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November 14, 2016November 10-12, 2016
The fourth annual Austin Bowie Be-YOU-tiful Classic was held during the first tournament weekend of the 2016-2017 season. Bowie Coach Vickie Benson put together a very competitive field and that was evident right away in Pool Play.
More importantly, each year there is a focus for the tournament that emphasizes the empowerment of not just the young women who participate in the games, but also the people that attend and the lives that these players, coaches, and their families and friends will touch. This year the theme was “Grace After Fire – Helping Women Veterans Help Themselves”. This was an appropriate theme considering the middle day of the tournament was Veteran’s Day. The tournament looked to raise awareness and money for this organization. More information can be found here: www.graceafterfire.org
Coach Benson shared, “ I love having great basketball in our gym, but that's not the only thing our tournament is for -- We want to take the opportunity to give something to the athletes that they can take away with them for life. The Bowie Be-YOU-tiful Classic hosts a dinner opening night. Each year there is a different theme in which we offer information and/or help about the topic. The first year we brought awareness to eating disorders and poor self-image. The second year, we talked about domestic violence and how to recognize relationship abuse. Last year we targeted the fact that we are all one choice away from a different life and that alcohol and drugs can be huge factors in that. This year for our fourth annual Be-YOU-tiful Classic, we wanted to give honor to our women who have so bravely served our country. We had Colonel Kim Olson speak, and she challenged the players to be women who are a force to be reckoned with. She also stated that it's not the “9/11 events” in our lives that define us, but that it's how we respond on “9/12” that shows who we really are. We took the opportunity this Veteran's Day weekend to donate to Colonel Olson's non-profit organization called Grace After Fire. This organization offers aid to women who are exiting the military. We are donating $1,000 next week.”
Participating teams:
POOL A POOL B POOL C POOL D Westlake Westwood SA Johnson Bowie Regents Killeen Temple SA Reagan Pflugerville Vista Ridge Judson Victoria East LBJ O’Connor Stony Point Pearland
The semi-finals Saturday morning saw Pearland vs SA Johnson and Pflugerville vs Killeen. The finals were then set for 4pm Saturday afternoon: SA Johnson vs Pflugerville with Pflugerville coming out on top, 61-50. It was an intensely contested game and remained close through three quarters, but Pflugerville was physically relentless and some foul trouble for SA Johnson found them behind a deficit that they could not overcome. April Hundl has her Pflugerville squad in very good early season form.
All-Tournament Team:
MVP – Jazmyn Stevens (2018 - Pflugerville)
London Clarkson (2019 – Pflugerville)
Deja Kelly (2020 – SA Johnson) *Texas commit
Alyssa Adams (2017 – SA Johnson) *ACU signee
DeYona Gaston (2020 – Pearland)
Shianne Johnson (2017 – Killeen)
Nikki Cardano-Hillary (2017 – Vista Ridge) *George Mason signee
Something that was very obvious early on watching pool play at this tournament was that there were many good young players here. Several freshman (class of 2020) stood out with DeYona Gaston (Pearland) and Deja Kelly (SA Johnson) being the obvious major attention getters. Gaston is talented and smooth and plays with a confidence and IQ of a veteran player. She will be another player in Texas that schools from all over the country will recruit.
Kelly is so incredibly fundamentally sound and simply seems to not miss open shots. She creates off the dribble to both the left and the right, makes her free throws, sinks threes with ease, and has a veteran presence on the floor. She doesn’t force anything as many young players do. She fills the stat sheet and is a major part of her team. Watch for SA Johnson to make a nice run this year.
Austin Westlake is getting major minutes from a few freshman as well. Presley Bennett and Shay Holle do a lot for their team. Bennett is like a calm & cool quarterback at the PG position and Westlake coach Katie Hensle has given her major responsibility. Holle is a rebounding machine that makes plays athletically that are eye opening at times. She is averaging a double-double thus far for Westlake. Do not sleep on 6’2’ freshman Lexi Zurovec either – she is long and can run the floor and getting better every time out.
Victoria East coach Yolanda Wimbish has a nice new addition (daughter) in 2020 Leilani Wimbish. She is strong and very athletic and slashes nicely to the rim and makes a difference defensively.
Sophomore (class of 2019) standouts included: Kyra White (Judson), London Clarkson (Pflugerville), Nicole Hemphill (O’Connor), and Danielle Davalos (Westood). All of these players have major roles on their team and impacted throughout the tournament.
2018 Standouts:
Jhakya Dilworth (Temple)
Keziah Dilworth (Temple)
Heaven Mbaruk (Judson)
Britney Onyeje (Pflugerville)
Star Omozee (Pflugerville)
Alia Vines (Killeen)
Manesha Knox (Killeen)
Some UNSIGNED SENIORS deserve some attention:
Ellie Rice (Regents) – can score the ball, shoot the ball, and distribute; 5’9 and athletic – high academic
Ravae Payne (Pearland) – crafty and savvy PG; sees the floor and distributes the ball well; nice finish/floater game around the paint
Elise Faradory (Bowie) – strong and athletic PG; plays hard and fearless; shooting the ball better; had a buzzer beater vs Westlake that deserves mention
Deziray Turner (Bowie) – athletic! Mainly a slasher, but shows ability to shoot the three ball; needs some left hand development, but is capable. Makes a difference defensively. Drives the ball hard and is not afraid of contact at the rim.
I also want to make note of 2017 George Mason signee Nikki Cardano-Hillary (Vista Ridge). This is a player who played on a very talented team last year that made a run to that State Tournament. She is a player that has always had a motor and played hard, but it is obvious she went to work on her game and now has many tools at her disposal. Her decision making is improved, and most notably her shooting has improved especially from the perimeter. This stands out to me because she quietly went to work and made herself into a better player. Her reps led to a renewed confidence and it shows on the floor and it makes a difference on her team and with her teammates. This deserves positive recognition and rising players need to understand the importance of this example.
