THE BIG THREE
Sometimes coaches get lucky and have one kid that can come in and help as a freshman, Seven Lakes showed having two played dividends last season. The odds on having three at one time are not quite as astronomical as say winning the Powerball, but it's pretty high, along the lines of winning the Pick 3. Regina Scott, Ekiya Gray and Ebony Parker should help turn KF into a playoff contender. I always tell folks the game starts at the 1 and Ebony is capable of running a high school team right now. Regina, although undersized, is a beast around the basket. I think Charles Barkley showed what effort and determination could do. Ekiya amazes me everytime I see her, always adding something to her game and once again, that bloodline doesn't hurt. National exposure isn't far behind.
I've been raving over point guard Brooke McCarty, red shorts, since I first saw her in the 5Th grade. She was way ahead of her years back then giving some high school guards fits and has continued to improve. Right now, these kids are the two highest ranked 2014 players from Houston
Several other kids in the area that I have seen are showing"not so fast, I can play too" by actually doing it on the court. Here are a few others that will have people talking.
Woodlands based Cut The Nets won the 14u Qualifier, even though they are primarily an 8Th Grade team.
Having a very good point guard that's aggressive on both ends, plus the fact that she can see the floor well, setting her teammates up for easy buckets is a huge plus. The game starts at the one!
They have shooters that can light it up from anywhere. They have "bigs" that never give up and the team itself just seems find ways to out hustle opponents. They are an impressive group of young ladies that have gotten better throughout the year.
In route to winning the 14U Championship, Cut The Nets beat team a Texas Blazer team in the semi-finals that looks pretty darn good themselves. The Blazers are an 8Th and 9Th grade mix and both teams show that there is tons of younger talent in the area in and around Houston.
One Blazer, Kayla Nevitt, has an older sister, Shante, that starts for Dekaney. Kayla is athletic and fearless to go along with a wingspan of around 6'2 right now. Watch out, the sky is definitely the limit, which by the way it looks like she's trying to touch at times.
Brecca Thomas caught my eye as a 6Th grader. She's the kid I've bragged about already having a jumper, topping that off by dropping at least 6 bombs in a game, from NBA range at that, last season. Guess what? Her game has gone to a whole "nother" level, hey this is what slang is for. Poised and confident, she is giving high school players all they can handle right now, I can only imagine what's about to happen.
Michelle Nwokedi stands 6'2 and can shoot the three pretty darn good. She has excellent timing and is a shot blocking machine, those that aren't blocked are usually altered. She helped her Houston Insiders team make it to the finals of the qualifier in dominant fashion on both ends. It doesn't hurt that basketball is in her blood, older sister Jenny was a high school standout that now plays for Tulane. Once the kid realizes what she's working with, who knows?
The Class of 2012 is loaded, 2013 and 2014 appear to be following suit. I appreciate the kind words either in person or email from parents thanking me for passing on the information I have, which hopefully helps your daughters improve their game. It's also a plus when parents tell me they have their daughters read the articles, especially the ones on improving their skills away from practice.
I consider it a blessing to have had others guide me through the process and give me valuable information over the years on a national scale. I also consider it a blessing not having to pay for college education, something I am sure most parents out there are looking for. Two of those people were close friends that have passed on , Greg Cook and Venon Starks. Both had Blue Chip daughters and sort of took me under their wings. I'm sure they considered me a bit out there at times, but they liked my kids and gave me the vault, which is what I call useful and valuable information. Much of what they shared has helped along the way and I have no problem giving information to others, in other words, I'm passing it forward.
As my scouting service goes into full effect, please send me any info you have on your daughter so I can get a look at her. We are holding an NCAA Certified National Exposure event on July 29th -31st,
http://www.houstoninsiders.com/ and I will get a chance to profile every player playing.
Good luck and tell your kids to keep working, cause someone else is.
