Spring Fall League-Too Close To Call

If you think there packed in now, wait until late February because this could have been a Region 2 Final preview in a fall league match-up between The Woodlands and Dekaney. Here's the deal, providing both teams win their their districts, they could meet to see who represents the region in Austin. Several obstacles do stand in  both teams way, including two teams from Dekaney's district, Klein Forest and Klein Collins, plus a team that was 3 points away in overtime from making it to the R2 finals last season, DeSoto

The Woodlands back-court of Page Bradley and Ashlyn Hargraves is an awesome 1-2 punch on offense as they showed against the aggressive Dekaney squad that has depth like no other team in the area

Kelsey Lang's game is steadily catching up to her 6'4 frame and that mid-range jumper is looking better and better every time I see her. The real key will be Anna Strickland who provides things that often don't appear in the box score

I mentioned Dekaney's depth however the key to how far they go will rest on the shoulders of their seniors, Shunta Nevitt and Alexis Durley who have been a part of the team through the bad, the good and now perhaps the great. Nevertheless these are two of the top teams in the area and at this stage you can't count anyone out

Nevitts Are Not Shy On Court

Actually they aren't shy off court either but many players don't like their pictures taken after a game, I get it, yet I still take them. On the court, both will play a big role in how far Dekaney goes this season.

Shunta continued to develop over the years and became a scoring threat in and outside of the paint which will play dividends as she heads to Texas Tech next season.

Who knows, maybe baby sister Kayla is really shy off the court however she is among the top 2014 players in the area and she has a legitimate chance to crack some Top 100 national lists before it's over. Even though the polls didn't show it, Dekaney is one of the top 5 teams in the area and come March, they may be marching to Austin.

Concordia Scores Big In Area

I had a good chat with Concordia University's head coach Rusty Rainbolt about the talented players in Houston. He should know as he has received commitments from four, Camille Williams, Cy Woods, Brionna Chatman and Dejani Vallier, Klein Oak and Maghen Lormand of The Woodlands. This is huge for Concordia's program as well as the area as the number of players that have committed has now reached 24, which by the way is my all time favorite show. Here's a video of Coach Rainbolt

Wednesday GAMES Of The Week

Well so far I'm 1 out of 2 but the good new is that the Spring Fall League schedule has been tweeked a little.
5:00   1-4 (G1)   2-5 (G2)
6:00   2-7 (G1)   3-6 (G2)
7:00   1-7 (G1)   6-4 (G2)


This means you will have a Dekaney vs The Woodlands match-up at 6pm and a Klein Collins vs Cy Falls match-up at 7. Four of the top teams from our area going at it!

Pookie To The Rescue

Alexis "Pookie" Chandler has found a new home at Cy Fair. Last season marked an end the Bobcats six year streak of making it to the Regional Final 4, whether they were in R2 or R3, they got the job done, which included two state championships and have been one of the most successful programs in the millennium. From stars like Lindsay Harding to Aubrey Cook, Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike to Cassie Peoples, this school has had some of the best players to come through this city. Without debating with anyone, Cy Falls is the best team in the district, they are going win it and have a very good chance to make it to state barring injuries. The big question is who will be the next three teams to make it to the playoffs from District 17? Cy Ranch and Cy Woods appear to be the early front runners however you just never know until the dust has settled. Cy Fair is a perfect example because many didn't know where Chandler was and now that they do, Cy Fair has a pretty good chance to make it to the playoffs once again.

Chidomere Leads Upgraded 2014 Group

In a week where so far maybe the best games haven't been played, several sophomores have caught me eye. Crystal Chidomere from Bush is one of those players as the first thing you notice is her flying down the court with hair flowing through the wind as she blows by opponents. As you continue watching, you catch a glimpse of a bona fide offensive star in the making. My first real look at point guard Gabby Odom left me feeling the same way as she has the tools to develop into something special at Lamar. Speaking of point guards, how about 6'0 Sasha Cedeno who may be in for a breakout season at Klein Oak. If it's heart and desire you need, check out Ali Doughtery at Cypress Creek because her presence will be needed almost immediately. If you are recruiting the area or need more information on these and other players, look no further! As promised, I will keep adding and updating info on players throughout the season and their careers

GPR SCOUTING SERVICE

Bellaire Fall League-Lamar

This should be an interesting season for the Redskins as legendary Coach Barbara Meadoughs steps down. It also will mark the first time Ashley McQueen is anywhere near 100% as she enters her senior season as Lamar hopes to overtake Westside for the #2 position in HISD. When you get a new coach, you get new ideas and the new look Lamar team appears to be on the verge of something special as they came out applying pressure on both ends of the court.

Sophomore  Rangie Bessard is one of the top posts in her 2013 class and as she continues to improve, so will Lamar. A burst of energy from another sophomore, point guard Gabrielle Odom, will be a big plus over the next few seasons as my old saying, "the game starts at the one", could make this a potent 1-2 combination.

Bellaire Fall League-Bellaire

Yesterday I wrote Bellaire would face their first challenge of the fall league and I would get a chance to see Coach AJ play and I was totally wrong on both. AJ "The Real Deal" Alix was out with a minor injury and will be back in a week but the Cardinals surprisingly didn't need her. Without speculating any further, it appears the Cardinals are ready to make a run as they appear to be playing with more intensity than they did last season along with playing for a purpose as their 2012 group of seniors want to go out with a bang. The game against St. Pius was close for 15 minutes however Bellaire's pressure was too much during the final 5 minutes of the half as the Cardinals never looked back and won going away.

After watching St Pius in the Bellaire Rec Fall League, it appeared they were ready to take the throne away from Westbury Christian as the best private school team in the city however they have shown they aren't even the best private school team in the BFL, Kinkaid holds that dubious honor with yet another blowout victory as Lashann Higgs and Brecca Thomas both drop over 30. On Thursday, St. Agnes plays Katy Taylor in the KFL and this weekend St. Pius is scheduled to play Westbury Christian at the Bellaire Rec and maybe, just maybe, things will start falling into place on who the top private school teams will be.

Tuesday Night GOTW

Bellaire plays their first real challenge tonight as they take on St. Pius at 8pm. Although Pius lost against Klein Forest, they looked a lot better than they did in their loss to Kinkaid. This will be interesting game for oth teams since Bellaire has yet to be challenged in their fall league. Coach AJ will be running the show from the point and I expect the Cards to come out pushing and pressing.

Last night's North Shore vs Manvel was everything I thought it would be based on the buzz afterwards and it's great to see playoff atmosphere from the fans before the season actually kicks off.


SCHEDULE

Alodia Fall League-Cy Creek

It's hard to gauge a team on how good they will be in a fall league, especially when you have several players out that are playing volleyball or doing other things.Last seasons Katy Taylor squad is a perfect example as they could have conceivably made it to at least the R3 Final 4. Although that probably won't be the case for Cy Creek, they will be in a dogfight for that final playoff spot as Cy Falls, Cy Ranch and Cy Woods are probably cinches, Creek has to beat out some other tough competition, especially a revitalized Cy Fair with the addition of Alexis Chandler. Creek played tough as they had a mixture of varsity and JV players however Jazmine Cruz and Ali Doughtery kept them swinging.

The 5'7 Cruz played a little at every position and provided relief on both ends of the floor, while Doughtery, the feisty point guard, did whatever she wanted on the offensive end and was quite impressive. Missing was 2013 GPR Top 30 Dani Fielder who also plays volleyball and should provide a boost when she returns. Also missing was a big portion of their offense from last season, Angelica Weaver and Maddy McGlammery, who both graduated and accounted for well over half the teams offense. Again, this is only fall league so we'll see how things develop.