She's Ballin

Another Super Soph hits 1000!

2012-02-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

In a year that has seen two heralded sophomores tally 1000 career points, another gifted scorer makes her mark. Southwest's Tiffany Rodriguez has surpassed 1000 career points. The slashing guard is one of the better open court scorers in the city and has 1061 points to be exact. She has played in 61 career games and has a career average of 17.4 ppg.

A shout must go out to her coach, Bill Avey. Avey is the Mike D'Antoni of the city. Avey's system enabled Shana Holmes(2011) to score a ton of points. It is no coincidence that Rodriguez is among the top 5 scorers in the city. Avey's green light philosophy and pecking order system makes him a scoring guards dream.

Congrats Tiffany!

February Tidbits!

2012-02-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

Realignment is here and Brennan is the biggest loser. Brennan returns all starters back next season on a team currently undefeated. The reward is to play in a district that will not test them at all. It is tough to prepare for a state run without getting challenged. Coach Randy Evans is going to have to schedule extremely tough in the preseason to overcome the new district shortcomings.

New 1000 point club members: McKenzie Calvert 2014(1132), Niaga Mitchell-Cole 2012(1109), Brooke Allemand 2013(1224). Southwest's Tiffany Rodriguez is 3 points shy of 1000.

Speaking of 1000 point club, Erica "Goose" Hernandez has some pretty impressive numbers. She has 1321 points in the last two years! She is approaching 2500 career points. She leads the city with 81 three point makes this season. She is shooting 81% from FT. The scoring total would place her in the Top 50 scores in Texas history!!

Madison's Briana Jones is averaging 20 points a game in the last 3 games. She is doing this in the best district in the city. 26-5A is the toughest district in the city with 3 out of the top 8 teams in the SA Express-News Top 10.

Wagner vs Judson- Was one of the best coached games in a while. Multiple defensive changes, various offensive looks and constant lead changes made for a great game. Judson's LB Brown controlled the action early but Tesha Smith brought the victory home for Wagner.

Churchill and Reagan will most likely face off for the forth time for playoff seeding. The top two teams in the city are fighting for a chance to play New Braunfels and not Judson in the first round. Judson is talented enough to beat any team in the city on the right night.

Misperception and Fact!!!

2012-01-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

"Women and girls basketball is a more fundamental game". That is the prevailing sentiment in many circles. I detailed an opinion about the lack of teaching and quality development in club, and high school, having a negative impact on the college game. I specifically made the case that the growth of athletic guards is being stunted by "roll the ball out" style of play. Many may disagree so here are some TRUE facts:

Here are the stats for the last four Division 1 Top 25 teams to lose in men and women basketball. I have included field goal percentage and 3 point field goal percentage. These numbers can be found on the NCAA site for both groups:

Last 4 Top 25 Programs to lose:
Men- FG%- 41.25
Women- FG%- 33.5

Men- 3pt%- 29.75
Women-3pt%- 21

Men shot more than 8% better from the field. Men shot more than 8% better from the 3 pt line.
This is obviously a very small sample size so lets continue.

Here are the number of teams shooting above 40% from the 3point line in D1 ball:

Teams shooting 40% from 3pt :
Men- 15 total
Women- 2 total

Here are the number of teams shooting 45% from the field in D1 ball:

Teams shooting 45% from 2pt:
Men-114(total)
Women-13(total) Not a Typo!

The men have 111 more teams than the women shooting 45% from the field!

I have blogged that the reason for the women shooting less than men CAN be attributed to a couple of factors. Obviously the men are bigger, taller and finish baskets closer to the rim. It should be easier to make shots when you play so close or above the rim.(The argument may not hold up because the defenders TOO play above the rim so their is no physical advantage). The other reason that 3point percentage is higher in men basketball is due to men being stronger. The strength should allow the men to make shots from long distance. So let's look an area that does not inherently factor in size.

Assist to Turnover Ratio truly depicts if better fundamentals are being displayed by women. The following are the number of teams that at least have a 1:1 assist to turnover ratio. In other words, for every turnover, these teams have at least 1 assist.

Teams with at least 1.1 Assist to Turnover Ratio:
Men- 38
Women- 22

Sixteen more men's programs have a 1 to 1 ratio compared to women. Why does this matter or even pertain to the blog I wrote yesterday? These stats are relevant to illustrate that while the girls game is growing and getting better, it still has a long way to go in catching up to the men's game.

The men's game has a lot more negativity due to the competitive nature that money producing sports possess. However, the girls game would benefit from better developers in the formative years. A better understanding of what skills translate to the next level should be taught to parents and their daughters. An emphasis on wins, chasing trophies and fictitious titles blind parents to what is really important. The perception that the women's game is fundamentally more sound is false and it derives from the fact that the girls game is not producing enough skilled players to keep this myth alive.

"The finest system cannot overcome poor execution of the fundamentals....the coach must be certain that he never permits himself to get 'carried away' by a complicated system to the extent that it 'steals' practice time from the fundamentals".

When the gentleman wrote this, he was speaking of too many sets and structure. If Coach John Wooden was to write his book, 'Practical Modern Basketball' today and concentrate on girls basketball, he would would probably replace "system" and "complicated" with full court press and athletic system.

As in "the full court press cannot overcome poor...fundamentals" and "the coach must be certain that he(she) never permits himself(herself) to get carried away by athleticism to the extent that it steals...from fundamentals".

"Guard" the Future!

2012-01-29T11:37:00.000-08:00

Speaking of Joe Keller, the book "They Played their Hearts Out" describes his practice of crushing teams using a press defense he called the "Fist". The book details how his team would full court press teams and humiliate weaker guards. I see the same happenings in local basketball.

There is such a large gap in talent locally, blowouts occur often. This seems to be a local and a state practice; to pad stats by pressing weak guards. Here is the problem. The practice of getting cherry picking lay ups off of steals does not translate to the Division 1 level.

A few years ago, one of the best local teams went undefeated in pool play of AAU Nationals. Pool play included weaker teams that could be pressed into uncontested lay ups, just like some local high schools. However, as soon as this team reached the meat and potatoes of the event, bracket play, they were romped and sent home early. Bracket play included players that can play and coaches that could coach. Uncontested lay ups are hard to come by and half court basketball IQ was needed.

Anyone watching women's college basketball with an unobjective eye will see that pressing plays little part in the overall scheme of things, with most teams. Texas A&M is the obvious exception. With no 10 second back court count, breaking the press is relatively simple in most cases. Pressing serves a different role at that level. Speeding up game pace, preventing long shot clock possessions and causing the periodic turnovers are what the press accomplishes at that level.

I have a theory that will be unpopular and controversial but here it goes. Too many Texas high school and club teams play styles that do not translate to college! Again, many prominent Texas basketball players play in programs that fail to prepare them for the set driven offensive systems of college. Additionally, too many Texas coaches oversell their players in a quest to brag about producing BCS kids.

How many elite Texas guards are shining at elite levels today? Meighan Simmons and Odyssey Sims are the exception, not the rule. I had a major college coach tell me that he agreed with my opinion, but only in regards to wing players.

Wing players that do not posses an ability to knock down 3 point shots consistently struggle at the next level. Slashing against set defenses is pretty difficult at the elite level. A good portion of slashing wings dominate high school with coast to coast drives and steals in the open court. When these players get to college, they realize that they do not "own" a great skill, as this D1 coach phrased it.

(Side note: Baylor wings get more opportunities than most wings to play in the open court. Brittany Griner allows them to be more aggressive than most teams because of how many shots she blocks(changes) and her domination of the boards. Add a super quick PG, in Sims, and the Baylor wings have more opportunities to eat in the open court and pressure the ball.)

In a conversation with a club coach, she claimed that she has a player that is a BCS caliber kid. This kid has decent size for a guard but main attribute is athleticism. I asked, what position will she play at a BCS school? This coach responded via text, "She can play the one if she works on her handle. She can play the two if she works on her jump shot. She could play the three if she was two inches taller". OK!!!!! A lot of ifs for an upperclassman. She "owns" no skill that translates to the next level outside of being athletic. That is the problem! Too many coaches leave kids ill prepared for college and over sell them to programs that they can not thrive in.

It seems that too many college coaches are using the 15 scholarship cushion to stash athletic kids on the bench. Find a BCS roster that is heavy on Texas kids and you will find athletic kids riding the pine. Now this does not seem to apply to Texas Bigs. Griner, the Ogkumikes, Carolyn Davis, Kelsey Bone, Cokie Reed are just a few Texas Bigs that are playing prominent OFFENSIVE roles at the BCS level.

I am not bashing Texas kids, I father, coach and train kids in Texas. I am saying that WE must guard the future of our Guards.

Texas is on par with ANY state in terms of talent. Top 25 schools like Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech have an overwhelmingly Texas roster. Time will tell if Texas guards and wings are being prepared to contribute OFFENSIVELY in college systems. A popular sentiment among former players is that the WNBA is political. It may be. It seems to favor set driven guards with high basketball IQ. If that is the case, we may want to start implementing set driven basketball skills and basketball IQ if we want our local guards to burn in college and have a chance in the league. The "Fist" philosophy of Joe Keller did not work with the boys and it is not apparently working for the betterment of our girls!

ShesBallin Prospects: Tanaeya Boclair/Wendy Knight

2012-01-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

Don't believe the hype!

2012-01-29T05:39:00.000-08:00

Nike Presents

Southern California All-Stars

Traveling Basketball Team

4th & 5th Graders

*Sponsored Program

*Professional Coaching

*Team Discipline

*Fundamental Exercises

*Private Training

*Knowledge of the Game

*Exposure for College

*Plays against top talent in the country

Free Nike Gear

This advertisement is featured in the book "Play Their Hearts Out", a must read for parents with players in club basketball, primarily the boys game.

(Side note: In a recent conversation a parent stated that he did not like the "seedy" side of club ball on the girls side. He talked of envelopes filled with cash exchanging hands. I had to enlighten this father that few women's basketball program consistently operate in the black at the collegiate level. There are no Cam Newton fathers in girls basketball because there is no money in girls/women's basketball. Men's football/basketball programs pay for almost all women's basketball programs. The rookie pay scale for a WNBA player is equivalent to what a teacher makes in most states. Money stuffed envelopes for a revenue losing sport with meager salaries! Hardly! A more detailed blog to come.)

Back to the subject, the above verbiage was included on a flier and passed out to parents. The brilliant marketing ploy was the brainchild of Joe Keller. He realized that the name Nike is golden in basketball. He set up an alliance with SCA basketball club, led by Patt Barrett, for some free shoes and uniforms. Joe Keller took free shoes and turned it into a perception that Nike was now his benefactor and many parents fell for the creative embellishments. I had intimate knowledge of the now famous strategy since a relative of mine was drawn to Joe Keller's team through these claims. Unfortunately, he found out what many in South/Central Texas girls basketball will soon find out. Like Joe Keller, NO team in this area is a Nike Sponsored program. Here are the facts:

Nike Sponsors 22 Teams. The list can be found here. http://www.bluestarbb.com/recruiting.php
The only teams in the entire state of Texas that are sponsored by Nike are Cy-Fair Shock and DFW Elite. These two organization prominently display the Nike name in front of their name.
Just because a program puts Nike on their site, does not mean that they are sponsored by Nike. Just because the organizations leader wear nothing but Nike, does not indicate Nike sponsorship.
Only Nike teams attend Nike Nationals! Many club directors promise kids the opportunity to play at Nike Nationals by being invited. If a club is not Nike, they can not be invited to Nike Nationals, unless Nike changes this policy this year. Please review ESPN Hoopgulrz very extensive coverage of all things Nike Nationals in 2011 here. Please note that the ONLY teams in the event are also included on the BlueStar link above. NO non-Nike sponsored teams are at the event. http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/story/_/id/6808712/2011-nike-nationals-juniors-archive
Boo Williams is arguably the most powerful man in girls club basketball. The Boo Williams Invitational is a great event and features a large number of Nike teams. However, while most teams can get into the event, very few teams can attend the event and get the main stage. Here is an example, my child played with a Nike team a couple years ago. She played in a game vs Arkansas Mavericks. The game featured these players: Tank Youngblood(LSU), Recee' Caldwell(2014 #8), Jessica Jackson(2013 #13), Imani Wright(2013 #36), Roshunda Johnson(2013 #50), Marche Amerson(Univ of Houston), Sylvana Okde(Louisiana-Lafayette). With all this star power, the game featured a whopping 4 scouts in the gym. The other couple hundred scouts attending the event chose to view a different game. Many club coaches are falsely claiming that they will take teams to Boo Williams and play on the big stage. Not true, expensive lies!

"In a back gym at the Boo Williams Sports Complex in Hampton, Va., last April, Curtis Ekmark was fit to be fried. "I'm so mad at Boo," Ekmark said of the tournament director, albeit in a gentle tone most reserve for, say, conversations with a loved one. "He promised we'd be in the elite division." This a quote from an ESPN Hoopgulz article on one of the best clubs in the country, featuring some of the best players and yet they did not get a chance to play in the top division of Boo Williams. This team plays together in high school and is the #1 High School team in the country, St Mary's. If they can not get the top division of Boo Williams, fat chance for the lesser known area teams.

Why does all of this matter, because anything Nike matters, even though it may not matter much. Take a look at the ESPN Hoopgurlz or Blue Star Report top players in 2013. The top 4 players in 2013 for Hoopgurlz did not play at Nike Nationals in 2011. Four out of the top 5, 7 out of top 10 did not play for Nike Teams according to Blue Star. Moving on, here are Nike connections of local teams in recent history.

TeamXpress: Had a major Nike connect through one of the most powerful men in girls basketball, Mike Flynn. While many presumed TeamXpress was a Nike sponsored team, they were not. They were a Blue Star sponsored team. Being a Blue Star team afforded them a lot of Nike affiliations but they could not play in Nike Nationals.

Sophia Young Elite: This organizations director used to direct Overtime Select, primarily boys teams. A change of name and a WNBA player as a sponsor gave them an automatic boost in prestige. Sophia Young is a Nike sponsored player, the club is not. Free or discounted Nike gear is essentially the extent of the relationship with Nike. The only WNBA star affiliated with a Nike Sponsored program is Diana Taurasi with her Cal Storm Team Taurasi.

SA Finest: Was a feeder program into Nike Cy-Fair Shock two seasons ago playing under the name Cy-Fair Shock-Caldwell. Is currently the only local team with a player that has participated in the prestigious Nike Regional Skills Academy. Obviously is not a Nike sponsored team.

Nike Regional Skills Academy: Only three local players have participated in Nike Regional Skills Academy, Recee' Caldwell(twice) Chamaya Turner(once)and McKenzie Calvert(once).Turner was included two years ago before she officially played a game for SYE. Both Caldwell and Calvert are the only current players to have suited up for a Nike Sponsored team, Nike Cy-Fair Shock(Caldwell) and Nike DFW Elite(Calvert). TeamXpress was able to get more than a few kids into the NRSA last season due to the relationship with a Nike power, Mike Flynn.

This blog was prompted by misleading practices and a call from a Central Texas club director. This coach went on to say that an upstart club in that area is pulling a Joe Keller, and exaggerating Nike ties to recruit talent. This is the type of stuff that led that previously mentioned parent to complain of "seedy dealings". As the saying goes, "The bigger the lie, the more they believe." The problem is that "they" are lying to parents, but hurting the kids!

San Antonio Lovers!!

2012-01-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

A quick shot out to some schools that are showing local kids love lately by visiting the Alamo City:

UTSA, Rice, HBU, UNM, UNT, Texas State, UT, TAMU, Weber State, UTA, Stanford, OU, Duke, NMST, UCLA, LSU, and TCU.

The awakening continues!

Allemand Featured on HoopGurlz

2012-01-27T10:23:00.000-08:00

Brooke Allemand's decision to commit to UNM this week is featured on ESPN Hoopgurlz.

ESPN Hoopgurlz Feature:

Saltiness!

2012-01-25T05:35:00.000-08:00

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it
be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything." Matthew 5:13

I heard a preacher give an interpretation of this scripture that applies to girls basketball in many ways. He reasoned that salt is one of the most powerful substances on earth. Salt influences every environment that it is in. Large bodies of water on earth are undrinkable due to the power of salt.

I have observed the power of salt in girls basketball. I have seen kids come into a failing programs and change the culture. I have seen enthusiastic players motivate their teammates and inspire.

I have also seen the distasteful side of salt. I have seen negative environments change kids. The fervor that some kids possessed going into some programs is now watered down. Here is an example of a coach and a player being salt and having a positive impact on their environment.

A couple of years ago, I wrote about former Stevens coach, Steve Sylestine. Here is a portion of the blog I wrote about Sylestine the first time I saw him:

"At half time, Coach Sylestine, dressed in slacks and loafers,always SPRINTS off of the court into the locker room area. He beats his sprinting players to the area to high five and encourage them as they prepare to meet. He then walks away as his players gather and collects his thoughts. This is not commonly seen among coaches and I do not know his motivation. Maybe he is sending a message to his kids that we are excited, prepared and sprinting into the second half of the game as winners."

Sylestine is now at Clark, on the boys side. It is no surprise that his team is 20-7 and positioned for the playoffs. Chad Quisenberry, head coach of Devine HS, often says that "a good coach can coach any sport". Sylestine success validates Quisenberry's philosophy. A good coach is passionate and will be have a passionate effect on his/her players.

Using a player as an example, Len'Nique Brown was salt for Wagner. Wagner has benefited from a lot of talent over the past few years. While their coach is respected by her troops, Len'Nique was instrumental in being the on court leader for the T-Birds. Len'Nique was a calming influence for many high strung teammates. Len'Nique was not only the peace maker among her team, she was the spark plug. It was unacceptable for lessor talented teammates to not work hard when Brown always gave it her all. She led by example, earning good grades and often speaking of her faith.

Both Sylestine and Len'Nique are great examples of being the salt of their environments. A major college head coach recently explained that a lot of incoming freshman find it hard to adjust to big time basketball. Not because they are ill equipped from a basketball perspective, but unprepared mentally. This coach went on to explain that the habit of "playing down" and unmotivated in their senior year of high school ingrains bad habits that are extremely hard to break. It takes a salty coach like Sylestine to keep college bound kids engaged. It also takes a kid like Brown to remain focused on goals and not succumb to distractions. Petty jealousy, hating from teammates parents, and mounting pressure all can have a negative impact on players. Len'Nique did not allow these things to dull her light. Like salt, she and coach Sylestine remained tasteful, useful and influential.

Brooke Allemand commits!

2012-01-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

Boerne Champion guard Brooke Allemand has decided to play basketball for the University of New Mexico. The 2013 sharp shooter for SA Finest is the first 2013 player in the city to pledge to a D1 university.

ESPN Hoopgurlz article

Congrats to the Allemand family!

January Snippets

2012-01-20T13:42:00.000-08:00

Don't look now- My preseason picks for the city included Jay and Steele near or at the top. Injuries decimated the Jay squad early but the Mustangs showed how they are a team to be reckoned with vs Stevens last Tuesday. Destiny Amezquita(2013) looks to be back to her old ways and that spells trouble for opposing guards!

Steele seems to be getting all their talent on the same page. Rice bound guard Elena Gumbs is shooting incredibly from the field, percentage wise. The super talented freshman, Kyra Lambert is making her presence felt. Baylor bound scoring machine, McKenzie Calvert(2014) recently scored her 1000th career point and is feasting on the district.

Calvert is one of the few kids that I have seen that "kills" weaker opponents. Many coaches talk about having the killer instinct being missing in many players. A Final Four coach recently visited the city and spoke of the tendency of elite players to not take high school serious and play down to competition. Not Calvert. She has the focus to score 30 plus numerous times recently while her team won by large margins.

Incarnate Word vs Antonian- I have been told that last nights environment was the best in recent history for a girls basketball game. Standing room only crowd filled with heckling students, painted faces, and a professional entertainer at half time made for a raucous time. Incarnate Word was led by Briana Bustamante with 16 points while Jackie Anderson led Antonian with 11 points in the low scoring affair.

Distinguished Visitors- Jay's Antania "T" Newton has Texas State in the house tonight. Houston Baptist University is coming out next week.

LSU is in the house viewing the Johnson vs Lee game tonight. Stanford will watch Johnson take on MacArthur next week.

Wendy Knight- The most slept on kid in the city, Knight put on a show vs Johnson on Tuesday. Knight scored 18 points in the 1st half. Knight ended up with 25 points, the same as Johnson's top two scorers COMBINED for the entire game.

Reagan - Speaking of Knight, how good is Reagan and its coach Terry Barton? Johnson was down by 8 points at half to Reagan in a close game. Coach Barton made the appropriate adjustments at half time and his squad ran away with the game by close to 30 points. Talent and good coaching usually makes for a contender for a State trip come March. Reagan has both.

Must Read!- This ESPN article details the DANGERS of social media for prospective athletes.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/story/_/id/7484495/yuri-wright-twitter-posts-cost-college-scholarship

Cal "The Wolf" is a Wise Guy!

2012-01-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

Putting on my Robert Greene hat, here is a look at Churchill coach Cal Wulfsberg through the eyes of a couple of HBO series. Being very familiar with Las Vegas, waching Wulfsberg reminds me of the wiseguys that buy out the craps table on the strip. They walk with a gait that screams power. Their demeanor says "I'm a Boss and you know it". Cal Wulfsburg has many detractors. A lot of people, opposing coaches, can not stand his swagger. A lot of basketball heads wish they had the opportunity to expose his weaknesses. Whatever your view of him, he has definitely raised the stakes in the city.

"He couldn't sell it" Junior Soprano, 'The Sopranos'

Junior Soprano wanted to make a move on his nephew, Tony, for control. He had a willing co-conspirator in Richie Aprile, a nasty old school hoodlum. Junior asked Richie to feel out some potential allies, also unhappy with the Tony regime, to see if they would back a coup d' etat against Tony. When Richie was flatly told that they would not support an uprising against Tony, Richie reported the disappointing news to Uncle Junior. Uncle Junior saw that Richie was too weak to lead a rebellion and was not "respected" by the other leaders. This lead him to say that Richie "couldn't sell it", he was not respected enough to sell it.

Cal Wulfsburg sold it. He had the resume' and experience to follow the successful Stacey Moore. The Wulf was able to keep Leslie Vorpahl from going to a different high school, even though she had to sit out her freshman season as a school of choice transfer. The Wulf obviously knows his stuff. This is an essential ingredient in a successful coach locally. San Antonio has a ton of elite dads. Elite dads seem to know it all and are always second guessing coaching decisions. Elite dads are numerous across the nation as most of them(us) have played the game and are living the game through our kids to some extent. The huge problem is that San Antonio has a lot of elite dads that have never played the game and their daughters are "not so elite". A large number of elite moms watch a Spurs game and feel qualified to heap criticism on the X & O ability of local coaches. The Wulf has the knowledge, experience and presence to shut privileged kids and opinionated parents up. In a recent game, one of his star players was talking back to him. He sternly told her to "shut up and sit down". Of course she did and he moved on to doing his job. He could not speak that way to a star player if she did not respect him. Her parents would not have allowed their child to be spoken to in that way if they did not respect his ability to lead. Just because someone calls themselves a leader, does not mean that they can lead! The Wulf is respected enough to "sell it" and others fall in line.

"The Game done changed" -Cutty Wise

"Nah, the Game is the same, it just got more fierce"- Slim Charles, 'The Wire'

The Wulf can care less about local sensibilities. He announced his presence to the local scene with clear intention; supremacy. He carries himself as if his counterparts are not on his level. He is a former men's college standout and coach. The same tenacity and lack of civility that is mandated on the men's side, he has brought to girls basketball. He has helped make the game "more fierce".

In a recent game versus Madison and their well respected coach Tracy Hastings, The Wulf howled. His Churchill squad was beating Madison by 30 points, late in the 4th quarter. Tracy Hastings kept her starters in the game and began pressing the Churchill second string. The Wulf looked down to the other bench at Hastings a couple of times. Hastings kept pressing. The Wulf stood up and told one of the most tenured coaches in the city, "Your not going to win, if you keep pressing, I'm putting my starters back in". Tracy Hastings kept pressing, so The Wulf backed up his threat and sent the A-Team back in a game that was already out of hand. The message was evident. The Wulf understands that every play is a battle. Every battle has an effect on the War. The War is not an individual game or district win. The War is establishing a tradition of excellence, a tradition of supremacy. Allowing Madison to have ANY perceived success against his team was a potential threat to his local legacy. If onlookers, scouts, parents, fans and his own players saw a chink in his armour, this could have a negative impact later. He had to make sure that his second strings inability to break a press did not bring up connotations that he only is successful because of his elite players. The Wulf is a different animal, not normally seen in local girls basketball.

"This aint about your business class, this is that other thang"- Avon Barksdale,
'The Wire'

Avon Barksdale was a street soldier. His long time partner, Stringer Bell, was more than a soldier. He was an articulate business minded street guy that shunned unnecessary violence in favor of cooperation and "business". Beefing with other street soldiers was not in Stringer Bell's character. Things could be settled in a business like way without violence in Bell's ruling style. Avon Barksdale saw a flaw in this strategy in time of war. When dealing with a ruthlessly capable upstart, Marlo Standsfield, Barksdale realized that Stringer Bell could not comprehend that business civility only goes so far. When dealing with an unrelenting opponent that possesses ambition and skill, a harder hand is needed. As Avon said, "it's that other thang" that a wolf needs to keep other wolves at bay.

Anissa Hastings is an Alpha female personified. Hastings bows down to no one. She has used her super athletic frame and tenacity to lead her very successful Sam Houston High School team as a player years ago. She earned a ride to the University of Texas. Her first head coaching job was at Fox Tech. She chose to become an assistant before getting the reigns at Stevens. When a local coach walked into a meeting last year and stated, " We all know who District MVP is, so let's get it over with", Hastings protested. The coach was automatically giving the award to NC State's Erica Donovan but Hastings had other ideas. She felt her Western Kentucky bound guard Alexis Govan was the true MVP and fought for her kid. Hastings lost Govan and other key contributors to her successful 2010 team and went to work. She made her current group believe that they are elite by demanding it! They are currently #2 in the city. Hastings is ambitious as a street soldier, Marlo Standsfield.

The Wulf had to see if Anissa Hastings was a formidable foe in the first game of the season. The Stevens team was down when Hastings started to LEAD her team on a run. During an emphatic block by one of her players on a Churchill shot, the ref called a foul. Hastings went off! She told the ref, "She volleyball spiked it and you called a blocking foul?" The Wulf overheard the comment and smirked. He had some ammunition.

The Wulf started playing pick up ball. His team made a shot and he looked over at Hastings and smiled. He looked at his fans behind his bench and winked at them. Whenever the Churchill team got a questionable call against them, he yelled at the ref, " That was a volleyball spike". These digs were an attempt to get under the skin of Hastings. While it did not work, Stevens prevailed, the message was sent. The Wulf will test the metal of his opponents. Like ANY former competitive basketball player, he understands that the games are not just played in between the lines, but in between the MIND!

"Fish gotta swim"- Omar Little, 'The Wire'

Omar Little was speaking of the nature of a certain individual. Like the gentleman that Omar was referencing, The Wulf has tenancies. A few of his tenancies show that like fish, he does was he is built to do.

A former point guard, The Wulf is smart enough to keep the ball in the hands of his point guard. In a city that is fascinated with taking the ball out of the hands of their best player, The Wulf is a stark contrast. He runs numerous flat screens for his star, Vorpahl, that makes teams adjust. He knows that the best decisions come from the most experienced and skilled players. He knows that he has arguably the best pure point guard in the city. His knowledge tells him that it would be IGNORANT to not have the ball in Vorpahl's hands. In a recent spanking of Johnson, he had a seldom used post player set 4 on ball screens, 25 away from the basket, for Vorpahl, on one play!. She eventually found a gap and turned the corner to find a wide open Jordan Holub for a jumper.

While the Wulf is respected enough to make his team realize who will have the ball, he is smart enough to get easy looks for Vorpahl. In a game versus the amazingly good on ball defender, Moriah Mack, Vorpahl struggled to get open shots. Accordingly, Churchill lost. It is amazing that more coaches do not swim with Wulfsburg. Local coaches allow one of the best decision makers in the city to MAKE DECISIONS. How does the city guard these effective flats; trap it and make her pass then deny the return, hard hedge, go under, funnel, shadow it, make her refuse it, jam the screener, switch, etc? Most of the time, no game plan is set for an offense that is ran 90% of the time for the #4 team in the city!

How does The Wulf defend opposing elite players? He runs a creative 1-3 Zone with his best defender face guarding full court. It resembles a Diamond and 1 but flattens out the baseline defenders. (Amazingly, no one counters with an inverted 1-4 high set that puts skilled guards at the high post to play 4 on 3 with the back line defenders) .While he KEEPS the ball in the hands of his best player, he refuses to allow other elite players to KEEP the ball in their hands. He runs his girls team like the boys Churchill coach. The boys coach keeps the ball in the hands of Scott Mammel, another great savvy decision maker. This less than complicated theory is what you do when you have a Chris Paul. You make it easier for Chris to do his job. What Mike Floyd did with Erica Donovan, what Tina Camacho did with Len'Nique Brown, what Kari Wallace Did with Meighan Simmons is what The Wulf is doing. For this reason, Churchill is not a team that local coaches are going to want to see come February.

The Wulf is good for the city. His "take no prisoners" approach will make others start to take the game seriously. He is a system coach. His system is something that allows his kids to look good while making others look bad. The comparison to HBO gangsters is not meant to vilify nor insinuate negativity. It is to illustrate an old gangster maxim, " Gangsters do what the want, the weak do what they can". Cal "The Wulf" is doing whatever he wants to do. Other teams, with more talent, are pitifully doing what they can!

10 Bigs Comparison(FG %)

2012-01-12T09:59:00.000-08:00

Following the 10 Guard comparison, here is a look at how 10 of the best "Bigs" in the city compare to each other. Again, this may not be the 10 BEST post players in the city but all will play beyond high school. Also, a few on this list will not play in the post in college.

FG%

1.Simone Field 58.6

2.Tesha Smith 57.3
3.Ebony Easter 53.1
4.Avery Queen 46.8
5.Tanaeya Boclair 45.96
6.Mychal Costley 45.5
7.Aleeya Harris 44.8
8.Dani Espinoza 44
9.Erica Chapman 43.1
10.Sabrina Berry 41.4

10 Bigs Comparison(Boards)

2012-01-12T09:56:00.000-08:00

Avg Rebounds/Total
1.Tesha Smith 9.8/ 235
2.Ebony Easter 9.6/ 230
3.Avery Queen 8.9/ 241
4.Tanaeya Boclair 8.83/ 212
5.Dani Espinoza 8.3/ 133
6.Simone Fields 7.6/ 182
7.Aleeya Harris 5/ 70
8.Erica Chapman 4.9/ 112
9.Sabrina Berry 4.8/ 82
10.Mychal Costley 3.7/ 136

10 Bigs Comparison(Points)

2012-01-12T09:55:00.000-08:00

Points
1.Ebony Easter 18.62
2.Avery Queen 15.48
3.Tanaeya Boclair 12.12
4.Tesha Smith 11.69
5.Simone Field 10.58
6.Erica Chapman 10.3
7.Aleeya Harris 9.07
8.Sabrina Berry 6.94
9.Dani Espinoza 6.8
10.Mychal Costley 6.41

10 Guard Comparisons(Rebounds)

2012-01-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

With SA Express doing a mid-year progress report, here is a look at ten of the best guards the city has to offer. This may NOT be the BEST ten guards in the city but a comparison of their accomplishments:

Rebounds(2011-12)/Total

1.Niaga Mitchell-Cole 251
2.Chamaya Turner 140
3.Moriah Mack 122
4.Recee' Caldwell 105
5.Leslie Vorpahl 93
6.Wendy Knight 84
7.McKenzie Calvert 82
8.Elena Gumbs 58
9.Carlie Heineman 51
10.Brooke Allemand 46

10 Guards Comparison(assists)

2012-01-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

Assists(2011-12)/ Assist Average

1.Leslie Vorpahl 6.8
2.Recee' Caldwell 6.38
3.Niaga Mitchell-Cole 4.63
4.Brooke Allemand 3.4
5.Chamaya Turner 3.14
6.Elena Gumbs 2.5
7.McKenzie Calvert 2.1
8.Carlie Heineman 2.09
9.Wendy Knight 1.92
10.Moriah Mack 1.54

10 Guard Comparisons(3 pt makes/attempts/%)

2012-01-09T19:20:00.001-08:00

3 Pt Makes(2011-12)/ 3 Pt Attempts/ 3 Pt %

1. Brooke Allemand- 59/ 152/ 38.56
2. Carlie Heineman- 51/ 128/ 39.84
3. Wendy Knight- 38/ 94/ 40.43
4. Recee' Caldwell -38/ 115/ 33.04
5. Leslie Vorpahl- 34/ 81/ 44.44
6. McKenzie Calvert- 32/ 138/ 23.19
7. Niaga Mitchell-Cole- 26/ 100/ 26
8. Elena Gumbs- 14/ 38/ 36.84
9. Chamaya Turner- 13/42/30.95

10.Moriah Mack- 2/ 14/ 14.29

10 Guards Comparisons(avg/shots/fg%)

2012-01-09T19:12:00.000-08:00

Scoring Average(2011-12) ppg/ Shots Per Game/ FG %

1.McKenzie Calvert 20.86/ 19.95/ 35.54
2.Recee' Caldwell 17.71/ 16.2/ 39.18
3.Chamaya Turner 17.14/ 12.14/ 47.04
4.Carlie Heineman 16/ 11.54/ 38.58
5.Niaga Mitchell-Cole 15.5/ 11.5/ 44.02
6.Leslie Vorpahl 15.04/ 10.04/ 47.01
7.Brooke Allemand 13.55/ 10.72/ 38.98
8.Wendy Knight 11.96 /11.9/ 45.16
9.Elena Gumbs 11.7/ 7.6/ 50
10. Moriah Mack 10.58/ 8.76/ 45.81

10 Guards Comparison(Career Scoring)

2012-01-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

Career Games in parenthesis/ Scoring Average Leaders Career

1. Recee Caldwell (46) 19.13ppg
2. McKenzie Calvert(54) 17.51 ppg
3. Chamaya Turner (76) 16.57 ppg- 3 years
4. Brooke Allemand( 57) 14.52 ppg
5. Leslie Vorpahl( 57) 14.33 ppg
6.* Elena Gumbs ( 90) 11.64ppg - 3 years
7. Niaga Mitchell-Cole (92) 11.52ppg- 3 years
8. Carlie Heineman (56) 10.87 ppg
9. Wendy Knight (61) 10.75.ppg
10. Moriah Mack (58) 10.39ppg

* Elena Gumbs freshman stats are not included because of a jump in classifications. However, she scored a ton of points as a frosh.

San Antonio: Low-Mid Major City (Part 1)

2011-12-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

San Antonio has grown leaps and bounds in the last few years in terms of girls basketball. While the city is located in perhaps the "hottest" state for talent according to many college suitors, San Antonio still trails Dallas and Houston in producing High-Major girls basketball players. SOME theories for the disparity will be noted but first a need to clarify the difference in levels of colleges.

Though distinct definitions for High-Major, Mid-Major and Low-Major are hard to come by, there is pretty much a common consensus on High-Major schools. The automatic qualifiers for the BCS Bowl Championship series are considered High-Major schools. The AQ's are the six power conferences; ACC, Big 12, SEC, Pac-12, Big East and Big Ten. Conference realignment has muddied the waters of which schools are now High-Majors, but that is another subject. These six conferences make up 74 schools, give or take a couple with realignment. These 74 schools are considered High-Major schools.

Mid-Majors are commonly considered to be these nine conferences; Atlantic 10, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, Horizon League, Mid-American, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, West Coast, and Western Athletic Conference.

Low-Majors are considered to be conferences such as Southland, MEAC, Summit, and Ohio Valley. Some Low-Majors would argue that they are Mid-Majors. Again, no true definitions for the separation in the designation of the Low and Mid-Majors exist. Consequently, there is little difference between some Low and Mid-Major women's basketball programs in terms of talent.

The true talent gap exists between High-Major schools and Low-Mid Majors basketball programs. While programs like Gonzaga produce teams that dance with the big girls on a consistent basis,the women's game has a distinct caste system when winning national championships are concerned. The Butler's, VCU's, and George Mason's have shown that the men's side of basketball has closed the talent gap but the disparity is still pretty wide on the women's side.

Here are SOME theories why San Antonio is a city that is better suited to produce Low-Mid Major players in comparison to Houston an DFW Metroplex. Instead of focusing on what San Antonio is not, I will try to focus on the advantages that Houston and the DFW Metroplex have in comparison.

Numbers- The greater Houston area has around 6 million residents. The DFW Metroplex has more than 6 million people. In contrast, the greater San Antonio area has a little more than 2 million people. The Houston and DFW areas are triple the size of San Antonio. The larger two areas are able to choose from a deeper talent pool of available players. Players like Meighan Simmons or Clarissa Davis show that San Antonio's best players can match up against the other areas best, but those areas have more Meighan's and Clarissa's due to the sheer number of available players.

Clubs- Club programs play an integral part of helping produce High-Major talent. The Houston and DFW areas have a thriving club scene. Houston has Nike Cy-Fair Shock, Houston Heat(DFW-Washington), Houston Insiders, Cy-Fair Premier, Cy-Fair Texans, Houstonians, Alodia Eclipse, Houston Elite, and Houston Wildcats. These are just a few of the prominent programs that have produced multiple D1 players. Besides producing D1 players, these Houston area teams have produced numerous McDonald All-American players in the last few years; Kelsey Bone, Karla Gilbert, Stephanie and Brianna Gilbreth, Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike, Cassie Peoples, and Amber Orrange. A kid named Brittany Griner is also from Houston and started her club career there before moving to a team in Dallas.

Dallas has the only other Nike sponsored club in the state, DFW Elite. This club put 20 plus players in the D1 ranks a few years ago; one club in one year! Add Texas Express, Top Prospects, NT Shockers, Dream Team, US Elite, Nike Cy-Fair Shock-Hensle, Westside Elite and United Basketball. Again, these are just a few of the clubs that consistently produce D1 kids. As for High-Major kids, Dallas has recently produced USA Basketball players, Alexis Jones and Odyssey Sims. Add arguably the best point guard in the country for 2012 and certain McDonald All-American, Moriah Jefferson.

The Dallas and Houston area kids benefit from a strong club environment. This environment fosters a competitiveness that allows kids to have constant measuring sticks to compare their progress against.

Resources/Environment- Moriah Jefferson, the Dallas area point guard, plays for one of the best clubs in the country, Nike DFW Elite. She has been trained by a former pro since middle school. She is home schooled, which allows her to work on her game for hours, while getting quality instruction. She then plays against some of the best players in the country on a frequent basis.

San Antonio born, Cassie peoples moved to Houston after a short stay in Florida. She moved to a high school that featured the best player in the country in Chiney Ogwumike. Her high school coach previously coached a pretty good point guard named Lindsey Harding. Peoples' father is one of the best trainers in the state. She played for one of the best club programs in the country in the Nike sponsored Cy-Fair Shock. For competition, she had a fellow McDonald All-American down the proverbial street in Houston Heat(DFW Washington) guard, Amber Orrange(Stanford).

The environment in these cities are idea for producing High-Majors. Quality former players that know and understand the game now train and live in these areas. Brianna Turner is not only arguably the best kid in the country for 2014, she gets trained by former NBA player and coach, John Lucas. Not only is Turner 6'3 and can dunk, she has the opportunity to train with Lucas and her club coach, George Washington, a good trainer in his own right. These are the type of opportunities that help produce High-Major kids.

High school gym access for trainers and club teams are prevalent in these areas. The constant reps needed to elevate players games to the next level are a direct result of gym access. It can be argued, the major difference between a High and a Mid-Low Major player is refinement. High Major kids are usually "great" at least one skill. To become great at any skill takes an inordinate amount of time in the gym. Limited gym access reduces the ability of kids to refine their skills and become great. Meighan Simmons has great athleticism and a great knack for scoring. Having a military father with easy and consistence access to a gym on base helped in her development. The difficulty of securing dependable reasonable priced gym time has a direct impact on the lack of refined players locally.

Development- In speaking with the fathers, trainers and coaches of prominent kids in Dallas and Houston, they understand the importance of youth development. They are less likely to chase trophies. Too many local dads/coaches still attempt to stack their daughters teams to win. Many local teams employ strategies like full court press when already winning by 20 or more points. Many teams use Zone Defense exclusively during formative learning years. Many coaches spend little time learning the game themselves, so teaching proper IQ is futile. It is hard to instill basketball IQ when coaches possess little basketball IQ themselves. In a great conversation with Judson coach Triva Corrales, she speaks of the need to restrict middle school kids from playing zone. She speaks of the difficulties of teaching Man Defense in high school when players have played nothing but Zone Defense in their youth. In an example of lack of IQ, a local coach delayed the game by instructing the point guard to dribble at half court and "make" the defense come out of their zone and play Man Defense. The opposing coach screamed at the ref to give the delaying coach a technical foul! Instead of coming out of the Zone Defense and play man, he wanted the ref to disallow the stalling tactic because it was unfair??!!

Using Brianna Turner again, she can play 3 positions at 6'3. If any player should be pigeon holed in the post, it is a 6'1 middle schooler, like Turner was a few years ago. Yet, Turner was not restricted to the post and was developed on the perimeter. A common practice in middle school locally is to put 5'8 kids in the post. Instead of using an offense like 5-Out,that emphasizes player and ball movement, youth coaches use archaic 3-Out 2-In offenses that do nothing but stunt the growth of undersized post players. When you see a 6'0 guard like the Baylor's Nay Nay Haden, it shows how far Dallas is ahead of San Antonio. Hayden would have been anchored in the post locally, the same with Turner.

Iron Sharpens Iron- San Antonio's best players travel the nation in the summer and compete with the best from other areas. Again, some local players are in the conversation as being among the elite nationally. However, the local scene offers too many games against recreational players. It is very difficult to face a a 5'9 post player and get excited for the challenge after spending a summer facing the Brianna Turners' of the nation. Dallas and Houston area players have less opportunity to "play down" to competition. This is extremely important at the High-Major level. At that level, there is little opportunity to take nights off. Every time players step on the court, they must be mentally prepared to excel. The best of our local players do not get physically challenged every night out, thus, they develop the very bad habit of taking plays and games off. With so many "down" games facing recreational type of players, it is difficult for our Low-Mid-Major kids to take their games to the next level. It is tough to learn calculus when you are always practicing arithmetic.

ShesBallin Prospects!!

2011-12-19T16:14:00.000-08:00

ShesBallin Prospects is here! The most comprehensive recruiting report in South/Central Texas features hundreds of prospects and their projected college levels. Player ratings are exclusively accessed by college and universities. This exclusivity allows the report to remain free from politics and influence peddling.

Miami Heat Syndrome!

2011-12-13T22:51:00.000-08:00

Watching the super team pursuits by many NBA star players is reminiscent of some club ball organizations. The prevalence of stacking teams is probably a disservice to individual growth.

For instance, Houston's Brianna Turner is arguably the best player in the class of 2014. She started off her HS career by playing alongside at least four D1 players at Westbury Christian, including two high majors players. How much better did Turner get in high school last season? Yes, it was to her benefit to practice with and against great competition everyday. Yes, her club coach was also her assistant high school coach and was allowed to continue to train her in a very advanced environment. However, when was she going to learn to carry a team and have every play that she makes matter?

Now Brianna Turner is in a public school where she is the focal point of the defense on every play. She must step outside of her comfort zone and do things that her formal environment never asked of her. Her immense skills will now get a chance to be honed over a 35 game high school season. She now plays with guards who need her 6'4 help with ball handling duties. She is now playing with post players that are not equipped as she is to command double teams. Her current HS coach has not coached dozens of D1 players and against dozens of D1 players, like her former coach. This mandates that she step up and increase her basketball IQ and implement the new lessons in pursuit of victory. Brianna Turner is better for the "downgrade" in environment. Will we ever see Lebron James with 25 consecutive points on the biggest stage of basketball again like he did against the Pistons a few years ago? Probably not, since human nature has allowed him to know that he does not have to be outstanding for his team to now thrive. He's comfortable!!

Micheal Jordan led Laney HS, Magic Johnson led Everett HS in East Lansing and Larry Bird led West Baden HS in French Lick. They became the Mount Rushmore of basketball by leading teams and not going out of their way to team up with other stars. Now, many parents are scared of allowing their kids to suffer through the growing pains of going through the prerequisite of success; Failure and being uncomfortable!!

San Antonio 5-A District Predictions!

2011-12-13T21:46:00.000-08:00

Predictions for district playoff teams and finishes:

25-5A
1. Steele 8-2
1. Wagner 8-2
2. Judson 7-3
4. New Braunfels 5-5

- A tough preseason and return of Ashley Ross should make Wagner co-champ.
- Steele features the most top heavy team in the district, should lead to at least share of title.
- Judson is solid in a lot of positions and could win title if they can generate points on nightly basis.

26-5A
1. Reagan 11-1
2. Churchill 9-3
3. Johnson 8-4
4. Roosevelt 6-6

- Reagan has a chance to go undefeated but will have at least one slip up, most likely to Churchill. -Churchill has a shot at the title but a tired star in Leslie Vorpahl will allow teams to upset.
- Johnson has a legit shot at the title but a young and disrespected team will most likely finish 3rd in the toughest conference in the city( 3 teams in the current SA Top 5)
- Roosevelt's athletic zone and exploitation of no shot clock will wear teams down for enough wins to secure playoff birth.

27-5A
1. Steven 15-1
2. Jay 11-5
3.Brandeis 10-6
3. O'Connor 10-6

- Stevens is deepest team in city. Don't be surprised if they are Austin bound.
- Jay will get a couple starters back soon and should finish well.
- Brandeis and O'Connor should hold off a solid Clark for finish in the money.

28-5A
1. East Central 7-3
1. Southwest 7-3
3. Corpus Cristi Carroll 6-4
4. South San Antonio 5-5

- East Central has three double digits scorers and are athletic.
- Southwest plays a style that will lead to wins. Should split with East Central.
- Corpus Cristi Carroll is well coached and has a distinct home advantage.
- South San should be OK behind good guard play.

Brennan vs Johnson Game Notes!

2011-12-13T10:45:00.000-08:00

SA Express #4 and #5 teams squared off last night when Brennan beat Johnson 52-42. Game notes follow:

Tanaeya Boclair(Brennan)- Boclair has been championed on this blog as the best post player in the city despite being a 2014. Boclair was Player of Week last week for the city and looked unstoppable in the first half. She showed a wide array of offensive moves that had college coaches taking note. She made a left hand jump hook and followed that up with a step through. She then hit a 17 foot jumper that found nothing but the bottom of the net. She finished the night with 17 points and 22 boards. Boclair was at one point considered a HoopGurlz 100 player, a player considered to be among the best 100 players in the COUNTRY. She fell out of the Top 100 but that will change soon.

Alyssa Crockett(Brennan)- This blog wrote:
"One of the few guards who gets to the free throw line more often than physical bigs"
and
"Her tenacious attitude and play makes her one of the toughest guards to contain in the city. She will live at the free throw line"
and
"Her constant attacking style will guarantee her multiple trips to the free throw line"

The game proved what has been written on this blog numerous times, Crockett is a free throw making machine. Her style is rewarded in the city like former John Jay star Julissa Garrett. Crockett scored 11 of her 15 points from the free throw line, the majority of them in the clutch.

First Blow- Johnson inexplicably came out in a 2-3 zone that enabled the well coached Brennan team to pick them apart with passes, ball reversal and low post touches for Boclair. Johnson sat back and did not pressure the Brennan guards even though the strength of the Jags this season is the ability to pressure full court and speed up the pace. Brennan plays a ball control, half court style of play that slows tempo. The Johnson defense played right into the hands of Brennan's style. Brennan struck the first blow and had Johnson down 10-0 to start the game, an insurmountable lead.

Guts no Glory- Johnson's Recee' Caldwell started slow, came on strong to bring her team back and finished with not enough in the tank. Caldwell, who shot 19 times a game last year while averaging 20 pts, has sacrificed her shots this season and is averaging close to 18 points on 14 shots. Last night, she shot her team back into the game while going 4 for 5 in the 3rd quarter. She then went ice cold and missed her last 6 shots while trying to keep her team from falling further behind. She also went 0-3 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, even though she is an 80% free throw shooter for the season. Caldwell played the entire game for the second game straight while facing the concentration of the defense. She finished with 19 points on 21 shots. She is averaging 6 assists this season but only had 4 dimes last night. For a player that usually comes up big in big games, she did not have enough in the tank and came up short last night.

Non-Pacifist - Johnson dug themselves a huge hole and fought tooth and nail to tie the score twice late in the game. They lost because of their poor shooting and passive defense made it a very tough night. However, their efforts to overcome the early flaws were hampered by horrible officiating. Here is a fact, 4 out of the Top 5 teams in the city have coaches that "lobby" for calls. They are not pacifist.

Stevens, Churchill and Brennan, all have coaches that protest often when calls do not go their way. Reagan coach Terry Barton does not usually protest loudly but does make his point early and often. Steele's Kari Wallace loses her voice questioning every call. (During the Meighan Simmon's years, she made sure to do her part to make sure Simmons shot a ton of free throws. You do not score 3000 points without earning the respect of the refs!) There was an interesting exchange last night.

Johnson Coach Audra Bredemeyer was calmly protesting a call. The referee told her to "shut up", literally. The appalling thing was that he told her to shut up in front of her players. The same ref then got a verbal lashing by the Brennan coach and gave him time for a conference to make his case. The foul count was 7 to 1 after that exchange in favor of Brennan. Brennan shot 30 free throws to Johnson's 15, even though Johnson attacked the paint as often as Brennan.

Compare Bredemeyer's non-confrontational approach to that of one of the coaches of one of the Top 5 teams in the city. In a game last month at Wagner, this visiting coach jumped in the face of a hearing impaired ref and yelled at him that he "was not going to work anymore of his/her games". When the ref pointed to his ears to indicate that he was hearing impaired, the non- pacifist coach yelled, "I don't care, you can read my lips". This coach is one of the best in the city at gaining 50/50 calls in favor of his/her team. He/Her looks at the crowd like Hulk Hogan and raises his/her hands for support. His/Her antics work! I doubt that this same ref that told Bredemeyer to "shut up" last night would have disrespected this coach that way. Coach Bredemeyer is one of the nicest people you would ever meet, and her kindness is being mistaken for weakness.

Randy Evans is not nearly as boisterous as the above mentioned coach but surely gets the respect of the refs. His guards shot most of the free throws in the game last night, not his bigs.

Johnson a year Away- This blog wrote, "Johnson could be the best team in the city. However, they are probably still a year away".

For some of the above mentioned reasons, Johnson still has a way to go to be the best in the city. The former doormat of 26-5A has yet to earn the respect of the city's referees. They still have a young team, led by 3 D1 kids, two sophomores(one recently turned 15) and a freshman. They are missing the presence of Brie Foresman, a tough proficient scorer, who hurt her knee in a 30 point blowout last week. Against tough teams like Brennan, Johnson has to work too hard for shots if they are not turning teams over with pressure. Come playoff time, easy shots pay huge dividends, especially after a 35 game season.

Peggy the Legend!

2011-12-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

Legendary- How good is Poth's legendary program under Peggy Hosek? The Poth's JV team beat a local varsity team in a convincing fashion recently, even though the varsity team featured at least 2 college basketball players. The Poth JV team reigned threes with the precision and discipline that the program is known for.

Coach Hosek's standard is to pursue a state title EVERY YEAR. Coach Peggy was spotted in a south side San Antonio gym last spring watching a 6th grader that will play for her eventually. Coach Hosek came from an hour away to watch her future player play a club game. In a conversation with a very successful Division 1 coach, she mentioned this same kid. Apparently, Coach Hosek has already been beating the recruiting drum for her future star. After coaching over 1000 games and winning over 75% of them, her passion and dedication is still remarkable.

In a time when a lot of coaches seem to coach girls basketball as a hobby, Coach Peggy is a throw back. She is cut from the same cloth as Devine's Gayle Sessions and Grandbury's Leta Andrews.

Tidbits!

2011-12-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

- Brennan has a great shot at going to Austin. Here is why:

Deep- Brennan is deep in the post and on the perimeter. The feature three 6ft players in Eliza Martinez(6'1), Tanaeya BoclBair(6'0) and Tia Mason(6'2). Their guard play is also deep with Allysa Crockett, Kalani Marquez and Ashlyn Graham.

Talented- Both Boclair and Crockett will surely play Division 1 basketball, with Martinez and Mason having a good chance to play at that level as well. Graham and Marquez are too college basketball players.

Coaching- Randy Evans is a gym rat. He can be spotted at UTSA watching player work outs in the Spring. He does not go to Austin during the state championships to attend the beer gardens and socialize, he takes in the games and analyzes games as if he was playing them next. Coming from the boys side of the game, he uses a different approach in defending. Very few female players are dynamic enough to beat constant Box-1 pressure with solid help. Evans uses this to neutralize high scorers like Chamaya Turner, who had just 4 points against his intense pressure.

Classification- Being 4A, Brennan will not have to go through very good 5A teams in Reagan, Churchill, Stevens and a healthy Wagner in a pursuit of state.

Defensive- Brennan has held the opposition to 21 pts or less 12 out of 19 games.

Same Soup Reheated- Few local coaches have been creative enough to make Brennan play outside of their comfort zones. The Brennan guards are small, yet no one has taken advantage of this by posting them. Brennan guards are allowed to be aggressive because they are backed up by big bodied shot blockers. No one has made the Brennan bigs guard on the perimeter with the pick and roll and take away their ability to control the paint.

Tiffany Rodriguez- The Southwest star guard does a great job at drawing contact and finishing in the open court. Rodriguez has an unorthodox game that she uses to her benefit. Her primary live dribble move is a very effective In&Out with the right hand. She does a very good job at playing in straight lines. Her coach, Bill Avey, plays a style that enables her to showcase her talent. His run and jump full court press allows Rodriguez to get plenty of leaking lay ups.

Steele- Steele is the surprise team of the year so far. They have dropped out of the SA Express Top 10. As stated on this blog, the only true obstacle that faced such a talented team was the lack of basketballs to go around. The three most talented kids on their team spent a good time playing with each other growing up. This fact led most to believe that they would excel on the local high school scene. Coach Kari Wallace has her work cut out for her. Three Division 1 players, two high majors, spells state for most local teams. John Jay, Wagner and Churchill made it to state with those ingredients(Churchill did it with one D1 kid, Christine Flores). A weaker than normal district should help right the ship for Steele. Wagner has played the entire season without a Top 10 kid in the city, Ashley Ross. They also lost a major senior player recently. Judson lost its dominant post presence early, the one area that Steele is vulnerable. However, do not sleep on Steele. If they can ever get all of their talent to play on the same page, they should make some serious noise.

Quick Hitters: Milestones,Coaching, Dirty Macks!!!

2011-12-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

- Congrats to Floresville star and Southeastern Louisiana bound, Erica Hernandez for scoring point 2,000 on Thursday during the Floresville Tournament.

- In another milestone during the Floresville Tournament, Brandeis guard Allysa Browne scored her 1,000th point of her career.

-Canyon Star and heavily recruited Chamaya Turner chalked up her 1,000th point and 650th rebound two weeks ago during the SAISD Tournament. Turner will surely break the 500 assist mark before her high school playing days are over. Versatility!!!

- Distinguished visitors- Baylor, UTA, New Mexico, New Mexico St and hometown, UTSA are all enjoying the great match ups during the Lonestar Tournament. The event features 50% of the SA Express News Top 10 teams in Wagner, Reagan, Churchill, Judson, and Stevens.

- Churchill's Cal Wulfsberg has brought a NBA type offensive philosophy to the city. During a big comeback in a huge win vs Reagan, Wulfsberg employed the "flat" high ball screen for star Leslie Vorpahl for the enire second half. The "flat" is extremely difficult to guard at the NBA level so Wulfsberg understands that it is almost impossible to completely stop at the high school level with the right players. For instance, defensive extraordinaire, Moriah Mack guarded Vorpahl. To alleviate the great pressure from Mack, Churchill constantly picked her with the "flat". This made Reagan choose their poison; go under the screen, switch the screen or attempt to fight through it. Vorpahl was too skilled be played one way and had counters to the different ways of guarding her. She had 17 huge points in the second half to lead her team to victory. In the next Churchill game, Wulfberg realized that Boerne Champion has a star guard in Brooke Allemand. Wulfsberg employed his Diamond and 1 denial on Allemand and completely neutralized her. Wulfsberg has a great knack for making very good opposing players look mediocre while making sure his star gets the balls reps required to be the star that she is.

(Side note: When speaking to college coaches, high school coaches should not have to bash opposing players while promoting their own players. Just because a high school coach "out coaches" his/her opposition, does not mean that the opposing players are inferior to his/hers. Chuck Daly, RIP, did not bash Micheal Jordan and insinuate that Joe Dumars was better than Jordan. Daly understood that it was his SYSTEM and environment(physical NBA that allowed thug tactics vs Jordan) that allowed a mesmerizing Jordan to look mediocre at times. In a competition for scholarships, a high school coach should not stoop to the level of making disparaging remarks about kids in an attempt to get their kids recruited. Dirty Macking is what some call it. In other words, get a woman on your own merits, not by hating on the next man!!)

- Speaking of offensive systems, in a great tape by Tom Izzo on Man to Man Offense and Counters, Izzo goes on to explain that Bob Knight's Indiana teams and its famed Motion Offense featured 4 blockers(screeners). Yes, the Indiana offense featured a lot of player and ball movement but the Steve Alfords' shot most of the shots! The prevalence of some schools leaning on Dribble Drive Motion Offenses and 4out 1in systems have forgotten the basic premise of hierarchy. Kentucky ran the DDM offense to a NCAA Championship game by ensuring that a kid named Derrick Rose had the ball in his hands the most! Same with John Wall! On a local note, Kari Wallace rode Meighan Simmons to three state appearances. Mike Floyd rode Erica Donovan to his only state appearance. Christina Camacho rode Len'Nique Brown and Arielle Roberson to her state appearances. In some recent games, it has been alarming to see lessor skilled players taking the crucial shots when the game is on the line. This is the surprising in comparison to other local sports. Imagine if Devine football coach, Chad Quisenberry failed to get the ball in the hands of the statistical greatest runner in Texas history, Joseph Saddler. Imagine if Saddler did not carry the ball in the crucial part of the game and watched the 3rd string running back get all the carries. Quisenberry knows better, so he has Saddler carrying the ball 50 times a game. Consequently, he is 13-0!

- FYI, Championship Productions should probably be the most visited site by club and high school coaches. If basketball great minds such as Larry Brown, Mark Few and Sherri Coale are always attending basketball clinics to learn more, what does that say about "ungreat" basketball minds. In a local note, UTSA has a basketball great mind in assistant coach, "Luby". Coach Luby has coached with HOF Tara Vanderveer, was the head coach at Radford and was an assistant in the WNBA for starters! He is very approachable and willing to share his vast knowledge.

More November Quick Hitters!

2011-11-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

-Stevens and Brandeis validated my quick hitters this week. Stevens spanked Johnson in a rubber match in the semifinal of the SAISD. Brandeis confirmed my opinion of them by upsetting Stevens in the championship of SAISD.

- Some believe that Judson is the most balanced team in the city. While Judson is balanced, that honor goes to Stevens, EASILY! The top 5 players for Stevens account for 51 points. Three players averaged double figures with two more just a few points away from joining them in the double digit club. Yesterday game vs Mac showed why I have been on the Stevens bandwagon. They scored 100 points! And their leading scorer, was their 6th best scorer in the talented junior, Amalya Lewinson, who finished with 25 points.

- With all due respect to the published SA Express assist leaders, Recee' Caldwell and Leslie Vorpahl are leading the city in assist. Caldwell has three games of 10 or more assist already. She gave Brandeis 26 points and 10 assist yesterday in front of Duke. . Vorpahl countered last night with the most dominate performance of the early season by giving 30 points and 10 assist to a very talented Steele team.

- Former Smithson Valley star, Danielle Blagg hit the game winning shot over Top 25, LSU. Blagg was named Conference USA Freshman of the week.

- John Jay continues to be plagued by the injury bug. They have lost 4 starters to injury.

- Jacqueline Esquivel is averaging 18 points a game for Mac. The 2013 guard is getting a rep as a proficient scorer.

- Boerne Champion's Heather Hormuth is making her mark . The 2013 forward has made the transition from the post and is now hitting the 3ball consistently. She is averaging 13 points a game, shooting over 50% from the field and 38% from the three point line which places her as the third best scorer in 28-4A.

- Judson's Simone Fields' is shooting close to 60% from the field for the season. Impressive!

- Taft's Monet Neal(Houston Baptist signee) is the most improved offensive player in the city so far. Her incredible defensive ability has been joined by an increased repertoire of spins, turn around jumpers and up and unders.

The Wulf and his Pack Leader!

2011-11-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

With a huge upset win over Steele tonight on their home court, Churchill's Cal Wulfsburg has done it again. Steele has three Division 1 guards in McKenzie Calvert, Elena Gumbs and Kyra Lambert. Wulfsburg dared Steele to beat him from the outside and Steele came up short totaling a mere 41 points. Wulfsburg's Churchill team won 58-41.

The pack leader for Wulfsburg helped account for 50 points herself. Leslie Vorpahl totaled 30 points and 10 assists to lead her Chargers. Vorpahl will soon have plenty of scouts running to San Antonio vying for her services. She did most of her damage with a very good defender(D1) guarding her.

Reagan/Wagner Observations!

2011-11-19T05:20:00.000-08:00

Reagan high school capped off a great week by beating #1 Wagner at home. In the same week where the Rattlers beat Top 5 Steele, the game was a great one for many reasons. A few thoughts on the game/players:

Deep Teams- Reagan won the close game with stars, Sabrina Berry and Moriah Mack sitting out significant minutes. Berry played in her first game of the season and Mack sat the entire second half for some reason. Speculation was that she is nursing a minor injury. Still, the Rattlers pulled off a huge win with players such as Tess Ramirez playing very solid. Ramirez kept a steady head and did a good job of not being overwhelmed by the intense Wagner pressure. Bailey Champion provided needed scoring. Imagine how good Reagan will be when all pieces are firing at the same time.

Wagner is also very deep. They feature 4 college bound guards in the Twins, Adrianne and Aundrea Davis(2012),Corrina Moncada(2014) and Deja Pettit(2013). Pettit shows flashes of brilliance. She can slash and has a street ball handle that appeals to the crowd. How deep is Wagner, the best guard is sidelined until early 2012, Ashely Ross. Forward Kiarra Rivera will play college basketball and is very solid post scorer, defender and rebounder. Sophomore forward Kaelynn Wilson has yet to earn significant minutes but would START on most other teams in the city.

Defense wins Championships- While many teams can pressure weak guards into turnovers in the full court, few teams lock up in the half court and rebound. Both Reagan and Wagner defend with great help defense and crash the boards to get needed stops. Both Tina Camacho and Terry Barton mix up defensive looks and have defensive weapons that they can unleash on the opposition. The entire Wagner back court can lock up like pit bulls and Reagan counters with arguable the best on-ball defender in the city, Moriah Mack. Reagan also uses the 5'9 athletic Wendy Knight to slow down scorers. Reagan also has the rebounding bully named Sabrina Berry and a huge body in Corrigan Tibbs. Wagner can board with ANY in the city with Kiarra Rivera and Tesha Smith.

Great Environment: It was the stark contrast in cheering that contributed to a great environment. The chants of Waaagner followed by TTTTT-Birds resonated through the gym. On the other side, Rattler fans enjoyed the prompting of traditional cheerleaders, back flips and all. Club teammates showed up to support club teammates, despite their own school rivalries. The Wagner Principal is as vociferous as any fan in showing his support for his school. He sits in the middle of the crowd and lives and dies with every play. The game at Reagan placed the crowd 60/40 Reagan's way and it is a shame that more high school games are not played on high school campuses. Last night had a football feel, with excitement and disappointment. Girls basketball SEEMED important to San Antonio last night! Even the officials were good!

Tesha Smith- The key to early Wagner success has been Tesha Smith. For anyone that saw a young Xavier McDaniel in the NBA, Smith is built in that mode. She rebounds, the best n the city, she blocks shots into the stands, she is effectively scoring and most importantly, she is the emotional spark plug for the T-Birds. Her intimidating presence adds fuel to the hectic pressure that the guards put on the opposition. Like the X-Man, who punched a young rookie named Michael Jordan in the chest for no reason other than intimidation, "Smitty" snatches boards and scowls in the process. In a telling play in a crucial part of the game, Tesha was having trouble with the band on her new goggles. She palmed the ball in one hand and snatched the band off with the other hand. She then launched the band into the stands before adjusting her goggles on her face. All while holding the palmed ball away from the closely guarding defender a' la, Wilt Chamberlain. She then made a good pass on the perimeter, crashed the boards and secured an offensive rebound and scored put back! She ran up the court clapping at her own accomplishments. She knew that sequence was worthy of self adulation.

Wendy Knight- The sophomore guard for Reagan finished with 15 points(paper had it wrong at 13) on a limited number of shots. She hit big shots, including a huge three and a big time pull up jumper in the face of a defender. In the two games vs Wagner and Steele, Knight averaged 16.5 pts while shooting above 50%. Knight is heady and does not wilt under pressure. In the crucial part of the game, it was Knight who was charged with making out of bounds passes vs Wagner's denial defense. She directed her teammates to flash to the middle vs the 3/4 court zone press, she ensured the spacing of the Rattler offense was appropriate to defeat help side defenders. Knight is regarded as one of the best prospects in the state for 2014 and is heavily recruited. She showed why this past week.

Adriane Davis- Davis is a Division 1 guard! I have been on the fence about her projected level, settling on Division 2 as her destination up until know, but no more. Davis has turned on that D1 switch. She always possessed the speed, quickness and tenacity on the defensive end to be elite. She has always been an aggressive slasher with a good handle. Now she is stretching the defense with the 3ball. She hit two huge three pointers to keep her team in the game. She still takes plenty of chances that end up being ill advised at times but it is that kind of moxie that allows her to be fearless and good! In a huge win over Top 10 Churchill earlier in the week, the University of Colorado came out to see Churchill star Leslie Vorpahl. The scout left with an additional file to open on the kid with 25 points and stellar defense, Adriane Davis.

Rest In Peace!

2011-11-18T13:23:00.001-08:00

The San Antonio basketball community mourns the loss of Oklahoma State coaches Kurt Budke and Miranda Serna. Many local kids attended the Oklahoma State Elite Camp this past June and had the opportunity to get to know both.

The loss of Coach Serna was taken especially hard for a few local prospects. Coach Serna visited Johnson High School and Boerne High school on numerous occasions last year.

A conversation with Coach Serna this past Monday is ringing in my head. Her enthusiasm and love for her job and school made you want to visit Oklahoma State and view what her excitement was about.

God Bless the family of all those that lost their lives in the plane crash. Thank you Coach Miranda Serna for touching so many of our lives!

Mid-November Quick Hitters!

2011-11-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

-Brandeis should be a playoff team this season. Here is why:

College Players- Brandeis has 6 players capable of playing beyond high school. Mykel Costley, Hannah Thomspon, Rose Maldonado, Alyssa Browne, Kelsey Glassburn and Amara Parker all should have opportunities to play at some level after their high school careers are over.

Coach John Ince- Coach Ince is one of the few coaches in the city who consistently changes defenses multiple times in a game. This practice keep opposing teams from establishing a rhythm offensively.

27-5A- Jay and Stevens are a lock to come out of the district. While O'Conner's star, Ebony Easter, seems to be on a mission, they may not be deep enough to overcome Brandeis depth. Clark should make some noise but Brandeis should finish 3rd in the district.

- Stevens is a nightmare match up. Here is why:

They Defend Extremely Well- They defend extremely well with different looks and objectives. They press full court to create scoring opportunities through turnovers. They play a long passive aggressive half court trap to minimize the opportunities of the best perimeter player on offense. Then they bring a super aggressive Man defense that features great on ball defenders, Elexus Allen and Samira Rodriguez to harass the oppositions best ball handler. Allen and her long quick 6'0 frame causes on set of problems and then comes the small pit bull tenaciousness and speed of Rodriguez.

They are Deep- Stevens can go 8-9 deep with college caliber kids. The young and talented kids that can score. They have shooters. They have slashers. They have a true big body post option in Deleesha Monroe. They can bring a 6'0 jumping bean off of the bench in Amalya Lewinson.

They are Balanced- Samantha Herrera, Nicole Salazar and Julia Rendon can shoot the 3 well. They provide a solid threat to stretch the defense. They allow the slashers to have spacing to operate. They ability to hit the 3ball and attack the basket enables Stevens have a balanced scoring attack.

- Vying for the Top Spot for 2013:

Moriah Mack- Mack had 18 huge points in a big win over a very good Steele team. Mack has long been considered a remarkable talent. This blog predicted a Jessica Kuster-like breakout year from her and she is on track to do so. (Averaging 11.6 pts for the #2 team in city)

Brooke Allemand- Allemand had a great showing vs Canyon while being guarded by Chamaya Turner for most of the game. Her 22 points followed a 29 point performance in the first game of the season. All while playing the point guard and facing the brunt of the defense focus. (Averaging 19.3pts)

Chamaya Turner- Turner has been the best kid in the city for 2013 for two years. She stepped into Allemand's territory and hit 6 three point buckets against her in a close loss Tuesday. If Turner can consitently knock down jumpers, watch out!( Averaging 19.5 pts)

Leslie Vorpahl- Like Jay star Destiny Amezquita, Vorpahl saw the nasty side of the Twins, Adrina and Aundrea Davis on Tuesday. Vorpahl has played a more challenging schedule than Allemand or Turner so far. As predicted by this blog, Vorpahl has some adjustment this season as she is the obvious point of opposing defenders affection. She is getting the same treatment that Johnson's Recee' Caldwell received last season. Facing Box & 1 defenses in 5-A basketball is not easy! (Averagng 10 points)

College Connections!

2011-11-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

Mizzou stars Christine Flores(Churchill) an Breena Brock(Wagner) pose w/ one of the Finest young fans in the city!

-2011 POY, Erica Donovan (Jay)led NC State in scoring in her first college game w/ 11 points.

- Danielle Blagg (Smithson Valley)has started her first two college games scoring 9 and 11 points.

- Former Churchill star, Chirstine Flores moved into the Top 5 in career blocks for Mizzou.

- Speaking of Flores, she and Breena Brock(Wagner) combined for 53 points in win over TAMUCC

-Monica Engleman is a star! The former Madison forward is a consistent double digit scorer for Kansas. This blog faced some criticism when she was ranked as the best player in her class of 2009 for the city. The dissent has quieted!

-Meaghan Simmons(Steele) played in front more than 12,000 for her season opener against Pepperdine!

- Asha Hampton-Finch(Roosevelt) earned 31 minutes in a huge win over Rice in her first game.

- Speaking of Asha, her first assignment was to guard former district foe, Jessica Kuster(Reagan). Kuster tallied 22 pts and 18 rebounds in the loss to PAVU!

Distinguished Visitors!

2011-11-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

Some local kids have some distinguished visitors coming to town:

Brooke Allemand(2013): University of New Mexico and UTSA on Tuesday

Leslie Vorpahl(2013): New Mexico State last Wednesday and Colorado on Tuesday.

Recee' Caldwell(2014): Missouri last Saturday. Oklahoma, TCU and Texas on Tuesday. Duke next Tuesday.

Briana Jones(2013)- UTSA is taking in her game tonight

Kyra Lambert(2015)- UTSA is viewing the match up vs Reagan.

Wendy Knight(2014)- UTSA is viewing the match up vs Steele

Chamaya Turner- UTSA viewing game vs Boerne Champion

Niaga signs!

2011-11-14T20:21:00.001-08:00

Roosevelt star, Niaga Mitchell-Cole signs w/ UTSA!

Erica Hernandez signing pic!

2011-11-14T20:17:00.001-08:00

Floresville star, Erica Hernandez signs w/ Southeastern Louisiana!

All-Timberland Team!

2011-11-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

In a new feature, I will highlight some of the players in the city who do the grunt work. These players may not get the recognition of higher profile teammates but they put in the work to help their teams go. These are the kids that do the dirty work and are "extra possession kids".

Samira Rodriguez(2013)- The gritty guard for Stevens is a headache defensive match up for opposing guards. She came up huge in a season opening win over Churchill. She gave standout guard Leslie Vorpahl a tough time. She followed up with a great effort to slow down Recee' Caldwell in a loss to Johnson in Corpus Christi Tournament championship game. Samara is quick and physical. She plays with moxy and is becoming one of my favorite players to watch.

Bailey Ulrich(2012)- The undersized post is tough! In a game vs Austin Westlake and their 6'2 post, Ulrich was down right nasty. She fronted her, pushed her with lower body leverage and she out hustled her to loose basketball balls. Johnson does not win that game without Ulrich efforts.

Jasmine Thompson(2015)- The frosh post for Mac is a game changer. She immediately makes her presence felt with big time boards. She is very active on both ends of the floor. She is the Dennis Rodman of the city. Besides defending and boarding, she is averaging 10 points early.

Jamee Jorgenson(2014)- Jorgenson is a double digit rebounder for a high scoring Boerne Champion team. She is the hard screen setter and cleans up the numerous long attempts shot by her gunning teammates. Her huge hands and hockey strong body allows her to rebound out of area and bang with the best bigs in the city.

Mikki Flores- The Churchill frosh is an energizer for her team. She is a floor burn kid that dives for every loose ball. She is a pretty good young scorer but she is huge on the defensive end of the floor. I have seen Flores actually dive for the steal while an offensive player was dribbling. Incredible motor!

Monet signs on the dotted line

2011-11-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

Monet Neal (Taft)signs with Houston Baptist University yesterday!

Tabatha makes it official!

2011-11-10T19:33:00.001-08:00

Tabatha Richardson-Smith signs with Seton Hall yesterday.

Signing Day!

2011-11-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

Elena Gumbs and Fam signs(Rice) on the dotted line!

Today is the first day that players can sign Letter of Intents . Congrats to all you young Stars! Your hard work has paid off. In a conversation with a very proud father, he stated that his daughters' scholarship is worth over $250,000 over the four years! Talk about a making a good investment.

Opening Days Quick Hitters

2011-11-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

Though the season is still very new, some early hints signal a different year and new standouts.

Anissa Hastings and Stevens- This blog named Stevens the #10 ranked team in the city. The Stevens team showed the entire city that they are underrated. Coach Anissa Hastings is too underrated. Her team mirrors her passionate coaching style with hard nosed defense. No zones! She makes sure she gets after it and instills an "us against them" mentality. Hastings must be commended for keeping her cool in the big victory over Churchill(preseason #5). The Churchill crowd surprised many onlookers with the verbal assaults toward Hastings and her Stevens group. She steadily led her squad to a 1 point win over one of the better teams and coaches in the city, Cal Wulfsberg. In a telling play, Hastings showed that her X and O ability is first rate. Churchill caused a turnover with 10 seconds left in the game, down by 1 point. The ball was under the Churchill basket. Wulfsberg called a timeout to draw up a set, a baseline drift play to the weak side shooter. The beautiful thing about Hasting's defensive strategy is that she forced the ball to the left side of the floor, thus making the baseline drift pass difficult because it had to be thrown accurately with the Churchill player's weak hand. The result was a turnover, game time.

Johnson High School- A local high school coach was overheard saying that "all they(Johnson) have is Caldwell" as he smirked to his audience. Another coach bragged to a D1 visiting coach that he "beat them(Johnson) 30 twice" last season. Opening day showed that those days are long gone. Gabbie Bowie(2014) introduced herself to the city with 20 points and numerous rebounds over Taft. Erica Sanders (2015) provided a few electric moments telling the uninformed of her promising future. Morgan Stern may be the difference maker when it is all said and done. The standout soccer player has the body, athleticism and grit to give Johnson the physical presence versus elite Bigs. Coach Audra Bredemeyer has picked up the defensive pace and is pressuring all over the court. The 30 point win over Taft exhibited the bright outlook for Johnson.

East Central- East Central beat Roosevelt last night 48-46. Apparently, East Central is no longer an easy out.

Brooke Allemand- This blog stated that Brooke Allemand(Champion) would lead the area in scoring. She backed up that proclamation on Monday night with 29 points, including seven 3 balls. Allemand hit over 100 treys last season.

Wagner #1?- Wagner made its case of being #1 in the city with a solid victory over Jay last night. Wagner holds a couple advantages over most teams in the city, namely, the Twins! Adriane and Aundrea Davis are nightmare defenders for opposing guards. Individually, they are quick and aggressive. They both get into defenders hips and stay low on defensive slides. However, it is the help side defense of their teammates that make them very good. Their aggressive on ball stances inevitably lead to some ball handlers getting by them. That's when the Wagner weak side defense picks up the slack and makes scoring against them very tough. 2013 post, Tesha Smith will lead the city in rebounds. The word most used to describe "Smitty" by onlookers is BEAST. She is one of the few kids in the city that volleyball spikes opponents shots. She reportedly had 7 blocks last night vs Jay.

Mismatches- The opening days showed huge disparities in the city basketball programs. Incarnate Word, Johnson, Brennan, Sam Houston, Southwest, and Johnson all won by 25 pints or more. Steele and Brandeis throttled their opponents by 50 plus!

Reagan- The Rattlers made their case for #1 in the city by beating a good Judson team at Judson. The return of Sabrina Berry, out for personal reasons, may vault them to the top of the city rankings.

Huge Games- Reagan faces both Steele(11/15) and Wagner(11/18) next week in a battle of Top 5 teams in the city. Johnson may face Stevens in Corpus Christi this weekend. Churchill has a tough schedule and faces Steele(11/15), Wagner(11/21) and Jay(11/29) over the next few weeks.

Our Best to a SA great.

2011-11-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

Former Taft star, Lyndsey Cloman has reportedly torn her ACL and is out for the season. Cloman is a junior post for Oklahoma University. We wish her a speedy recovery.

November Quick Hitters!

2011-11-06T05:09:00.000-08:00

Shana Holmes shining already for Harding! FIT!!!!

November marks the start of another great basketball season. It also marks the start of a new chapter in local players lives as they sign National Letter of Intents next week. Here are a few quick hitters.

Tabatha Richardson-Smith will sign with Seton Hall. The former SA area player for Seguin verbally committed last week. The remarkable thing about her commit is her journey. Richardson-Smith is a 6'0 guard with a flair for the game. She prefers to play with boys and spent the preseason at her new school, Bay City High in Houston, practicing with the boys team, not the girls. Tabatha had a very tough time at Seguin. She was stuck in an environment that put very little emphasis on girls basketball. It is very difficult to shine in a situation where your passion is treated as a hobby, but shine Tabatha did! Tabatha sought refuge with her club Sophia Young Elite and found herself playing the NCAA October Fall Exposure period playing in front of many college suitors. While she was already well known to many D1 schools, Tabatha took advantage of the fall period to showcase her skills. Her club coach, Mike Ekenam, also sent video to numerous schools and worked diligently to help her get additional looks.(He called one of the best and most progressive coaches in the city and asked her for tape on Tabatha, even though Tabatha was not her kid. Of course she helped provide the tape that warranted a personal visit from Seton Hall!) Seton Hall is led by women's basketball legend, Anne Donovan. Congrats Tabatha! Your perserverence paid off! Your passion is too strong to be deminshed!

Speaking of taking advantage of the Fall Exposure Period, point guard extraordinaire,Leslie Vorpahl made a Western Athletic Conference coach stand up and take notice. The Churchill pg put on a show with her SA Heat team. The school will be in San Antonio to visit her at school on November 9th.

In a SA area battle, Southwest scoring great Shana Holmes(South Texas Hoyas) led her Division 2 Harding University squad to a win over Lipscomb. The Divison 1 Lipscomb features former La Vernia star, Chealsea McMeans(TeamXpress). Holmes led all scorers with 14 points and McMeans chipped in with 4 points for her team.

To follow San Antonio area action starting on Monday, text "follow shesballinsouth" to 40404. We will be covering games throughout the city with the help of numerous correspondents. Tuesday coverage includes Wagner vs Jay, Reagan vs Judson, Johnson vs Taft.

My San Antonio with "5 burning questions" and "Preseason Predictions".

More Future Stars! And a Star Maker!

2011-10-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

The YBOA Alamo City All-Stars hosted the Halloween Fest Invitational and some standouts deserve some recognition:

Olivia Balderas( SA Hustlers)- The 2017 guard is nice! She is the rare young kid that possesses ball handling and body swag to accompany it. She moves defenders with her head , shoulders and eyes. This enables her to set defenders up for her tight handle. Her go to move is a nasty hesitation dribble that freezes defenders. She counters the "hezzo" with a hard cross over that leaves defenders left standing still. On top of a handle with swag, Balderas can shoot the 3 ball, off of the dribble! In the face of defenders! She's real, a Box & 1 kid that has a bright future.

Demi Colon( Da Bomb/2017)- Colon has been on the radar for a while but know must be respected as one of the most talented pups in the city. She is long guard with very good instincts and plays with the street ball flare of a girl who plays with and against boys often. She does things like jumps to pass, while not the most fundamental thing to do, it helps her create opportunities to set up her teammates very well. She plays under control and has added a deft runner from 8-12 feet. Her arms and legs seem to go on for days. Defensively, she is an aggressive ball hawking defender that times her on-ball steals like a seasoned veteran. Her name will ring out at South San HS in a few years!

Tony Cuellar(SA Finest/2018)- Cuellar put on a show with a display of mid-range jumpers, forays to the rack, and coast to coast set ups for her teammates. The smooth lefty was a zone buster all tournament with huge jumpers from the high post. She rebounds well and has the ability to lead the break. Cuellar has the advanced ability to finish lay ups outside her body with an assortment of baby hooks, finger rolls and timely scoops.

Roland Perez- The head coach of "Da Bomb" is one of many club coaches that live for the weekends. He reportedly is coach, driver, trainer, financial supporter and father figure to many of his players. Anyone that has seen "Da Bomb" since it's inception has seen the progression of his kids. Coach Perez should be applauded. He is the kind of guy that reminds all of us why we got into girls basketball. Coach Perez is not paying for 6 foot 5th graders to play in a hopes of earning props for winning AAU National Championships. He does not have a website to broadcast how many D1 kids he has in his stable, in a pursuit of a shoe contract or personal glory. He wakes up on Sunday mornings and coaches 8am games for a lot of kids that will use basketball as a constructive activity to be productive. Kudos Coach! Thanks for the slice of humble pie, a lot of us need it!

SA Pre-Season Top 10 HS Teams: Complete List!

2011-10-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

Jay

Steele

Wagner

Reagan

Churchill

Johnson

Floresville

Brennan

Judson

Stevens

Knocking on the Door:

Roosevelt- Coach Rhineberger had arguably the most talent in the city last year. The senior laden team lost 3 college basketball players but Roosevelt is still a factor. Niaga Mitchell-Cole can lead the city in scoring if the stars align. Hidden gem Maunyea Melancon(2014) is a star if she wants to be! 2015 wing Endia Peterson is a Top 5 kid in the city for that class and the watch out for 6'2 big body rebounding machine, Ayanna "Yani" Atkins. Roosevelt CAN be very good and one of the top teams in the city.

Boerne Champion- Johnathan Tate and his high scoring system will win well over 20 games and challenge for a district title. Brooke Allemand is making her case as the top player for 2013 in the city and Heather Hormuth is a potential double double kid this season. Amanda Willoughby and Jamee Jorgenson will make names for themselves this season.

Incarnate Word- Tori Villareal will have her Shamrocks ready to play. The loss of "Mo" Zuniga may be too much to overcome for Incarnate Word in an attempt to duplicate last years success. Coach Troy Patterson defense is traditionally stingy and his offense causes problem for most teams to defend.

Brandies- John Ince has some quality returners in seniors Rose Maldonado and Alysse Brown. Talented sophomores Hannah Thompson and Mykel Costley give the Broncos at least 4 players that will have the opportunity to play beyond high school.

Taft- Any school in the city with multiple college bound PLAYERS must be considered and respected. Monet Neal is bound for Houston Baptist(D1) and Kiara Smith will surely play at the next level. They combine to form an athletic presence on the wings.

Clemens- Coach Tackitt has an athletic team that features D1 commit Senobia Winbush. "TT" Booker and Sabrina Cantigal are young and aggressive off of the bounce.

San Antonio Top 10 Teams in City: 6 thru 10

2011-10-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

In the second installment of the preseason Top 10 teams in the city, teams 6 through 10 are covered.

6. Johnson- The Lady Jags are in new territory. Basketball respect is now due for the recently opened school. After a D1 college coach visited the campus and told a competing local high school coach about the talent at Johnson, the coach howled that he beat Johnson by 30 twice last year. An exaggerated claim but those days are over. Baylor bound and USA 16u guard Recee' Caldwell has some help in El Paso transfer and D1 bound Gabbi Bowie. Bowie is as athletic a kid as any in the city. Her pull up jumper from 15 is text book. Johnson also has a Top 3 Player in the city for 2015, Erica Sanders. Sanders is another D1 bound and very athletic guard with great open court scoring ability. Coach Audra Bredemeyer has added another quality transfer in 5'11 soccer star, Morgan Stern. Katie Burcham and Brie Foresman give Johnson a team of at least 5 players that are capable of scoring double digits on any given night. The unknown dynamic of going from little talent to possibly too much is the only thing keeping them out of my Top 3 in the city. If pecking order and offensive cohesion are established, Johnson could be the best team in the city. However, they are probably still a year away.

7. Floresville- The Floresville Tigers can play with bigger schools because of two words; Talent and Coaching! Southeastern Louisiana bound scoring machine Erica Hernandez will be out to put an exclamation point on a great HS career. Hernandez is one of the few kids in the city who can consistently create her own shot off of the bounce. She is joined by another efficient scorer in Brittany Aikens. Aikens is poised for a big senior year to help solidify her eventual college standing. Add the very physically strong post , Shelby Leinneweber and the Tigers should make noise on the city's scene. Coach Greg Williams is a disciplined tactician that allows his best players to do what they do best, play. A one point loss to a Top 5 Reagan team last season and blow out over a good young Brennan team shows that

8. Brennan- The Bears return all of their players from a district championship team last season. The super gifted Tanaeya Boclair gives the Brennan the best post scorer in the city. 2013 guard Alyssa Crockett is not only one of the most improved players in the city but she is the spiritual leader of the team. Her tenacious attitude and play makes her one of the toughest guards to contain in the city. She will live at the free throw line. Coach Randy Evans is a very adept coach and employs numerous defensive strategies to disrupt opponents. Watch for the emergence of 6'1 2014 post player, Eliza Martinez. She is a rebounding space eater that can blocks shots and will allow the aggressive guards of Brennan to pressure all over the court. The supporting cast at Brennan is impressive and they will go 8-9 deep. If Evans can hold off a strong Boerne Champion team, Brennan has a great shot at winning 4 district titles in a row.

9. Judson- Judson is always loaded with athletic players that play hard and this year's team is no different. The difference in helping the Rockets realize their potential is this is year two of the Triva Corrales era at Judson. Corrales is arguably the brightest coach in the city in terms of game adjustments and dictating tempo. Judson has a very capable PG in Samantha Allen. The wing play of LB Brown and Shameka Brown will produce defensive steals and create the type of turnovers not usually seen in local HS basketball. Sharp shooting guard Krissy Chavez will get a ton of open looks due to the slashing of the Brown sisters and Allen. Look for a breakout year from forward Simone Fields, who must make up for the huge loss of Cheyenne Miller to injury.

10. Stevens- Anissa Hastings is a coach that kids will run through walls for. That type of loyalty, defensive intensity and passion will make Stevens one of the best teams in the city. The very talented young players from Stevens will help veterans like Niclole Salazar and Elexus Allen. Allen is long and terrific on defense. Salazar is a savvy PG that is a tough and spirited leader. Keep an eye on Amalya Lewison and Deleesha Monroe at the 4 & 5 positions. Knowing Hastings, this will be one of the best defensive teams in the city. Losing Western Kentucky guard Alexis Govan and the sharp shooting Alexis Sendejo will be impossible to replace but the current Falcon team can not be taken lightly.

Immacculate(a) Night!

2011-10-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

Paying homage to the rich history of the game, local stars had a movie night out to see The Mighty Macs. Over 35 players with San Antonio Finest Basketball skipped skill sessions to view the inspirational tale of Immaculata University. Above from left to right, Amber Ramirez(2016 Heritage MS), Shameka Brown(2014 Judson HS), Kayla White(2013 East Central) and LB Brown(2013 Judson) get dolled up to see the movie.

Amber Ramirez is a certified Division 1 player before playing her 8th grade season. She catapulted on the college landscape this summer with a bang. A couple of 30 point performances against 2012 players that have already pledged commitments to BCS programs marked Ramirez as one of the best young 2016 prospects in the nation. One report, the west coast based Next Level Sport Service has her in their Top 10 nationally.

Shameka Brown is one of the best kept secrets in the city. The sophomore guard scored in droves while playing on JV last season. Shameka had a great summer that put her on the minds on numerous Division 1 universities such as the University of North Texas and University of Texas Arlington.

Kayla White is primed for a breakout year for East Central. The uber athletic guard is ready to take off. Playing on varsity as a frosh and soph, it is know her time to provide the veteran leadership for the Hornets. White has a 30 inch plus vertical leap and is track star fast. She had the kind of summer that made schools such as UMKC, Rice and Prairie View A&M all keep close tabs on her progress.

LB Brown is not only the older sister of Shameka Brown but a two year starter for Judson. The former District New Comer of the Year is another very athletic kid with top speed in the open court. LB has tightened up her handle and 17 foot jumper. She will prove to be a nightmare to defend at the 3-4 spot this season. She is another kid who helped her standing with colleges this summer with Wichita St, , UTEP, and multiple Ivy league schools reaching out to her.

The story of the Mighty Macs is a must see for young aspiring female basketball players. The movie is a good one, but should serve as an introduction to further research for basketball lovers. The Immaculata team was lead by Hall of Famer, Cathy Rush. The success of Rush is remarkable in and of itself, but her contribution to women's college basketball is astounding. Her coaching tree has roots that are as deep as it gets.

Theresa Shank Grentz played for Immaculata and went on to win over 670 games at schools such as Rutgers, Illinois and St Josephs. She led the USA to a bronze medal in 1992.

Marianne Crawford Stanley too played for Coach Rush at Immaculata and has won over 400 games at the college level. She has coach as USC, Cal, and Penn. She won an NCAA title while at Old Dominion in 1985. She has coached WNBA franchises Los Angeles Sparks and Washington Mystics.

Rene Portland has won more than 600 games while coaching at Colorado and Penn State University. She led the Nittany Lions to a Final Four appearance and over 20 post season trips.

Through the contributes of the Grentz, Stanley and Portland, Coach Rush has indirectly been responsible for more than 1600 victories at the Division 1 level!

(Side note: UTSA assistant coach Lubomyr "Luby" Lichonczak is a close associate of Marianne Crawford Stanley and coached along with her for the Washington Mystics. Speaking of history, Coach Luby is an encyclopedia on the women's game.)

The Rough Riding Road Runner!

2011-10-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

Niaga Mitchell-Cole has decided to stay home! The Roosevelt star has chosen to attend the University of Texas San Antonio to play basketball. The best player in the city for the class of 2012,according to this blog, has decided to join the other candidate for tops in 2012, Sabrina Berry, at UTSA. The Roadrunners scrimmaged the University of Texas on Saturday and drove home from Austin knowing that the immediate future of the program just got a lot brighter.

Mitchell-Cole is a potential difference maker. Her size and skill at the guard position could make her a Roadrunner great. When projecting talent, fit and upside are always a huge consideration. I have long felt that with Niaga, the sky is the limit. For the last three years, I have chronicled the potential for greatness in Mitchell-Cole. The local high school fans have yet to see how truly amazing she can be. Her high school system is one of ball control and establishing tempo. This disciplined system offers little opportunity for her creativity and athletic prowess to shine. Just wait! The Dribble Drive Motion Offense and open post spacing of UTSA Coach Rae Blair will expose Niaga in a new light! The four guard system that encourages attacking dribble penetration and proper spacing will allow Niaga to grow. Mitchell-Cole plans to sign on 11-11-11. Anyone that has had the opportunity to get to know Niaga would understand why the date of her planned signing is as unique as the personality of the South Texas Hoyas guard.

Niaga opens up during a Q & A and explains why UTSA was the place for her. Her responses are in red.

1. First off, congrats on your decision. How does it feel to know that your hard work has paid off and you will play basketball beyond high school?

Its a great feeling knowing that all of my hard work in the gym and sacrifices I've made have paid off. I'm extremely thankful and blessed to have the opportunity to play at the next level!

2. What made you decide on UTSA and how hard was the decision to make in terms of choosing them over the other suitors?

The decision was tough because I'm a very analytical person so it really came down to the small details. In the end I decided to pick UTSA because it was what I felt,was the best fit for me.

3. You are the 1st high profile kid in the city's recent history to choose UTSA, how does it feel to be a trail blazer and how do you think your decision will affect others players in the city.

"Trail Blazer"??? Ha...I'm just little ol' Niaga(Ni-ah-zha)...No but seriously, I feel it's an honor to open the door for many young girls who may have the perception of staying close to home as being an "underachievement"...I view it as the complete opposite. It's a huge accomplishment because to me, there's no greater feeling than to live out your dream with the support of the people you love right by your side.

4. With UTSA set to join the Western Athletic Conference next season, did that have any impact on your decision? And how does the move help enhance your future college career.

UTSA moving to the WAC did have an impact on my decision. While I respect what they've done in the Southland Conference, the WAC will bring a different style/level of competition and in turn, challenge me to be a better player.

5. The recruiting process can be overwhelming at times, was the experience a good one for you? If so, what did you enjoy about the process?

Even though the recruiting process was a little overwhelming at times, my experience through the process,as a whole, was great. I had the opportunity to meet new people and travel to new places. I also had an enormous amount of expertise from Coach Nunn & Coach Berger to keep me sane and level-headed and they really made the process run a lot smoother!

6. Without going into specifics, what did you not enjoy about the recruiting process?

The rejection process was the hardest for me because even though those schools weren't the best fit for me, it's always hard telling someone that you're choosing to go a different route.

7. What role do you see yourself playing for the Roadrunners?

Their lineups have typically been smaller, and I feel I will bring size and length on both ends of the court at the guard spot.

8. Even though the saying goes that you should not choose a school based on a coach, what was it about Coach Blair and her staff that made you see that UTSA is the place for you?

I'm huge on fit and being around Coach Blair and her staff made me feel like I was in the right place because of their style of play, combined experience, and resources to take me to the next level!

9. Do you know the fight song yet? And if so, will you sing it on this blog in the upcoming weeks?! If not, WHY?

Yes I heard it at a recent football game and SURE I'll sing it on the blog ...IF you sing it with me! :)

10. How many official visits did you take? How would you rate that experience?

I took 3 official visits and each visit brought their own uniqueness...of course UTSA prevailed because of the overall experience and great atmosphere the coaching staff,players, & administrators provided while I was there.

11. A few new schools became very interested in you over the past couple of weeks, what made you decide to not pursue the new opportunities?

Even though I was thankful for the new interests from schools, I was already leaning toward my decision and because of that I decided to not pursue those other options.

12. What advice would you give local prospects in terms of the recruiting process?

The best advice I could give is to Do your research, take your time, take everything in...and stay in control of the process don't let it control you!

Top 5 Teams in City!

2011-10-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

With the first day of practice arriving, the preseason Top 10 Teams will be noted. Today's blog covers teams 1 through 5.

1. John Jay
Jay will be the team to beat this season due to their experience and culture. The Lady Mustangs expect to be the best in the city and their approach reflects this mindset. Coach Mike Floyd does the best job in the city at establishing pecking order. The Jay players know who the boss is on and off of the court. The ball will be in the hands of scoring machine Destiny Amezquita . Destiny will bring her trademark range and play making ability to bear this season as she is fully recovered from an ACL injury. One of the most improved players in the city and a “hot” kid is Aleeya Harris. Harris will have a breakout year for the Mustangs. Add 6’3 rebounding machine and space eater, Raven Reyes to the mix and the Mustangs have a physically strong team. Sophomore Antania Newton will show why she entered high school with such a great reputation. The bully ball toughness of the Lady Mustangs was at its best with NC State player Erica Donovan in the fold, however, that same tenacity and toughness is still ingrained in the current team.

2. Steele
Talent wins, ask Phil Jackson! Steele has 3 of the Top 20 players in the city in Elena Gumbs, McKenzie Calvert and Freshman Kyra Lambert. Kari Wallace has balanced the incredible amount of talent that she has inherited the last few years with great success. If another top freshman in the city, Bri Millett fits into Coach Wallace’s plans, this would give Steele four D1 players on the same team. That SHOULD spell success. Gumbs does not have the pressure of playing for a scholarship as she is already slated for Rice. Calvert is committed to Baylor and Lambert should have her pick of schools when all is said and done. If these players can play together and Coach Wallace has the system to keep all of this talent pacified, Steele could find their way to Austin. The lack of size in the middle should not hurt much in the area as few teams have post players that can score effectively in the post.

3. Wagner
Wagner must always be in the discussion for top in the city honors. The Thunderbirds are fresh off of another trip to Austin. They return 5 major contributors from that Final Four team; Corinna Moncada, Adriane Davis, Aundrea Davis, Kiarra Rivera and Ashley Ross. Ross is a Top 10 talent in the city, regardless of class. She is unfortunately out for the first portion of the season due to injury. When Ross returns, Wagner will play its trademark pressure defense and wear teams down. Coach Tina Camacho has not lost a district game in 4 years and can strategize with the best that the city has to offer. Camacho does a great job off mixing up her defenses in the flow off the game to keep teams off balance. The culture of Wagner girl’s basketball promotes success. Camacho instills an ethic that encourages her players to go beyond. The constant attacking of the Davis twins, coupled with the tough inside play of Kiarra Rivera will prove to be a tough out. Moncada is a fearless defender and gives the Thunderbirds four capable ball handlers against pressure. The loss of Arielle Roberson (Colorado) and Eboni Watkins(UTA) will surely hurt but Wagner does not rebuild, they reload.

4. Reagan
Terry Barton is one of the better X & O’s coaches in the city and has the talent this year to match. Many think that the Rattlers will be the top team in the city. Reagan has three D1 players in Sabrina Berry (UTSA), Moriah Mack and Wendy Knight. All three players scored in double digits last season. This balance allows Coach Barton to solve junk defenses employed by some teams to slow down star players. Three proficient scorers prove very difficult to defend. The ability of all three players to attack off the dribble makes Reagan a nightmare matchup for most. Post player Corrigan Tibbs is much improved and should average double digits in rebounds. Point guard Tessa Ramirez should step into the void left by Marissa Rodriguez and provide scoring and leadership. In a city where 50 points is enough to win basketball games on a consistent basis, Reagan’s big three gives them a leg up on most teams in the city. Come play off time, no local coach is going to want to see Reagan on their schedule.

5. Churchill
The “Wulf” howled and prowled his way to an outstanding season last year. Coach Cal Wulfburg was masterful in his strategies and sideline politicking in his inaugural season. No coach lobbied officials and made them compete against each other for his favor like Wulfsburg. The way he employed his “1-3 Denial” defense had many opposing coaches baffled. He put the play making decisions in the hands of the purest point guard in the city, Leslie Vorpahl. Vorpahl is a coach’s dream with her ability to make others better. She will have to score a lot more this season with the move of Carly Truesdale. Jordan Holub is back and is a very proficient high school scorer. Dani Espinoza should make up for Truesdale’s missing shots (points) by averaging a double double in her senior year. Churchill will not have the same firepower as last season but that may be a blessing in disguise. Look for The Wulf to unleash Vorpahl for a monster year. Ironically, his team has gotten easier to defend with the loss of Truesdale. His own Box and 1 like tactics may know be used against him to disable his attack. Look for Vorpahl to face constant double teams and rack up the minutes going into play offs. How she holds up for 35 games will determine the success of the Chargers come February.

Niaga Sweepstakes!

2011-10-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

Niaga Mitchell-Cole was named by this blog as the best player in the city for the class of 2012. The main reason, upside!!! Mitchell-Cole is a very gifted player already but the sky is the limit for the athletic guard for Roosevelt. The sweepstakes for her services at the collegiate level is heating up and she has narrowed her chooses down to three school; UTSA, Texas State and Weber State. I will make a case for her final choices and make my prediction.

Why Weber State?

Weber State has a brand new coaching staff. The Utah school is led by former Louisville assistant coach, Beth Ord. Coach Ord has coached at BCS schools Colorado, Pittsburgh, and Auburn before landing at Louisville. I had a great opportunity to get to know Coach Ord while she was at Louisville and her passion is infectious. She has brought that same enthusiasm that she recruited McDonald All-American Shoni Schimmel to Louisville with to San Antonio a few weeks ago in her pursuit of Mitchell-Cole. Her staff has been recruiting Niaga for years even before landing at Weber State. Assistant Margaret Richards was previously at North Texas and took her love for Niaga to Utah. The staff also has more Texas ties with assistant coach Devan Newman. Coach Newman father is Don Newman, assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs. All three previously mentioned Weber State coaches visited Niaga a few weeks ago. That kind of presence is not the norm. Niaga would be a MAJOR recruit for the Weber State staff to land as she is a BCS caliber talent. They showed a strong presence in San Antonio to illustrate the importance of her to their future plans. Niaga reportedly enjoyed her official visit to Weber State.

Why Texas State?

Texas State also has a new head coach in Zenarae Antoine. Coach "Z", as she is known, is also a former assistant with BCS ties in Louisville and more recently, Arkansas. In her previous role in Arkansas, I had the pleasure of getting to know her through the recruiting process. She is a tenacious recruiter and has a great knowledge of game. She has reportedly expressed to Micthell-Cole that she is the most prized recruit for her staff and the ball would be in her hands from day one. The close proximity of Texas State to San Antonio is a plus. Former Stevens guard Bree Dawson was the Niaga's tour guide during her recent official visit. Texas State is moving to the Western Athletic Conference and the move is presumed to be an upgrade on the national scene. Texas State has been to San Antonio on numerous occasions to show their intent to land Mitchell-Cole. Texas State would be just far enough to get away from home without getting too far away from home. Coach Z has had helped numerous players develop into outstanding players including WNBA star, Angel McCoughtry.

Why UTSA?

UTSA has put on the full court press for Mitchell-Cole. The football game with 30,000 people, Roadrunner Ruckus featuring enthusiastic students and hanging out with team veterans on her official visit all help the case of UTSA. Head coach Rae Blair is a players coach. She is not an exaggerated yeller and allows her players the freedom to create. Her offense is guard friendly and features four guards at times. Her staff is diverse and competent. Assistant Coach "Luby" is a former D1 head coach at Radford and assistant for the WNBA Washington Mystics. UTSA is too moving to the WAC to face better competition and that also helps their case. Niaga would be able to play in front of her family, friends and high school coach, whom she is reportedly very close with.

The winner is?

In MY opinion, I am predicting Michell-Cole chooses...... UTSA. The Roadrunners will land the best payer in her class for the first time in recent San Antonio history. In fact, They will have the best two players in the city for 2012 with Mitchell-Cole and Sabrina Berry. Mitchell-Cole will become a great player under the personal development of UTSA assistant Koty Cowgill. Koty is a bright young strategic mind but his ability as a developer is very impressive. Niaga will add a tighter handle and learn to shoot "with a pause" under his training. Assistant coach, San Antonio great and former pro, Tai Dillard is the kind of mentor that will help a young Mitchell-Cole navigate the college landscape and help her thrive. Coach Blair has historically spread the court and allowed her perimeters players to eat. Mitchell-Cole, at 5-11, is a great rebounding guard and will be allowed to push the rock and create for others. The UTSA back courts as of late have been small with Roadrunner great Amber Gregg and the dynamic Whitney "LuLu" York. Niaga will allow UTSA to play big, if they choose to, with the the ultra talented Judy "Judo" Jones in the back court at the same time.

Of course, this is all speculation! Stay tuned! Decision coming October 23rd.

If I were a boy!

2011-10-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

When Beyonce sung her ode to hypocrisy, the lyrics from 'If I were a Boy' resonated with many young women. The same double standard that the Mrs. Shawn Carter melodically expressed is so evident in local girls basketball.

In the "Really?" moment of the young high school season, a high school coach has reportedly made a bold and probably illegal proclamation. This coach has apparently given his/her star player an ultimatum! The ultimatum is to choose a school to commit to by a certain day or NOT be allowed to practice. Again, let me clarify what you just read. This high school coach has put a player on notice that she is to choose a college by an upcoming date or she WILL NOT be allowed to practice with the team!!!....... Please read that again. And again. And AGAIN!!!!

The college decision can be overwhelming for many players. This decision is worth potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars. This decision will affect the lives of players in ways that they can hardly understand. For an adult, a high school coach, to put additional pressure on a child to make a decision or face consequences is absurd!

Imagine if the Reagan boy's coach told Tre Demps to choose it or lose it last season. How would have Demps' NBA executive father have reacted? Imagine is Malcolm Brown was told that he better choose a school BEFORE the high school season last year or he would have to sit out until doing so. What kind of publicity would this have received? Furthermore, the Steele football coach and Reagan boys basketball coach would not have made such threats because of the likelihood that Brown and Demps would have called their bluff. Steele would not have won state without Brown and Reagan would have been far less successful without Demps. In the ultra competitive world of boys football and basketball, these boys coaches are not allowed to remain mediocre and keep their jobs! To prohibit your best player from playing for reasons that have NOTHING to do with ability would lead eventual dismissal on the boys side.

As the lyrics to 'If I were a Boy' go, "I'd.... make the rules as I go". And since few administrations appear to have great expectations from girls basketball programs, SOME coaches know that they have impunity to be underachievers and held to a standard less than the boys.

Girlz Prep Report on San Antonio again!

2011-10-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

Girlz Prep Report featured two more write ups on SA area kids.

The first article features the exploits of McKenzie Calvert, Kyra Lambert, and Recee' Caldwell.

The second write up appears on Girlz Prep Report Blog and details the promising games of Amber Ramirez and Desiree Caldwell.

I have said this often, all of these 5 guards guards will finish among the Top 50 players in the nation in their respective class. I will be surprised if at least a couple of these kids are not McDonald All-Americans.

San Antonio National Guards!

2011-10-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

San Antonio is producing some guards who must be respected on a national level. Girlz Prep Report mentions a few of the city's elite from the Fall Exposure period.

Three for 3!

2011-10-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Brooke Allemand(2013), Katlyn Ghavidel(2018) and Carlie Heineman(2014) pose for a picture during a recent training session at a local gym. This picture has the potential to represent close to 1000 three point high school makes when it is all said and done.

Allemand led the state of Texas with over 100 three point makes last year, her sophomore year. The sharp shooting Heineman is slated to follow up her District New Comer of the Year season with another great showing. Ghavidel is considered to be one of the best young slingers in the city and will pursue Allemand's future three point records at Champion in a few years. Ironically, Ghavidel's main competition for middle school sharp shooting supremacy is another Heineman, Kenzie. Kenzie Heineman(2018) is the younger sister of Carlie.

Flores reps USA!

2011-10-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

San Antonio great, Christine Flores has been selected by USA Basketball to play in the Pan American Games. The former Churchill star is in her senior season at the University of Missouri.

The 2011 Pan American games will be held in Guadajara Mexico in October.

Tex Preps Magazine

2011-09-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

The new RV Baugus Tex Preps Magazine is in stores now(Barnes and Noble). Some notables:

City is deep in 2014 -According to the magazine, 3 of the top 10 players in 2014 are SA area kids. "The Bakers Dozen" for 2014 has Recee' Caldwell #2(Johnson), McKenzie Calvert #3(Steele) and Wendy Knight #10(Reagan) in the class of 2014.

Featured-Wagner gets some major love with a glowing write up and featured pictures of three players, Adriane Davis, Aundrea Davis, and Kiarra Rivera.

Stats- Some local coaches do a great job at providing info on players and stats to the magazine. This helps increase the awareness of their programs and players. Reagan, Champion, Marshall, Steele, Jay, Stevens, Brennan, and Canyon are SOME of the schools that do a good job with working with the magazine.

No Top Teams?!- For the first time in while, no are teams are considered preseason Top 10 in the state by the magazine. Perennial Top 10 preseason teams Wagner and Steele are missing. John Jay has made the list the last couple years.

I would be very surprised if Steele is not a Top 10 team this season. Talent wins games and Steele has two legitimate McDonald All-American candidates in McKenzie Calvert(soph) and Kyra Lambert(frosh). They also have Rice commit and one of the best kids in the city in Elena Gumbs. Add talented freshman, Bri Mallard and Steele SHOULD make a legitimate run at Austin. Kari Wallace is used to coaching overwhelming talent and should be able keep everybody going in the same direction.

Senobia Winbush commits!

2011-09-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

Senobia Winbush, the skilled forward for Clemens, has committed to Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

According to her SA Lady Rohawks coach Charlie Harper, Winbush had a number of suitors but decided that The Islander program was the best fit for her.

Winbush's size and skill apparently made her a much wanted prospect. She can guard on the perimeter and her length allows for her to rebound against bigger opponents.

Congrats Senobia!

Erica Hernandez Commits!

2011-09-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

The South Texas Hoyas have two of the best young teams in state of Texas. One of the first things you notice when watching the little Hoyas is the prevalence of young Latinas wearing a ponytail on the side of their heads. The reason why is simple; Erica Hernandez wears her hair the same way.

Hernandez reportedly committed to Southeastern Louisiana today on her official visit. The road to her Division 1 commitment has been a long one.

The first time I saw Hernandez was in a Georgetown tournament when she was in the 7th grade. Even then, Hernandez was torching the nets and scoring almost at will. Hernandez has a knack for inspiring others. In that Central Texas gym five years ago, the middle school scoring machine walked up to a 10 year old and said, " You are gonna be good, you remind me of Diana Taurasi". The 10 year old smile lit up the gym and she remembers that encounter with Hernandez to this day. Hernandez status is almost legendary in Floresville as she inspires the future Erica Hernandez's to achieve.

Hernandez was a Top 5 scorer in the area last season and has to be considered one of the favorites to lead the city in scoring this season.

Congrats Erica!

Alan Stein on Charlie Harper!

2011-09-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

"You can be successful and not significant. (Success has to do with achieving goals, significance is about impacting lives)" Alan Stein

Alan Stein does not know Charlie Harper and his Lady Rohawk program. Stein is one of the most respected and recognized strength and conditioning trainers in basketball. Stein may not know Coach Harper but his tweet this morning provided a perfect description of Harper and his relevance to San Antonio girls basketball.

Noelle Kindred is a Lady Rohawk. Even though she has moved on to college basketball, she will tell you that she is a Lady Rohawk to the core. Kindred has an older sister, Nicole, who also played for the Lady Rohawks and matriculated to Our Lady of the Lake to play basketball. The Kindred sisters have a younger sister name Natasha. Natasha is too a Lady Rohawk and she is the most talented of all three sisters. Nathasha and Nicole have size, length, athleticism that college coaches look for. They also play(ed) major minutes for MacArthur High School. Noelle is not blessed with the same physical attributes as her two sisters. She played sparingly for MacArthur during her time there. However, Noelle is PLAYING college basketball for free. Noelle is attending Iowa Community College and her first two years of education are being paid for. This is the type of significance that Charlie Harper and his Lady Rohawk program has on the lives of his players.

Gone are the days when Coach Harper had BCS caliber players like his daughter CeCe(Kansas), Monica Engleman(Kansas), and Sune Agbuke(Baylor). Many believed that Harper's days were numbered as a successful club director when CeCe left to college. Since CeCe's departure, Harper has HELPED 11 out of 11 seniors graduate to college basketball programs!

The Lady Rohawks played in the ShesBallin Extravaganza this past April. The Rohawks took a beating on the court. An opposing coach was overheard saying "mismatch" after his team beat the Rohawks by 50 or so points. No onlooker could claim that Harper was being successful at that time; except Coach Harper.

Harper puts little significance into winning and losing club basketball games. He can care less if kids barely earn playing time for their high school teams. In fact, he is almost "blinded" by his mission. The first time I saw this perceived "lack of foresight" was two years ago. We were sitting in a gym watching his daughter CeCe play against Reagan. Reagan had a junior guard on the team that barely played. He leaned over to me and whispered, "I'm going to get that kid into school." I thought he was crazy! This kid looked good in warm ups and at halftime but played no more than 10 minutes in a high school game. I wondered how a kid that could not garner playing time as a junior in high school basketball was going to thrive on the ultra competitive club circuit that the Rohawks play on. By that June, I saw how shortsighted I had been. I was the one who was apparently blinded by perception. I saw the Reagan bench player hold her own against a loaded TeamXpess team that featured BCS guards in Len'Nique Brown, KiKi Ageous and Meighan Simmons. I had to take notice of the newly transformed player and learn her name was Alicia Houston. Houston went on to have a great summer and played major minutes for Reagan her senior year. More importantly, she went on to earn a scholarship to Midwestern State, a Division 2 school in Central Texas.

Speaking from a SUCCESS standpoint, one could make the argument that Harper has not achieved what other clubs in the city have as of late. Harper can not claim dozens of BCS kids on his website. Harper can not claim to have beaten the so called best club teams in the city over the last few years. What Harper can claim is that every senior kid in his program has graduated to a college basketball opportunity. Just as important, his impact on their lives is evident.

When Harper is working his graveyard shift, he gets frequent text messages from his former players seeking his advice. Some text how much they miss him and learned from him. One recent text was from Ebony Watkins. The UTA freshman quit the Lady Rohawks going into her junior year. She came back for a senior season that catapulted her onto the national scene. Those who know Ebony can not deny the maturity that she developed under the tutelage of Harper.

Success is relative. The same coach who beat the Lady Rohawks badly and yelled "mismatch" is having success with the help of Harper. Harper taught a young recent grad to dribble. He paid trainers to work with this kid when his job would not allow for him to work with her and his team. This player chose one of the most prestigious schools in the country and will be playing basketball this season at this school. The coach who yelled mismatch helped train this kid for a short period of time, yet put her matriculation on his website as one of his success stories. True, this coach helped her but it was Charlie Harper and his Lady Rohawk program that nurtured this kid and had the most impact on her BASKETBALL destination.

In a recent meeting with Harper, I found him to be kind of rude. He takes dozens of calls in the middle of conversation. He can be loud, his laugh at a decibel that can be heard two blocks away. He will leave his guest waiting; waiting on him to take calls from coaches as he constantly promotes his players. His phone calls and interruptions during meetings are a humbling experience. I found myself listening to call after call from former players who just wanted a little of his time. They seek his advice, they thank him for his frequent text messages of encouragement.

In a day where some club coaches charge exorbitant fees to provide recruiting assistance for their own kids to get in school, Harper is winning. In the day where club coaches constantly recruit over their own players to chase trophies, Harper is successful. In the day of kids playing for club coaches and despising the experience with regret, Harper is leading the pack. Unfortunately, some of us are so far behind that we think we are winning!

Great HoopGurlz Article!

2011-09-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

ESPN HoopGurlz writer Marc Lewis does it again. Here is a terrific piece on "having too many cooks in the kitchen".

Football Tips!

2011-09-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

Watching the precision of the Steele offense against Southwest tonight, I noticed some quick similarities to elite basketball players.

QB- A good quarterback throws to areas and leads his receiver to success. A good point guard leads her teammates with passes that also enables success. Passing to Bigs at half court vs aggressive traps is setting them up for failure. Like a good QB, a good PG will give a "catch and shoot" shooter a pass that flows into her shot. While a QB may throw a few jump balls , the elite QB's throw passes that allow for yards after a catch, the same way a good PG will make passes that lead to easy scores.

Offensive Linemen- Contact is a good thing. When training young girls to play in the post, it can be difficult to teach them that sealing a defender and holding that seal is advantageous. A lot of kids want to play what I call "hide and seek". They make a basket cut and try to run away from defenders. This allows defenders to shoot the gaps and intercept late passes. Instead of cutting and running away, good cutters and post players seal opposing defenders by initiating contact. In football, offensive linemen understand that contact is the only way for them to do their job successfully.

Running Backs- A good running back plays low and changes direction by planting their outside foot. A good slashing basketball player has a tight enough handle to NOT let the ball hinder their change of direction or pace. Playing low and planting the outside foot allows for north south plays. Like a good running back, a good slasher constantly reads the 'secondary" by having her eyes up and ability to beat more than one defender.

Keith Taylor with the assist!

2011-09-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

With the first day of high school visits for college coaches tomorrow, the city will again have distinguished visitors.

To prepare for these visitors, some high schools coaches have been doing their part to HELP their kids get in school.

According to conversations with a few Division 1 coaches this past month, the name of Raven Reyes has continued to come up. The reason for the added interest in "Rae Rae" is a major push from Jay assistant, Kieth Taylor.

Coach Taylor has apparently been sending numerous emails and providing video of Reyes to Division 1 coaches lately. Reyes has a number of schools already on her trail due to her participation with her club team, South Texas Hoyas. However, Coach Taylor has dutifully been beating the bushes to increase her options.

This is a stark contrast to a story a Division 1 coach told me recently. Reportedly, a local high school coach whom has significant tenure, yet has not won at a successful level, was contacted by colleges often. This complacent coach failed to HELP her star athlete in anyway in terms of communicating and working with colleges. This coach uses the kid to chase wins, but does not help her in her pursuit of using basketball to gain an education. This kid, a 2012 player, recently committed to a Division 1 University. Now her high school coach wants to enjoy the ride and throw celebrations in November for the Letter of Intent signing.

I was encouraged last year when I visited Madison High School's new gym. The sparking new foyer to the gym contained a beautiful case. The case did not contain recent district titles from the girls basketball program because Madison has not won district recently. What the case did contain were pictures and the accomplishments of CeCe Harper and Monica Engleman. Both of the Division 1 players for Kansas are being celebrated for their contribution to the Madison program and THEY are the true trophies for that program. The Madison program allowed both kids to flourish while both kids established Madison as a Top 10 team in the city. This was mutually beneficial relationship.

It is great to hear of coaches like Keith Taylor and his boss, Mike Floyd, who care for their kids beyond high school. I hear that some high school coaches have problems with overvaluing their players when marketing them to colleges by claiming a Divison 3 walk-on is a High Major Division 1 starter. However, overvaluing players is surely better than under appreciating them and their contributions by not HELPING them pursue a college education.

College Exposure Showcase!

2011-09-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

The 3rd Annual Alamo City JR/SR Showcase is coming up in a couple of weeks. This event will enable local players to showcase their ability in front of D2, D3, NAIA and Juco coaches. At $55 to participate, it is a very inexpensive way to potentially earn college attention.

San Antonio basketball thru Hip Hop!

2011-09-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

The following blog is an attempt to describe the style of play of SOME of our city's best player in comparison to hip hop stars. In no way should ANY negativity involving the hip hop artists mentioned be associated with the comparisons to the players. The game of basketball can be as artistic as the many styles of hip hop and the comparisons are for that reason only.

McKenzie Calvet ( T.I.)
Calverts game resembles the self proclaimed King of the South. Skilled and confident galore. Started off independent with her fathers club team but was wooed by a major(DFW Washington's) like T.I.(Def Jam). Calvert was the great young rapper named Tip, tons of potential, when she starred for her fathers Jaguar team. Her game then matured to become a true combo guard with her DFW Washington team that features some of the best players in the nation. Like T.I did with Def Jam, Calvert moved to a new plateau with DFW Washington.

Kyra Lambert (Ludacris)
Game is smooth but can be explosive too. Basketball IQ resembles the marketing savvy of Luda. Also is versatile enough to play both guard positions like Ludacris acting, rhyming and running a a highly successful biz. Like Luda has an impressive Vocabulary, Lambert is skilled and clever with her handle and ability to attack the defense. Luda has the knack for making hits, whether streets anthem or radio hits. Lambert also has this gift as she can run sets(radio) or play a run and gun style(street).

Brooke Allemand (Kanye West)
Game and persona is confidence personified. Kanye started off as a supreme beat maker like Allemand did as a shooter. Now Kanye can rhyme with best best of them like Allemand can play the point and score with our city's best.The Louie Viton Don carries himself with an aura that Allemand plays the game of basketball with. She can have a bad game like Kanye's last album(808's and Heartbreak) and still the brilliance is evident. Like Kanye, she is comfortable stepping outside the box and playing with flare.

Sabrina Berry (Rick Ross)
Uugghh! Whatever the sound that Rick Ross, The Boss, makes is the sound off Berry's game. She is powerful. Strong in her game like Rick Ross in his delivery. She is an Alpha like Ross is the Boss. Plays for an independent in the summer in the well respected Austin Elite like Ross has his own label that garners great revenue and success. Her boldness and aggressive attacking style is Rick Ross-like with his dominant beard, imposing frame and straight forward delivery.

Amber Ramirez (Jadakiss)
Like Kiss, "Jelly" Ramirez takes a back seat to NO ONE in a lyrical(scoring) stand point. Like Kiss, Ramirez has been the anointed one for awhile. Ramirez will lead the city in scoring for at least two years and chase Meaghan Simmons scoring record with a passion! Like Kiss is one of the rawest lyricist in the game, Ramirez is one the purest scorers that San Antonio will ever see. The way she disables defenders is like the raspy and potent punch lines of Kiss at his best.

Destiny Amezquita(50 Cent)
Like 50 Cent accomplished with the mixtape circuit , Amezquita put in the work on the SA scene for many years. Her local respect is almost legendary. I can confidently say that no one has scored more points and won more games IN San Antonio leagues, events and club tournaments over the last 5 years than Amezquita. Like 50, she can get grimy and tough but also has a smooth game that resembles 50 Cents' 2001 flow.

Recee' Caldwell(Drake)
Drake lyrical content, song writing skills and hit making ability mirrors Caldwell's game. She is versatile, smooth and possesses the raw skill of a Drake track. She can carry a team like Drake when he is solo but truly thrives in a setting where she can enhance a song(game) like Drake does when he provides a song hook and a 16 bar verse on a feature. Drake can rhyme with a juggernaut like Lil Wayne, Caldwell skill set and killer instinct allows her to show and prove against any "Lil Wayne" in the nation. Like Drake, she is a great ghost writer that prefers to play in the back ground and enable others to shine.

Churchill Fall League Observations

2011-09-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Some quick quips about the first week of the Churchill Fall League:

- Brennan point guard Allysa Crockett(2013) looks good. Crockett is already considered one of the better players in the class of 2013 for the city and looks intent on putting in more work. Her constant attacking style will guarantee her multiple trips to the free throw line.

- John Jay is back! Jay looked very tough against a Reagan team that was missing UTSA commit, Sabrina Berry. Jay is loaded, again! Destiny Amezquita looks like she has fully recovered from the knee injury and has something to prove. Amezquita and her customary volleyball line range was on full display. Aleeya Harris(2013)looks ready for a breakout year and has added an improved skill set to her already impressive athletic ability. Raven "Rae Rae" Reyes(2012) played all of her 6'2 frame and also looks poised for a great senior year. Antania "T" Newton(2014) has a year of elite HS ball under her belt and teamed with Amezquita to form a potent back court. Don't sleep on "Moose" Leonard(2015). Her range and tenacity will earn her some minutes for the Mustangs.

- Johnson's Katie Burcham must be respected. The senior shooting guard can hit the open jumper well. She is also deceptively quick when slashing into the paint. Her ability to spread the defense helps Johnson's small ball attack.

- Another player that looked primed for a major breakout year is Reagan's Moriah Mack(2013). Mack looks to have sharpened up her handle and hit some impressive shots over bigger defenders yesterday. Mack is gonna be a problem for opposing defenders this season!

- Watch out for Judson sophomore Shameka Brown. The younger sister of Judson standout and former district New Comer of the Year, LB Brown(2013), Shameka has star written all over her. Shameka is still young in the game but her naturally ability and improving skill set had her doing some very impressive things yesterday.

- MacArthur guard Amy Saucedo showed that she is one of the better guards against full court pressure in the city. Her handle and habit of playing low makes her tough to stay in front of for defenders. Mac looks to have some young athletes in the pipeline that should make for a promising future.

- Chamaya Turner will lead the city in scoring this season. the all-everything guard for Canyon lost a lot of help from her play off team last season. Turner is too much a competitor not to go down swinging. She will lead the city in scoring if she is able defeat the nightly Box and 1's that she will surely face.

Another Top 2015!

2011-09-07T21:46:00.001-07:00

Johnson High School freshman Erica Sanders is featured in a video by Peach State Hoops. Sanders is considered one of the best 2015 players in the state of Texas by Peach State Hoops and Premier Basketball Report. Click here for video.

Top 2015!

2011-09-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

Steele's Kyra Lambert has been named to the "Player Watch List" by ESPN HoopGurlz. This initial list marks Lambert as one of the Top 100 players in the country for 2015. The truth is that Lambert is a Top 50 kid easily, and I will not be surprised if she is in the initial Terrific 25 next year at this time.

Missing Len'Nique!

2011-09-05T09:58:00.001-07:00

With San Antonio basketball gaining national prominence, the good has be accompanied by the bad. This blog is partly to blame. The basketball community has championed our brightest your players as future greats. We have celebrated these young ladies for their dedication and perseverance. Club coaches, trainers, websites, columnists and such have praised these young players. The results of this celebration of our youth has led to some parents and kids to think that they are better than they truly are. Simply put, "Daddy, your daughter does not walk on water"!

All this "big timing" by these young girls and their parents begs for more Len'Nique Brown's. Nique was the most humble but self confident kid in the city's recent history. Nique played like she was a great player but NEVER exuded cocky defiance. She was soft spoken and a consummate good sport. She encouraged others! So many young players drew inspiration from Nique because she always had a kind word and took time to be approachable. You never saw Nique get technical fouls, trash talk, beat on her chest and openly defy her coach(es).

Nique's humble nature is turning out to be the exception instead of the rule. How unfortunate that is to a city that still has a long way to go to truly be considered a hot bed of talent in regards to girls basketball. Girl's basketball in San Antonio is "feeling itself" a little too much. What the GOD-fearing Len'Niue Brown realized was that, the ONE who did walk on water believed the greatest among us should be a servant to others. Instead of more great servants, we are creating overrated roosters; strutting, cackling, and inadvertently begging for a slice of humble pie.

New Independent Movement!

2011-09-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

This site was accused of being a TeamXpress propaganda machine a few years ago. Never mind that TeamXpress was a basketball factory at that time that produced double digit college players every season, most of them local players. This was not favoritism but reporting the truth. If Walmart has the majority of the market share, a retail business website would be untruthful to ignore the financial prowess Walmart.

Today the landscape of San Antonio basketball has changed. Instead of one or two organizations having all of the talent, many local clubs now send kids to college. In an ESPN article in regards to the 2014 released yesterday, ESPN analyst and Peach State founder, Brandon Clay, makes this statement:

"Our initial 2014 Terrific 25 features several kids who have taken the less-traveled approach to the grassroots scene. playing with teams in their area or primarily individual events as opposed to playing with well-established national programs. Jenna Burdette, Recee' Caldwell, Courtney Ekmark, Keyona Harris, Mychal Johnson, Lauren Moses and Mikayla Venson all have made their way onto the list this way. The evolution of events including the Nike Skills Academies, Elite Basketball Academy Camps and USA Basketball trials have opened the door for players to take a different approach to the exposure process. Caldwell started for the USA Basketball U16 team in between leading a San Antonio's Finest team where she was the leading scorer. Ekmark's shooting propelled the Arizona Warriors which also doubles as her high school team. Burdette and Johnson play on a West Virginia Thunder team that, thanks to their play. was competitive all summer. The same applies to Moses with Philly Triple Threat and Harris with the Miami Suns. Venson is the outlier in that she doesn't play on the national scene. In the meantime, this group has shown that the road to our rankings widen by the day. "

Brandon Clay is detailing the fact that has been largely assumed by any intelligent basketball observers over the last few years. The fact is that the basketball rain makers must realize that the traditional national powerhouses do not, nor can not, have all the talent. Diversity and competition is good for the game! With Nike downsizing to supporting only 20 teams and adidas not funding its grassroots girls basketball programs like the days of old, INDEPENDENT organizations will continue to rise. The advancement of the game through so many talented young players demands that some kids earn their just do, despite not being affiliated with the "powers that be".

Here are a couple more insights on the initial 2014 ESPN Hoopgurlz Rankings:

Independents- In addition to the above mention players that primarily play for Independents, add Jordin Canada(#3), Lajahna Drummer(#6), Mariya Moore(#14), Brooke McCarty(#16) to the lists. Canada and Drummer play on the Mike T. White circuit for Cal Sparks. McCarty plays for Cy-Fair Premier. Moore plays for Bay Area Warriors. Add Gabby Green to the discussion as well. Green was groomed under Mark Anger and his EBX program. She moved to Nike Team Taurasi for one event and unfortunately broke her ankle in her only event with them.

Nike- Nike has been and will continue to be THE circuit to play on. Nike Teams will always be stacked with a great portion of the elite kids in the country. However, here is an interesting fact. According to ESPN Hoopgurlz 2013 rankings, the Top 4 players in the country did not play at the Super Bowl of club basketball, Nike Nationals, this season. Mercedes Russell, Kaela Davis, Diamond Deshields, and Taya Reimer were not in Augusta, Georgia for Nike Nationals this past July. To dispel misinformation about who is sponsored by Nike, visit the BlueStar site. Nike ONLY sponsors two oranizations in Texas, Cy-Fair Shock and DFW Elite. That's it!

Unaffiliated with Hoop Scoop

2011-09-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

After fielding several inquires into "my" new site, I must clarify that ShesBallin is unaffiliated with River City Hoop Scoop. The River City site is a good thing for San Antonio basketball as it continues to do what this site has done, shine light on local kids, clubs, coaches and high schools.

However, The River City Hoop Scoop is in essence a ranking entity and this site is not. This site has ranked players since 2008 with great accuracy when analyzed against results. The intent of this site has not changed since its inception.

This site has helped put the shine on some great local kids that were not receiving ANY national love. For instance, when Baylor commit McKenzie Calvert announced her commitment, this site was the ONLY online entity that had mentioned and wrote about Calvert up until that point.

While ShesBallin will continue to do a once a year rankings for the city, rankings will not be the main content. Observers have assumed that ShesBallin was affiliated with River City Hoop Scoop because of the obvious similarities with rankings and verbiage. But the similarities are necessary since the game, is the game. The best players will stand out. Any political agendas and or favoritism will damage future credibility of either site.

September Quick Hitters!

2011-09-01T08:42:00.001-07:00

With two months from tipping off the high school season, here are a few happenings/observations on the local scene.

- Former Smithson Valley Star and Tulane player, Danielle Blagg is in good company. Seen here in the weight room with NBA and New Orleans Hornets star, Chris Paul!

-HoopGurlz Terrific 25- ESPN HoopGurlz just debuted its first ranking of the 2014 class. Johnson's Recee' Caldwell is considered the #8 player in the nation with a 94 rating. Caldwell is ranked #10 by Blue Star Report. She is currently ranked #5 by All-Star Girls Report.

-BlueStar Ranking- Steele's McKenzie Calvert is ranked #21 in the country for 2014. This would put her on pace be a McDonald's All-American if she stays in the top 25 players in the nation.

-Speaking of Caldwell, The Johnson High School team will be the sleeper in the city this season. The Lady Jags will follow up their first 20 win season with two future D1 additions in Gabbi Bowie(2014) and Erica Sanders(2015). Bowie ,the New Comer of the Year in an El Paso district last season, is being recruited by New Mexico St., North Texas, and University of Texas Arlington. Sanders has a Division 1 offer before playing her first high school basketball game and is being pursued by UTSA, North Texas, University of Houston, Tulane, UAB and UTA. The Lady Jags also have two new 5-11 sisters to help make the race for the NEISD title a great one.

- NEISD will be hotly contested this season:

Defending champs Reagan return three D1 kids in the line up in Sabrina Berry(UTSA), Moriah Mack and Wendy Knight. Add future college player and much improved Corrigan Tibbs in the post and the Rattlers have to be the favorite to win district. Coach Terry Barton is one of the better coaches in the city.

Churchill is still stacked even with the reported lost of Carly Truesdale. The Lady Chargers sill feature point guard extraordinaire, Leslie Vorpahl. Danni Espinoza had a monster summer and has at least one D1 coach calling San Antonio area coaches and inquiring about her. Jordan Holub is one of the better high school 2 guards in the city. The Chargers main asset is Coach Cal Wulfsberg who seems to have most area coaches intimidated by his colorful sideline personality. No local coach rides referees and influences games like Wulfsberg. His 1-1-3 zone gets the ball out of the hands of the oppositions best player by using a full court defender to essentially play full court man. He and his team will be tough to beat.

Roosevelt lost a seasoned senior class but still has the ShesBallin #1 player in the class of 2012, Niaga Mitchell-Cole. Lookout for a monster season from Mitchell-Cole. She must be the Alpha in the city if Roosevelt is to have any success. Roosevelt has one of the Top 5 freshman in the city in Endia Peterson and the well respected but little known, Muanyae Melancon.

Watch out for Lee. The new coach William Taylor, is father of former Jay star and Texas Southern player, Kiarra. He, like his brother Keith(asst. for John Jay), are dedicated developers and GO HARD! Lee has a capable leader and will surely not be an easy out in the next few years.

Madison should surprise many teams this years with a terrific 1-2 punch in Briana Jones and Monica Perez. Ashton Gulczweski and "Peechy" Alcibar will help fuel pretty good back court. Perez and Jones are much improved and had great summers that will have college coaches visiting the campus this fall.

-Speaking of Roosevelt, Coach Rob Rheinberger apparently gets it! According to numerous college coaches, Coach "Berger" is very proactive in the recruiting process of his players. He works with club and college coaches with providing video and updated stats. He actively calls colleges on the behalf of his players and does not try to "oversell" his players. He is getting the same reputation with some college coaches that Wagner's Tina Camacho, Jay's Mike Floyd, Triva Corrales and Steven's Anissa Hastings has, and that is of a GIRLS high school coach who takes the job seriously and goes above and beyond for his kids.

- Visits-Some local players are taking official and unofficial visits soon:

Boerne Champions' Brooke Allemand is reportedly planning on taking an unofficial to UTSA, University of New Mexico and Rice this fall.

Roosevelt's Niaga Mitchell-Cole is reportedly visiting Texas State on Friday. She is said to be attending the inaugural UTSA football game on Saturday followed by an official visit at a later date. She has official visits set up for Weber St. and Fresno St later in the fall.

Floreville's Erica Hernandez recently visited Southeastern University last month.

- High School preview coming soon!

- The best two players in the city for class of 2015, Kyra Lambert(Steele) and Erica Sanders are attending the prestigious EBA Rising Stars Camp in Georgia this upcoming weekend. The event is an invite only camp by Peach State Hoops, one of the most respected entities in girls basketball.

Jessica Kuster-ish

2011-08-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

With Elena Gumbs' commitment, former Reagan star, Jessica Kuster comes to mind. San Antonio will have two very bright young stars playing for Rice in 2012-2013.

Kuster had a break out year that surprised many with her terrific freshman season. She was definitely the "sleeper" of the 2010 class. So who will be the "sleeper" for San Antonio for the class of 2011? Danielle Blagg!!

While other players may have "went bigger", Danielle Blagg has the ability and environment to shine in the Tulane system. Conference, style of play and ability all should spell success for Blagg. She is my pick for having a breakout year for SA's for class of 2011.

Gumbs makes it official!

2011-08-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Steele star, Elena Gumbs, has formally announced what some have known for months; she is going to Rice to play basketball!

The TeamXpress point guard reportedly verballed to Rice after the viewing period in April but held the news close until recently.

Gumbs is an amazing athlete. Do not be surprised if she runs track and excels in that sport as well. Gumbs was one of the best long distance runners in the state as a freshman and sophomore.

Gumbs is a success story and an inspiration to the vertically challenged players in the city. Anyone knowing Elena will understand her will to succeed and her enormous confidence. This self belief has led to Gumbs, a 5'4 guard, to being among a very small percentage of small guards that get an opportunity to play Division 1 basketball. It also helps that she is reportedly a brilliant student.

Congrats to the Gumbs Family. Congrats Elena!

Chasing Meighan!!

2011-08-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

What Meighan Simmons has meant to the San Antonio area's basketball scene can not be measured. She has motivated young basketball players across the city to strive to achieve more. She has shown the nation that San Antonio's brightest players can play with anybody. The McDonald All-American door has been opened and it is highly probable that more local kids will too be named to this team over the next handful of years. Meighan's positive effect on the city can not be denied, however, her high school brilliance has had some adverse consequences as well.

Bites too Big for the Mouth: Since Meighan's commitment to the legendary program of Tennessee, a number of the kids in the city have chosen schools that were a little over their head in an attempt to "keep up with Meighan". Some mid-major D1 talents chose high majors schools and are having trouble finding playing time. Some players chose small D1 schools over the better fits of D2 schools and are having trouble adjusting their game to the higher level.

Big Time Daddies(Mommas): Another "Meighan Effect" is the prevalence of the number of parents, primarily fathers, in overvaluing the abilities of their daughters. It is amusing to hear many parents coaching from the sideline and exaggerating the exploits of their kids with no real reference point. To hear middle school daddies compare their child to older elite players is ridiculous if they did not see these elite players in middle school. Also, failing to take into account the caliber of competition and coaching is problematic. This also speaks of a lack of perspective when comparing kids and not taking "upside" into account.

I routinely heard a father talk of how his daughter was a great scorer and unstoppable in middle school when projecting her eventual brilliance. This father failed to account for other factors like genetics, environment and personal drive. Without being completely sidetracked, Meighan's first cousin on her mothers side is a veteran NFL player who makes his living with his amazing speed. Meighan's father is 6'4ish with a muscular build, even in his middle aged years. Her brother is a freshman linebacker at Oklahoma State and her baby brother is already closing in on 6"4 as a rising sophomore. Besides these athletic genes, Meighan had an environment that nurtured her amazing talent. Her close knit supportive family had a distinct plan for Meighan's development and stuck with the script. Most importantly, Meighan possesses an overlooked but essential "WILL TO SUCCEED" most players simply do not have. Her self confidence, vision and determination is not normal.

(Side note: Size- I often recall the pronouncements of a local father who had a chip on his shoulder about the size of his daughter. He claimed that everybody discriminated against his child because of her size. He would go on for days about how unfair it was that his daughter was "slept on" by coaches, ranking services and by this site. Never mind that at least two local players,underclassmen in fact, have D1 offers and are the same size as his daughter. What this dad could not see was that he stunted his daughters development by chasing trophies instead of making sure she had a D1 skill set in her formative years.)

Delusional High School Coaches?- In speaking with a D1 coach recently, he/she had been informed of a local high school coach claiming that to have three high major D1 players currently on his roster. This coach is apparently unknowledgeable. He is a good X and O coach in my opinion but his cocoon has him fooled! Any high school coach that does not go to elite club events in the summer will have a tough time at being objective. The coaches that do not visit high major college practices are not informed about the caliber of player that it takes to plays at that level. The problem is again, perspective.

(Another Side Note: A few years ago I spoke of an Oklahoma high school coach I met at a club tournament. I chronicled her success. I find it NO SURPRISE that this coach is now the head coach at Tulsa University. In the same blog, I "discovered" a dynamic young guard named Kamra King. Ms. King is now a freshman at UTSA and looked very good last week in a spirited scrimmage vs SA greats, Jasmine Malone and Sarah Miles)

Take Boerne Champion for instance. Johnathan Tate is one of the brightest young minds in the city. He is one of the few coaches that I consistently see scouting opponents on off days. He is innovative in many ways. A couple of years ago, his brilliance helped his team share a district title with Steele, led by Meighan Simmons. Now, an unknowledgable observer would reason that Tate's Champion team must have had players that were as good as Simmons. WRONG!!! The truth is that Tate's "team" was arguably as good as Steele's team. College coaches make their living "finding" players. Not one senior from that 2010 Steele team is playing college basketball on a scholarship, let alone at the highest level of the game for a a program like Tennessee. Champion's team ran a great system. A great system and the Texas high school rules (lack of shot clock), allow good/great coaches to partially minimize the accomplishments of great players. Coaching schemes are essentially why a kid can play against a Simmons led team and score as much as her, and her high school coach FALSELY believe that his/her player is even in the same breath as Simmons.

This overestimation of high school players by high school coaches lead some to encourage wrong schools choices. A former local high school coach advised her star guard to pass up on the only D1 offer a few years ago because her player "could get a bigger" offer. Luckily this kid secured a late offer from another "small" D1 at an exposure event after her high school senior season. This kind of thinking has been a vice of club coaches in the past but now some high school coaches are joining them in getting caught up "going big".

Club Basketball Marketing: For a club organization to advertise that a former player went to a big time university helps the prestige of that club. For a club coach to speak with the Patt Summitt or Geno Auriemma is very flattering and some get caught up in the hype. A club director claiming that so many former players playing in BCS conferences, helps future recruiting efforts. It implies that a particular club is "big time". The problem with this perception is that some miss the fact that Simmons is different. Her early success at the highest level of college basketball is the exception, not the norm. Also, her former club team, TeamXpress, has had successful kids play at the BCS level before Simmons(Sarah Miles). Great clubs do not make the players, great players make great clubs.

All we have to do is look at Jesica Kuster of Rice as an example. Kuster did not "go big time" to many observers. However, next to Simmons, she had the most successful freshman season of any kid in the city, even though some kids went "bigger". Her high school and club coach can take pride in the fact that they guided her to the right choice, the right fit, and did not get blinded by getting caught up in the (Meighan) moment.

Chasing Trophies: This is a very sore subject. Watching local teams and parents constantly chasing trophies is hurting the game. Watching Meighan score almost at will while shattering the city scoring record has led many parents to believe that this is the only way to succeed. Consequently, these clubs and parents play inferior competition in an attempt of having little Suzy look like a scoring machine. This is a very flawed strategy.

Meighan Simmons played up in competition! My first month in San Antonio, I visited Meighan's club practice in Austin. I found her pretty impressive. She was a freshman still and had been recently named New Comer of the Year for the city. I found it interesting that she was the starting guard on her TeamXpress team and her BACKUP was the #75 ranked player in the nation by ESPN Hoopgurlz. Please reread that last sentence. That should tell you two things; Meighan was a high major talent as freshman and she played up instead of finding an inferior team and competition to make her look good.

This blog is not really about Meighan. It is about how the city may be looking through rose colored glasses when we approach the girls that are coming after her. Yes, we should be pushing the young players that want to be pushed to achieve more than Meighan. The problems occur when we fail to consider how extraordinary she was(is) and how we can get on a slippery slope in the pursuit of achieving her status. The crown is extremely heavy to wear and it simply does not fit the head of the majority of players.

2011-08-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

With the club season over, many players and parents are now wondering what should they do in terms of keeping contact with college coaches. I have asked numerous coaches for advice on the subject. Here are some of the responses:

Communication: According to one college coach, players should be "proactive by emailing, calling and even texting coaches to express interest". This coach went on to say that although coaches can not respond to text messages, they still show that recruits are interested. "Facebook is the best thing going right now.... It's more personal than email but not as quick as a text", states one particular D1 coach. Beginning on September 1st of a players junior year, they can be contacted via email and Facebook. This coach also liked the opportunities of getting to know a kid via Twitter by using person to person messages.

A different college coach preferred not to receive text messages from recruits as it may lead to quick instinctive replies which could be a violation. However, this coach also trumpeted the use of Facebook and Twitter in the communication process. The downside of the social media communication leads to another piece of advice.

Enthusiasm: One coach describes how recruits can really turn a coaching staff off by not "seeming" interested. This coach went on to explain that many recruits lack the communication skills that should be expected by a young adult. This coach feels that frequent communication on social media sites have left kids unable to effectively speak with adults. This can lead to schools moving on to recruits that are better equipped to relate their interest effectively.

One coach advises kids to be specific with schools when contacting them by doing your homework. Knowing what educational opportunities, style of offenses, and player personnel are all helpful in showing a college program that you are serious about them. Mentioning how you(high school player) and your game is similar to a former player of that institution can go a long way.

Introductions: If a player has not been sent a questionnaire or communication by a school but would like to be recruited by them, mama or daddy may not be the best option. One D1 coach states that they are more likely to take a look at unsolicited inquiries if contacted by a high school or club coach. This coach went on to explain that many programs will not simply ignore a call from a club or high school coach in Texas because they do not want to alienate grass roots coaches in such a talent rich state.

San Antonio Rankings! 2013

2011-08-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

1) Chamaya Turner( Canyon/Sophia Young Eite)

- The most dominate player in the class. Turner is guard with a power forwards body and great vision. Passing ability is incredible. Finishes in paint as well as any in the city but imposes her will on defenders. She is a bully with the ball in the mode of Erica Donovan. Terrific athlete with Olympic potential in track. At least one D1 offer.

2) Brooke Allemand(Champion/SA Finest)

- The best shooter in the city finished first in the state of Texas in 3 point makes last season. As a freshman, led the city in 3 point percentage. She has improved her handle enough to routinely yank defenders. A former gymnast, her quickness makes her tough to stay in front of for defenders. Great mid-range runner and pull up jumper. Shoots the 12-15 footer like a boy. ESPN Hoopgurlz Top 100 player. D1 offers at 5'5 is impressive.

3) Destiny Amezquita( Jay/Lady Mustangs)

- Before the knee injury, the best in the city for 2013. If she recovers fully, Amezquita is arguably as dominant as ANY player in the city on the high school level. She has incredible strength at the guard position and has volleyball line range on her jumper. Tight handle and good passer. Another bully with the ball. Plays with chip on her shoulder and takes a backseat to no one.

4) Leslie Vorpahl (Churchill/SA Heat)

- The best floor general in the class of 2013 and probably the purest point guard in the city. Incredible basketball IQ. Understands how to change pace as well as any in the city. Never panics vs traps or pressure. She passes to areas of success for her teammates. Plays passing lanes well on defense and does a great job on anticipating by reading opposing players eyes and shoulders.

5) Moriah Mack(Reagan/Sophia Young Elite)

- Huge upside still! Incredible athlete with hops to spare. Arguably the best on-ball defender in city. A surefire defensive stopper at the next level. First step is almost unfair. Improved her handle and jumper this past summer to become one of the city's elite.

6) Aleeya Harris(John Jay/South Texas Hoyas)

- The most upside in 2013. At 6"1 Built strong enough to rebound and guard post players but quick enough to guard the wings at the next level. Aggressive shot blocker with good timing. Improved handle allows her to face up and attack bigger defenders. When she figures out that she can be great, watch out!

7) Brianna Jones( Madison/SA Finest)

- The most improved player in the city for 2013. At 5"11, another kid that can guard post players and guards. Wiry strong with a solid handle. She has clean 17 foot jumper. Can increasingly hit the 3 ball off of the catch. Plays out of position in HS. Really helped herself this summer by playing well vs. top rated wings around the nation.

8) Jackie Anderson(Antonian/SA Finest)

- Big guard at 5"9 with strong build and handle to match. Wing span of a 6 footer which causes havoc on defense. Great first step off the dead ball. Nasty jab step that leads to paint touches often. Mid range runner is a great weapon. Can rebound and push tempo extremely well.

9) Elexus Allen(Stevens/SA Comets-Leonard)

- 6"0 and arms that go on forever. Another upside kid. Terrific athlete and great defender. Used as a lock down kid for her high school and club programs. A nightmare at the top of a trapping zone press. Track star fast. Improving offensive skill set.

10) Alyssa Crockett(Brennan/TeamXpress)

- Gritty point guard with a great motor. Plays with chip on her shoulder. She is constantly on the attack and lives in the paint. One of the few guards who gets to the free throw line more often than physical bigs.

2011 MAYB National Champions!

2011-08-08T12:09:00.001-07:00

2011 MAYB National Champs!!

Congrats to the South Texas Hoyas 9u team for winning the MAYB National Championship this past weekend. The event was held in Oklahoma and featured 24 teams. The champs went and impressive 8-0.

The young Hoyas squad showed its discipline and toughness by winning four games by less than 5 points, including an overtime time win in the quarterfinals. Deja Kelly and Jessica Paz y Puente sealed the game with three crucial free thows. The semifinal game was also won at the line with two clutch free throws by Kelly. The championship was iced by six huge free throws by Leila Stansberry. Obviously, the young Hoyas perform under pressure. It was that resolve that the 9u champs to hoist the gold ball.

Congrats young Champions!

Missed on Espinoza?

2011-08-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

I have wrote about Churchill's(Team Intensity's) Dani Espinoza often on this blog. However, my ranking of her as the #15 best player in 2012 for the city was probably too low.

The reason for not having the very talented Espinoza in the Top 10 derives from the fact that I have never seen her in the role as the head honcho. Espinoza plays on a very good high school team and was the 4th option in the offense behind Leslie Vorpahl, Carly Truesdale and Jordan Holub. With Truesdale reportedly living in Houston now, it may be Espinoza's coming out party.

I have been told that Dani Espinoza stepped her game up to another level this summer with a move from the SA Heat to Team Intensity. On her former club team, SA Heat, Espinoza never had the opportunity to carry a team. With her move to Team Intensity, she reportedly played against numerous D1 committed guards while handling point guard duties at times. She apparently made a lot of admirers in the process.

Hopefully she continues to show that I whiffed on her and she is Top 10 in the city, easily.

San Antonio Rankings: Class of 2012

2011-08-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

1) Niaga Mitchell-Cole-Guard (Roosevelt/South Texas Hoyas)

- The most complete player in city of 2012. Can score, facilitate, defend and rebound. Has a dozen D1 offers. Has terrific size at 5'10. Probable lock down defender at next level.

2) Sabrina Berry-Forward( Reagan/Austin Elite)

- Best slasher in city for 2012. Great rebounder. Runs the floor with a passion and finishes well in traffic. UTSA commit. Super athlete and is the most "Alpha" kid in class.

3) Erica Hernandez-Guard(Floresville/South Texas Hoyas)

-The best scorer in the city(surrounding area) in 2012. Designated sniper off catch or dribble. D1 game. Has a knack for hitting tough shots. Sneaky first step and finishes with wide array of shots.

4) Tabitha Richardson-G(Seguin/Sophia Young Elite)

- Big strong guard that can score or facilitate. Plays with a flare. D1 game. Can be a bully when playing the pg. The most playground game in the class. Can be spectacular at times. D1 offers.

5) Elena Gumbs-Guard(Steele/TeamXpress)

-Great motor and on-ball defender. Lives at free throw line due to constant penetration. Good quickness. Reportedly a Rice commit. Easily one of the most confident kids in the class of 2012.

6) Eboni Easter-Forward(O'Conner/TeamXpress)

- Best pound for pound rebounder in city. Great in traffic and terrific mid range game. Probable D1 kid. Played out of position at 5'9. Reminds me to former all-conference UTSA player, Ashley Franklin.

7) Tori Villareal-Guard (Incarnate Word)

- Big strong smooth lefty guard that can dime and get buckets. Could be best in 2012 if she wanted to be. Now plays the game for fun. D1 ability but has not played club in 3 years.

8) Lauren Rubio- PG (South San/Sophia Young Elite)

- The best passer in 2012. Flashy lefty w/ deep range. Should get D1 interest. For sure college player. Has the killer instinct and is a fearless performer.

9) Senobia Winbush-SF (Clemens/SA Lady Rohawks)

- One of the most gifted kids in city w/ size and skills. D1 attributes. For sure college player. Has all the markings of a high major kid at 6"0 and as long as the day is.

10) Raven Reyes-Center (John Jay/South Texas Hoyas)

-Biggest kid in the city at 6'3. Much improved. Good rebounder and shot blocker. D1 body. Surely a college player.

11) Kiarra Rivera-PF (Wagner/TeamXpress)

- Very good rebounder. A terrific second leaper and strong frame. Improved mid range. Definitely a college player.

12) Monet Neal-SF(Taft/Sophia Young Elite)

- Best vertical in city for 2012. Great timing elite shot blocker and defender. Dennis Rodman-ish. Has at least one D1 offer.

13) Adrianne Davis-Guard(Wagner/Crossfire)

-Twin is a terrific on-ball defender and is fearless. Speed allows her touch paint often.

14) Jordan Holub-Guard(Churchill)

- One of the better shooters in 2012. Surprises many with a quick first step. Can finish over bigger defenders.

15) Dani Espinoza-Forward(Churchill/Team Intensity)

-Long athletic around the basket. Runs floor well.. At 6"0, can face and attack off of dribble well.

16) Aundrea Davis-Guard(Wagner/Crossfire)-

-This twin is also a great on-ball defender and possesses a great first step off of the dribble.

17) Gabby Ramos-Guard(Kennedy)

- Tough as nails kid that can get buckets.

18) Cheyenne Miller-Post(Judson)

- Great basketball body at 6"0 and strong build. Good motor and rebounder.

19) Rose Maldanado(Brandeis)

- Big guard with good vision. plays with flare. Recovering from leg injury.

Yelling with Reason!

2011-08-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

I had to swallow my pride and make an apologetic call recently. Years ago, I traveled all of California in search for the best in girls basketball. My daughter had recently proclaimed that she wanted to be a pro basketball player. She said she was intent on making it to the WNBA. While I knew(know) the odds of such a goal, who was I not to do all in my power to help her achieve it? This led me to immerse myself in the girls game and transition from the boys side.

Our travels led us one night to a gym in the Inland Empire of Southern Cali. We came to witness a scoring machine that now attends at Pac-12 school, one of the most prestigious academic universities in the country. This player could get buckets with the best of them. My young child and I were impressed and had another example of basketball excellence to chase.

This player played with a rebounding machine that I was unfamiliar with at this time. This kid was an athletic specimen. While asking knowing fans, I learned that this kid was also being heavily recruited and was one of the state leaders in rebounds. She was a beast!

The rebounding beast was also unruly. Her attitude and court demeanor was something that I found disturbing. As a father, I could not imagine allowing my child to behave in such a way. However, I inexplicably condoned her behavior and excused her immaturity because of circumstances.

Her team was based in San Bernadino, Cali. A close childhood friend and current California Swat Team Officer recently described that Berndu, as we call it, is easily home to the most violent gangs in the Inland Empire. San Bernadino has had a reputation for poverty and crime for a while. I automatically knew that this rebounding machine was a product of her environment. I reasoned that her fierce rebounding and defensive presence was a byproduct of her growing up tough. I justified her uncouth and down right disrespectful on court behavior as part of the game.

During a crucial stretch of this game, my "ignorance" came to bear. Her coach was yelling at her constantly because of her repeated lack of focus. He yelled at her for not following instructions. He yelled at her for talking trash to opposing defenders. He seemed to yell at her for everything. I became fed up. I "yelled" at this coach, from the stands, "I bet Perris High School(a rival school) would love to have a player like .........." I then continued with, " Hey ..........., Coach Marv(Perris Coach) would treat you better than this dude".

Most of the crowd looked at me, some approvingly and some with disdain.

Fast forward a few years and I am now a yeller. I realize the error in my outburst years ago. In my old age, I have matured(I think). I now see what this high school coach was trying to accomplish. He was trying to steer a wayward kid in the right direction by providing "tough love" to a kid who obviously needed it. All I had to do was take a step back to appreciate the intent of the "yeller".

This coach rarely yelled at the scoring machine. At that time, I reasoned that the scoring machine was worth more to him so he treated her with kid gloves. Hindsight reveals that the scoring machine is currently a standout player and good student at a great D1 university. She obviously did not need the same discipline as her rambunctious teammate.

Hindsight also tells that the unruly rebounding machine is currently in junior college. I am glad to learn that she is still in school, despite her detours. Initially, the rebounding machine committed and signed to a BCS school. For reasons unknown to me, she did not attend this D1 school and is a juco standout. In an online picture, I see that she has found her creative outlet. She has tattoos from her neck to her hands. Her entire upper body is covered in tattoos. Having a tat or two myself, I have not casting the first stone. I am now understanding that the behaviors that I witnessed(and condoned) and prolific tattoos MAY create some difficulties for this young woman in the future.

I have read media outlets rant and rave against "yelling" coaches lately. I am not for abusing players. However, I find it difficult to stomach some of the behaviors of so-called elite players by passive coaches. In a recent prominent tournament, yelling coaches received a ton of negative ink from a media outlet. I then witnessed two so-called elite young women acting in a way that no young women should behave. These two Top 50 players were "acting a fool" in front of scouts, parents, media outlets and young impressionable kids. These players happen to play for one of the best teams in the country and their coach is not a yeller. He saw this nonsense and shook his head in disapproval but SAID NOTHING!

Fatherhood has apparently changed me. In my youth, I aspired to play for Jerry Tarkanian. I fell in love with the game of basketball through the UNLV Runnin Rebels of 1986 and and it hurt deeply to lose to the Steve Alford led Indiana team in '87. Bobby Knight was a jerk to me and too hard on his players. I hated when my UNLV Runnin Rebels loss to the squeaky clean Duke Blue Devils in 1991. Coach K was boring and ran his team like the Army man that he was. The Blue Devils again spoiled my fun in 1992, when they beat the hip hop personification of basketball in the Fab 5 of Michigan. I would have loved to play for Tark the Shark or Steve Fischer. Baggy shorts, black socks, trash talking, and swag when swag was not even a word.

In my phone call to the San Bernadino high school coach recently, I made amends for my outburst years ago. In our productive conversation, he went on to explain what I already had come to realized. He was trying to get his young women to conduct themselves as such. He knew the real "pressures" that his girls go through on a daily basis and being mentally tough was important. Succumbing to wrong choices in moments of "mental weakness" sidetracked many of his girls, many people in general. Yelling at his kids to perform, think and act accordingly, in a game was not abuse. Abuse is allowing these young women to act counter productive to society standards. I went on to explain that I have a new found appreciation of Bobby Knight(save the choking) and Coach K. I wonder if some of my favorite ball players growing up had been yelled(corrected) at more, would they have turned out to be better men? I know that social ills and childhood disadvantages can not be solely corrected through yelling or a game, but still, a little bit of discipline can go a long way. It is better than saying nothing and letting kids create detrimental habits that one day will come back to haunt them, and I can not say this any louder!

Some July Truths!

2011-08-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

I love July! Basketball players, parents, trainers and coaches get a dose of truth serum in July.

Here are some probable truths in the July recruiting period:

-If your trainer claims that you are D1 and the next great thing but you do not have any college interest, it might be time to find a new trainer or work smarter and harder. College coaches livelihoods depend on finding and recognizing talent. If you are playing in front of them and they are not recognizing you, it is for a reason(s).

-If you aspire to play in college and your club team fails to play in front of college coaches, you might want to find a new club team.

-If your parents are constantly coaching from the sideline and according to them, your club coach is a nitwit, it is time for daddy/mommy to start their own club team. Especially since they have surely played and know the game like the back of their hand.

-Club coaches, if you have been playing in front of schools for years and still have no serious interest in your players from colleges, that MAY be an indication that you are not coaching(developing) college players.

-Parents, if your daughter was overlooked by all-district, all-city, all-newspaper, and all-region teams by biased high school coaches with personal agendas, don't fret. If your child is getting love from college coaches, July is your all-star team notification. The accolades that truly matter come in form of financial assistance to universities/colleges.

- Players, instead of hating the accomplishments of club teammates that are getting attention from college recruiters, use that energy to focus on getting better and attracting the attention from those same coaches. Here is a great acronym for haters given by a local club player: H.A.T.E.R.S. = Having Anger Towards Everyone Reaching Success

-Players, if a club coach is not playing you in front of scouts, they may be protecting you from yourselves. A Big that is not rebounding, a shooter that is not making shots, a point guard that is constantly turning the ball over and a scorer that can not find the bottom of the basket, all can hurt themselves in the eyes of recruiters. Your club coach may not be behaving as a jerk by keeping you on the pine.

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Why So Early?

2011-08-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

With Recee' Caldwell committing to Baylor, the national message boards are in high gear questioning the reasoning behind the early commitment. The question is why so early? The true question is, why not?

- Coach- The theory is that a rising sophomore can not be sure that a coach will still be there three years from now. Does anyone really doubt that Kim Mulkey will be at Baylor in three years? A seven figure annual salary, a highly successful program, and a knack for recruiting great talent are all valid reasons why the coaching situation is stable. Add to that the speculation that she turned down a large sum of money to coach at LSU, a dream job, recently.

- Players- The argument is that Caldwell does not know the players that she will play with, thus, made an uninformed decision. This is not entirely true. Top 100 kids Kristina Higgins, McKenzie Calvert, Chardonae Fuqua, and Destiny Brown are slated to be on campus at that time. With Caldwell, Baylor has at least five ESPN Top 100 players. Add to that a much underrated Sune Agbuke and the likelihood of Baylor landing additional Top 100 kids, and an unbiased mind would reason that Caldwell "knew" the caliber of players she would be eventually playing with.

- Recruited Over/Competition- Texas A&M has celebrated its first championship by signing six ESPN Top 60 players in 2012. Add Top 25 2011 pg in Alexia Standish and Top 25 2012 guard in Tori Scott. In 2013 and 2014, A&M is going to have 8 guards ranked in the Top 60 in the nation, all fighting for 3 spots on the floor.

Tennessee celebrated a very successful season and the emergence of SA scoring great Meighan Simmons with the signing of another McDonalds All-American guard and USA gold medalist, Ariel Massengale. How did they celebrate the signing of Massengale, they got a commitment from Adraya Carter, Top 20 guard in the class of 2012. Simmons will then play with Kaela Davis, arguably the best player in the class of 2013. Carter and Davis will surely be McDonald's All-Americans. Tenessee will have a back court of at least 4 McDonald All-Americans in 2013 in Simmons, Massengale, Carter and Davis. Many say that they are the leaders for the 2012 sensation, Alexis "The Great" Jones. The point is, EVERY perennial top 10 program will relaod every year with high caliber kids.

In regards to competition, Caldwell runs from no one. In fact, at still 14 years old, she is often put in situations that would overwhelm many. When her SA Finest team faced a Cal Sparks Gold team earlier this summer, 50 or so college coaches showed up to see her face fellow USA teammate and childhood friend, Jordin Canada. What they saw was Caldwell give more than she took while having 4 different BCS guards hound her the entire game. Canada's team has three Top 15 kids(Canada, Lajahna Drummer, Erica McCall) two USA Basketball team members(McCall,Canada) and a total of FIVE ESPN Hoopgurlz Top 100 kids(Canada,Drummer, McCall, Kari Kover, Emoni Jackson). It was the same last year in high school where Caldwell faced teams like Reagan, which featured three Division 1 players in Sabrina Berry, Moriah Mack and Wendy Knight.

Many "top" kids on club teams never face double teams due to them playing with other "top" kids. Jordin Canada can not be double teamed with the sharp shooting Kari Korver hitting NBA range bombs with ease. Post to post help on Erica McCall would be silly with the 6"2 jumping bean, Lahjana Drummer on the opposite block. Caldwell has faced double teams from Top 100 kids for the last two summers and met the challenge.

- Arranged Marriage- I heard a coach compare Caldwell's decision to the olden days of arranged marriages. The argument is that like wives of old, Caldwell did not know what other opportunities she had because she was denied the opportunity to make an educated(liberated) choice. This insinuates that she did not get a chance to "date" others.

The truth is Caldwell has taken unofficial visits to half a dozen schools. She had over 2 dozen offers. She had an offer from at least one school in every BCS conference. She visited finalists Texas, Texas A&M and UTSA at least twice, each. She has spoken with and was being recruited by FOUR national championship coaches and a two time WNBA championship coach. Her first college letter came as a 11 year old 6th grader and her first offer came as a 12 year old 7th grader. BEFORE her first high school game, a dozen or so schools were in her high school PE class, watching her run sprints.

Also consider that her father was a college basketball player who went through and understands the recruiting process. He gets sound advise from one of his mentors, a current WNBA asst coach. He also consults high school coaches, college coaches, and some of the most influential people in club basketball. Having trained dozens of college basketball players, boys and girls, he has helped many others through the same process.

All of this indicates that she did not make a decision based on being naively betrothed to a school. If an aspiring young physician pledges to attend Harvard Medical School while still in high school, she/he is applauded. In basketball, these young focused players are vilified.

-Transfers- "All these early commitments are the reason for transfers", is how the story goes. Maybe so, but here is food for thought.

-The divorce rate for so-called mature adults is a whopping 50%!!!! Applying the early commitment theory, the majority of these divorcees must surely have gotten engaged in their early teens and made uninformed decisions!

-According to this MSNBC article, 50% of college students change majors, with many doing so more than once.

-While the transfer rate of basketball is at an all-time high, is it at 33%? If not, female basketball players are ahead of regular students according to this New York Times Article.

- According to this 2010 CNN report, 60% of working Americans planned to switch jobs. In a study by Man Power employment agency, 84% of working adults planned on switching jobs in 2011! "A lot of people will be looking because they're disappointed with their current jobs," said Paul Bernard, a career management advisor and veteran executive coach.

These alarming stats can be dismissed as comparing apples and oranges. But it is? If a great number of adults are changing spouses, marital statuses and careers, how can we expect basketball players to buck a NATIONAL practice that cuts across all racial, professional, educational, gender and age categories? If 1 in 3 students eventually transfer schools, how can we realistically expect basketball players to be different.

Early basketball commitments can not be solely blamed for the high transfer rates when a great portion of society "transfers" often.

-Pressure- Caldwell was supposedly "pressured" into her decision. Am I missing something; what pressure? Coach Mulkey did not turn into Don Corleone and make Caldwell an offer she could not refuse. She could refuse. In fact, she did refuse to commit last fall when she was initially offered a scholarship by Baylor. She refused to say yes to the other schools that offered her. There was no pressure involved.

The truth of the matter is that Coach Mulkey advised the Caldwell family to take as many unofficial visits as possible, to other schools, in order to get a better understanding of what was out there. FACT! Another fact, Caldwell informed Coach Mulkey that she gave her word to another school that she would visit in June. Coach Mulkey advised Caldwell to honor her word and visit the rival Big 12 school. That does not sound like pressure to me. Choosing between some of the top schools in the country for an opportunity to play a game that she loves is not pressure. It is a privilege that she earned. Salud!!!

Recee' Caldwell Commits

2011-08-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

Johnson High School star Recee' Caldwell has committed to Baylor University. In a great article by ESPN HoopGurlz, Caldwell goes on to explain why she chose Baylor.

Baylor is turning San Antonio into its personal playground with three area players expecting to play together in 2014-2015. Cornerstone great Sune Agbuke is a freshman this season for the Baylor and Steele standout, McKenzie Calvert, SA Express New Comer of the Year, committed to the Lady Bears last summer.

Caldwell chose Baylor over finalist, Texas A&M, Texas, USC and UTSA. Caldwell was also being heavily recruited by and considering Tennessee, LSU and Duke.

Congrats Cee'.

WNBA Coverage

2011-08-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits to the NBA lockout is that the ladies are getting some shine. NBA TV is doing in depth interviews and features, usually reserved for the men, on the women.

On another note, Lindsay Whalen and her game winning 1-2 dribble pull up over the SA Silver Stars yesterday highlighted why this is the most important shot for perimeter layers in basketball. Whalen DID NOT need a screen or designed play to execute the huge jumper. She caught the ball on a reversal pass from Maya Moore. Whalen then swept baseline(using a legal cross step move that would have been called a travel in high school) and hit the 1-2 pull up over the out stretched hands of Jayne Appel. The 5"9 Whalen planted her inside leg and pounded her last dribble and took to the air. Whalen elevated over the 6"4 arm of Appel and nailed the game winner. This is a common shot at the WNBA and college levels. This shot is seen increasingly on the elite club circuit. However, the SA area kids(in large numbers) have yet to start to develop this most important skill. Hopefully this changes soon!

Len'Nique Brown to ACC

2011-06-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

Wagner great Len'Nique Brown has committed to North Carolina State. The brilliant PG was granted a release from USC earlier this summer.

'Nique' has has achieved a rare accomplishment. Most guards that leave BCS conference schools transfer to smaller schools. Nique has made a move to another BCS conference school and a tougher conference from a women's basketball perspective.

Congrats Nique!

Fearless Quote!

2011-06-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a great quote from George Dohrmann's book ' Play Their Hearts Out'. The book details the underside of grassroots basketball, particularly on the boys side.

"There was no room for fear in big-time basketball A coach(college) could teach a player to b a better ball handler or shooter or defender, but he(or she) couldn't teach courage".

Must Read from HoopGurlz on college coaches wish list

2011-06-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Here is an article that is a must read from HoopGurlz. HG interviewed college coaches to determine what they are looking for in recruits. I have included some of the highlights:

-"Playmakers or all-around 'developed kids' are harder to find because kids don't get in the gym and just work on fundamentals anymore," one said. "They just play in a lot of tournaments."

-"The game is more physical, so not being able to shoot makes you easy to guard," one coach warned.

-"The best player in the wrong system wouldn't get you the results you're looking for."

-"Talent is a big piece, but we always struggle to find that kid who has innate ability to holding herself accountable to being good.....Technology and media attention have changed kids tremendously. Kids aren't as invested to work in the gym every day. They need to Facebook, and Twitter, and check out what all the media outlets are saying about them. It didn't used to be like that. Kids want instant gratification. And so do their parents. There seems to be no long-term investment into working hard, being accountable and letting natural progression happen."

-

San Antonio Basketball, Beautiful Buffet!!

2011-06-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

San Antonio basketball is hot right now! That is not my opinion but the sentiment of college coaches across the country. The very deep 2010 class and the exploits of McDonald All-Americans, Meighan Simmons and Cassie Peoples(born and raised in SA) catapulted San Antonio on the national stage.

One of the reasons for the new found respect for San Antonio is that the city has an increasing amount of quality club teams, trainers, coaches and instructors. Here are SOME standouts helping San Antonio basketball rise:

TeamXpress: The "only" game in town just a few years ago in terms of having high profile kids and getting kids into school. TeamXpress is still the biggest club on a national scene in San Antonio. TeamXpress has reached across state lines to have super star players such as Kyra Crosby and Kendall Cooper in the past. Even with the new NCAA bordering state rules, TeamXpress continues to get stars from neighboring states like Louisana's, Tank Youngblood. Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil's club routinely sends double digit players to schools, many of the to BCS division one universities.

SA Lady Rohawks: No senior has ever graduated from the Lady Rohawk program and not gone on to college. While the Lady Rohawks are having a down year in regards to winning in elite events, the Lady Rohawks have a thriving young feeder system with some of the most talented youngsters in the city. Charlie Harper has created a system and style of play that endures itself to many schools. SA Greats, Monica Engleman(Kansas) and CeCe Harper(Kansas) are two of his biggest success stories. My first encounter with the Lady Rohawks was a game where University of North Carolina center Watilla Rolle's led Houstonians were beaten badly by the Lady Rohawks very young group of stars. That group included Harper, Engleman, Cheyenne Berry(SFA), Alisha Flowers(South Florida), Taylor Calvert(Winthrop) and Bobbi Talyor(South Alabama).

SA Heat: The SA Heat basically raised the entire current SA Churchill team. The Heat did a wonderful job in allowing Rice freshman phenom, Jessica Kuster to blossom. Former MacArthur star, Marquisha Sparks and current SA superteamer, Leslie Vorpahl will give The Heat at least 3 Division 1 players over the last few years. Many of the Heat players will and have gone on to college at various levels. The Heat now features the very competent trainer, Marco Rivera as a coach.

South Texas Hoyas: The Hoyas had a history of getting kids like Stacy Mammel, Leslie Phillips into Division 2 universities. Now the past success had led to more high profile players joining the team and going Division 1. Tulane bound Danielle Blagg blazed a trail by joining the Hoyas and collecting over a dozen offers from D1 institutions in the the very first event with the Hoyas. Coach Theresa Nunn followed that up with getting Michelle Rodriguez(UTA)and Asha Hampton-Finch exposure and eventually a full ride with Paraie View A&M. The current roster features some of the best kids in the city and two of the best kids in Louisiana. The scary thing is that the middle school/elementary aged Hoyas are two of the best teams in the state of Texas.

Sophia Young Elite: This organization has made major moves in its short existence. Being sponsored by one of the brightest stars in the WNBA has added brand recognition to this talented group of players. In its first year of existence, EVERY one of the Sohia Young Elite players will go on to play in college next season, including three Divsion 1 kids. Coach Mike Ekenam reloaded with arguably the best 2013 in the city in Chamaya Turner and Top 10(2013) in the city, Moriah Mack. Coach Ekanem has at least two more Divsion 1 players in Endia Peterson(2015) and Seguin star, Tabitha Richardson. Ekanem's expertise in strength and conditioning adds additional value to the emerging club.

San Antonio Finest: Started in 2007, SAF in arguably the best in the city in terms of developing young stars.The three current SAF players with Divison 1 offers have not been trained by ANY other trainer or played with ANY other club team. The Finest has one of the best 2014 classes in the country with a front line that goes 6"2(Avery Queen, heavily recruited), 6"0(Tanaeya Boclair, heavily recruited), 6"1, and 6"0, teamed with Team USA u16 member, Recee' Caldwell. Add New Comer of the Year for 29-5A, Carlie Heineman and Wendy Knight(D1 offers), San Antonio Finest 2014 can play with anybody in the country at that grade level. The Finest has turned former middle school post players, Heather Hormuth, Brianna Jones, Jacki Anderson and LB Brown into college bound perimeter players. At 5"5, Brooke Allemand(led Texas in 3 pt makes in 2011) is easily one of the most recruited kids in the city in 2013. This is another organization that has younger groups that MAY be better than the currents stars, with young stars Amber Ramirez and Erica Sanders leading the way.

SA Comets(Leornard): The Comets are one of a few clubs that are successful on the boys and girls side of basketball. SA Comets are loaded with talent in the class of 2013 and 2014. With at least four Divsion 1 players in Elexus Allen(2013), Antania Newton(2014), Samantha Allen and Mykel Costly(2014), the Comets are a huge reason why San Antonio is continuing to gain national respect. After a tremendous showing a a Nike Showcase event in Chicago last summer, the Comets established themselves on the national scene. Coach Cavin Leonard does a great job developing his young groups and is a terrific defensive minded coach. He partners with Marcus Peoples(Cassie's father) and his NU2BU training camps to add value to his program and his players.

These are just a few examples of why SA basketball is growing. A mention must go out to the following:

-SA Comets(Alba)- Placed many kids into schools including D1's Victoria Willems(WM) and Sune Agbuke(Baylor)

- Jaguars-(Tim Calvert, April Calvert and Pops Lambert)- Some of the best kids in the city cut their teeth as Jaguars including McKenzie Calvert, Kyra Lambert, Ashley Ross, Elena Gumbs, Asha Hampton- Finch, Corrina Monchado, Aleeya Harris, and LB Brown to name a few.

Monica Gibbs- The greatest player in UTSA history has hit the ground running with her Crossfire club. She goes as hard as a coach/trainer as she did while leading the Roadrunners.

Tim Stringer- Stringer has integrated himself with some of the best trainers in the country like Alan Stein and Steph Wood. He has parlayed his networking ability to an internship with the Silver Stars. He work ethic must be respected.

I have not included all the bright clubs and people/players that are making San Antonio a destination for college coaches. The emerging dedication to the great game of basketball is highlighted with all the good choices that are present in the city. Monopolies are unAmerican. The more QUALIFIED options that our youth have, the better served our basketball community will be!

Star Spangled Point Guard!!

2011-05-31T03:54:00.000-07:00

Recee' Caldwell has been named to the u16 USA National Team. Caldwell overcame incredible odds to make the country's super team! Here is why:

True Point Guard: " That little girl is the best floor general that I have seen in 11 years". This comment came last October from a NCAA national championship coach after seeing Caldwell play for the first time. Caldwell had just had a remarkable tournament with her club team. She led her team of 8th and 9th graders to a double digit victory against a team with three division one commits. This coach of a perennial top ten program immediately offered Caldwell a scholarship, one month before even playing in her first high school game. Then comes her first high school game. Caldwell scores 37 points versus Taft and now the perception becomes that she is a two guard? How does a kid go from a "floor general" lauded by a millionaire college coach to a "two guard" in one month? Necessity!!!

Caldwell was the most vocal player in the USA trials. She played with an enthusiasm that became infectious. She fed the post early and often. She made incredible full court passes for game winning lay ups. She only shot when other options had been explored and the situation dictated. She broke man and zone presses by some of the most athletic kids in the country. Pressuring her became a bad strategy as she turned zone presses into transition lay ups via the pass. Man presses became 5 on 4 opportunities as over aggressive guards were rendered ineffective. She threw an alley oop during a half court set that garnered oohs and aahs. I knew Caldwell had the ability to run a team at a superior level but the uninformed did not. Why has her elite point guard skills been overlooked? Necessity!!!

Caldwell has never thrown an ally oop pass against the back side of a 2-3 zone in San Antonio because she has never played with a kid like Kaela Davis! Davis, the much ballyhooed Tennessee commit, went high into the air and converted the pass in incredible fashion. She then smiled at Caldwell as to say, NO ONE saw that coming but you and I. Game recognizes game and Caldwell's game has been slept on by many.

Caldwell has always been a true point guard. However, like any capable and intelligent pg, she lets the situation dictate her course of action. The great thing about elite players is that they have full refrigerators. When preparing a meal (game plan), sometimes ingredients that you planned on using are not available. A great cook (player) can go to the fridge and improvise to still make a delicious meal. Caldwell can cook!

Before Caldwell stepped on a high school campus, she was warned that she should use the 'school of choice' to attend a different high school. Johnson High School won 8 games previous to her arrival. Most "knowers" scratched their heads at her decision to attend her designated school. Johnson has a young student body with few players that have traditionally taken the game seriously. While that is changing, Johnson still lacks the student body that lives the game like many other schools. Like any intelligent player, Caldwell understood that she needed to score in order to help Johnson succeed. Johnson scored in the mid 30's the year previous to her arrival. Johnson scored in the mid 50's in her freshmen year, mirroring her 20 points per game average. Caldwell also finished in the top ten in the city in assists. That is incredible when analyzed. Caldwell faced junk defenses like Box and 1's and double teams the entire year. Most of her assists came from drawing and kicking to wide open shooters. Her assists came from depending on her teammates to hit 20 foot jump shots. Contrast that to point guard extraordinaire, Leslie Vorpahl. Vorpahl earns a lot of assist from getting strong finishes at the rim from the workhorse, Carlie Truesdale and the agile big, Dani Espinoza. Caldwell helped Johnson go from 8 wins to the first 20 win season in school history, a 12 win improvement (2 out of the 12 win improvement came when Caldwell was out with an injury).

(Side note: Food for thought, MVP?- Speaking of Churchill star Vorpahl, let's look at some of the SA Super Team. Vophal plays with two Divsion 1 prospects in Truesdale and Espinoza. John Jay star Erica Donovan plays with D1 prospects in Destiny Amezquita, Aleeya Harris, Raven Reyes and Texas Sothern bound KiKi Taylor. She also has college bound Vanessa Orr and the talented 2014, Antania Newton. Southwest star Shana Holmes plays with OLLU bound Chatavia "Baby" Boonefudge. Wagner stars Arielle Roberson and Eboni Watkins play not only with each other but D1 bound Ashely Ross, and college bound KiKi Rivera. Wagner has three more guards that will play in college. Stevens star Alexis Govan plays with sharp shooting college bound Alexis Sendejo. Even New Comer of the Year, McKenzie Calvert plays with D1 commits Elena Gumbs and Taylor Calvert. She also plays with college commit Lauren Zoldy. The only star on the Super Team that does not play with a teammate who will earn a scholarship is Chamaya Turner. Is Chamaya the most valuable player in the city? She has a strong argument. Her scoring out put, rebounds and assist for a team that in lacking in star power speaks volumes)

Back on track, Caldwell earned a rep as a scorer because of her move to San Antonio. Her AAU team based in California was one of the best in the nation (finished 3rd in 2007 AAU Nationals). This team featured two players who made the USA Trials cut to 34, Caldwell and Lajahna Drummer ( Drummer received her first offer from Rutgers as 8th grader). The team also featured 3 of the ESPN 100 Watch list for 2014, Caldwell, Drummer and Chyenne Butler (offered by Arizona as 8th grader). Caldwell left one of the best teams/players in the country to play for her fathers' team, a team of predominately basketball novices. Her first club season for her father, Caldwell faced a team coached by the father of Baylor commit McKenzie Calvert. While she had no problem with the competition, her teammates were a little green at that time. At that time, Coach Calverts' team featured McKenzie Calvert, Kyra Lambert, Moriah Mack, Ashley Ross, Corinna Monchado and on a guest basis , Elena Gumbs! That is a total of at least five D1 guards, two potential All-Americans in Calvert and Lambert. Caldwell was used to the level of competition but was thrown into the fire as "needing" to score. This was perfect training! Caldwell then went on to play for TeamXpress for two years. She was a great fit for the Xpress style and was the starting point guard on her team as a 12 year old, a team that had players driving to practice!

The move to San Antonio was criticized by the California club scene as a step back for Caldwell. They reasoned that she would suffer because of the weaker competition. However, just as with the decision to attend Johnson, Caldwell took a perceived negative situation and GOT BETTER because of it, not in spite of it! San Antonio basketball is better because of it. Johnson High School basketball is better because of it. The Californian transplant will rep both San Antonio and Johnson while wearing the RED, WHITE, and BLUE. And she will do it her way, as a COMPLETE point guard!

u16u updates via Hoopgurlz

2011-05-29T04:21:00.000-07:00

SA Area Kids, Recee' Caldwell and McKenzie Calvert are representing very well in Colorado for the u16 tryouts. Both guards have survived two cuts and are heading into Sunday with a full head of steam.

Caldwell, the youngest invite in the event(despite having two 8th graders), has held more than her own. The following are from Hoopgulrz:

-"More later, but Recee Caldwell has been rock solid as a pg, getting the right people the ball. Hope the committee knows she's a shooter 2." HoopGurlz Tweet

and

-"Recee' Caldwell, the 5-foot-8 guard from San Antonio, Texas, is playing at a high level at the USA U16 national team trials and the smile on her face for most of it shows she's having a good time.

"This spring Caldwell showed she had spent considerable time becoming a scorer and one of the 2014 class' best shooters. That scorer's mentality raised questions about how she might fit in as a potential national team member as the last two cadet teams were all about size outside of the point guard position.

Caldwell has answered many of those questions by playing the role of a true point guard really well. Long jumpers have been replaced with vocal leadership and heady passing.

"When I was younger I was always a pass first point guard," Caldwell said. "That's my nature."

Caldwell looked pretty confident and comfortable transitioning back to the point. Whether it earns her a spot on the team or not she is showing how complete her game is becoming at an early age." HoopGurlz on the Trail

McKenzie Calvert recieved some national love as well with a very impressive picture that is historic for San Antonio. The pic speaks volumes. Recee' and McKenzie were teamed together on a scrimmage squad that stricty dominated!

USA Basketball Coach!

2011-05-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Wagner Coach, Tina Camacho for being named as an on-court coach for the upcoming USA 16u Basketball Trials.

This is a huge honor and indicates the national respect that Camacho has gained. Camacho was selected by USA Basketball Women’s Developmental National Team Committee.

San Antonio Future 2011

2011-04-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

It has been a couple of years since I have featured the future stars of the city. This is not a ranking and the kids are mentioned in no particular order. Like all young players, they have a long way to go. However, they appear to be on their Way!

Kyra Lambert 2015- (TeamXpress) Kyra is the best middle school prospect in the city. Her basketball instincts are off the charts. She possesses the ability to slash and touch the paint almost at will. She also makes others better. Her unselfish play and demeanor belies a fierce competitive nature. Kyra has already played in the Top Division of the Boo Williams April event. It does not get much tougher than than that. Will surely be recognized Top 100 kid on a national level.

Erica Sanders 2015-(SA Finest) Erica is as fast as any kid in the city from baseline to baseline, regardless of grade or age. Erica has tightened up her handle to make her almost unguardable off of the dribble. Her Euro Step is just plain nasty. She finds gaps in defenses that others would not dare to attack. Unfortunately, this leads to her taking a lot of physical contact. She will live at the free throw line in high school with the constant attacking pressure that she puts on defenders. As her shot continues to develop, she will be a nationally recognized kid.

Amber Ramirez 2016(Lady Hoops) -The most exciting scorer in the city for middle school. Scored 30 plus on the regular for her 7th grade team this past season. Amber has all the tricks on offense. Her handle is advanced and her 3 ball seems to be automatic. One of her biggest attributes is an understanding of how to change speeds to keep defenders off balance and guessing. Her "Eric Gordon" high crossover makes defenders look silly. It is obvious that she plays against boys often as she possesses a knack for scoring with quick releases and difficult shot making. Swagger to spare!

Aaliyah Holmes 2016(Lady Hoops) -Holmes makes the 3 Ball seem like a lay up. She is the younger sister of the high scoring SA Express Super Teamer Shana Holmes and can light it up like big sis. Holmes is almost the same height as her sister now and is built with the same strong explosive frame. She went for 40 plus in a middle school game this season and averaged 30 plus.

Kirsten Kramer 2015 (Lady Jayhawks)- Kramer is gifted. It is easy to see that the cross training of playing additional sports gives her an aggression and understanding of going hard. This also has left her with a ton of upside. Her shot has good bones and will become more consistent as she is now fully dedicated to the game. Kramer is another kid with great instincts. She can slash and finish well in traffic. Her size and speed enable her to make great "basketball plays". Huge upside!

Kiana Williams 2017(TeamXpress)- Williams is legit! A super quick guard in the mode of SA great Len'Nique Brown. Her handle allows her to see a play ahead of the competition. She is a very good passer for her age and makes others around her better. She can hit the open jumper as well. Williams has big time written all over her if she stays on the path.

Kenzie Heineman 2017(SA Finest)- A pure scorer! That may sound ridiculous to say about a 6th grader but the proof is in the bottom of the net. Heineman is the younger sister to 27-5A New Comer of the Year, Carlie Heineman, and the art of getting buckets is in the family. Kenzie is ambidextrous and can shoot from 15 feet with both hands, with success! She can stretch the defense with the 3Ball and already has a mid range game with runners and step backs. Her handle and first step makes her a nightmare for girls her age.

Gabby Connally 2017(South Texas Hoyas)- Gabby glides down the court like football great Herschel Walker used to run. Her long explosive strides eat up so much ground that it is unfair to defenders. She has sharpened her handle and is continuing to work out the kinks with her jumper. In terms of raw talent, there may not be a more gifted kid in the city for middle school.

Desiree Johnson 2015(SA Lady Rohawks)- Eboni Watkins again! Johnson lives in the paint and possesses the same runner in traffic that UTA bound Watkins mastered. Johnson is of good size at 5"7 and has a street ball flair of getting it done. She has the attitude of a champ and fears no one! Already getting college attention for her raw potential.

Megan Valdez 2017(South Texas Hoyas)- One of the most hard nosed kids in the city. Megan will get double digit rebounds and assists from the guard position due to her knack for reading the floor and defenders. She is the best off-ball defender that I have seen in the middle school age for the city. She already understands how to read the shoulders and eyes of opposing players to jump passing lanes. Her ability to penetrate has been aided by her new found range from deep. Megan can play.

Brianna Millett 2015(SA Lady Rohawks)- Millett has always been a beast in the post but has now moved out to her eventual position of off guard. "Bree" is strong! She is Erica Donovan strong on the perimeter, though not as tall, and punishes smaller defenders. Her handle has tightened which allows her to effectively use her body get to spots with the live ball now.

Anya Curtiss 2016(SA Finest)- Curtiss is right there with Holmes and Ramirez in contention for purest shooter in middle school. Curtiss is smooth and is never in a hurry. She plays under control, always knowing that defenders must run her off of the 3point line. If not, mark it up! She is that automatic. Her handle is strong and she possesses the footwork to match.

Brittany Leonard 2015(SA Comets-Leonard) -"Moose" is another kid that can really shoot it. Playing up for years, her basketball IQ is exceptional and indicative of a coaches kid. Moose is a crafty lefty and a very adept at finding the open player. She has a strong frame and is a physical guard. She is a little too unselfish at times. She has all the tools and it is just a matter of time before she flips the switch.

Bailey Quisenberry 2016(SA Finest)- Savvy as can be. "Quiz" is easily one of the best facilitators in the city. She understands that all passes are not good passes. She has remarkable touch on her passes. She passes to where players should be and rarely drops dimes to players out of their areas of success. Her mid range runner is highly effective and changes speed well. A pretty adept shot maker in traffic due to great footwork(mastered the Steve Nash outside pivot counter vs aggressive defenders).

Anabelle Tovar 2016(Lady Hoops)- Another kid with a knack for scoring. Reminds me of Wagner great Chelsea Solis. Has the confidence and ability to get it done vs bigger and stronger defenders. Terrific at putting pressure on defense with dribble penetration. "Belle" is a very effective scorer in traffic. Another kid that plays against boys, she is not afraid to mix it up.

Vanessa Oyola 2017(SA Finest)- Strong handle, great IQ and an improving facilitator, Oyola is mature beyond her years. She is a fierce competitor and attacks constantly. She has a solid mid range game with runners and floaters, using both hands. Her vision and willingness to get buckets for her teammates is pretty impressive. One of the few kids that can truly feed the post effectively at this age. One of the few young kids that understands the importance of spacing. She fears nothing!

Danaja Daniels 2017 (SA Lady Rohawks)- Super quick guard with a nice mid range game all ready. Great on ball defender. Daniels plays low and penetrates at will. I have only seen her a couple of times but she left a great impression on me.

Aiyanna Bardell 2016(South Texas Hoyas)- Bardell is long and very athletic. She took a year off and is back invigorated. Bardell can guard all 5 positions. She is the rare kid that can rebound in traffic, push the rock up the court and make a play for herself or others. This kid can be special if she continues to fulfill her promise.

Moriah Creswell 2015(SA Lady Rohawks)- Johnson is quick and savvy. She already knows when to use her impressive speed and when to run a team. Everytime I see this kid, she becomes more impressive to me.

Lexi Rich 2016(SA Finest)- Rich is a very good scorer for her age. She has a wide array of finishing moves and can knock down the 3 with a high percentage. Plays up against high school kids and holds more than her own. Rich does a great job at getting shots off over bigger defenders by releasing shots from crafty angles. Will be a 20 point scorer eventually in high school, no doubt about it.

Endia Peterson 2015(Sophia Young Elite)- Not only does she play in the same club as SA Express News Super Teamer, Chymaya Turner, she plays like her. The 5"9 guard is super strong and has the confidence to match it. Peterson uses her body well and possesses a good command of the basketball. Her court vision is impressive and allows her to play up with older stars.

5th Grade Standouts 2018- (A quick hitter)

Desiree' Caldwell(SA Finest)- Handle is better than 90% of starting high school point guards. Yanks defenders like she honed her craft at Rucker Park. A right hander that is more comfortable going left. Splits double teams with ease and scores in traffic. Can go!

Katlyn Ghavidel(South Texas Hoyas)- Pure shooter. Reads and uses screens to get open like a seasoned 2 guard. Ice water in her veins. Can miss a few shots and come back and bury 5 in a row with the game on the line. Impressive demeanor!

Sophia Ramos(South Texas Hoyas)- Erica Hernandez all over again. Great work habits with a tremendous feel for the game. Has a behind the back counter that she uses to attack defenders to get into the paint.

Destiny Jenkins(SA Finest)- The sickest cross over in the city, regardless of age! Jenkins changes directions like a running back with the ball. Her small frame makes her willingness to attack the paint even more impressive. An aggressive on ball defender that causes headaches for the opposition.

I am sure that I missed a few but these kids are surely willing and able to carry the torch for SA basketball!

Success!

2011-04-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Here are a few stories of success that should inspire others:

Nikki Nolan- Two ACL injuries and one major shoulder separation could not stop the "Bulldog",a nickname given to her by Lady Rohawk Coach, Charlie Harper. Nolan perseverance and toughness is very remarkable given that she is 5"6 on a good day and played out of position in club and high school basketball. Watching the diminutive guard grab double digit rebounds in a game earlier this season, I could do nothing be admire her tenacity. Nolan's ferocity made me a huge fan of hers last August. At a Gannon Baker clinic in College Station, Nolan backed down from no one. Some of the best guards in the nation went at her and she used every inch of her body to let them know that she was no push over. Nolan's signing with Central Methodist University is a celebration of stick-to-it-tiveness and in her case, TOUGHNESS!

Another MacArthur star, Alexis Isaac has reportedly been accepted to MIT. The Lady Rohawk wing will play basketball at the prestigious academic institution. Isaac passed on numerous opportunities for scholarships for chance to attend her dream school and pursue professional goals. The Lady Rohawks motto is "Using Basketball as a Vehicle for Education" and Isaac kept the game in perspective by making academics a priority. Congrats Alexxis!

Another NEISD star, Markia Thomas, has received a full scholarship to play at New Mexico Junior College. The All-District power forward for Roosevelt played a major part in the success of her high school this past season. Congrats Markia!

Cornerstone coach, "Ice" Reed did an exceptional job this past season. Coach Reed has a total of 4 players moving on to play college basketball from the 2011 class. Coach Reed is smart enough to embrace club ball and the SA Comets Elite organization and their efforts to help his kids. Coach Reed has a son that is a stand out ball player for a local high school and he understands that its takes a basketball community to raise a college basketball player.

Speaking of parents that get it, congrats to Mr. and Mrs. John Roberson. Anyone who has had a prolonged conversation with John will leave with an impression of a man with a firm grip on the basketball scene. John, does not allow others to dictate the road for his children. While most observers questioned the philosophy of his daughter, Wagner star Arielle, waiting until the spring to commit and sign with college, John and his family stayed the course. Many questioned his course with his oldest two daughters. One of them now plays pro ball overseas after a successful career at Texas Tech while the other one plays volley ball for UT and has helped her team to a couple Final 4's. Arielle will join her brother at the University of Colorado. Her brother was not as heralded as others in his class. Some whispered behind John's back that he was holding his son back. Now his son Andre is receiving major attention as a freshman from NBA scouts for his incredible athleticism, versatility and upside. These same attributes were honed by his father while the local "experts" questioned him. John, a former pro himself, has a great sense of perspective. He understands the big picture better than most in regards to "needs". I remember John talking to me about club ball. He went on to explain that Arielle did not "need" to travel all over the world as a freshman for club ball. He explained that Arielle played daily against a 6'7 brother that is better than ANY girl across the country. He theory was that all the competition that Arielle needed, slept a few doors down the hallway. In hindsight, I guess father knew best. And mama! Anyone attending a Wagner game knows that Mama Roberson knows her stuff too!

Look out for a feature on Smithson Valley star, Alison Salmon. Salmon gave up her last year of club ball to serve on a Christian mission to witness to the unprivileged. Her story is very remarkable. Salmon, one of the best shooters in the city, is reportedly choosing between UT-Dallas and Trinity soon. Trinity is probably the front runner, according to her choices in the past.

Farewell to the SA Lady Hoops. One of the best 7th grade teams in the state of Texas are no more. The group represented San Antonio well across the nation. They gained many admirers with the exciting style of play and dynamic point production. The group has disbanded because head coach and founder, Antonio Holmes, has been reassigned in his capacity with the Air Force. Thank you Coach Holmes for your contribution to SA basketball and more importantly, for your sacrifice for our freedoms. The SA lady Hoops will be missed. They gave further reason for SA to hold its head up across this great state in terms of basketball. The Lady Hoops took on all comers and were the shining example of where SA basketball is going, UP!

Early Observations!!

2011-04-19T06:38:00.000-07:00

The club season is now in full swing as most competitive clubs/teams played in exposure events this past weekend. Some early observations follow:

San Antonio club directors/coaches are starting to get it! Playing great competition and in exposure events are replacing the outdated philosophy of chasing plastic trophies. San Antonio had at least a dozen teams at the Heart of Texas in Frisco. A few more teams were in Houston at the Cy-Fair Texans event and another organization attended the prestigious Boo Williams Invitational.

With all the awareness of playing better competition and in exposure events, we must collectively remember that advanced skill set translates on any court in the country. Truthfully, some of the kids attempting to play in front of college probably should learn to dribble with both hands and jump off of the correct foot on lay ups attempts . Or should I say, some club coaches should teach these things before putting kids in front of coaches.

I was amazed at the skill set and Basketball IQ of the Oklahoma kids as a whole. Two teams in Frisco were particularly very impressive, Oklahoma And 1 and Oklahoma Select Blue. Both teams play full court man and aggressive full court traps for the entire game. Both teams have versatile wings that can shoot, guard numerous positions and attack off of the dribble. Both teams have at least 2 point guards who are smart, can handle the rock on a string and play defense like they are mad at the world. They both have smart coaches that are able to teach advanced concepts. Understandably, both teams have 8-10 players that will play at Division 1 universities. I asked the Oklahoma And 1 coach how often he practices because his kids were so skilled and intelligent. His reply, "We have been together for 3 weeks, our HIGH SCHOOLS due an amazing job". I immediately thought that two of the best coaches in SA, UTSA's Rae Blair and Reagan's Terry Barton, are from Oklahoma.

This led me to think of a few things like the art of shooting, skill set implementation and intelligent offense. When viewing Oklahoma wings over the last few years, I have noticed how well those kids shoot. Think former UTSA sharp shooter, Jordan Starks. Starks was in the 5"11 range and shot from 25 feet range with consistency. Take current UTSA 6"2 player, Whitney Wright. Wright is comfortable shooting the 3 ball and probably actually prefers it to playing in the post. Both these players would have probably been designated post players if they played high school ball in SA. A lot of Oklahoma teams play some sort of motion offense, even at the club level. This necessitates that ALL five players are capable enough to do their part versus extreme pressure. I am always tickled with some local parents who yell " move the ball" at high school games. More often than not, these same parents have kids who are incapable of making good basketball plays due to a lack of skill set and Basketball IQ. I guess the theory goes to move the ball to unskilled kids so she can turn it over or take a shot that she is incapable of routinely making. Its is a reason that she is open! These Oklahoma kids have 6 ft players that handle pressure like 5 ft point guards. That is the reason that their coaches can effectively run motion(equal opportunity) offenses.

In an instructional DVD by Xavier Mens Coach Chris Mack, he makes this great point. Why are ALL NBA teams running pick and roll sets the majority of the time. The overwhelming reason is to keep the best ball handler and decision maker with the ball in his(her) hands most of the time. The NBA sees the reasoning behind allowing the most qualified kid(pro) to make the majority of the decisions, in a league full of pros. The argument is, "that is why the women's game is more pure." Tell that to Notre Dame, who lost to a Texas A&M team that runs a ton of pick and roll and rode point guard, Sydney Colson to a championship.

(Sidenote on Colson: I have spoken with pundits that "bragged" that Sydney Colson would have or should have been an All-American if she played with a different club team during high school. I have also heard some say that she would have been an All-American in college if she chose a different school. Last week, Sydney was chosen as the first pick in the second round of the WNBA draft and won a NCAA championship. She was chosen before all but two high school All-American guards. I think she and her family made the right decisions!)

The art of shooting that is exhibited by the Oklahoma kids bring up another issue in San Antonio schools. How many schools have The GUNN or Dr Dish? The shooting machines are must haves in most parts of the country. Most booster clubs can raise the $4000 to buy one. There is no surprise that so many teams in the state tournament have a number of kids that can shoot the three like it's a lay up. Part of the problem in the lack of shooters is the red tape involved in accessing gyms. Gone is the day where the Jackie Stiles' off old are allowed to stay in the gym and shoot all night. How many local coaches stick around and let kids shoot a thousand shots after school? How many kids have keys to the gym or are cordial with janitors enough to be allowed to shoot. The tales of this STILL happening in Dallas, Houston and other parts of the country are common. I saw current University of Cal star Layisha Claredon grow up in a tough neighborhood in San Bernadino, CA. The gym was her sanctuary and she spent countless nights honing her craft, along with her teammates. She now is studying at one of the most respected academic institutions in the nation. Her high school coach deserves a ton of credit for that success story. For the next Claredon's to happen, it will take coaches who give access to gyms to players that want to get better. More importantly, it takes players that want to get better.

A couple conversations with the fathers of elite players recently have helped keep perspective on the Elite. Alexis "The Great" Jones father took time to impart some of his vast wisdom to me. I asked him how often his daughter works on her game. He replied that she is "resting" after winning a state championship and she "only" works out fours days a week now. Her usual regiment calls for six days of skill set work including running a steep hill while dribbling combination moves. How many club players do not work of their games just 3 times a week?

In a separate conversation with another father, he went on to explain the difference between two clubs. His daughter moved from one club to another this season. His current club has 24 kids on two rosters,with 14 of the kids ranked in the HoopGurlz 100 in their respective class. This father goes on to say that the biggest difference is that "these girls stay in the gym". His daughter started for one of the 5A semifinalists this past season and has been a participant at the well respected Nike Regional Skills Academy. Yet, he was amazed at this new environment and the dedication of the players. A lot of club ball detractors state that it is easy to stack talent and look good. What those people fail to realize is that NO elite kid was born that way. Countless hours of practice is how an elite player becomes elite.

To further this point, the USA 16u tryouts is next month in Colorado Springs. Of the eighteen 2014 players invited(seventeen 2013's invited), I have seen or coached against 6 of these freshmen since they were in the 4th/5th grade. I have seen California kids Jordin Canada, LaJahna Drummer, and Gabby Green since the 4th grade. I have seen Texas kids McKenzie Calvert, Brianna Turner since the 5th/6th grade. I have seen Cali born and Texas resident Recee' Caldwell for a little bit longer than the others. The point is that these 6 players have been competing against each other and working extremely hard on their games for at least 6-7 years. All work with trainers for specific and concentrated instruction. They all now have the opportunity to represent their country playing a game they love. Good for them!

Quote of the Day: Talent determines Tolerance- "I will tolerate more from those with talent than those without" Terence Jackson, Elite Trainer/Club Director

Spoken like every college coach or business owner in the country, whether they admitted or not. This quote made me reflect on a special aired by HBO about the UCLA Dynasty. The late great John Wooden personally picked up Hall of Fame center Bill Walton from jail after being arrested for protesting the Vietnam war. Instead of penalizing Walton, Wooden reprimanded him and gave him advise. Would Coach Wooden have done the same for the 12th man on his bench? It is easy to say yes but remember that Coach Wooden was known for NOT coaching his entire team; he delegated his lesser players to being instructed by his staff while he concentrated on his core that led him to 10 titles.

The USA 16U invites list is here

Comets Elite

2011-04-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

Congrats to the SA Comets Elite for going 3 for 3 in getting their seniors into school next season. The following players signed with the following teams:

Lauren Jay (Smithson Valley) – Southern Arkansas

Bethany Krock (Cornerstone) – Southwest Assemblies of God (signs 4/22)

Kayla Jernigan (Johnson City) – McPherson College

Congrats Ladies!

ESPN on San Antonio youngster!

2011-04-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

Johnson freshman, Recee' Caldwell gets some national love!

Sparks matriculates!

2011-04-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

Marquisha Sparks, former MacArthur star, has committed to Texas A&M Corpus Cristi. Sparks shined in her first year at Blinn JC and will now play at the Division 1 level in the Southland Conference. Sparks is another player from San Antonio's talent rich 2010 class to play basketball at a Division 1 school. Congrats Marquisha!

SA standing up!!

2011-04-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

The past two weekends have broadcast to the entire state of Texas that San Antonio basketball can not be taken so lightly anymore. Traditional area powerhouse TeamXpress has long carried the torch for SA on the club scene. The SA Lady Rohawks added their name to the respected list by defeating many powers from the Houston and Dallas areas over the past few years. More importantly, TeamXpess and Lady Rohawks were and still are placing kids in Division 1 universities across the nation. Now a new crop of clubs are gaining recognition and churning out national caliber kids. The Shes Ballin Extravaganza and the Cy-Fair Invitational gave notice to the entire state that San Antonio is not a two stop light city anymore in terms to elite basketball and prospects: Sophia Young Elite: Former SA Silver Stars strength and conditioning coach, Mike Ekenam has entered the club scene with a bang in his second season. His Sophia Young Elite team is loaded with talent. They played against one of the top teams in the country in Nike Cy-Fair Shock Elite and lost by 2 points in the SB Extravaganza. Club stars Chamaya Turner(NB Canyon), Tabitha Richardson(Seguin) and Moriah Mack(Reagan) factored huge in the game. Lauren Rubio(South San) hit a clutch go ahead 3 pointer with less than a minute to go to give SYE it's first lead after being down close to twenty points. Nike Cy-Fair Shock pulled the game out but the game was easily on of the best on the event.

SA Finest Blue: This collection of some of the best 2013/2014 prospects in the city are a team that must be respected. Their record to date is 0-5. This team also faced Nike Cy-Fair Shock and lost by 6 points in a great game during the Extravaganza. Recee' Caldwell(Johnson/2014) finished with 22 points on 14 shots in a head to head match up with UT-bound Peyton Little( finished with 23 points). Tanaeya Boclair(Brennan/2014) had 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against BCS bound Caitlin Diaz. SAF traveled to the super competitive Cy-fair Invitational and faced 3 more of the of the top teams in the country, DFW-Washington, Cy-Premier, and Cy Fair/Westside Elite. All of these 5 games, except one, were single digits deficits with a few minutes to go before the youngsters ran out of gas.

Here is a PARTIAL list of the standouts that SAF Blue has faced:

Peyton Little(ESPN # 40/UT commit), Kamy Cole(OU commit), Menta Spears(PBR #25 in State) Caitlin Diaz (PBR#15 in State), Tyler Scaife( ASGR ranked #6 in 2013), Brianna Turner(ASGR ranked #1), Brooke McCarty(ASGR ranked # 7/2014), Courtyce Knox(ESPN # 42/2012), Vega Hamilton(PBR#10 in state), Tiffany Davis(PBR #23 in State), Taylor and Tyler Gilbert(PBR #31 and #32/U of H commits), Aaliyah Brown(PBR #34 in State) and Emily Johnson(PBR#43 in state).

For a group of freshmen and sophomores to face this competition exemplifies the new philosophy of the city's brightest organizations. The want to get better by facing better competition is a major reason that San Antonio is producing nationally respected prospects.

SA Lady Hoops: This group of youngsters played "up" two grades and still vanquished opponents by double digits. Amber Ramirez(2016) is ready! She faced players two/three years older and still her hit her trademark three ball and used her slick handle to make defenders look silly in the Extravaganza.

TeamXpress: Is loaded as usual with a front line that goes, 6'4, 6'4 and a 6'7 eigth grader!

New Commits!

2011-04-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

Southwest star, Shana Holmes, committed to Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. The South Texas Hoyas guard is one of the most prolific scorers in the city's history and will take her gifts to the Gulf South Conference.

MacAurthur star, Nikki Nolan, has committed to Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. The SA Heat guard is one of intense players in the city for the class of 2011. Her tenacious play will assist her in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

These two commitments are remarkable. Both of these young stars suffered ACL injuries in their playing career. They both are in the 5"5 range. The knee injuries and lack of stereotypical basketball height did not prevent them from earning scholarships and lends to the argument that San Antonio basketball is gaining national respect. Both players have played club ball since at least middle school and their travels have apparently paid off, with one gaining the attention of a school in Arkansas and the other in Missouri.

Congrats young ladies! Your accomplishments are paving the way for future area undersized ballers!