Team Ichiban's Memorial Weekend Showdown

Kansas commit Terriell Bradley

One thing is for sure, there will be an extreme amount of high level players going at it over the weekend and guess who'll be there, well you already the answer but stay tuned


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PLATINUM HS VARISTY GIRLS DIVISION

1.     Austin Elite RFW                                            10.  Ichiban Genesis Elite

2.     Cy Fair Nike Elite Platinum 16u                     11.  Duncanville

3.     Team Overtime                                               12.  MP Elite

4.     Cy Fair Nike Ogwumike                                  13.  TeamXpress

5.     Texas Dream Team 2015                               14.  All Stars Elite Donnie

6.     UBAVE Black                                                  15.  Austin Elite Black

7.     Houstonians Red                                             16.  Texas Preps Elite 2015 Brown

8.     Texas Preps Elite 2014 Brown                        17.  Cy Fair Nike Nationals 15u

9.     D-1 Rohn                                                          18.  Urban DFW Elite

Younger Insiders growing up after strong finish at #IBC

Kiara McElroy has been on fire since moving up to varsity at Cy Falls during her freshman year and she and Erika Sydney have been the main offensive threats for Insiders Black this season. That changed over the weekend as two others helped take them to the semifinals where they lost by three to eventual Varsity champ the Houstonians. I already talked about Carrie Bradford however Tasia Hayes took a giant leap forward to becoming the type of player I anticipated over a year ago. Hayed can get the basket whenerver she wants and she's realizing it as her acrobatic shots brought down the house several times. Throw that in with a bakers dozen worth of steals, not to mention her dropping a few long ones means this could turn into something smooth for the stretch

WHE young stars show out at #IBC

After opening day, I sort of knew how this was going which is why I stopped Ilya Babineaux because if I gave a most improved award to anyone I've seen over the past season at her age, she would definitely get it. She's poised and confident on the court and with her size and strength, not to mention hands and footwork, ladies and gentlemen have I mentioned that 2017 is going to be a monster class in Texas and if I haven't, she's going to be doing a lot of the terrifying once it's over

West Houston Elite finished second in the Varsity Division of the Insiders Basketball Classic and since they have no high school players on their roster, that's even more impressive. I've watched these young ladies for a couple of years and believe me quite a few are on the verge of crossing over to next level status but by that same token, many have already done just that.

Multiple players showed they could hit the long one including Gabby Green who seemed to be everywhere at times but I enjoyed the event, especially seeing the younger kids get ready to have to torch passed over

Pearland Hawks still flying after nice #IBC showing

Mackenzie Green keeps getting better and better every time I watch her play and with her intensity, body and skill set, it's amazing that she's doing some of the things she does right now while only in the sixth grade. The Pearland Hawks won the Silver Division and were Consolation runner-up in Gold but the main thing and most important is each time I see these young ladies I see progression

Speaking of progression, Jada Roberts is making leaps and bounds and with her size, I'm ready to start tagging her right now. The young lady has two things I love going for her, she's fearless and she not only goes after everything in her area, she usually comes up with it. She's still raw in some areas but she's young and before it's all said and done, she will be among the top players in her class, archive it!

Houston Premier 14U take 2nd in Gold at #IBC

Another talented group of young players for the Houston Premier made a solid showing in the Gold Division as they came away with a second place finish. Savannah Baimbridge went completely off as she scored almost at will throughout the event and I'm talking multiple ways as her step-back is a killer.  Add Brooke Atherton and Emily Mills as legitimate threats and that gave Houston Premier a scoring threesome. Shelby Sanderson has a lot of upside as well as Reagan Satterfield but the whole team simply got after it whcih was refreshing to see

Cut The Nets showcase even more, you guessed it at #IBC

Cut The Nets has been blistering the nets for years with an array of talented players from exciting guards to dominant posts and the young group that played in the Insiders basketball Classic has several to keep it going. Add another talented Schenck sister to the list as '18 Mikayla has the potential to join her sister, 2016 Madison, at the next level one day. She's long and athletic, she finishes, has good form on her shot and is fluid. Not only, she's smart and sees thing before they happen which enables her to get steals galore.

Elissa Flores was dominant on the inside as she put up numbers throughout the event. She has astrong body and finishes strong and like Schenck, she anticipates well. She and Savannah Bonin controlled the boards on both ends while Olivia Brusuelas had me trying to figure out which hand was her strong one as she finished with both. Hannah Burleson and Kinzy Carmack showed they could score in tight situations and I'm looking forward to catching these young players again soon

IBA takes Gold and runner-up in Silver at #IBC

When I cover an event, if I get four hours sleep I'm doing great however when I'm helping host and covering, not to mention coaching, that's cut in half so anytime the schedule allows me to see exciting young players, this get's my adrenaline going and the youngsters from IBA are one of many teams I saw this past weekend that fall into that category. Not only did they leave with a first in Gold, they also pulled out a second in Silver which isn't bad at all.

In the Gold, Hanna Froeschl stayed in a zone the whole tournament as she has the nets smoking and with some additional firepower from Courtnie Labarne, Alex Simmons and Hannah Fallos, these young ladies helped keep me going

Houstonians youth keep tradition going at #IBC

By winning the Varsity Division and also the Consolation prize in the Gold, the Houstonians staying power won't be leavings as an abundance of young stars throughout their organization continue to not only get better but show they have what it takes to play beyond high school

In the Varsity Division, Allie Caudill and Kori Seals gave defenses all they could handle in the paint while Treazure Mouton, Lemencia Mitchell and Kendra Houston took turns putting up numbers

In the Gold, Monet Jones, Tiana Clark and Jasmine Harvey stayed on fire and I already spotted bright futures in store for Jones and Harvey last season  however Clark has made considerable improvement in all areas and actually "get's it" which is a huge plus as her tenacity on defense was never a question and now that the offense is starting to click..............

Rollins key to Rebels run at #IBC

It seems as if Kendall Rollins is around a double-double every time I see her and judging from what I remember and scanning the score-sheets, nothing changed at the Insiders Basketball Classic as Rollins efforts helped the Katy Rebels to the runner-up spot in the NCAA Division. With Sarah and Allison Goss taking turns at the one or two, the Rebels have that covered as those young ladies continue to amaze me. Emily Hatfield, Kaelyn Echeveri, Ali Omilabu and Bailey Brown took turns in being among the leading scorers  while Brittany Panetti keeps getting better as she put up a huge double-double early in the tournament

It's Rollins turn for the Tip Sheet and as her game continues to grow, well that could be said for the whole Rebels squad, this is going to be a fun team to watch for the next few years

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Houston Premier Orange and Blue solid in top two divisions at #IBC

The Houston Premier organization continues to grow and season after season, they are making noise and their performance at the Insiders Basketball Classic by their top two squads, Orange and Blue, shows me they are on course for an explosive July. Both teams have an abundance of next level players and on the Orange team, firepower comes from everywhere. As I play everything back in my head and refer back to score sheets, it's always good when you have numerous players stepping up and I'm seeing Katie Burke, Ally Barrios and Reagam Magee carrying the team offensively one half while Emily Gauthier, Madi Robinson  and Tate Broms doing it in a another half and I'm talking throughout the event. They also have at least five players that can knock down the long ball and the interesting thing is I'm not even counting one of the top missile launchers in the state, Ashley O'Block, who is still not 100%

On the Blue team, Peyton Walker and Lindsey Tredway continue to amaze me with their growth as they put up huge number during the event while Ally Welling continues to be a pleasant surprise as they did well in the NCAA Division. Here's the kicker, with the exception of 2015 Haley Sellers, this is a 2016 squad with kids who will be doing this stuff in college as well

For her efforts, Burke get's the Tip Sheet nod and I'll have more coming on the younger Premier teams later this week

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Insiders WNBA runner-up at #IBC

Houston Insiders Anna McCleaod (2016) and Brynae Thompson (2015) have been getting a lot of interest over the past season as they have showed up huge on center stage, each knock down at least eight threes in a game but it goes a little deeper as they have added even more to their games and the great news is they still have time

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Thompson's performance at the Insiders Basketball Classic shows exactly what I'm talking about as she makes the "Big Girl" Tip Sheet

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Houston Elite wins WNBA at IBC

They came, they saw, they conquered is the best way to put it as Houston Elite placed two teams in the semis at the IBC and the top team, Houston Elite White, took home the top prize. Houston Elite has been around along time and will be for a lot longer

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Surprise!!!!!

It's always good to see my daughter, even when she just pops up. Sydney had a chance to give the players some helpful pointers after practice and also did a little catching up with Coach Daniel

It's official-Blueprint added to GPR Events

I just posted that I would be in the Alamo City multiple times and one thing is for certain, if I say it you probably need to listed. ShesBallin Blueprint has been added to my calendar

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Parker's return paying dividends for HFB at #IBC

Ebony Parker has returned to the Houston Fastbreakers as they prepare to put everything together for an impressive July run. Parker, along with Ekiya Gray, Regina Scott and Jalea Preston helped turn Klein Forest completely around as freshmen and form the nucleus of a potentially explosive team. Elysee Rodriguez and Cree Hammond, two of my 2014 UTR players are ready to showcase their skills along with Amber Lane.

Another bright spot is sophomore Lauren Grigsby who made the IBC Tip Sheet

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