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January 5, 2021Welcome to my BasketBlog, Basketball Soul.
This will be a chronological listing of entries of different basketball related commentary; From state of the game to events to simply conversation starters. Find short and informative blog entries throughout my travels and study of the game of basketball here.
January 5, 2021: SHE GOT GAME – Atlanta | Various College Games | Upcoming College Games
The 2021 New Year tipped off with the January 1-3 SHE GOT GAME Classic – ATLANTA hosted by scholastic event extraordinaire, Afiba Fairnot. 54 teams [primarily from GA (39), but also from Arizona (1), Florida (6), North Carolina (1), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (1), Virginia (1)]. Matchups are the specialty at SHE GOT GAME events.
- A few of the memorable games from the weekend:
Mount Paran (GA) 66, Lovejoy (GA) 63
St Francis (GA) 60, Kell (GA) 47
Montverde Academy (FL) 53, Compass Prep (AZ) 44
Montverde Academy (FL) 62, Forest Park (GA) 53 (OT) **Game of the Event**
Winston Salem Christian (Rudd) 58, American Heritage (FL) 47
Winston Salem Christian (Rudd) 54, Compass Prep (AZ) 39
- A few player names to remember (underclassmen/unsigned players):
Elle Blatchford – 2023 – Sequoyah (GA): Skilled, poised, all-around game
Sydney Bowles – 2022 – Woodward Academy (GA): Great size for guard, one of the best in the country .. has added rise to J
Kara Dunn – 2022 – Mt. Paran (GA): Do it all type of player .. Made a killing in the mid-range and on the glass
Jamiah Gregory – 2023 – Kell (GA): Potential here .. fast and smooth with nice instincts
Crystal Henderson – 2023 – Kell (GA): Nice handle and change of direction .. showed 3 ball; Skilled!
Fernanda Ovalle – 2022 – Montverde Academy: Skilled and smart .. knows how to pick her spots .. steady presence for her team
Bryana Preston – 2024 – Lovejoy (GA): Caught my eye with overall skills.. runners, 3 ball, and competitive defensively
Kam’Ren Rhodes – 2022 – Compass Prep (AZ): Has proven time and again she is willing to compete and mix it up .. Impressive competitive effort every time out. Small guard that makes plays.
Sydney Shaw – 2022 – American Heritage (FL): Really solid guard in the ’22 class .. Her game has matured and she is shooting the three ball well.
Mjracle Sheppard – 2023 – Montverde Academy: Very impressive weekend .. Was good in PnR reads and lived in the paint; She’s looking very comfortable at the helm of a team that is staking a claim as the best in the country.
Sunday College Games (Jan 3)
UCLA - 73 vs Oregon - 71
This was an exciting Pac-12 Sunday afternoon matchup. UCLA used a 20-15 first quarter to get a bit of separation and held on to the two point win. Oregon actually won the last three quarters, all by one point. Studying the box score, the numbers were pretty even – shooting percentages (UCLA shot the three ball better), rebounds, turnovers, and assist-FG ratio.
UCLA Junior Michaela Onyenwere was outstanding with 33 points and 10 rebounds (12-20 from the field and 8-8 from the FT line). She has been an incredible example of player development. I remember seeing her at the Nike TOC in Phoenix during December of her freshman year with Grandview HS (CO) and the elite athleticism was evident. Her skill development up to this point is one to be studied. She is consistently improving her pro draft stock.
Kentucky 92 – vs Mississippi State – 86
This game had my full attention for its entirety. First things first, let’s remember the Pat Summitt presence here, and therefore how much history of the game was represented by these women while guiding their programs into the future. Both Head Coaches (Kyra Elzy – Kentucky, Nikki McCray-Penson – Mississippi State) played for Pat Summitt at Tennessee and the lead TV analyst for the game was Tamika Catchings who also played for Coach Summitt. Elzy won two National Championships while in college and Catchings won one in 1998 as a freshman (undefeated season).
Secondly, we must take a minute to recognize the fantastic shooting and scoring display in this game. Kentucky shot 49.2% from the field overall, 50% from the 3FG (14-28), and 81.8% from the FT line. Mississippi State shot 49.3% from the field overall, 41.2% from the 3FG (7-17), and 90% from the FT line.
The matchup of Kentucky JR Rhyne Howard and Mississippi State SO Rickea Jackson was intriguing in and of itself, and then the product these two teams put on the floor in this competitive SEC battle was enough to put this on the list as one of the games of the year. Is there a better player in the NCAA right now than Howard? She ended the game with 33 points (10-19 FG, 4-6 from 3FG, 9-10 FT), 10 rebounds, and six assists .. how about that for efficiency? There is a reason that there is talk that if she indeed were to graduate early, she would be high on the WNBA draft boards.
Rickea Jackson ended the game with 23 points (10-22 FG), 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. These two teams are not scheduled to play again in the regular season, unfortunately.
Major learning moment for young players in this game: The game was tied at 84 with 1:25 left in OT with a 61.5% FT shooter at the line for Kentucky. She missed and the Mississippi State player in the bottom (defensive/inside) position made no effort to block out Rhyne Howard who then got the offensive rebound and the And-1 put back. Habits and details!
Eyes on College Matchups This Week (Wed-Fri)- Wednesday:
Villanova at Seton Hall : The pace of this game should be really fun to watch.
Tulane at Houston : Two teams averaging 70+ PPG going at it in an afternoon game.
Minnesota at Iowa : Anytime Iowa is playing is a reason to tune in; They are young and can score!
- Thursday:
Maryland at Michigan State : Two of the tops in the B1G Conference. Popcorn!
Arkansas at Tennessee : Tennessee coming off of covid pause; Arkansas coming off of close one vs Mizzou
[POSTPONED] Georgia at South Carolina : Regional SEC battle. South Carolina is must see always.
Notre Dame at Boston College : Two teams fighting for position in ACC
Kentucky at Texas A&M : Top 10 matchup in SEC!! Must see!!
UPDATE: *Louisville at Virginia Tech : An adjustment to ACC scheudle due to covid protocols.
- Friday
Oregon at Stanford : #1 vs #11 in a major Pac-12 Matchup. Afternoon game (230p ET). Will Sedona Prince and Cameron Brink be back in their respective lineups?
Arizona State at Washington State : Kamie Ethridge has opened eyes thus far in the Pac-12! New Zealand twins Charlisse Leger-Walker (19 points / 5.6 rebounds) and Krystal Leger-Walker (10 points / 3.9 rebounds) have come on strong. Australian Ula Motuga is contributing 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds. International recruiting impacts for sure. Watch for the game plan from Charli Turner-Thorne who always gets the most out of her players. Canadian guard Taya Hansen has been on fire lately from the three-point land (9 for her last 15; 32% overall). Freshman Jaddan Simmons has had two of her highest scoring outings in Pac-12 play (20 vs USC and 16 vs Stanford). *** EDIT: This game has now been postponed.
December 22, 2020: Day 3 at the United Bank Holiday Invitational (Myrtle Beach, SC)CHAMPIONSHIP TUESDAY
The top bracket championship game was between New Hope Academy (MD) and Lake Highland Prep (FL), both in the ESPN Top 25 at #8 and #3, respectively.
Both teams came to play early. The game was physical and the players were focused. New Hope built an 8 point halftime lead by creating turnovers and getting on the offensive glass, their usual M.O. Nyla Harris helped Lake Highland Prep hang in the game by battling on the glass and getting a couple of And-1 layups. New Hope played their defensive game plan very well and gave nothing easy to LHP. They played the personel tendencies very well.
Coming out of the halftime break, LHP looked relaxed and aggressive early, lead by three 3FG's in the 3Q by '22 UCF commit Stefanie Ingram. New Hope began playing a bit rushed and taking bad early shots and they found themselves going into the 4Q down 3.
In this low scoring affair, the 4Q was gritty and tense. The two teams traded one-point leads a couple of times and LHP held on to the 3 point win, with '22 Nyla Harris scoring a layup in the closing seconds.
LHP won the rebounding war 37-35, limited their TO's in the second half, and shot 40% from the three.
BOX SCORE
STANDOUT PLAYERS2021
Mia Moore - St. Francis (GA) | Mississippit State
Nicole Azar - Hebron (GA) | Samford
Malia Fisher - Hebron (GA) | Rice
Maria Gakdeng - New Hope (MD) | Boston College
Reniya Jones - New Hope (MD) | UT-Arlington
Chalon Miles - New Hope (MD) | Towson
Kayla Blackshear - Lake Highland Prep (FL) | Alabama
Reigan Richardson - Cannon (NC) *limited to one game | Georgia
2022
Kennedy Fauntleroy - New Hope (MD) | Emerging PG in '22 class
Nyla Harris - Lake Highland Prep (FL) | All ACC Top 5; Powerful athlete with skills!
Stefanie Ingram - Lake Highland Prep | UCF Commit; PG sets the tone for her team
Alexia Grant - First Baptist School (SC) | Sleeper talent!
2023
Erica Moon - St. Francis (GA) | Has PG ability and shoots the 3 well
Amaya Ferguson - Northwood (SC) | Showed a nice feel .. Simple fundamental game
Eleecia Carter - Lake Highland Prep (FL) | Energy giver and three ball ability
Laila Reynolds - New Hope (MD) | Smooth with potential
Trynce Taylor - St. Francis (GA) | Battles inside .. Nice complimentary player
2024
Joyce Edwards - Camden (SC) | Could be early #1 player in her class when the time comes
Bri Rivera - Lake Highland Prep (FL) | Shooter!
Alayah Birch - Northwood (SC) | Fast athlete.. potential!
Seini Hicks - Cannon (NC) | Raw but great motor and nose for the ball! Competes!
Lexi Blue - Lake Highland Prep (FL) | All the tools
December 21, 2020: Day 2 at the United Bank Holiday Invitational (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Today I was focused on checking out some players that caught my eye on Day 1 and further zeroing in on the depth of their evaluations and measuring their consistency.
Northwood (SC) has a couple of players that are "Under the Radar" types of players: '23 G Amiyah Ferguson and '24 G Alayah Birch, who both showed again today that they are the ones who make their team go.
SLEEPER! First Baptist School (SC) had to come in and fill in for a team today and they have '22 Alexia Grant on their roster. She is a smooth player with serious skills and tremendous bounce! She has a savviness to her game and plays with some flair, especially in her passing. Get a look!
Best of the Day
SHOOTER: '24 Guard Bri Rivera of Lake Highland Prep: 6/8 from the 3 point line.
PASSER: '22 UCF commit Stefanie Ingram of Lake Highland Prep: 6 assists and really created for her team consistently.
REBOUNDER: Boston College signee Maria Gakdeng of New Hope Academy: 20 rebounds; 10 offensive!
MOTOR: '24 Seini Hicks of Cannon School: 23 points and 20 rebounds!
PLAYER(S) OF THE DAY: '24 Joyce Edwards of Camden: 27 points/18 rebounds (9 offensive) | '22 Alexia Grant of First Baptist School: 26 points / 9 rebounds / 3 assists
DEFENSIVE TEAM OF THE DAY: New Hope Academy: Held opponent to 31.9 FG%, forced 23 TO's, and had 17 steals ('22 Kennedy Fauntleroy had 7 of them), and outrebounded opponent 43-30
OFFENSIVE TEAM OF THE DAY: Lake Highland Prep: 46.2 FG% / 34.6 3FG% / 73 total points; In the second half, they were +50% FG's and had 15 assists on 30 total FG's in the game.
NOTES/THOUGHTS:Something players need to realize is important as they not only develop skillwise as a player, but mature as a player: There is no excuse for fatigue or frustration fouls! You can be tired and still be in the right position and frustration fouls are just selfish; These are things that lose close games!
Overall, consistent transition defense is a problem among club teams and it bleeds into undisciplined HS teams. Simple effort correction and "want to" gets the job done. I see far too much attitude expressed in the lackadasical effort to get back on defense. It is a huge red flag for me because it is a choice!
I will never understand coaches who try to micro-manage players' every action; this causes tentative play as these coaches justify it as teaching or in an attempt to keep a mistake from happening .. Newsflash: it generally just leads to more mistakes. Teaching belongs in practice; Coaches should expect what they see in practice to show in the games .. if you allow repetitive mistakes or lack of focus and improvement, then please do not be shocked when it rears its ugly head in the games .. no matter how "hard" you are coaching during the game. I'm a big believer that the "coaching hard" is in the planning and teaching that goes on in practice on a daily basis. The discipline and consistency falls on the shoulders of the leaders. That's a topic for another day. Also, parents doing this from the stands helps NONE. In fact, it's a major distraction and causes unnecesary emotional responses out of the young players. Again, probably a topic for another day.
Today's (personal and for Premier Basketball) TV debut on the Stadium Network was fun! It is definitely harder than it looks/sounds as there is a lot that goes into the production and having producers in your ear for the first time is intereting in and of itself. I want to thank Tournament Director, John Rhodes, for the opportunity and the play-by-play expert, Allen Smothers, for a wonderful experience. If I am to do it again in the future, I definitely have some things on which to improve. Sometimes, it is fun just to be thrown into something and have to just get it done. Good life lesson...
Tomorrow's Final
We will see New Hope Academy (ESPN #8) vs Lake Highland Prep (ESPN #3) in the much anticipated final tomorrow at the United Bank Holiday Invitational. I think this game will come down to three things (and in this order of importance): Turnovers | Rebounds | 3 FG%
Both of these teams rely on ball pressure, presses, and creating offense from turnovers (LHP converted TO's into 29 and 21points in their first 2 games, respectively; New Hope has forced 25 and 23 TO's in their first two games). Who can beat pressure and then execute for a good shot in the half court?
New Hope outrebounded their semifinal opponent 43-30 and got 15 offensive rebounds in game one and 18 in game two. Lake Highland actually got outrebounded in their semifinal game vs Camden. This will be huge for both teams. The winner will win on the glass.
The 3 point shot is a big part of Lake Highland Prep's offense (37% of thier FG's in this event have been from 3). Lake Highland is big and strong inside, so I think New Hope will have to score outside of the paint with some consistency or threat to win.
Prediction: I think the PG play of Stefanie Ingram and the combo of Blackshear and Harris inside will help tilt the scales to Lake Highland Prep, ever so close: 68-62 with LHP winning the championship.
December 19, 2020: Day 1 at the United Bank Holiday Invitational (Myrtle Beach, SC)
I focused today on the eight teams and four games of the "United Bank Division" bracket.
Game 1: Northwood (SC), 43 vs. St. Francis HS (GA), 56
This game started a little sloppy as both teams had a hard time finding the bucket versus the respective 1/2 court zones.. Ultimately, the St. Francis defensive pressure on the ball made the difference in the game; Mississipi State signee Mia Moore is a tough on-ball defender.. St. Francis did a really good job of coming out after halftime and talking and rotating in their zone - it was very impressive. A 17-6 3Q and a 49-31 rebounding edge (including 23 offensive boards) was too much for Northwood.
Notes: '23 Erica Moon for St. Francis is one to remember; Solid PG who sees the floor well and proved to be able to knock down the three ball. '24 Alayah Birch for Northwood is an athletic guard who can really get to the paint.
BOX SCORE
Game 2: Hebron Christian Academy (GA), 59 vs New Hope Academy (MD), 61
Game of the day! The pace of this game was high from the start and both teams came ready to play. It was close throughout and tied at the half 37-37 with Hebron taking a three point lead (53-50) going into the 4Q. Hebron used what looked like a matchup zone with man principles in executing what looked to be a detailed scouting report and game plan. New Hope will always rely on defensive intensity and ball pressure to dictate the pace of the game .. as well as using an occasional containment press into a variety of zones in the half court; Hebron has a squad full of good passers and cutters and they execute well on the offensive end (leading assist player was Jessie Parish, a 6'2 junior post player with 5 to go with 14 rebounds). Samford bound Nicole Azar and Rice bound Malia Fisher lead the way for Hebron. New Hope's style makes their opponents play the entire game as they will wear on you with their pressure. '22 Kennedy Fautleroy runs the show for New Hope.
The 4Q started with the teams trading turnovers and offensive rebounds and ended with Boston College bound SR Maria Gakdeng making a layup at the buzzer for the win for New Hope. The last possession gave New Hope :12 on the clock with Hebron on defense and with a foul to give, which they chose not to utilize. Hebron was in a zone and somehow Gakdeng got loose on the back side and (I believe) it was SR Chalon Miles who found her (7 assists on the day).
Notes: New Hope scored 20 points off of 25 Hebron TO's and got 15 offensive rebounds.
BOX SCORE
Game 3: Trinity Collegiate School, 30 (SC) vs Camden HS (SC), 49
This game had a unique detail in that both squads had 8th graders on the roster, something not allowed in high school in some states across the country. This game stared pretty slowly as the teams struggled to score. Trinity Collegiate School shared the ball well in the first half to create open shots and they went into halftime with a 23-21 lead. The second half was a different story as Camden cranked up their defense intensity and created some easy offense from that.. Trinity Collegiate just had a hard time getting a quality shot and were 3-27 from the field in the second half. A 16-5 3Q helped Camden pull away and they never looked back.
Notes: '24 Joyce Edwards of Camden was a stat stuffer: 28pts/19reb/6ast
BOX SCORE
Game 4: Cannon (SC), 42 vs Lake Highland Prep (FL), 59
This game had some headlining talent in it with Georgia bound Reigan Richardson (constant stock riser and ESPN HoopGurlz #34) for Cannon and Alabama bound Kayla Blackshear (ESPN HoopGurlz #75) as well as '22 Nyla Harris (ESPN HoopGulrz #11).
Cannon used patient execution in the halfcourt offense with numerous sets as well as what looked like a matchup zone as their gameplan; Lake Highland Prep started out a little choppy and found themselves fouling early; they discovered their flow out of dribble-drive movements and settled in by the last couple minutes of the 1Q. Lake Highland Prep was able to create some turnovers with their defensive pressure and get out in transition and that disrupted Cannon's ability to control the pace. Kayla Blackshear dominated the offensive boards in the 3Q for LHP.
Lake Highland Prep has a very balanced roster across the board.. '23 Eleecia Carter, '22 Sierra Godbolt, '22 Stefanie Ingram (recent UCF commit lead in assists with 5), '24 Lexi Blue, and '24 Bri Rivera give coach Al Honor a lot which with to work.
Notes: The major difference in this game was turnoners: 27 for Cannon lead to 29 points for LHP. Remember '24 Seini Hicks for Cannon as she had a double-double effort.
BOX SCORE