggling with her sexual identity. The last club basketball event we went on she wasn’t nearly as happy during the last week of July. She would sit outside on the phone talking to someone and was up all night. I felt bad because these club basketball things were the reason I woke up. Ironically we won every game in the tournament by 20 points and Shanay was the MVP of the entire event. Shortly after we got back Florida State, Miami, and everyone else was starting to send her letters because they saw what I saw in her. Like I said my goal was to keep Shanay at the school we were at despite her living in another school district. She was familiar with the people and I was willing to do whatever to make sure she’d be ok. We had talked about it and she did want to stay she was proud to be a part of the school and was looking forward to her sophomore year. I would give her bus money every day to take the bus from South Orlando to downtown where I lived and I would pick her up and bring her to school. Our new principal was not a big fan of this at all. To me this was the way to make sure Shanay was able to get to school and I didn’t mind helping her out at all. The first two weeks went well as far as getting her to and from. Our school put her in all honors and AP classes because she was that smart but the school had no real knowledge of the issues going on at home with her which would prevent her from doing such a heavy course load. The second week of school my principal called me in (this became a major trend that year) and told me I no longer could transport Shanay to school. I explained to him her home situation and so forth and the bottom line is he really did not care. So I would give her bus money but her attendance severely slipped and one night she was leaving the school after workouts and someone jumped her stole her bus money and she walked 3 hours home because our principal didn’t want me to give her a ride.

About two weeks into school Shanay got in some type of altercation with her step father and her mom had her sent to juvenile hall. I got a call from Shanay at juvenile hall saying she got shot with a taser by the police and taken there and because of this she was withdrawn from our school and sent to a school inside the jail. Shanay called me every day from juvenile hall and told me how it was and in some ways much better then her home life which is sad to say reflecting on it. Shanay spent a month there before returning home missing almost all of the fall stuff we would do with the team and leaving our team in major limbo. Our other player I think wanted Shanay to be successful and knew we needed her to win but was frustrated at all the time and effort I put into her because it was a constant losing battle. Shanay’s mother ended up taking close to $500 she earned working at Disney that summer for herself while she was away. When she got out of the detention center she had to go to another school and because she went to that other school for 1 day technically she was ineligible to play for us the entire season. This was an FHSAA (FLorida High School Athletic Association) rule which to me just penalized the kid and possibly was one of the main reasons things ended up like they did. I feel bad for our players in retrospect because I really took that pretty hard. We had a great summer, Shanay was a big part of what we did and now boom she was gone for the year. I begged our principal to appeal her being ineligible but he didn’t and wouldn’t. Even though she couldn’t play we took her down to visit the University of Miami. Coach Lynn Bria now at Stetson was always a big supporter of Shanay and recruited her at Miami then later at Stetson. We got to go to the last game ever at the Orange Bowl where Miami got blown out by Virginia. I tried to give her a chance to do some special things because I knew things were so tough for her. Sometimes I’d try to pretend it wasn’t that bad but you know it really was.

Shanay moved for the 5th time that fall/winter and moved into Parramore one of the worst parts of town in Orlando. There she lived with a relative and she would tell me regularly that they were selling drugs out of the house which frightened me to no end. Luckily the house she lived in now was about a mile from where I lived so since my principal wouldn’t let me drive her anywhere what we would do is I would meet her at her house with money or food because she didn’t always have that or she would walk about four or five blocks down the street to a Wendy’s on the corner of colonial and Westmoreland where I would buy her dinner. I would always give her extra money to take the bus but I think that year she missed something like 100 or more days of school. Ironically after all of that she was still eligible to play sports academically but our principal would never advocate to appeal her ruling as ineligible so she couldn’t play and then would never be at school. Like I said before I was everything that was wrong with everything at that school and I felt bad for Shanay and probably did too much to help her then but I promised to those kids I’d do everything I could to help them get into school. A friend of mine at the time told me that there was no way both of my sophomores at the time would make it into four year schools for one reason or another. I bet him (I probably owe him money on that bet now) that they would because I would do everything I could to get them into school. Shanay lived at the place on Parramore for a while and those people would at least let her stay there. They had no laundry facilities so I would pick up her laundry do it at my house and bring it back to her. Her clothes always wreaked of smoke which would always aggravate my allergies. Another one of my vivid memories was dropping some money or food off one day for her on Parramore and the way the street was laid were no driveways you’d park on the street and have to walk up to the house. This mildly said was an intimidating part of town. I walked up gave her food and left but as soon as I pulled off Orlando’s finest pulled me over thinking I was either buying or selling drugs. As soon as they pulled me over I put both hands out the window and told them that I was just bringing Shanay food and that I was actually happy that they were in the area. I let them search my car because I didn’t have my ID because we lived so close I’d just swing by whenever. I told Shanay the story about it she thought it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard.

One thing I do vividly remember was Christmas Day 2008. Like I said before I like to be a late sleeper so I got a call around 9:00 AM from a random number and to me random number meant Shanay because there was no consistent number to contact her at. There was no school then so the was no principal to hawk and stalk me to make sure I didn’t bring her from point a to point b but she told me and I remember this so well that coach I didn’t get anything for Christmas today and I got a chill and I said well be ready in 20 minutes and I am going to come get you. I also picked up our other player because I always felt bad I would do so much for Shanay but she wasn’t in a great situation either and could use what I was helping shanay with too. So we drove down to the outlets on international drive and I let both kids spend about 200$ or so to get whatever they wanted for Christmas. To me it was just wrong to rob a 15 year old kid who had the whole world in front of her of Christmas. of course if my principal found out about that he probably would have fired me but to me I was doing what was right for Shanay and what I would have hoped someone would have done for me if I was in the same situation.

We got back from Christmas finished the season pretty strong, our other guard was awesome the second half of the year and I had come to terms with the fact we were not going to get Shanay to play that year. Around half way through the year our African American assistant principal told my guard that she shouldn’t worry that we would have a new coach next year and so forth and so on. She of course told me because this was like my child, I’ve not had too many serious relationships where I could ever have a child but this to this day is one of my closest friend men tee’s whatever you want to call it. I would do anything for this kid. I marched in the principal’s office the next day and asked what it was about because I did a ton for that school helping the kids we bought uniforms each year for them raised money for shoes we did a lot and not that I felt obligated to do it but because I wanted the basketball team to be at least one positive thing those kids had because a lot of them were in a situation like Shanay. Season ends again and I meet with my principal who tells me I no longer have a teaching job the next year at the school because of “budget cuts” this was a flat out lie he wanted me gone I really didn’t want to be there so I took a week of sick time off went to the final four and then worked it out where my best two players during the season would transfer to a private school because clearly under this administration things were not going to workout where they would be able to get to college which was really the only fuel I had going.

A few weeks after this I interviewed with private school that did not have any sports where they wanted me to come in and start a sports program. I took the job but that meant Shanay or my other player would not be at my school that year. Shanay had a lot of issues and rethinking it I wish I had sent her somewhere that could have helped her some but I didn’t and she and I lost contact from about May of 2008 until May of 2009.

I saw Shanay in September of 2008 playing for my old school and I asked the new coach how she was doing because there was no doubt she was a talent. he told me she was awful terrible player terrible person and I thought to myself this guy just has no clue this kid is a talented player and possibly one of the nicest kids I’ve ever met. He ended up playing her on the JV one game because he was using it to mess with her and she quit and that was the only game she played that year. They had a horrendous year with the 2 transfers then her not playing. I wonder if that assistant principal wish he would have kept his mouth shut and been a professional?

When I took the job at this new school we had no budget 60 kids grades 6-12 and no facilities. I knew eventually my other guard would end up back there and ironically the guard who played at the first school for me her freshman year came back too. The people at my old school were so upset because they transferred there along with Shanay and 3 other players. We ended up being pretty good. I actually got back in touch with Shanay through the internet and told her I wanted her to come back finish school and work to get that basketball scholarship. I apologized for leaving her out to dry that last year and knew if she was committed to school and the school would commit to her that she would make it and I already knew I was committed. Other schools called, emailed, and threatened to get us in trouble spread rumors about me and my players but I was doing what I thought was best for those kids and it worked out well for most of them in the long run. Everyone involved in public school basketball at this point was cheering against us to succeed but success to me wasn’t about winning games and beating them it was about keeping the promise I made to those kids four years earlier that we would make it together.

I remember the first time we played with Shanay after she took the year off she threw up twice during a game but she was still a talented player. When school came around it was pretty apparent she knew she was a homo-sexual and she finally was not battling with that anymore so I was expecting her to be a little more stable in that respect. What she was battling with was the streets and her family. The only thing that really was there for Shanay after I lost my teaching job were those people on the street and I’ll tell you she was a very loyal kid. If you looked out for her she’d look out for you and as impressive as she was physically she would just be the gentlest person. I told her when we got back together at the school we would still write that book and I bet she had a whole new load of stories to tell but I really never asked her about it and I don’t think she really wanted to share what had been going on. Our other players at the school were pretty easy to manage when we started in the fall of 2009 but Shanay needed attention and had been out of school for a few months and needed some self-esteem boosting with coming back into an academic setting this was a kid who just got defeated in everything she did all the time and as I was being the athletic director didn’t have the time to do everything for her and she was a little more stubborn as she got older and had some of those tough life experiences. Just like at the previous school once we got everyone on the court it was pretty good we beat a local team in the fall league we played in without our best player. That team ended up going undefeated during the regular season and lost in the state finals. Shanay made it into December of 2009 before lack of support from the school as well as some bad influences caused her behavior just to dip to a point where she was expelled now from our school too. I had paid her tuition to go there to give her a second (or whatever number it was at that point) chance.

Shanay had taken some college visits in the fall and they still wanted her if she could make it academically. One of the smartest kids I ever coached and there was no doubt about that. The school at first was very supportive of her then it became actual work to help her be successful and she needed some tough love from the top and they were not willing to do either. At one point last year they told me they did not want to have a “black” school but to me helping people like Shanay get into college was one of the greatest things we could accomplish as a school and we didn’t have the handcuffs that places like I first worked at had. So in December of 09 our team with 7 players on it dipped after one of our best guards quit and transferred and Shanay was expelled. I always used to wonder when the last time I would see Shanay was and how our interaction would end and there were so many times I thought that man this would be the last time how sad it is. Well I ended up resigning from that school as well because they did not have the same goals to help kids I did. We had 60 kids my first year no sports, the second year we ended up maxing out at 130 students and 3 varsity sports but along with that number of kids it took a lot of work, work our administration did not want to do nor were they equip to handle. I felt bad because I brought her there and knew she could have success if we did what we needed to make it happen. The reality was it was not going to happen and our administration did not know how to make it happen either. Shanay came up one more time to the school to get her social security card which our principal had lost and tried to get a job. Everyone smiled at her face but few did anything really to help her out. While she was at our school she lived with several different people just like before her parents wouldn’t fill out her financial aid paper work from for the state so that’s why I ended up paying her tuition. I feel like I am pretty accountable for what I do in these types of things and I didn’t really look at Shanay as a failure but more myself and our education system. How could someone so athletically gifted and so intelligent fail? To me this wasn’t her fault although there were plenty of times she might have been able to reverse this but we failed and I was tired of being part of the we because to me if it was me calling the shots we would not fail.

So you wonder why I’ve gone on talking about 4 years of this kids life since she was 14 years old to now? Someone people would call a lesbian homosexual, a drop out, a thug, someone who runs the street because this is the same person people called gifted and talented and had the whole world in front of her until the world took it from her. Well I guess this past weekend on 9/11 Shanay overdosed on some type of drug my star guard from 4 years back told me from a phone call where she is in college now. I always wondered when the last time I saw her would be and now I know. We always talked about writing her story and now I am the only one to write it. What if others had cared a little more? Her family, our second administration the final school or even me? To me its just the saddest yet predictable ending to what started four years ago. I am not writing it to get rich but I just hope one day someone sees a Shanay walking down the hall at school and does a little more to help her so we don’t have to write more stories like these. What if the FHSAA and state of Florida didn’t have stupid rules that prevented her from playing her sophomore year? Well this is the story and its sad I don’t really know where to go from here. I am subbing in Jacksonville where I started when I was in college reflecting on some really good times then reminding me that Shanay is someone I will never forget and what happened to her I will never forget. I hope as she’s no longer with us she was able to take what I did for her at times as some of the highlights in her short life a life that so many could have saved.

What is painful about this story is her life story has a lot of my life story in it as well. Something I worked for, cared with everything about and failed at in the end. I guess what’s to be learned is it doesn’t matter how many times you fail if you can help someone else succeed. The one thing I do know is Shanay was like family to me.

RecruitingRoundup1

2010-08-09T17:01:00.000-07:00
1. Amber Henson 6-3 F Sickles - Duke*** (Orlando Comets Red) Rating: 96
2. Loliya Briggs 5-9 W PHCA - Pitt*** (Jax Lady Rams) Rating: 91
3. Morgan Jones 6-1 F Lake Mary*** (DEBO) Rating: 89 Notre Dame; Oklahoma; Northwestern; Kentucky; FSU
4. Michelle Woods 5-10 G CSN*** Rating 85 Committed to Miami
5. Brittany Rountree 5-8 G PHCA - UNC*** (JAX LADY RAMS) Rating 83
6. Katherine Zander 6-2 F Orange Park *** Rating 82 Word Has Auburn UCF and NC State on her hot list wouldne be suprised if UF jumped in eventually
7. Shalethia Stringfield 5-8 G PHCA - USF*** (JAX LADY RAMS) Rating 81
8. Viktorija Damaite 6-4 F The Rock*** (ORLANDOCOMETS) Rating 81 - Xavier out of scholarships and soon USF could be too could be a major coup if someone could ensnare her early.
9. Tamara Taylor 5-9 W Boca Ciega - USF*** (ESSENCE) Rating 80
10. Laurie Beaty 5-8 G Jefferson *** (FGB) Rating 77 - JU leads for Beaty, she is currently their's to lose
11. Danielle McCray 6-0 F Trinity*** TN Flight Rating 76 - USF and MTSU battle for McCray
12. Lauren McGraw 5-9 G Dillard *** (BREAKDOWN) Rating 75 - Looking to the mids but unsure of what mid offers stand.
13. Wendy Miller 6-2 F Palatka (FGB)*** Rating 73 - Southern MIss leads East Carolina and FAMU
14. Paulina Zaveckaite 6-2 F The Rock***(FGB) Univ of South Carolina Upstate Rating 72
15. Tyneka Addison 5-8 G Palm Coast*** Rating 72 JC likely did not play exposure events this year.
16. Myesha Hall 5-8 G PBL (ESSENCE)*** Rating 72 Rumor had Depaul offering
17. Carissa Coddington 5-9 G Nova (SFJ)*** Rating 71 - ETSU UNCG and Stetson seem to lead with JU in the mix as well
18. Benee Glanton 6-4 C Jefferson (FGB) Rating 69 Kennesaw Air Force and ETSU for Glanton
19. Brianna Wright 6-2 F TItusville Orlando Comets Red 67 FAU FIU VCU and East Carolina
20. Dyna Pierre 6-1 F Lincoln Park 67 No Info
21. T'keyah Williams 6-2 F Dillard (South Florida Jags/TeamBreakdown) JC possible Memphis and JU on her as well
22. Alexis Brown 5-8 G PHCA (Seton Hall)***
23.Monique Bunk 5-3 PG Olympia FGB 66 Winston Salem State Bethune Cookman lead
24. Ladeyah Forte 5'2 Pensacola (Essence) 66- Low/Mid offers
24. April Carson 5-9 G Nova UNCG - SFJ
25. Tynia McKinzie 5-10 F Lake Howell (ORLANDOCOMETS) 65 FIU maybe
26. Shaunice Hobbs 5-8 G Tampa Freedom (FGB) 65 Southern Miss Interest
27. Jessica Goble 5-10 G Buchholz (GVILLE WARRIORS) JC
28. Jaleesa Blue 6-0 F Leesburg (OF) 65 - FAMU leads for this sleeper
29. Jordan Mosley 5-8 G Boone (ORLANDOCOMETS) 65 - No INfo
30. Meghan Keough 5-8 G Tampa Catholic 65 DEBO -UCF
31. Jamie Kaplan 5'7 PG Florida Air 65 - JU GA Southern and Tulane
32. Nicole Adams 5-9 G Gulf (ORLANDO COMETS) 65 Davidson Lehigh UNF and Wofford lead for Adams who had a strong summer

1. USF - TAMARA TAYLOR & SHALETHIA STRINGFIED --2 SCHOLARSHIPS LEFT--- LEAD FOR DEARICA HAMBY GA AND DANIELLE MCCRAY

2. MIAMI - MICHELLE WOODS - 2 SCHOLARSHIPS LEFT

3. FSU - NO COMMITMENTS LIKELY FOCUSING ON 2012 WHEN THEY LOSE MORE PLAYERS

4. UCF - MEGHAN KEOUGH G FROM NY GAUCHOS NC POST

5. UF - NO COMMITMENTS TRYING TO GET IN ON SYDNEY WALLACE WHO LIKELY IS HEADED TO GA TECH

6. JU - ON LIST FOR GA GUARD; JAMIE KAPLAN; LAURIE BEATY; ALREADY HAVE BREANNE DAVIS COMMITTED

7. FAU - ONE SCHOLARSHP WAITING FOR TRUE 5 PLAYER OFFER OUT TO BRIANNA WRIGHT

8. FIU - NO INFO

9. UNF - OFFER OUT TO MN GUARD AND LOOKING FOR POST

10. FAMU OFFERSO OUT TO WENDY MILLER AND JALEESA BLUE

11. BETHUNE COOKMAN - NO INFO

12. FGCU - NO INFO TYPICALLY DOES NOT RECRUIT IN STATE

BY TRAVEL TEAM

JAX LADY RAMS - STRINGFIELD - USF; BANNISTER; UNC; ROUNTREE; UNC; BRIGGS PITT; BROWN SETON HALL - 5

SOUTH FLORIDA JAGS - CARSON UNCG; REGISTER - RICHMOND - 2

BELOW THE RIM - ANALEESA DELACRUZ - AMERICAN -1

FGB - ZAVECKAITE - USCU; NAYLOR - USF; HAMILTON -CINCINNATI -3

COMETS - HENSON - DUKE - 1

BREAKDOWN - 0

DEBO - KEOUGH - UCF - 1

HOLLYWOOD EAGLES - 0

ESSENCE - BRIANNA BANKS UCONN TAMARA TAYLOR USF

MIAMI SUNS - UNDERCLASS

NCAAResidencyRules

2010-08-07T10:00:00.000-07:00
Well the NCAA has put in a rule that you can only have 3 players from an ajoining state for your club team. This ends an era which Nike has created super power club teams to vy for the mystical Nike National Championship. In the infancy of this time Nike Nationals were dominated by players who will becoming into the WNBA this year and have dominated WCBB the past few years (The Family - Tashia Phillips & Amber Harris) (GA Metro’s - Maya Moore). The last few Nike National Champions Cal Swish, Essence and Flight(2) all have had players which resided in different states. This rule first came up in boys when the D1 Greyhounds from West Virginia basically put together a team which could win in FIBA USA Basketball for their age group and people felt like they would collude to go to college (which they didn’t) and it gave the person running their club team too much power. I think that last statement is what college coaches became too concerned about. If people only could get 3 players from ajoining states no one could have TOO MUCH power which some believed Tom Insell from the Flight to have or Kim Davis from Essence. Ironically what is funny is the whispers by club coaches and college coaches talking of how adding kids from across the country as bad and evil yet would say nothing in confronting those people….oh the society we live in. In an effort to keep these out of the dissertation category I’ll just make a few notes…

1 - The dumb part of the rule to me is I can get someone who runs a club team in California who has 5 players from San Francisco and 5 from San Diego which is perfectly legal. Yet unless you fall into one of those metro area grids then you could live less then 100 miles from someone yet they couldn’t play on your team. Personally I wouldn’t mind if they said you could only be so many miles from the residence of your coach or if they created regions and you could only get players from your region. Realistically in the south its easier to have kids from Atlanta - Tennessee on 75 or 24 because that’s where almost every big event is and its easier to transport them.

2 - I played for Club team A this year had a great time it helped my recruiting and so for and now because of this rule I have to go search for a new team for this coming year. In Florida many people have left because of the economy I have seen first hand on 2 occasions where people have had to relocate and they’ve lost their job, their friends, their home, and now they have to switch club teams. Seems petty? I think it is but again its something taken away from someone that they could keep but not now.

3 - Enforcement - This is going to be REAL funny because I guess the event operators will be around in badges checking where people live and so forth before you play. What is the NCAA going to do when someone calls about someone breaking the rule? I just see NO way to enforce it. The event operators don’t care and the NCAA doesn’t really care enough o enforce it nor do they have the staff to do so.

4 - Other Comments - I feel like everyone should have the freedom to play where they want to play. If club coach X wants to spend money for the kid from Alaska to play with them so be it. We are catering to college coaches who want to shoot fish in barrels instead of doing work on the high seas. Everything created in recruiting legislation the last 10 years has been created to make the job of the top tier coaches easier and to help sustain the status quo. If everyone thought like this back in 1775 we’d still be taxed by the queen. People are going to talk about money…well guess what as much as everyone wants to envision all these robber barons sitting back and counting money in back rooms from events and stuff they made off kids, it really doesn’t exist anyone who is making money off this has been doing it a while and has surely put as much into the game as they are getting out.Giving the coaches power isnt so bad, because in recruiting the kids have 0 power and no one affiliated with college athletics wants to give them any.

This is just my 2 cents, the last 3 years we have had players from Kentucky; Washington DC; Maryland; Florida; Georgia; West Virginia; and Ohio. All of them enhanced their opportunities by playing with my club team now we have to decide who to keep. Don’t be surprised to see some high profile kids move just to play club basketball, sound ridiculous that’s how ridiculous the rule is.

FHSAAResponse

2010-06-08T10:05:00.000-07:00
This was posted this morning as a reply to my blog on Parkway Academy - Personally I have never seen the FHSAA go on a private blog of someone they once investigated to reply to something like this but it sure made this morning intersting. You can read my commentary at the bottom.

Hello Mr. Kallina:

The FHSAA staff has reviewed the content of your post and respectfully offer you the following statement.

Whereas the penalties assessed may have drawn attention such as yours, what some individuals fail to realize is the egregiousness of the violations that have been found by the Association. A general statement that summarizes the Association’s belief in the educational value of participating in extracurricular activities, i.e. interscholastic athletics: “In ‘student-athlete’ the student is first.” With that said, we found violations to have included several fifth (5th) year students to have participated; students whose grades have been awarded from institutions not accredited by FHSAA approved agencies or the state of Florida, a number of instances where school representatives allowed non-students participate in either games or practices, and the list goes on. Where is the educational value in such a practice? Where is the general concern for the safety of the students who ARE following the rules?

The Association believes in advancing educational opportunities through interscholastic athletic participation. However, all educational opportunities do not result in athletic scholarships. You mentioned the few students on a roster of fifteen (15) who readily come to mind. The students you referenced achieved in their respective sport of interest. However, the Association is equally concerned with the thirteen (13) other students who are fortunate enough to make that team’s roster. Their educational opportunities will translate into the citizen that they will become and if we rely on practices of allowing students to participate with no regard for the rules, then we all fail our posterity.

Rarely has the Association responded in such a manner, i.e. posting responses to blogs, but this is a necessary response to allow any reader who follows this situation to better understand penalties assessed were assessed with cause and reason.

For further consideration, the school also had every opportunity to report its corrective actions. The school offered corrective actions it would implement, but in reality, the practice of committing violations continued with no corrective actions taken and reported to this office.

As a member of the Association, the school has the opportunity to appeal the findings, decisions and actions taken.

Thank you.

FHSAA Staff

-----------------------------------------------------------

Ok, I have several things to say....

1) - When we started out with public schooling in this country (especially in the south) things were not always perfect but we did not shut things down because they wernt perfect we worked to make things better. In the infancy of education in this country people made mistakes like segrigation (things this state supported) but eventually we got it right although it wasnt easy. Shutting down one of the first charter schools in Florida and clearly the most successful athletically is not the way to fix things here.

2) - 5th year seniors ... while the NCAA allows students who participate to play in NCAA athletics with some restrictions the FHSAA will not allow this unless there is some type of appeal process. There was a player at Palatka who was ruled eligible this year although by the letter of the law should have been ineligible. I know this is against the FHSAA rules but these students who the schools can collect money for until their over 20 years old because of special education situations cant play sports? We can fund these schools off of money and not give them a diploma but use these cash students until their as old as me but not allowed to play sports...doesnt seem very fair. The FHSAA doesnt understand not everyone is born with a mom and a dad who makes 40,000$ a year to support the family. A lot of kids in urban areas of our state live in terrible conditions which prevent them from being able to graduate high school in 4 years. But again if they're good at sports and a team is winning we have to flag them for not following the rules. What is different from a student who's a 5th year senior as long as they are under the age of 19y 9m? What happens is students enroll in schools and because the schools want to count them on their FTE so they count them as enrolled (somtimes when they show up for 1 day of school the whole year) then leave them on their roll the entire year to get the state money and then they end up cashing in and failing the kid (yes this happens Ive seen it). Now the kid has lost a year of eligibility but has gotten no closer to graduation.

3) Scholarships???? - I have coached inner city kids who never got a sports scholarship but the team was their FAMILY and because of their positive involvement in the team they were able to make it out of their situation. When I left Winter Park High School I was very out of touch with the way the other side lives and now have seen it and dedicated my life to bringing a little equality to a group of people who've been marginalized throughout American history. What do you thing the predominant minority group is at Parkway Academy? 92% African American (Per Greatschools.net) so this becomes an easy target to make an example out of when they are addressing the needs of a group which contsantly gets the short end of everything.

I guess there is a lesson to be learned....dont get too good at something unless your connected with someone like Russell Wambles or money because then you'll surely get busted by the FHSAA paying for their lunch snacks at the next board of directors meeting.

The FHSAA and main stream education in general is trying to hold back the new wave and revolutionizing of education we can only hope there are enough pioneers who will take the bullets for these populations that have never been supported throughout the history of our state and our country. If history tends to keep repeating itself we will continue to have social issues that cant be controlled once students leave the classroom and get onto the streets. I really wish we could get past the W's and L's on the field and start judging W's in L's for how we help people advance in society. Just my opinion...on the flipside I do appreciate the FHSAA posting on here and reading the views of my small voice

ParkwayFine

2010-06-07T10:14:00.001-07:00
I wrote a blog a while ago about traditional school settings versus non-traditional school settings and meeting the needs of students for them to be successful.

Today Parkway Academy was fined $260,800 by the FHSAA. Parkway Academy is a charter school who took kids either public schools didn’t want or students who needed a non-traditional classroom setting to be successful. While everyone can complain about recruiting and whatever the biggest sin that Parkway committed was winning. If Parkway wasn’t winning they wouldn’t have cared about the types of athletes they were getting and now the FHSAA is essentially shutting down the school which produced Rutgers’s Chelsey Lee and Erica Wheeler.

Public schools main goal (the FHSAA services directly large public schools) is to keep the status quo for schooling keep the state money rolling in and in the past traditional families (mom and dad) have done enough at home where the schools did not need to intervene much. Their goal is to do as little work to get as much money as possible (see the size of these schools).

Last year at Central Florida Prep every high school coach was upset when we put together out team but the bottom line was we had students who needed a different classroom setting to be successful then the 50 student a room factory of public school in Orlando and instead of being worried about the needs of our students they were worried about perpetuating the status quo and doing as little work as possible to keep their kids there.

An OCPS AD and FHSAA board member who’s girls basketball team hasn’t had a player go straight to a Division I school in more then 10 years called our principal threatening to ban us from the FHSAA even though he had a player at his school he and their coach knowingly let participate while living out of district. An OCPS Coach wrote a letter even though she repeatedly asked me to talk to Alexis Prince to come to Winter Park and transfer from Edgewater. The AD did not care about the well being or what was best for the kids he just knew what the “rules” were and they benefited him. To me the rules are wrong when they don’t benefit the kids and I stood up against them and will continue to. Prior to my coaching at Evans I assisted Boone with bringing in players because being around their coach who did a fantastic job was the best thing for that kid instead of being in a program that was not going provide them the best opportunity to get to college. When I did my first middle school camp and told January Miller she should go to University instead of Timber Creek it benefited them and it was alright as soon as it didn’t benefit those people I was all of a sudden the devil. Miller has excelled at University committing to the University of Florida and Timber Creek has flailed since.

I look back at it and know that our kids got into college whether it be by their own doing or the school and my help. I know the other schools were unable to place their players in to division I institutions while those schools might be great for typical students they clearly did not service some of their students to help them fulfill their potential athletically or academically.

I know a few things 1) When your doing what’s right for the kid your never wrong my first athletic director told me that 2) School settings are changing - Barrack Obama supports these charter schools who do the same work and take kids regular public schools don’t want (when they’re not good at sports) and do their best to prepare them for the real world and get paid less money for it. If the FHSAA is going to end places like Parkway Academy who’s helped hundreds of kids their perpetuating the cycle that has failed students over the years placing them into cookie cutter molds and giving kids the same thing regardless of their individual need. To me its sad that we have the highest ranking officials in our school system hurting groups which have been marginalized over hundreds of years of American history and allowing for this instructional racism to continue in the 21st century but hey at the end of the day the public schools get paid can go home and forget about the kids they left behind.

I wonder how long it will take people to figure out the mold of charter schools does not fit into the way FHSAA governs schools? Until that they will bring the iron fist down on anyone who decides to win and be at a charter school.

The difference is people like Adam Hopkins are there for those kids, shame on the FHSAA. One day those who’ve been keeping schools from providing the best services for students of any background will really pay for it because we have left way too many kids behind with this thinking.

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports/highschool/broward/blog/2010/06/parkway_academy_hit_with_large_1.html

MemorialDay

2010-06-06T10:57:00.000-07:00
Winning Ways League & Florida YBOA Tip Sheet

2011

Rickeya Williams 5-9 G Agape Christian Academy - A flat out scorer who has had some issues with traditional schooling starting off at Boca Ciega before landing at Evans and now Agape Christian could be a D1 calibre guard if her academics are in order but should be on nearly every junior college’s watch list for next year.

Samira Cruz 5-5 PG Edgewater - Guard would good feel for the game probably will end up playing Division II in the state but shoots the outside well lacks size but is good with a floater in the lane.

Morgan Jones 6-2 F Lake Mary - To me she could play the 3 in college but just is a beast at the 4 around the basket and at the high post. Rated a little high nationally to me but will be instant impact at a BCS level school.

Alexis Fitts 5-5 G Lake Howell/Lake Mary - Had a lot of potential as a young player but is rumored to be headed to her third school in three years. Fitts is a deep shooter who’s added some point guard skill but size wize is in between. Fitts is a great kid who should play division 1 if everything works out academically.

Sarah Taylor 5-9 F Lake Mary - Another kid who’s played in a system for a while who’s lacking real skill to play the perimeter but is a smart player and has shown more range then in the past. Likely will play D2 at the next level.

Monique Bunk 5-4 G Olympia - Monique came back for the finals against DEBO in the Spring league and look like she had not missed a beat hitting the game winning free throws in our win over DEBO Elite. Bunk is a good shooter and good to the basket look for her stock to rise back on a premier travel team.

2012

Simiah Blount 5-10 W West Orange - Took me a little while to figure Simiah out but Simiah is great because she fills a role on a team needed to win. While she may not be the primary guard she does the little things that help you win. A long athletic defender has a great skill set and has a lot of potential as a recruit and could go mid in 2012.

Diamond Cooper 6-2 F West Orange - Probably our most improved player of the spring. Cooper came in as an undersize back to the basket post and now is deadly off the roll on a ball screen and is much more aggressive on both ends of the floor around the basket. While she still has some work to do she could be a hidden gem post/4 type player in 2012. Cooper’s range stretches to the 3 point line and she is adding some floor game as well.

Nuri Muhammad 5-10 W TBA - Muhammad is similar to Blount in body type but has more of a power game and is still transitioning some from the inside where she played the last 2 summers. Muhammad is a good shooter and good off the dribble look for her to be another player who will sign Division I in 2012.

2013

Trimaine McCullough 5-9 G Wekiva - I felt like when I first saw her she might have been special but I no longer think it I just know. To me she’s the top freshman in Florida, what she can do off the ball screen to score is unparalleled for any kid I’ve ever coached. 41 in the YBOA final and just smashing DEBO off the screen on Wednesday she’s a special player and that’s why schools like Kentucky, Miami, Maryland and Louisville are on her already.

Alexis Brown 5-9 G Greater Atlanta Christian - One of my favorite players and families who did so much for FGB, myself, and our players while in Orlando I will really miss. Brown now in Georgia is so skilled and has a high basketball IQ she doesn’t need the athleticism other players need to make the same plays. I really think someone may get one of the best point guards I’ve ever coached with Brown.

Asia Marion 5-8 G The Villages - Someone you havnt heard of who’s a power guard who shoots the ball well and is tough on defense will likely end up low - mid Division I depending on how she develops over time but is a very strong player for someone people havnt heard of.

Ashley Perry 5-11 W Leesburg - Big time defensive stopper who after sitting in the post all season is starting to finally develop at the guard by reading the ball screen and attacking the basket. A kid who is getting letters from all over the BCS is one of the top 2 or 3 freshmen in Central Florida. Look for big things for her this summer as she starts as a freshman for FGB Elite.

2015
Milenna Robinson 5-2 G Central Florida Prep/Robinswood MS - The future of basketball in Orlando I tweeted a few days ago and I’ll stand behind that. Robinson is one of the most skilled kids I’ve seen regardless of age.

SF2

2010-05-09T15:54:00.001-07:00
Spring Fling II Blog

South Florida Jags – We beat the Jags early in the year but this has been a different team from the team then went 0-4 in Lakeland. South Florida has turned the tide on Breakdown who used to live off stealing their kids away. Lauren McGraw has returned to the Jags where she spent several years and I wouldn’t doubt that today they’re the best team in South Florida. April Carson was hurt early in their semi-final game versus the Comets 15’s and the beat them handily and took a 24 point loss to the Jacksonville Lady Rams in a repeat of the 2009 Final of Spring Fling II. Carissa Coddington had a strong showing for the Jags showing why she’s one of the best pure point guards in the 2011 class.

Orlando Comets Red 15U – This team came in with a lot of hype and coming off a commitment by January Miller 2012/University HS to Florida I was really intruiged to see what it was all about because at Nike Skills I wasn’t necessarily buying all the hype. The Jags built and early lead and never let it go versus the Comets. Miller is a solid mid who could end up being better, a program player at Florida. The commitment is interesting because it is somewhat of a white flag announcing they don’t expect to get either Niya Johnson (PK YOUNGE/Essence) or Brittany Jackson (Sebastian River) in the 2012 class. Although my conversation led me to believe that Jackson is considering them. Miller struggles to consistently score from the outside but is a strong player going to the basket and I don’t know if she’s more of a point or two at the next level regardless she’s got some work to do before walking into Thomspon-Boiling Arena in a few years. The rest of the Comets are interesting as well. McCaskill doesn’t have the physicality of Miller but is a similar type problem where she’s more of a shooting two then a distributing 1. McCaskill struggles to the basket because of size but is one of the best shooters on the team. I think McCaskill’s a solid fit at a UCF or CUSA type school. Shannon Cranshaw is the best shooter on the team a 2013 who was at Nike Skills over kids like Brittany Jackson, Raygine Moncrief, and others. Cranshaw’s size limits her college potential some too unless she grows she’ll likely have to play a lot of point too. Cranshaw is a solid fit for the Ivey league schools or a place like Furman or Davidson. Ronnie Williams is the best prospect of the group, Keil Moore national evaluator for Peach State has told me great things. Williams in the game I saw was strictly back to the basket and while I can visualize her developing into a top 20 player nationally she’s got work to do to be a solid 3 player. This is a good young team, while they beat the Clutch by 12 on Friday night I just don’t think they’d be able to duplicate that in a game where they had their entire team.

Brittany Brown 5-7 G Choctaw 2013 – Watch out for this kid, I saw her 2 years ago up at Florida State camp. She dropped buckets on team breakdown and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her get picked up by Essence in the near future.

Orlando Comets Red 16U – The Comets Red had a strong weekend but still have yet to really beat someone good through their fourth tournament. I think this group of kids is much different from a lot of ways then the teams of the past. Kurt Coleman I think is right in one regard that being that just picking up kids for them doesn’t work because their system curtails to a certain type of kid and while they have more then adequate talent to win their system isn’t built for success for most of their players. Nicole Adams who was the Tampa Tribune player of the year and has gotten at least two BCS calls without even playing in the spring eval period doesn’t get off the bench or really any burn with the first group. Granted Nicole’s coming off illness but the kid can play, same with Joy Brown 5-10 W from Orlando Evans. Brown after the fall eval period with us was ranked a top 25 recruit nationally but dropped out of the top 100 after being seen at Boo Williams and didn’t step on the floor versus the Rams. Is this because they’re just not that good? No its because they just don’t have a system in place to utilize those kids. Amber Henson redeemed herself after struggling some in the spring. Henson dropped 9 spots in the Jumpoffplus.com rankings last week and according to basketball insiders struggled at Boo Williams. I thought she did alright at Nike Skills and was the reason the Rams didn’t just run away with the game today. Brittany Jackson at a level is the same issue as Brown and Adams, where Jackson is a big time stud but just doesn’t fit what the Comets have done over time. I think Jack can really coach he’s one of the best around but its like he’s trying to put square pegs in to round holes and next weekend could be the peak of their season with both Henson and Damaite likely sitting out July for various reasons.

Team Breakdown – Breakdown had only played in one event this year in Indiana after bailing out of the FGB Showcase in Lakeland where they could have played some of the top teams in the south along with being evaluated by some large scouting services as well. I saw Macy Keen for the first time and she’s really on the All Airport team, a kid who just looks the part but has a lot of work to do to become a big time legit BCS recruit. Someone will take her I would assume but she’s almost the mirror image of Toiteeka Wilson who played at Dwyer 5 or 6 years ago. I also heard the hype about Iesha Smalls. Several times I’ve got nasty emails or comments on my blog because of my opinion of Smalls but it all was solidified this weekend. Smalls I saw for the first time on Saturday night versus TPC Select a team based out of Lakeland who took a 40 point L to the South Florida Jags earlier in the day. Smalls had 2 points in regulation and constantly struggled to put the floor game with scoring. Smalls ended up with around 10 after a few late baskets and layups to help win the game. Today she played against the Jacksonville Rams who were up 79-39 before Smalls took out Hillary Fuller on the way to the basket causing a melee and ending the game. Breakdown also had a coach ejected in the game. This is a far cry from the team that ran South Florida the last 3 years. Clearly the Jags and Suns are having a strong affect on their program. Smalls I coached at the BOTR camp a few years ago and noticed the attitudes. Right now as an evaluator I’d have her 75-125 nationally and I moved her to the 9th best freshman in the state. While her athletic upside is keeping her in the top 10 she’s got a lot of work socially, athletically, and skill wise to be the kid that I heard so much about the last two years. You can see the picture of the melee here http://tweetphoto.com/21748828

Lady Clutch – Clutch aka the Suns have lots a lot of kids to injury and I’ve written a lot about them but Aisha Edwards is the deal. She had 30+ on the Orlando Comets Red’s Jordan Mosley in a 10 point loss. Raygine Moncrief is the deal too but just needs to be a little more selfish and dominate more but they’re the best young team in Florida hands down in my opinion.

Jacksonville Lady Rams Despite what you read or hear they’re the class of Florida on so many levels. A city which isn’t a strong basketball city and just a machine on the floor dropped more than 200 points in their semi and quarter final wins. I didn’t feel like they were at much fault for the altercation today but sometimes you just have to take your loss like a man or woman and breakdown didn’t.

Keyona Harris 6-1 W/F Jupiter Jags 2014 – Watch out for this kid she’s Shamar Harris (TCC/MTSU)’s sister and is going to be the real deal. Skilled with size and athletic real high understanding for the game its just a matter of time before everyone is on this kid.

T’Keyah Williams 6-2 F Fla Storm 2011 – Really hadn’t watched T’Keyah just heard about her and knew that Dawnn Maye ran the show at Dillard but Williams is legit. Williams has great post moves for her age and also runs the floor like she’s a track star. Williams also has a pretty good face up game and can rip boards and take them up the floor a solid lock mid level kid in the right situation could get some major d1 looks if she gets out with the right team this summer.

Jessica Goble 5-10 G Gainesville Warriors This is the best 2011 kid no one talks about skill at the $$$ and just can control the game a lot of us would be really talking about her if she was on a team that mattered but I see her just doing work all the time. I hope colleges are calling her because she’ll get someone a contract extension.

St. Augustine Celtics – Back to Back weekends of Division II Champions once again beating the Comets Blue 16U. This team has been wrecking everyone. Madison McDonald Jasmine Kearse and Ajanai Edwards are legit look forward to seeing how they do the rest of the year.

Jasmine Shaw 5’7 CG Palatka 2013 The next athlete to come out of Palatka, Shaw has range and is good off the dribble look for her to get some attention and seek some bigger teams in the near future. I saw her Saturday and her team did pretty well and she’s a player watch out.

Next Level 13U Best young team around, they’ve beat everyone would like to see them play the Comets 14’s and Gainesville Warriors younger team but who ever can hook up with them or if they add a few kids they’ll be the team in Central Florida pretty soon. I already see Essence showing them a lot of love.

Rolanda Hayes 2014 Viera HS – I don’t know who I’d rather have Edwards Clark or her but I think I’d like to have them all. All 3 seem to be the top guards in 2014 along with a healthy Pettithome. Look for this kid to be consensus top 20 player if she ever gets out and plays in front of and against some people but that time will come shortly!

My Tweets From the Weekend @KennyKallina

Sun SF 2 ThumbsUp Brittany Jackson 2012 Viktorija Damaite 2011 Aisha Edwards 2014 Loliya Briggs 2011 Carissa Coddington 2011 Tkeyah Williams
about 4 hours ago via UberTwitter
Delete South Florida Jags advance to the finals of Spring Fling 2 with a win over the Orlando Comets 15U ... Jags possibly the best team in SF?
about 4 hours ago via txt
Delete Jags up 53-38 on the Comets 15u with less the 7 to go
about 4 hours ago via txt
Delete Rams 66 Comets 16 55 pretty close game going to be long summer without Damaite and Henson
about 4 hours ago via txt
Delete Jags up 12 on comets 15s with 9 to go
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Delete Comets down 5 with 116 to go with ball timeout
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Delete South Florida Jags up 10 with 12 to go on Comets 15s Rams up 5 with 152 to go on Comets 16s
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Delete @CoachMcGuff I wish I had a shirt with an X on it to wear had to wear my Blue Raider t shirt today
about 7 hours ago via UberTwitter in reply to CoachMcGuff
Delete Fight between Breakdown and Rams end the game Iesha Smalls cheap shot on Hillary Fuller starts the fight http://tweetphoto.com/21748828
about 7 hours ago via UberTwitter
Delete Rams 75 Breakdown 39 with 4 to go really been ugly
about 7 hours ago via txt
Delete Disney with some issues with the scoreboard I thought people paid 15 a day for this stuff to work and 400 entry fee
about 7 hours ago via txt
Delete Semi Finals for Spring Fling Orlando Comets 15 vs SF Jags and Comets 16 vs Jax Lady Rams
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Delete Jags over Char 76ers 51-50 Final
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Delete Final Score OC Red 64 Suns 54
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Delete Rams 65 Breakdown 36
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Delete Suns 48 Comets 58 149
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Delete Suns 46 Comets Red16 58 207 left ... Jags 51 Char 76ers 50 46 seconds Jags with ball
about 7 hours ago via txt
Delete 58 seconds Jags 51 Char 76ers 48
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Delete Jags 51 Char 76ers 46
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Delete Oc Red16 51 Suns 42 Rams 54 Breakdown 36 Jags 49 Char 76ers 44
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Delete Jags 45 Char 76ers 44
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Delete Aisha Edwards doing work against Jordan Mosley keeping the Suns in the game
about 8 hours ago via txt
Delete Rams up 50 to 29 vs Breakdown Comets in a battle with the suns 47-39 Jags up 45-41
about 8 hours ago via txt
Delete Jax Rams up 48 to 25 vs Team Breakdown
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Delete Jags up 41-34 vs Char 76ers
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Delete Comets on a run 41-35 over the Suns Edwards back to back to back 3's
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Delete Breakdown with new adidas colored polo shirts for coaches but getting techs down 34-17 with 3 to go in the first half
about 8 hours ago via txt
Delete South Florida Jags and Char 76ers tied at half 27-27
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Delete Suns on a 19-4 run behind Aisha Edwards 29-24 at half OC Red16 leading
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Delete OC Red16 23 Suns 4 Rams 23 Bdown 6 Jags 9 Char 76ers 11
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Delete Suns 4 Comets16 17 Jax Rams 13 Bdown 2 Char 76ers 11 Sf Jags 9
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Delete BD 2 Rams 11 Comest16 5 Suns 2
about 8 hours ago via txt
Delete @Obel55 will do they're down a few kids but I gave Fitts a scouting report on the Comets...we are always cheering for ppl in the family!
about 9 hours ago via UberTwitter in reply to Obel55
Delete Thumbs Up From Sat - Keyona Harris 2014 Tkeyah Williams 2011 Ronnie Williams 2013 Lauren McGraw 2011 Jasmine Shaw 2013 Brittany Jackson 2012
about 9 hours ago via txt
Delete Big games at Disney this AM OC Red v Mia Suns SF Jags v Char 76ers Team BD v Jax Lady Rams and TKeyah Williams at 1150 looking forward to it
about 9 hours ago via txt
Delete Interesting day at Disney as a wise person said just trying to stay in my lane great day gonna make tomorrow even better Happy MD to my mom!
about 19 hours ago via txt
Delete All this shot clock at Disney is doing is letting people play zone ... Watching Lady Clutch a fellow member of the EBF do work!
about 22 hours ago via txt
Delete Jax Rams up 69-20 and the game is only at half time
about 22 hours ago via txt
Delete Remember the name Keyona Harris sister of Shamar Harris (TCC) a 6-2 wing 2014 she'll be big time before its over Dwyer or Jupiter HS
about 22 hours ago via txt
Delete At Spring Fling watching the best 8th Aisha Edwards and 9th Raygine Moncrief in South Fla Kai James is legit too!
about 22 hours ago via txt
Delete Watching 2011 T'Keyah Williams and Ashley Williams at Spring Fling 2
4:38 PM May 8th via txt
Delete Just got to Disney Orlando Comets Red over Charlotte 76ers 59-48

Travel Team Poll 2

2010-04-27T14:13:00.001-07:00
National Insider Travel Team Poll #2 Post Evaluation Weekend Rankings

Voters: Kenny Kallina (Florida - National Insider/Florida Insider) John McGraw (All Games Sports East) Apache Paschall (NYC Exodus) Tom Insell (Tennessee Flight) Xaver Walton (IL Excitement) Percy Gordon (GA Pistols Elite) Keil More (JumpOffplus.com & Peach State Basketball) Anthony Toney (Sc 76ers Southern Premiere Basketball) Al Coleman (Cy Fair Basketball Club)

1. Boo Williams (Nike - VA) 225 Points (9 First Place Votes)
2. Tennessee (Nike - TN) 216 Points
3. Philly Belles (Nike - PA) 205 Points
4. Sports City U (Blue Star - OH) 200 Points
5. West Coast Premiere (Nike - CA) 177 Points
6. DFW Elite T Jack (Nike - TX) 170 Points
7. Ring City (Nike - NJ) 166 Points
8. Missouri Valley Blazers (MTW - MO) 162 Points
9. Cy Fair (Nike - TX) 141 Points
10. Tree of Hope (MTW - WA) 129 Points
11. North Tartan (Nike - MN) 125 Points
12. Jacksonville Lady Rams (MTW - FL) 123 Points
13. Essence (Nike - FL) 118 Points
14. FBC Blue (Blue Star - CA) 107 Points
15. Kentucky Premiere (MTW - KY) 91 Points
16. Georgia Pistols Elite Gordon (No Affiliation - GA) 79 Points
17. Exodus NYC (No Affiliation- NY) 65 Points
18. California Swish (Nike - CA) 58 Points
19. Texas Team Express (No Affiliation - TX) 46 Points
20. New York Gauchos (Nike - NY) 43 Points
21. California Storm Team Tarausi (Nike - CA) 41 Points
22. South Carolina 76ers (SP - SC) 34 Points
23. Full Package (Adidas - IL) 27 Points
24. KC Select (MTW - MO) 26 Points
25. Cal Ballaz (No Affiliation - CA) 24 Points

Honorable Mention
Memphis Elite (22 Points); Georgia Elite (19 Points); Kentucky Blast (13 Points); Air Oklahoma (14 Points); Arizona Warriors (1 Point); Arizona Swish (1 Point); Houston Elite (4 Points); Georgia Ice (9 Points); Team Iowa (9 Points); Mississippi Hoop Dreams (2 Points); OC Elite (9 Points); Midwest Elite (12 Points)

2010-04-19T12:20:00.001-07:00
Strong word currently that Loliya Briggs 5-10 G Potters House Christian has decommitted from Pitt more later today

2010-04-19T05:32:00.001-07:00
Strong word currently that Loliya Briggs 5-10 G Potters House Christian has decommitted from Pitt more later today

DeepSouth

2010-04-13T14:43:00.000-07:00
Deep South

17U Fila Bracket A

Quarter 1 Notes: Exodus NYC is the only team ranked in the top 10 nationally by the National Insider Poll which is competing at Deep South but does not have a history of being able to run to the finals in the spring. While I think they’re a heavy favorite it wouldn’t surprise me to see them upset. IL Excitement is a solid team in the bracket and will have the first shot at the X as they play Cy Fair (not the nike team) first as a warm up.

Quarter 2 Notes: Not a strong quarter has the former Nike Team GA Lina 76ers in it who was solid last year but low on the Nike totem poll. Look for Ga Lina to run into the X in the A Bracket semi’s but that’s as far as they’ll make it.

Quarter 3 Notes: I believe this is the 2nd Memphis Elite team which means they’ll be decent but not the power the team in the lower bracket is. Air Oklahoma has had a ton of success at AAU Nationals with this group and is very good they’ve had run ins wit the Jacksonville Lady Rams in the past but who knows how this round will turn out I think that Air Oklahoma wins the first two before running in to KY Premiere.

Quarter 4 Notes: Two of the top teams in the entire event will face off in the quarter finals here in Cal Sparks who sports most of the kids from Long Beach Poly High School including Ariya Crook-Williams who played in the US U16 trails last year. KY Premiere is likely the top team in the Blue Grass State this year sporting Bre Elder and Makayla Epps. Last year most of the kids play with Blue Chip which won the 2009 Peach State Spring Tip Off I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Deep run at Deep South.

Finals

I expect Exodus to win out in the top half and see a good match up between KY Premiere and Air Oklahoma in the semi’s look for both teams to be well coached and give Exodus a run in the final but I just cant bet against them. If Exodus makes it to face the Rams it’ll be a rough game for the Rams, Exodus has never lost to them since those kids have been playing.

17U Fila Bracket B

Quarter 1 Notes: This is not a particularly strong quarter. Team Unique has lost Cierra Burdick and struggled some last summer. None of the other teams in the bracket are national level teams although someone will advance it doesn’t look likely that there will be a champion out of this quarter.

Quarter 2 Notes: Three teams in this quarter are pretty legit. Memphis Elite has Hasina Muhammed and Danielle Ballard. Last year Memphis Elite had a lot of success in Mike White’s events. They play All New Jersey Elite who’s been a win or two away from being a nationally recognized program. Johnny Jackson’s daughter is a solid player and they’ve added the 6-10 player from Rutgers Prep. I like Memphis in the game but it looks to be competitive. On the other first round match up Charlotte has lost a few kids over the past year and arnt as strong as they were last year but still a solid team which will give two tough games to whomever they play.

Quarter 3 Notes: Tough draw for Ohio Glory who plays the 2nd highest ranked Mike White team in the National Inside rankings which are the Jacksonville Lady Rams. If the Rams have everyone (and their full team has yet to play this spring they will be a favorite to run the bottom half of the bracket including beating a solid Ohio Glory team. In the quarter Peak Performance is also in it but word has most of their top kids being young and in Atlanta for the weekend.

Quarter 4 Notes: Another tough quarter which has KC Select who had a strong run last year winning their pool at Battle in the Boro before leaving. KC Select loses Richa Jackson to Duke and its just tough to lose your top flight kid and not really have a solid replacement. City Rocks is ranked in the top 25 nationally by the National Insider Poll and Team Detroit was one of the hottest teams last summer. Team Detroit returns their top player from last summer but City Rocks is two deep with studs look for them to advance to face Jacksonville out of this quarter.

Finals

The top side of the bracket is much weaker then the bottom, I expect Memphis Elite to face the winner of City Rocks versus the Jacksonville Lady Rams. According to the rankings Jacksonville should be able to make the final of the entire event and win the Fila B Division.

National Insider Travel Team Poll Pre-Evaluation

2010-04-13T07:29:00.000-07:00
Pre-Evaluation Period Travel Team Rankings by the National Insider

1. Boo Williams (VA) (Nike) 175 Points (7 1st Place Votes)
2. Tennessee Flight (TN) (Nike) 164 Points
3. Philly Belles (PA) (Nike) 147 Points
3. Sports City U (OH) (Blue Star) 147 Points
5. Cy Fair (TX) (Nike) 146 Points
6. DFW Elite (TX) (Nike) 144 Points
7. Exodus NYC (NY) (Adidas/MTW) 140 Points
8. Essence (FL) (Nike) 132 Points
9. California Storm (CA) (Nike) 105 Points
10. Ring City (NJ) (Nike) 104 Points
10. Cal Swish (CA) (Nike) 104 Points
12. Gauchos (NY) (Nike) 98 Points
13. Kentucky Premiere (KY) (MTW) 76 Points
14. West Coast Premiere (CA) (Nike) 70 Points
15. Indiana Elite (IN) (Adidas) 60 Points
16. Jacksonville Lady Rams (FL) 59 Points
17. Cal Sparks (CA) (MTW) 57 Points
18. North Tartan (MN) (Nike) 52 Points
19. KC Select (MO) (MTW) 48 Points
20. Illinois Hustle (IL) (Nike) 34 Points
21. All Ohio (OH) (Nike) 28 Points
22. Fairfax Stars (Nike) 25 Points
23. Georgia Pistols Elite Gordon (GA) (No Affiliation) 24 Points
24. Albany City Rocks (NY) (MTW) 22 Points
25. South Carolina 76ers (SC) (SP) 17 Points

Others Receiving Votes: Specie Lady Gymrats (IN) 15 Points; Cal Ballers (CA) 13 Points; SMAC Ballers 11 Points; Memphis Elite (TN) 11 Points; FGB (FL) 6 Points; Georgia Ice 6 Points; Michigan Crossover 4 points; Tennessee Flight Navy 2 points ; East Bay Xplosion 1 point

About the Voters:

Al Coleman - Cy Fair Shock - Nike Travel Team from Texas

Apache Paschal - New York Exodus and Head Girl’s Basketball Coach at St. Michael’s Academy in New York

Kenny Kallina- FGB Florida; Owner and Operator of the National Insider and Florida Insider

John McGraw - All Game Sports East - Former Division I College Coach

Tom Insell - Tennessee Flight Director and Event Director Battle in the Boro & Run for the Roses

Keil Moore - National Scouting Director Peach State Hoops Owner of Keil Moore Basketball

Anthony Toney - Owner Operator Southern Premiere Hoops and the South Carolina 76ers

MIAMIUSFUCF

2010-04-12T07:02:00.000-07:00
Well what a weekend…

First of all prayers out to the DFW family in a tough time around the death of 46 year old Marques Jackson who founded the program and even more to his wife and daughter Tiffany Jackson who plays for the New York Liberty.

We have a very productive week playing some open gyms and visiting three of the finest schools in the state of Florida. Victoria Carter is a 5-9 combo guard from Union City Ga who’s gotten mail from nearly every ACC, SEC, and Big East school but her trip to Florida was her first for unofficial visits. Shavontae Naylor is a 5-10 wing player who’s a fantastic athlete who moved from Ocala to Georgia this year both go to Southwest Atlanta Christian. Like Carter, Naylor has been heavily recruited in 2012 as well. Both of them had a pretty good time this weekend traveling more then 1000 miles in 3 days.

Thursday 4/8 - After a grueling day of physical education Tori and Tae showed up around 400 PM to head to Rollins College, we picked up Trimaine McCullough on the way. McCullough is one of the top 20 freshmen in the country. Unlike Monday, Thursday the dead period ended so Coach Wilkes (one of the best coaches in Florida) was able to sit and talk some at open gym. Tae, Tori, and Trimaine did a great job competing against the college players and had a lot of success. We tried to go to Four Rivers (BBQ) which Juan Bernal told me was a fantastic BBQ place but the line was out on to Fairbanks Avenue so we went to Blackwater BBQ on Edgewater and had some ribs and sides while we enjoyed the beautiful Florida spring evening. We swung through and dropped off Trimaine at home where she had to go to school on Friday unlike the rest of us because we were heading down to South Florida.

Friday 4/9 - It was an early morning even for me who typically wakes up before 8 am. We loaded up around 830 and headed to the worlds largest McDonald’s on International Drive in Orlando. While it’s the largest McDonalds it isn’t the most accurate as they messed up Tori and Tae’s orders. We took the four hour drive down to Miami on the Turnpike which was a pleasant drive because there wasn’t too much traffic. On the way I was able to chat with Nancy Miller (UNF); Erika Lang-Montgomery (Flagler); John McGraw (Exodus); and others on the way down. When we got to Miami we parked outside the Bank United Center which is one of my favorite arenas in the ACC. I had not been to Miami since last year’s McDonald’s All American game when I was writing for Scout.com. We arrived and saw Coach Hall (who always is positive and has a lot of energy) who took us over to the new Miami practice facility where we met up with Coach Gibbs and Coach Meier after they got done playing pick up with some heavy hitters in the University. Coach Gibbs toured us around the facility with the practice facility and the Bank United center. I had already seen it several times but the private weight room and offices were all first class. After touring with Coach Gibbs, Coach Meier walked us through campus for about an hour. The rec center at the HEC is a great facility and as we were walking everyone was congratulating Coach Meier on the season she had, you could tell she had a lot of support at Miami. When we got done touring we got some camp information and left. I felt that both Shavontae and Victoria liked Miami for the smaller campus which was secluded from most of Dade County and how the climate was along with how easy it is to get from place to place. I think that both will try to make it down to elite camp this summer and I wouldn’t be surprised of they offered one or both of them. With an unofficial visit the coaches cant leave campus with us so once we left campus we headed to South Beach. Neither Victoria or Shavontae had ever been to Miami so after spending a good amount of time we were finally able to park and we sat down to one of the restaurants on the other side of the beach and ate. We took some pictures on the beach for show just to say they had been to south beach but just being on the tip of the state was an amazing sight, felt like we were watching the beach in HD. For both of them never being to South Beach before it was a great experience to see all the big time cars and how people live down there. We got done eating with everything around 630 and hit the road back to Orlando but we had to stop at Best Buy to get me a car phone charger because I wasn’t going to make a four hour drive phoneless. We made it home around 10 and were worn out but tomorrow would be just as tiring.

Saturday 4/10 - Got up again around 8-9ish and hit the road to the University of South Florida. Coach Baxter told me unfortunately Coach Fernandez was in the hospital recovering from an ailment which he got at the final four. We wish Coach Fernandez a speedy recovery he’s an entertaining guy and we missed getting to hang out with him. Anyway we arrived to Tampa a little early and I wasn’t as familiar with the campus as Miami (where I have been four times) and UCF (where I’ve been 100 times). We tried to locate Smoothie King in Tampa unsuccessfully to get a little energy before embarking on the campus but we had to settle for an off-brand Smoothie place which exceed expectations. We arrived at the campus and went 007 through the Sun Dome to find the coaches offices and women’s basketball area. As we waited for Coach Baxter we looked around and it was cool to see Jessica Dickson who’s probably USF’s all time best player who like Shavontae is from Ocala. Coach Baxter showed us the locker rooms and the Sun Dome. Currently USF is in the process of building new locker rooms, a brand new practice facility, and new coaches offices. Currently their facilities are nice but a little dated with the building. Victoria was in awe of all the under armor gear…she is a big under armor fan. We toured the athletic facility where football and the athletic administration are located. I havnt seen a facility as nice as it ANYWHERE but that’s football once their practice facility is finished basketball will be right on par with it. We walked through campus and they had a very nice student center where we ate lunch at Beef O’BRadys. The campus was somewhat dead because it was Saturday but you could tell how massive it was and it is very spread out. Coach Baxter said most of their kids live of campus in apartments together which is nice and there are a lot of different means of transportation the University provides. We finished up at South Florida round 3 PM before heading back to Orlando and doing a little cash pick up for Victoria so she could do some shopping. We went to the West Oaks mall where we hit finish line, the manager at finish line at the west Oaks Mall is the official hook up of FGB she does a great job meeting our basketball and footwear needs. While we were at the mall we also were able to see former FGB player Ronisha Mitchell who just committed to Santa Fe College. After we went to the mall we picked up one of my favorite former FGB and Central Florida Prep players Shawn Randall who was going to go to the senior showcase all star game with us. We went to the senior showcase and saw some of the guys playing. It was somewhat surprising for such a high level even that they had such a small crowd for the game. I saw my former teammate from Winter Park Ian Glover at the game which was cool. The game was good even though a little sloppy and the team USA was much better then team Florida so we left about ¾’s of the way through the game. After we headed to UCF for a unique dinner and late night unofficial visit with Coach Brown and Coach Locke. We arrived at UCF where Dr. Kallina’s worked for 40 years and headed to an on campus sports bar so the pictures if you’ve seen them are from an on campus key word on campus sports bar. We got dinner around 9 and hung out, both Coach Locke and Brown were very informative on UCF and their program. It was past Coach Brown’s bedtime so we sent him home and spent a while touring the athletic facilities at UCF and the campus which was very nice even at night. The campus was well lit and has tons of new buildings. Coach Locke is also a great comedian all three of the players really enjoyed her humor. Anyway it was a great visit there as well. If you go on my twitter @Kennykallina you can see a lot of the pictures from the weekend. After UCF we got home around 1215 I was dead tired but we still had a long drive on Sunday.

Sunday 4/11 - Rise and shine early day again had to drop Tori and Tae off in Valdosta so they could leave the Sunshine State and head back to Atlanta and go to school Monday. Both I think had a great time, I think one of the advantages of me and FGB is until my car dies I am willing to bring you to any campus for an unofficial visit or set you up with their camp. I am sure for both of them it will be something they will never forget. I am sure they’ll remember this weekend more then beating Georgia Ice or DEBO because they did it with their teammates and met people who may be in their lives for a very long time. Anyway we have a big weekend next weekend I will preview some of the bigger exposure events tomorrow.

SpringShowcase

2010-04-07T14:19:00.000-07:00
2011 MVPs

Laurie Beaty 5-8 CG Tampa, Fl (FGB) Beaty is one of the most improved kids in the state. This weekend she was pretty much unstoppable along with hitting the last second three to beat Clutch she poured in 20 points three out of four games and can score from anywhere on the floor.

Paulina Zaveckaite 6-2 F Gainesville, Fl (FGB) A big weekend for Paulina where she totally controlled the boards on both ends of the floor. Paulina showed some range and is one of the toughest kids on the court all the time. Paulina has been an achor for us inside and is probably one of the most underrated kids in the state.

Fab 5 2011's

Brielle Newton 6-1 F Cincinnati OH (FGB) Another tough blue collar post player who did a little bit of everything this weekend. Newton will be a strong contributor at as a CUSA level 4 player.

Carissa Coddington 5-9 G Davie, Fl (South Florida Jaguars) Coddington is a super athlete many of the schools in Florida are going to have to look at hard. Coddington needs to improve her range but she was able to do a lot of things off the dribble this weekend.

Wendy Miller 6-2 F Palatka, Fl (FGB) Had a very good workout with Keil Moore on Sunday and Keil felt she could end up being one of the top prospects on our team. Wendy has so much upside with her guard skills at her height whoever gets her will be getting a big time player.

Benee Glanton 6-4 F Tampa, Fl (FGB) A big kid who can shoot it did a great job on defense and is a much improved rebounder is a great student and on a lot of peoples radar. Glanton did a great job matching up with kids her own size in the post this weekend and won many head to head match ups.

Morgan Jones 6-2 F Altamonte Springs, Fl (DEBO) The top rated junior in the event did not dissapoint Jones has become a much better inside player and better with her teammates. As Jones continues to mature and give the same effort game in and game out expect her to be unstoppable.

Best of the Rest 2011s

April Carson 5-8 G Davie, Fl (South Florida Jaguars)

KK Wilson 5-8 G Viera Fl (Cape Coast Titans)

Emmalee Schill 6-2 F St Augustine Fl (Wolves)

Meghan Keough 5-8 G Land O Lakes Fl (DEBO)

Jamie Kaplan 5-7 G Sebastian, Fl (DEBO)

Alexis Fitts 5-6 G Winter Park Fl (DEBO)

Shaunice Hobbs 5-8 G Tampa Fl (FGB)

Erica Lanier 5-5 PG Lakeland Fl (Cavs)

Peggy Smith 5-7 G Sanford Fl (DEBO)

2012 MVPs

Victoria Carter 5-9 G Union City Ga (FGB) One of the most impressive guards of the weekend will be looking high to the BCS in a year or so. Carter who is a phenomenal athlete has added a lot to her game shooting the ball from the outside and is electric to the basket. Look for her recruiting list to be a who's who in the south.

Shavontae Naylor 5-10 W Jonesboro GA (FGB) Someone who could be an olympic track star was somewhat regarded as just a great athlete has been working on her game hard in Atlanta. Naylor can create off the dribble and has been sticking some long shots. While Naylor is only 5-10 she plays 6-2 or so and can defend every position on the floor. Naylor is a lock down defender who will be a high BCS recruit as well.

FAB 5 2012s

Simiah Blount 5-10 W Orlando Fl (FGB) Blounts increased skill in scoring the ball coupled with her length and athletic ability make her a solid mid level prospect in 2012. Blount led the FGB 15u team in scoring most games.

Angela Alvarez 5-10 F Boca Raton Fl (Clutch) Alvarez is a little undersized but a powerful forward who can shoot the ball and is a good athlete. Alvarez did a good job rebounding and being versatile for the Clutch

Monique Maximillien 6-3 F/C Fort Lauderdale Fl (Clutch) Long athletic post player with tons of potential. Max did a good job on the defensive end contesting shots and offensively finishing the ball. Max has work but could be very good.

Diamond Cooper 6-2 F Winter Garden Fl (FGB) Cooper has improved and is active on the defensive end blocking shots and rebounding. A good shooter for her size look for her to keep improving and be on a lot of schools lists.

Best of the Rest 2012s

Akileah Baxter 5-6 PG Orlando Fl

Justina James 6-0 F Brandon Fl

Jessica Causey 6-2 F Tampa Fl

2013 MVPs

Kaela Davis 6-2 W Norcross Ga (Ga Ice) The best and biggest prospect of the weekend some have as high as No 1 nationally didn't play great but you could see how special she is. Along with being able to do everything for the Ice she's a fierce competitor and hard worker. Expect her to fill a new role quickly with the Ice and make sure they don't lose 2 games in a weekend anytime soon.

Trimaine McCullough 5-9 G Orlando Fl (FGB) Really the prototype guard for an up and down program. McCullough has the best pull up of any kid I've seen ever, along with that she's a freak athlete that when she wants to can guard anyone. Look for her to be a lock as a top 20 player nationally and the McDonalds All American game by the end of the summer.

Raygine Moncrief 5-10 G Delray Beach Fl (Clutch) An electric athlete who can get to the basket on anyone is another kid who's got a chance to be an elite level national prospect. Moncrief needs to add some shooting to her game but I couldn't argue against her being one of the top guards at the event.

FAB 5 2013s

Alexis Brown 5-8 G Winter Garden Fl (Ga Ice) Brown has grown some and the height is legit but she might have been the top shooter in the entire event. Brown makes anyone who goes under on ball screens pay time after time. Brown also makes great decisions with the ball at the point spot.

Ashley Perry 5-11 G Lady Lake Fl (FGB)Long athletic lefty who makes an immediate impact on games on both ends of the floor. Perry needs to add some mid range skill to her game but she can get to the basket and shoo the 3. Look for Ashley to be a top 100 player nationally in 2012.

Tiffany Suarez 5-9 F Miami Fl (Clutch)Suarez probably had the move of the weekend with a reverse layup this weekend. Suarez is a hard working kid who's got great size for her position and is very skilled. Suarez is another kid who is a near lock to be a top 100 player and has a chance to move up even higher.

Ashley Santos 5-9 G Chicago IL (Ga Ice)Santos from the Windy City can flat out score I am not sure if I saw her miss this weekend whether it was from 3 or other spots on the floor she put the ball in the basket. Look for her to be a big time recruit in 2013.

Kristina Nelson 6-4 C Lawrenceville Ga (Ga Ice) Didn't have a great weekend but has great hands and touch for a player of her size and age. Nelson has some basic face up skills as well and looks to be a similar player to Courtney Paris formerly of Oklahoma.

Best of the Rest 2013s

Mackenzie Darrah 6-3 F Atlanta Ga (Ga Ice)

Kiara Palmer 6-0 F Miami Fl (DEBO)

2014 MVPs

Rolanda Hayes 5-7 PG Rockledge Fl (Cape Coast Titans) Hayes though playing in the younger division kept proving how good she is and how good she's going to be. Pending her exposure this summer she will probably pick up some big time offers before she ever enters high school and once she does shell clearly be the best player in Brevard County.

Aisha Edwards 5-8 PG Palm Beach Fl (Clutch) Another big time young guard who has great handles and can do a lot of things on the offensive end. Edwards not only does it on the offensive end but is a terror defensively. It was hard for me to believe she was just an 8th grader but watch for her to be a top 20-30 player nationally as well.

FAB 5 2014s
Taryn Griffey 5-5 PG Windermere Fl (Ga Ice)
Haley Clark 5-6 G Orlando Fl (Next Level)
Naijia Petithome 5-8 G Palm Beach Fl (Clutch)
Dyandria Anderson 6-0 W Cape Coast TitansDanneal Ford Norland Middle Team Clutch

RoundUp33110

2010-03-31T12:33:00.000-07:00
Wow what a few days to blog about don’t really know where to start but I guess I’ll start with FGB and the Florida AAU scene

We played last weekend at Tom Kane’s AAU Super Regional Tournament in Tampa without Shavontae Naylor and Victoria Carter who are BIG parts of our team and had a good amount of success without them. You can read some more about Carter here

http://www.peachstatehoops.com/?p=joppremaccess&sp=featurestories&story=KAM033110

We won each game by 30+ with the top team and our second team finished 2-2. For our top team here’s a little round up on our players. I am not going to list the high schools the go to from now on just to keep the ones who may be switching up protected and also then so that its accurate.

Ashley Perry 5-11 Freshman #32 Lady Lake, Fl - Super athletic lefty player who shot the ball well in our third game Perry had 16 points in the first half finishing with 20 overall. Perry is probably a top 50-75 player nationally. In school ball this year she played a lot of post and we are transitioning her to the wing position. Perry is a terror defensively, and may be our best defender on the team. In April she’ll be getting some big mail in her mail box. Clearly she’s one of the top 3 freshmen in Central Florida.

Trimaine McCullough 5-9 Freshman #2 Orlando, Fl - Another big time athlete who can handle the ball but just can flat our score. McCullough can play either guard spot and is strong and athletic something you don’t find among a lot of young players. McCullough has great range and once she dedicates herself to the defensive end could end up being a McDonald’s All American, McCullough is no worse then a top 50 player in the country and I’d be surprised if she sinks below a top 10 guard nationally as well.

Laurie Beaty 5-8 Junior #1 Tampa, Fl - Beaty can just flat our score I don’t know how her school held her under 20 points per game this year because no one this weekend could and we sure couldn’t. Beaty has improved her decision making and court vision allowing her to play more point guard. Beaty also has become a better defender and really more mature overall as a player. I think her high and low of recruiting will be Conference USA and it’ll be one of the first schools to jump on her.

Brielle Newton 6-1 Junior #22 Cincinnati, OH - Another player who’s much much improved from last season. Newton is a stopper for 3 positions on the court defensively and is probably our best back to the basket player. Newton is an extremely hard worker who just makes play after play. Newton has got a lot of interest from the University of Cincinnati along with other MAC schools but will have to decide which region to attend school in after more people see her in April.

Paulina Zaveckaite 6-2 Junior #12 Gainesville, Fl/Lithuania - Paulina is another very hard working front court player. Unlike in school ball Paulina is getting the chance to handle the ball more and play a hybrid forward position where she can do more facing up and scoring to show her skills. Paulina is a great garbage man type player because she absolutely cleans up everything on the offensive and defensive glass. Paulina is a great competitor and works as hard or harder then anyone I’ve coached. Virginia Tech called about her today and I think some ACC schools will be wishing they had got on her sooner.

Shaunice Hobbs 5-8 Junior #11 Tampa, Fl - A new comer to FGB after playing with the Tampa Inferno last year. Hobbs exceeded my expectations this past weekend doing a lot of things that don’t show up in the stat book although she had a good weekend scoring the ball as well. Hobbs can handle, score and defend in many difference situations. I think after she gets out to the evaluation period things will really pick up for her recruiting because she hasn’t been in events or on teams that really feature her to college coaches.

Benee Glanton 6-4 Junior #8 Tampa, Fl - Last year I made a big mistake with Benee, I tried to sit her on the block and make her Shaq well the things Benee does well on offensive are things she does away from the basket like shooting the ball, passing, and screening the ball. Benee played the best she’s ever played for FGB this weekend hitting 7 three’s in 4 games and doing a great job on the boards. Look for her stock to climb in April although she’s already gotten interest from the Big East and Conference USA.

Wendy Miller 6-2 Junior #4 Palatka, Fl - Wendy is molding into the player every college coach thought she could be her first few years in high school. Wendy played three spots on the floor last weekend including the 2 3 and 4 all of which she experience success with especially on the defensive end. Wendy is a team player and doesn’t light it up scoring but she does the things that help you win. St Johns and a lot of schools in the Southeast have been on Miller someone will be getting a great kid in 2011.

In other news…

The FGB Spring Showcase is this weekend at Florida Southern College, I was somewhat disappointed Breakdown, the Jacksonville Lady Rams, and Orlando Comets didn’t come. We are 1-0 versus Breakdown, 0-2 versus the Rams (10 point loss last July) and 3-1 versus the Comets teams all time. I guess we’ll just have to catch them at AAU State here is the schedule for this weekend which includes well respected Georgia Ice

Court 1
Saturday
900 AM
1020 AM Lakeland Cavs 15U vs. FGB 15U
1140 AM Next Level vs. Gulf Coast Eagles III
100 PM Cape Coast Titans 8th vs. Osceola
220 PM FGB 17U vs. St Augustine Wolves 17U
340 PM Cape Coast Titans 17U vs. DEBO 17U
500 PM Lakeland Cavs 15U vs. Gulf Coast Eagles III
620 PM FGB 17U vs. Gulf Coast Eagles II
740 PM Osceola vs. Gulf Coast Eagles II .
900 PM Cape Coast Titans 17U vs. St. Augustine Wolves
Sunday
900 AM DEBO 15U vs. FGB 15U
1020 AM Lakeland Cavs Elite vs. DEBO 17U
1140 AM DEBO 17U vs. FGB 17U
100 PM DEBO 15U vs. Lakeland Cavs 15U
220 PM DEBO 17U vs. St. Augustine Wolves 17U

Court 2
Saturday
900 AM Gulf Coast Eagles I vs. Lakeland Cavaliers Elite
1020 AM Gulf Coast Eagles II vs. St. Augustine Wolves
1140 AM Lakeland Cavs Elite vs. Cape Coast Titans 17U
100 PM FGB Elite vs. Lady Clutch
220 PM South Florida Lady Jaguars vs. Georgia Ice
340 PM DEBO Elite vs. Gulf Coast Eagles I
500 PM FGB Elite vs. Georgia Ice
620 PM Gulf Coast Eagles I vs. Lady Clutch
740 PM FGB Elite vs. South Florida Lady Jaguars
900 PM Georgia Ice vs. Lady Clutch
Sunday
900 AM DEBO ELITE vs. South Florida Jaguars
1020 AM LAKELAND CAVS 15U VS TBA
1140AM DEBO ELITE vs. Georgia Ice
100 PM Lady Clutch vs. South Florida Jaguars
220 PM DEBO ELITE vs. FGB Elite

Court 3
Saturday
900 AM
1020 AM
1140 AM
100 PM LAKELAND CAVS 15U VS TBA
220 PM FGB 15U VS GULF COAST EAGLES III
340 PM LAKELAND CAVS 15U VS CAPE COAST 8TH
500 PM DEBO 15U VS OSCEOLA
620 PM NEXT LEVEL VS CAPE COAST 8TH
740 PM FGB 17U VS LAKELAND CAVS ELITE
900 PM NEXT LEVEL VS DEBO 15U

Four other pieces of news

1) Kelsey Bone has decided to transfer out of South Carolina, according to sources this may not be their only transfer depending on the terms of Bone’s release you can expect that Texas A&M, North Carolina, Duke, and Texas would be on the short list for her services next year. Many players committed to Staley and South Carolina because they would get to play with Bone, look for South Carolina to depend heavily on the development of Brooklyn Center Brittany Webb to fill the void in the front court. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/news/story?id=5043730

2) Amber Harris will be returning to Xavier next season, Harris could have gone into the WNBA draft but will return for her fifth year for X. http://www.goxavier.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/033110aaa.html

3) My good friend Apache Paschall’s school St. Michael’s is set to close this coming summer which leaves some of the top kids in NYC without a school to go to next year. It will be interesting to see the landscape of New York City Basketball in the fall. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2010/03/30/2010-03-30_dynasty_on_the_move.html

4) Well I am no one (everyone knows that) but if your Anne Donovan at Seton Hall how do you not hire John McGraw….for Donovan to be successful at Seton Hall she’s going to have to get NYC kids and kids who play for Exodus the hiring of McGraw would ensure that on the Southern end of things I think that Keil Moore would do the same for Clemson that McGraw would do for Seton Hall in NY. Moore with strong connections to Peach State Basketball and players throughout the southeast could create and edge for them recruiting wise right away.

BestofFla

2010-03-19T15:34:00.000-07:00
2011

1. Amber Henson 6-3 F Sickles - Duke*** (Boo Williams)
2. Loliya Briggs 5-9 W PHCA - Pitt*** (Jax Lady Rams)
3. Morgan Jones 6-1 F Lake Mary*** (DEBO)
4. Michelle Woods 5-10 G CSN*** (ESSENCE)
5. Brittany Rountree 5-8 G PHCA - UNC*** (JAX LADY RAMS)
6. Shalethia Stringfield 5-8 G PHCA - USF*** (JAX LADY RAMS)
7. Tamara Taylor 5-9 W Boca Ciega - USF*** (ESSENCE)
8. Laurie Beaty 5-8 G Jefferson *** (FGB)
9. Lauren McGraw 5-9 G Dillard *** (BREAKDOWN)
10. Paulina Zaveckaite 6-2 F The Rock***(FGB)
11. Viktorija Damaite 6-4 F The Rock*** (ORLANDOCOMETS)
12. Danielle McCray 6-0 F Trinity***
13. Tyneka Addison 5-8 G Palm Coast***
14. Katherine Zander 6-2 F Orange Park ***
15. Wendy Miller 6-2 F Palatka (FGB)***
16. Myesha Hall 5-8 G PBL (ESSENCE)***
17. Carissa Coddington 5-9 G Nova (SFJ)***
18. Benee Glanton 6-4 C Jefferson (FGB)***
19. Brianna Wright 6-2 F TItusville
20. Dyna Pierre 6-1 F Lincoln Park
21. T'keyah Williams 6-2 F Dillard
22. Alexis Brown 5-8 G PHCA (Seton Hall)***
23. Ladeyah Forte 5'2 Pensacola (Essence)
24. April Carson 5-9 G Nova UNCG - SFJ
25. Tynia McKinzie 6-2 F Lake Howell (ORLANDOCOMETS)
26. Shaunice Hobbs 5-8 G Tampa Freedom (FGB)
27. Jessica Goble 5-10 G Buchholz (GVILLE WARRIORS)
28. Jaleesa Blue 6-0 F Leesburg (OF)
29. Jordan Mosley 5-8 G Boone (ORLANDOCOMETS)
30. Meghan Keough 5-8 G Tampa Catholic
31. Jamie Kaplan 5'7 PG Florida Air
32. Nicole Adams 5-9 G Gulf (ORLANDO COMETS)
33. Caresha Macklin 5-8 G Lafayette
34. KK Wilson 5'8 G Viera
35. Emmalee Schill 6-2 F St Augustine

2012

1. Antoinette Bannister 5-9 CG PHCA - UNC (Jax Lady Rams)***
2. Alexis Prince 6-2 W Edgewater (ESSENCE)***
3. Brittany Jackson 5-8 PG Sebastian River (ESSENCE)***
4. Niya Johnson 5-8 PG PK Yonge (ESSENCE)***
5. Hillary Fuller 6-2 F PHCA (Jax Lady RAMS)***
6. Macy Keen 6-5 C Northeast (BREAKDOWN)***
7. January Miller 5-8 G University (ORlando Comets 15's)***
8. Taylor Shaw 5-8 G Parkway (ESSENCE)***
9. Joy Brown 5-10 W Evans (ORLANDO COMETS)***
10. Destiny Jones 6-0 F Parkway (ESSENCE)****
11. Monique Maximillien 6-2 F NBP (MIAMI SUNS***)***
12. Angela Alvarez 5-9 W ST Andrews (MIAMI SUNS)
13. Shayla Wilson 5-10 F Jefferson
14. Diamond Cooper 6-2 F West Orange (FGB BLUE)
15. Briona Brown 5-10 F Haines City (ORlando Comets Blue)
16. Taylor Shade 5'8 G Boyton Beach (ESSENCE)
17. Camille Crooks 5-9 PG Bishop Moore (ORLANDO COMETS BLUE)
18. Simiah Blount 5-10 G West Orange (FGB BLUE)
19. Justina James 6-1 F Blake (FGB BLUE)
20. LExus Love 6-0 F Central
21. Morgan Robinson 5-9 F Lyman (ORLANDO COMETS 15U)
22. Bre Crum 5-8 PG Sickles (ESSENCE)
23. Natalie Ball 6-0 F Trinity Prep (ORLANDO COMETS 15U)
24. Aklieah Baxter 5-6 PG Wekiva (FGB BLUE)
25. Rebecca Little 5-11 F Hollywood Chr (BREAKDOWN)
26. KP Pound 6-1 F Sebastian River (ORLANDO COMETS RED)
27. Kayla Johnson 5-11 C Lake Highland (ORLANDO COMETS 15U)
28. Taj Kollore 5-9 W Olympia (Orlando Comets Blue)
29. Ariah Osceola 5-8 G Hollywood Chr (Below the Rim)
30. Christina Rose 6-0 F Parkway

2013

1. Alexis Brown 5-8 PG Dr Phillips (GA ICE)***
1. Trimaine McCullough 5'9 CG Wekiva (FGB SILVER)***
3. Iesha Smalls 5'10 W Dr Krop (BREAKDOWN)***
4. Shyla Cooper 6-0 F Wharton (ESSENCE)***
5. Ronnie Williams 6-1 F Atlantic (ORLANDO COMETS 15U)***
6. Kai James 6-4 C Dwyer ***
7. Jessica Thomas 5-3 PG Buchholz (GVILLE WARRIORS)***
8. Ashley Perry 6-0 F Leesburg (FGB SILVER)***
9. Tiffany Suarez 5-9 PG Lourdes (MIAMI SUNS)***
10. Brandi Montgomery 5-10 W Lincoln park (ESSENCE)***
11. Raygine Moncrief 5-8 PG AH (MIAMI SUNS)***
12. Tesh Hanson 5-10 W Wharton (Essence)***
13. Tatiana Manuel 6-2 F Blake ***
14. Faith Woodward 6'1 W Riverview (Essence)***
15. Casey Drayton 5-10 G Lakewood ***
16. Tiannah Alvarado 5'9 G Lakewood ***
17. Erica Young 6-1 F BLake (ESSENCE)***
18. Jayla King 5-9 F Pine Forest (ESSENCE)
19. Sydnei McCaskill 5-5 PG Dr Phillips (ORLANDO COMETS RED)
20. Shannon Cranshaw 5-8 SG Father Lopez (ORLANDO COMETS RED)
21. Alexis Ungro 5-9 G Boca Ciega
22. Hannah Schiable 5-9 F DR Phillips
23. Arianna Cumbie 6-2 C Olympia
24. Chelsey Springs 5-10 F Olympia
25. Brittany Dinkins 5-8 G Mirmar

***BCS Recruit

Best of the South

2010-03-17T18:12:00.000-07:00
Best Club Teams of the South
--- The every popular club basketball rankings of 2009 come back into action this March as we do the top 25 of the south. Because it’s the pre-season we’ll do pre-season groupings (no order) .

Best of the Best 4 Southern Teams - The top 4 teams that will make noise nationally this spring and summer.

Essence (Tallahassee, Fl - Kim Davis NIKE) ***Boo Williams*** The Essence took it on the chin last year but now are set to be one of the top 5 teams nationally and clearly one of the top 2 teams in the South. Rachel Hollivay leads the Essence up front and is one of the premiere post players in the country. On the wing Alexis Prince (2012); Brianna Banks (2011); Brittany Jackson (2012) and Michelle Woods (2011) are all national list players who can do work. One ACC coach told me in 2012 this is her top recruit and that’s Niya Johnson from Gainesville who will run the show for them this spring and summer look for the Essence to be in a elite class in the south.

Georgia Ice (Atlanta, GA Antonio Davis NIKE) ***SPRING EVENT BOO WILLIAMS*** Possibly the hottest team in the south ending the summer last year in July without a loss and the 13U AAU National title (second year in a row). Ice may be a different team this year with the uncertainty of the status of Diamond DeSheilds, but don’t get it twisted regardless of DeSheilds the Ice will be on an elite level in the south. Kaela Davis was the MVP of the GHSA AAAA State Final Four, Kristina Nelson, Lexie Brown, and Peyton Witted are all national elite players just waiting to breakout.

Tennessee Flight Silver (Murfreesboro, TN - Tom Insell NIKE) ***Spring Event-Boo Williams*** The Buzz: The Flight were heavy favorites to win it all at Boo and Nike Nationals last year, they return the #2 player in the country in Kaleena Lewis and have added Tennessee super sophomore Bashaara Graves. Look for Schacobia Barbie 5-9 F 2012 from Riverdale High School to burst on the scene this year after a monster Tennessee playoff run. The Flight also have Majorie Buter, Christina Slay among other major recruits on this year’s roster. TOP UPPERCLASSMAN: Kaleena Lewis 5-8 W (UCONN) TOP UNDERCLASSMAN: Bashaara Graves 6-1 W/F

Jacksonville Lady Rams (Jacksonville, Fl - Tony Bannister MIKE WHITE) ***SPRING EVENT DEEP SOUTH*** The Buzz: 5 Rams have already committed to major Division I schools this spring. Look for the Rams to be one of the top teams in the South this year. Last year their top results were finishing high at Deep South in and 4th at the Elite 24 Summer Jam in Augusta, GA. The Rams will be led by a North Carolina committed backcourt with Antoinette Bannister and Brittany Rountree. Top Upperclassman: Loliya Briggs 5-10 2011 PITT; Top Underclassman: Antoinette Bannister 5-9 G UNC

Next Ten Still Very Good - Some of the best teams regionally.

FBC Southeast (Fayetteville, GA - Toni Gore BLUE STAR) ***SPRING EVENT BOO WILLIAMS***Formerly Southeast Elite has left the Elite Basketball Family to go to Blue Star. Last year Southeast Elite struggled to win games after Tiffany Mitchell went out with a knee injury in the spring. Southeast Elite finished 8th at the Elite 24 Summer Jam. Southeast Elite returns Tori Waldner and Elem Ibiam up front as well as Sydney Wallace in the backcourt. The starting 5 for Southeast should be one of the best around but we’ll see if that translate to W’s when it matters. Boo Williams is a tough test come April. Mitchell is back and ready to be tested on the biggest stage.

FGB (Orlando, Fl - Kenny Kallina ELITE BASKETBALL FAMILY) ***Spring Event Peach State Tip Off*** FGB finished the summer strong last year with wins over Queen’s City Dynasty and Southeast Elite (Now FBC Southeast) to finish 7th at the 1st ever Peach State Elite 24 Summer Jam. The additions of Georgia natives Shavontae Naylor and Victoria Carter give FGB some fire power from some grade A athletes as well as the addition of one of the top freshman in the country Trimaine McCullough. Laurie Beaty is one of the best combo guards in the south this spring and summer gaining major division I interst. Look for FGB to be strong up front with Paulina Zaveckaite a native of Lithuania who was the Class 1A State MVP, Wendy Miller, Benee’ Glanton, and EBF Player of the month Brielle Newton of Hughes OH.

Georgia Blazers (Columbus, GA - Tim Marshall/Joe Foster ELITE BASKETBALL FAMILY) *** SPRING EVENT Peach state Tip off**** Shaunice McKinney is headed to LSU and Kayla Brewer is headed to South Carolina but the Blazers still look to be strong this summer. The Blazers who scour south Georgia and Alabama are loaded with size just like last year. Their guard play will be the question, while they have good athletes their decision making and ability to hit shots on the outside will decide their fate.

Georgia Elite (Atlanta, GA - Tim Ellis) ***PEACH STATE TIP OFF SPRING EVENT*** Runner up last year at AAU Nationals was a team who hit a slide last year at the end with losses to the Jacksonville Lady Rams and finished out of the top half of the Elite 24 Summer Jam. Georgia Elite lost Lauren Coleman to Florida state but still has all world point guard Andraya Carter as well as Georgia commit Erika Ford. Carter has already picked up an offer from the Orange (Tennessee) and my sources say will lock herself in to All American status this summer, well we will see but Georgia Elite is one of the most organized teams in the country we’ll see if that will translate into travel ball success this year.

Georgia Pistols Gordon (Atlanta, GA Percy Gordon) ***SPRING EVENT Peach State Tip Off*** One of the top teams in the South last year and they return nearly everyone. The Pistol’s sport 6-3 Ebony Wells in the post who’s already committed to Georgia Tech. The Pistols also have all world Destiny Gibbs who’s one of the top players in the South. Word on the street is that the pistols may have found a “Diamond” but not in the rough, if this is the case look for them to carry the flag for Georgia all summer as the premiere team in the Peach State.

Kentucky Premiere (Lexington, KY - Tarpley MIKE WHITE) ***SPRING EVENT DEEP SOUTH*** A break off team from Blue Chip Elite last year who won the Peach State Tip Off top division has Bre Elder as well as Mykayla Epps who are two of the Blue Grass state’s finest. Look for KY Premiere to be one of the top sleepers in the country.

Memphis Elite (Memphis, TN - Greg James MIKE WHITE) ***Spring Event Deep South*** Danielle Ballard and Hasina Muhammed are in a class of their own as two of the best prospects in the South. I saw Memphis Elite have much success playing up last year the question will be how the compete in Elite Divisions week in and week out in July, there is no question they have the talent to do so.

Orlando Comets (Windermere, Fl - Jack Givens NIKE) ***Spring Event Boo Williams*** Uncertainty around Amber Henson’s playing future leave the Comets ability to compete at Nike in question. The Comets have added 6-4 Viktorija Damaite a exchange student from Lithuania and Joy Brown from Orlando Evans. While both are good prospects neither are going to get them knocking on the door of taking the Essence or Flight down from the throne in the south. Look for the Comets to improve throughout the spring and summer.

South Carolina 76ers (Spartanburg, SC - Anthony Toney SOUTHERN PREMIERE) ***ADIDAS Spring EVENT KNOXVILLE TN) It will be interesting to see how the SC 76ers do when they play outside the Southern Premiere events and Adidas events to play some of the better teams around the country. Last year they beat a battered Exodus team to win the 1st ever Candace Parker Invitational in South Carolina. Xylina McDaniel is a big time player look for them to be good but until tested…how good?

Wallace Prather Celtics (College Park, GA Nard INDPENDANT) ****SPRING EVENT DEEP SOUTH*** One of the best teams in the South with All American candidate Breanna Mcdonald and super athlete Morgan Beatty. The Celtics can win or lose to anyone on a given day look for them to make some noise with the rest of the Atlanta area teams this spring and summer.

On the Verge - Teams who could make some noise regionally this spring summer.

DEBO (Altamonte Springs, Fl - Gina & Dennis Jones MIKE WHITE) Morgan Jones Morgan Jones Morgan Jones well Morgan Jones is DEBO. DEBO had an up and down year last year finishing on a high note in Chicago before opting not to play in the fall. DEBO did well in Florida last year finishing 2nd at Spring Fling II. Morgan Jones who was just named Central Florida player of the year. Alexis Fitts and Meghan Keough join DEBO from the Florida Wildcat’s backcourt look for them to improve on a good year last year.

Georgia Hoopstars (Atlanta, GA - JD Davis ELITE BASKETBALL FAMILY) ***PEACH STATE TIP OFF SPRING EVENT*** The Hoopstars have been a staple of the south the past few years and continue to crank out Division I basketball players. The losses of Chakecia Miller and Victoria Carter have set them back a little but the addition of Kiana Holland one of the top 2013 players in the country from South Carolina will help them forget quickly. The Hoopstars have an experienced group of post players on this years team along with 6-0 wing player Christy Hewitt who’s garnering major Division I attention. Look for them to be as good or better then last summer.

Georgia Metro’s (Atlanta, GA - Charles Huddleson NIKE) ***SPRING EVENT BOO WILLIAMS*** Another team which has been hurt with the rise of other club teams in Atlanta. The Metro’s were headlined by Kayla Lewis headed to Florida last summer but has missed out somehow on getting the Ice players in the program. That being said the Metro’s have gone from being Maya Moore’s team to just another team in the A.

Louisiana Heat (Baton Rouge, LA ELITE BASKETBALL FAMILY) ***SPRING EVENT PEACH STATE TIP OFF*** New members to the elite basketball family have had a storied success over the past few years somewhat off the radar. In the south they can begin putting themselves on the map after a strong showing in Atlanta in April. Look for the athletic well coached Louisiana Heat team to storm the scene in the south this year at many of the top events.

Louisville Legends (Louisville, KY - Jaye Collins ELITE BASKETBALL FAMILY) ***Spring Event - Peach State Tip Off*** Kentucky is a weird state as you can tell by looking at KY Premiere. Collins finished 2009 in strong fashion with a close loss to Exodus NYC in the finals of the Elite 24 Summer Jam and was in the finals of nearly every event all summer. Collins loses Antonita Slaughter to Louisville and Ondrea Shaw to George Mason which have been the staple of his program.

Miami Suns/ Team Fowles (Miami, Fl - Miguel Diaz ELITE BASKETBALL FAMILY)***Peach State Tip off Classic*** The boy’s are back in town well at least Miguel Diaz is. Diaz and former Suns director Paul Torres ran possibly the best travel team ever from the Sunshine State with four WNBA players on it. This team is different because they are young but look for them to rise quickly with the likes of Raygine Moncrief and Tiffany Suarez who are both in the class of 2013.

South Florida Jaguars (Davie, Fl - Billy Carson/Jason Hivey ELITE BASKETBALL FAMILY) ***Peach State Tip Off Classic*** South Florida is one of the better coached and well disciplined teams in the south, they rarely underachieve. The back court of April Carson and Carissa Coddington from Nova High School is one to take notice of. Last year South Florida upset Southeast Elite in the spring, can they do the same this year?

Team Breakdown (Miami, Fl - Pat Gajardo ADIDAS) ***Spring Event Adidas/Knoxville*** Another team which has lost a lot of talent over the last few years is banking their success on future phenom 6-5 Macy Keen from Northeast High School. Keen hasn’t been out on the circuit much yet but from all reports she’s going to be the real deal. Look to Lauren McGraw of Dillard for some elder leadership this summer and some flash from future prospect Iesha Smalls who’s one of the best 2013’s in the south.

Tennessee Flight Select (Knoxville, TN - Brandi Stollings NIKE) ***Spring Event - Peach State Tip Off*** Stallings has created a very good club in the eastern part of Tennessee competing in many Mike White events through the years look for them to rise to the forefront of the travel ball scene in the south this year.

Honorable Mention: Alabama Twisters; Mississippi Fire; Alabama Roadrunners; Charlotte 76ers; Tennessee Flight Navy; Low Country Ballers;

Florida's Top Club Teams 2010

2010-03-15T13:38:00.001-07:00
Here are my top 10 (No Order)

I don't know much about these two teams but I expect them to compete this year with the rest of the top 10 Winning Ways Eagles out of Southwest Florida have established a good program and I expect them to make up some ground this year. I also expect the Lakeland Cavs to be good.

Essence (Nike)
Essence is clearly one of the top 2 in Florida. They return Alexis Prince, Rachel Hollivay,Niya Johnson and Michelle Woods. Last week they picked up Brittanty Jackson and will have one of the top teams in the country.

Orlando Comets (Nike)
The Comets return Jordan Mosley and Tynia McKinzie they add Nicole Adams; Viktorija Damaite (their top player possibly);Brianna Wright Kaneisha Atwater and Joy Brown. If Amber Henson does play with them look for them to be near the top but word has her looking to possibly play with Boo Williams and focus on USA basketball in the summer. Always a well coached team that improves.

FGB (Blue Star/Elite Basketball Family)
We have a good young team with some good players. We return Wendy Miller; Benee Glanton; Shavontae Naylor and Laurie Beaty. In the fall we picked up Paulina Zaveckaite and this spring we added Victoria Carter; Adrianna Nazario; Ashley Perry; Shaunice Hobbs; and Trimaine McCullough. Have a good mix of kids and excited about the season. We should be one of the better teams in Florida and one of the top teams in the EBF.

South Florida Jags (Elite Basketball Family)
The Jags have a solid back court returning with April Carson and CJ Coddington who's one of the most underrated kids in the state.

DEBO (Mike White)
Additions of Alexis Fitts and Meghan Keough solidify their backcourt with Morgan Jones who's one of the top players in Florida. They also have Lake Mary's Peggy Smith and Orange Parks Haley Mckisseck.

Jax Lady Rams (Mike White)
5 high major commitments I commented I don't know how much they will do this summer but it could be the year of the Ram. They could be a top 15 summer team nationally.

Miami Suns (Elite Basketball Family)
The boys are back in the fall the Suns had a loaded young team with Tiffany Suarez; Shyla Cooper; and Raygen Moncrief. The Suns had one of the top teams in history in 2002 look for them to make an impact in July.

Team Breakdown (Adidas)
Breakdown has put a lot of very good kids into college the past few years and this may be a little of a rebuilding year they have Lauren McGraw; Iesha Smalls; Tkeyah Williams among others. Breakdown always finds away to pull of signature wins I wouldn't be suprised if it happens again this year.

Top Young Teams
Orlando Comets 15s
Essence Frosh/Soph Team
Jax Lady Rams 15s
Team Breakdown 15u
DEBO 15u
South Fla Jags 15u
Cape Coast Titans 13s
Next Level 13u

I don't know as much about some teams so its no disrespect everyone is free to elaborate more on their team.

FHSAA Stings Potter's House ... Again

2010-03-15T13:37:00.000-07:00
According to a source at ESPN, last year Potter's House declined an invitation to the NHSI and this year the FHSAA dealt them out. With the FHSAA getting a hefty check from ESPN part of the terms of them being accepted into the NHSI was that they would not invite Potter's House. Oak Hill is allegedly ranked ahead of Lake Mary in the bracket and Oak HIll plays outside of their state associate and I was an eye witness to a 30 point drubbling of Oak Hill by Potter's House at the beginning of the season prior to Shakeena Reese and O'drea Shaw's departure. Real dissapointing the best team in Florida cant represent us on a national level. Kudos to holding the kids back friends in Gainesville!

Hoopgurlz Club Article

2010-03-03T12:57:00.001-08:00
http://proxy.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/womens/columns/story?id=4958746

1) We workout twice a week with skill sessions not so much even practice. We do so year round. We have trainers in Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Atlanta who train FG players.

2)We play in the top division of every event we go to, our schedule is listed online.

3) We play 3 events both periods but there isnt much travel between and Peach State and Battle in the Boro do an excellent job scheduling us. We get maximum exposure, we also dont over schedule the spring. http://www.leaguelineup.com/fgb/files/16ue.htm

4)We are very clear about our system and what we want you to do and play. We only keep a maximum of 9 players per team per event not many clubs can say that.

5)We have good relationships but again your play will result in your scholarship, our contacts are pretty vast but you have to get it done on the floor. Everyone from FGB Elite last year has a D1 scholarship all 9...do you want to be one this year?

PottersHouse

2010-03-02T15:28:00.000-08:00
Something Fishy in Jacksonville

Just recently several of the Jacksonville Lady Rams aka Potter’s House kids have committed. Last year Loliya Briggs became the first player from the program to break through and get a major scholarship to Pitt. Briggs most consider the best prospect on the team committed to Pitt after a Sweet 16 and having a marquee player in Shavonte Zellous who’s also from Florida. Pitt hasn’t fared as well so far and it wouldn’t surprise me if Briggs re-opened her recruitment (not that I have any evidence that this will happen). On a trip up north Alexis Brown committed to Seton Hall which is interesting because they’re perennially in the bottom of the big east, I know that she had an offer at Marshall who typically has a good team and a lot of interest in state. This week Hiroshima and Nagasaki hit with Antoinette Bannister and Brittany Rountree headed to North Carolina. Well who’s the winner in all the madness and what does it mean? Well the big winner is South Florida who snagged Shalethia Stringfield. Stringfield is the only kid from the Rams going to an in state school and while the bench or weather freezes the other 4 it wouldn’t surprise me for some of them purchasing some flights to Tampa later in their careers where they could really help the Bulls. USF picked up a kid in the process who fits their style and can really help them. I think that Bannister, Briggs, and Rountree could contribute Pitt and UNC but arnt locks to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated like Shavonte Zellous. The chances are in this world and basketball sphere that 1 if not more will transfer and South Florida will be sitting there with the catchers glove to pick them up. The word also that Hillary Fuller 6-2 F 2012 will commit soon too but I do not know where yet. What has been lost in this is all the 2010 kids for the Rams who don’t yet have a scholarship so I ask what about the other kids? Another thing is that the Rams have significantly de-valued their summer team with the commitments which mean they may be playing a less stringent schedule during the spring and summer to possibly accomplish the one thing they havnt been able to yet do, win a high school national championship. I guess the most sad thing is the fact that the Jacksonville Times Union hasn’t covered them at all since their expulsion from the FHSAA, possibly the greatest class of players in Jacksonville history and there is no history of them. It will be interesting to see the success of the Potter’s House experiment at the next level academically, socially, and basketball wise we played them this year and they’re really good its sad they cant just start their own college and keep playing that would be fun to watch. The real question to ask is would these kids have got these scholarships this early playing for another team, another schedule, another system, and I think the answer is NO. The other question that is left unanswered is will they have a large amount of success at the next level? Only time will tell but for now the Potter's House project has changed the image of basketball in Florida.

In other notes, word has Tamara Taylor 5-10 W from Boca Ciega committing to USF and Danielle McCray 6-0 highly sought after wing player from Trinity Christian departing from the Essence club team. Taylor will be playing with Essence this year.

Fast 5 For Missouri Job

2010-03-01T20:41:00.000-08:00
http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2010/3/2/stein-resign-end-season/

Here are the Insider's 5 Top Candidates for the Missouri Job

1)Melissa McFerrin - Memphis ***This name has been tossed around prior to the job being open. McFerrin is a Missouri Alum and having a strong year at Memphis. This has been the most prominent rumor with this job since even before the end of the season. McFerrin who formerly was the head coach at American is a hot commodity in the coaching community, she would go from being one Tiger to another.

2)Kenny Brooks - James Madison ***Big time candidate for a lot of jobs this year. James Madison who wants to go there? I mean this guy's put them on the map, Missouri's deep pockets would give the Big 12 fits because he'll be able to recruit from the east coast as well. Looking for a resume? Go Dawn Evans and Tamara Young...as well as the NCAA selection committee who may make them an at large bid from the Colonial.

3)Cynthia Cooper - Prarie View A&M ***Just missed out on the Cincy job last year but this might be a blessing in disguise. Cynthia Cooper is Cynthia Cooper and she could go to Central Alaska Tech A&M and get players so imagine her in a big time setting. Cooper has good knowledge of Texas from Coaching at PVAM.

4)Sunny Smallwood - ***Nebrska Been with the Husker's 5 years this would be possibly the top in conference hire they could come up with that would consider leaving. The type of player they can get at Nebraska is similar to Missouri and clearly they've been able to build from the ground up at Nebraska. Sunny's name may come up more because of Nebraska's success this year.

5) Curt Miller - Bowling Green ***Possibly accomlished all he can at Bowling Green and ready for the big stage in the Big 12. More of an x's and o's guy but can get it done recruiting wise as well. Might be able to keep his staff together to come to Missouri and get paid!

Observations

2010-02-25T19:43:00.000-08:00
From SheCanPlay.org

Early Post
Well I am now 9 out of 10. I have both State Champions so far and would just be thoroughly shocked of Boca Ciega beats Dillard. DIllard is by far the best team I've seen aside from Potters House this year.

A few notes from Lakeland

Paulina Zaveckaite racked up 44 points and 29 rebounds in 2 games in Lakeland. A lot of speculation has come from people who did not know the rock even so called experts who live just minutes away. The Rock's players are from Lithuania, Zaveckaite played with FGB in the fall and was one of our top post players, and has gotten interest from a lot of schools. Viktorija Damaite is playing with the Orlando Comets and is also a high major recruit. Greta (dont know the last name) is headed to the University of Tampa.

I talked to a college coach last night who couldnt decide who he'd rather have Zaveckaite or Danielle McCray, as of last summer McCray was a top 50-75 player nationally.

FGB's Latavia Dempsey carried Boca Ciega in the first half with 11 points she finished with 19, Tamara Taylor had a cold night. Pine Forest just is too far out to get the type of competition that other teams get in major cities. Boca hasnt played much of a schedule this year but has guard and guards win a lot of games.

Speaking of guards Dawnn Maye and Tykeyah Williams picked up two early fouls yesterday when Dillard led Winter Haven 20-8, Winter Haven took the lead shortly before halftime but only for a posession and Dillard opened up the 2nd half 5-2 then with a 9-0 run after leading 34-34. The game wasnt as close as indicated by the final score.

I assume Dillard wins by 15-20 tonightbut who knows they do play passive on offense and if they get in foul trouble they do not have a deep bench. Crowds yesterday were sparse. I'll be down tomorrow night to see LakeMary/South Broward and Dr Phillips/Lourdes.

Bishop Moore lost today by 1 to Tampa Cathlolic. The Hornets led the entire game and I dont know what you can call the last 8 years but dissapointing. Bishop Moore loses the last piece of their dyansty from the Brady era with Sarah Blackburn but the team has only won 1 state championship (Shekianh Brazzle), ennifer George starts at Florida but all world Lindsey Watson didnt make it to her first game at Hofstra and Blackburn is headed D2.

Late Post

Back to basketball...because this isnt about some name calling fight its about Lakeland!

Intersting night tonight where I was wrong and right at the same time. Dillard did beat Boca Ciega but it was closer then I thought it would be.

I think Dillard's pace and theory on how to win games contributes a significant amount to the close games. They use their athleticism to speed the oppositions pace on offense but when they are on offense they're rather methodical. Connor had a rough 2 games production wise but came away with points and you cant score if you dont shoot. Maye was fantastic, while I still think Alicia DeVaughn is the #1 player in Florida Maye controlled the 5A final four and aside from Potters House I think they're the top team in the state this year hands down.

After a strong first game Latavia struggled some from the field, Tamara scored more points tonight but didnt shoot a great percentage. Dillard would be pretty vulnerable if someone could reel off 6-8 points prior to them getting safely ahead.

A bigger suprise statistically to me was T'keyah Williams and Candace Parsons combining for 2 points according to the stats I saw.

I was pretty critical about the zone and one dimensional defense by Boca Ciega but it limited Dillard inside which was key for them to stay in the game and sure enough they stayed in the game. Because of this the game ended up being much more competitive.

I picked 3 players as the "Difference Makers" for each of their three teams while this isnt rocket science I feel pretty good about my picks

5A - Dawn Maye - Clearly the MVP. For Maye to be an All ACC Player she's going to have to be a threat from the outside. Some would say this is bashing the kid to me its stating the obvious, a Dawnn Maye who can really shoot it is someone who is a McDonalds All American. Watching Maye, she looked like someone 1) Who loved the game and 2) who really enjoyed it. Too many people arnt having fun, If we rode around with camera's I'd bet we take more pictures of negative reactions then positive ones and Maye was soaking it all in and having a blast. Marcia Pinder coached the McDonald's All American game last year and she is probably the most successful coach in the state left. I was really impressed how she's adapted over the years and the way she handled her team.

3A - Colette Eule - A kid who played with us some last year still going D1 and is a hard worker. Tampa Catholic was down and she brought them back. She did a fantastic job back to back years focusing on her mission and accomplishing her goal.

1A - Someone a lot of people didnt know before who's got all eyes on them now Paulina Zaveckaite. Typically European players are categorized as being "soft" or "slow" but she's a fierce competitor and great kid. I have become a better person by being around Paulina at workouts and look forward to seeing where her recruiting journey takes her this summer. I think she's pretty underrated and someone is going to get a real steal. I think she can be the heart of a team which everyone feeds off of and while the Rock was down and almost out today she sparked them to victory congrats.

I will be heading down tomorrow to see Dr. Phillips, I hope they win so we can get Dee Brown in the house from Springfield this weekend. Lexie brown is another kid who's the heart of a team and a consummate leader and professional.Because she plays out of state aau and doesnt just play AAU alot of people dont know her well be thorough prepared to be impressed.

Have a great night...Kenny