HERE THEY COME-Class of 2014

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.

Brianna Turner is high on every list around and it appears every rim as well. Most scouting services have her ranked either the number one or two prospect in the country, I'm talking USA folks. She's in line to become the next dominant big from Texas, with handles and range to go along with "the package". As you can see, she is very athletic and agile. Dad says she's working on her timing and I can only imagine what's next.

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

Another PG people speak highly of is Cienna Rodriguez Rivera and even though I haven't seen much of her, evidently she is a really good player based on the spin and remember, the game starts at the one! I also haven't seen the two younger Ogwumike sisters play this year, one will be entering the 9th grade, nor LuLu McKinney, so those are names you may want to listen for after I see them all on the same team in Frisco at the SIX FOE.




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.

This kid brought back some memories, in a fast and flashy way. Only heading to the 8th grade, Benisha Peters is one of those "yougstas" that make you say hmmmm and after watching her yesterday, 2015 and younger deserves to be noticed. This kid is amazing, she can play with some high school varsity guards right now and she's under 5 feet tall.




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.

2013-Up And Coming

BRIANNA TAYLOR

The AAU Qualifier was held this past weekend and although it continues to lose the luster it once had as far as quantity of teams, the quality remains at a very high level. I had a chance to see some of the best players in the area perform against some outstanding competition. The Cy Fair Shock, behind a very talented Kristin Inman, won the 15u or 10TH Grade division. That particular team, with the exception of a couple of players, is really a 9TH Grade team, so I decided to look back at some of the top 2013 players from last season.

Several freshmen made names for themselves this season, none greater than Bellaire's A.J. Alix who put on the most impressive post season offensive performance of any player I have seen in Region 3 history, dropping 32 against Elsik for a chance to go to the Final Four, then putting the Cardinals on her back and scoring 40 against Hightower in the championship game. Alix was named MVP of her district and made an All Greater Houston Post Season team.

Inman, along with Sydney Buchel have taken Seven Lakes from laughing stock to see who laughs last and will be a contender for the Region 3 Final Four for the next three years. Both kids were named first team all district.

Alex Lapeyrolerie from Kempner and Madison Wilson from Clements were named Newcomers of the Year along with being 1ST Team All District. Kiana Ingram, also from Kempner, was named 2ND Team All District and should compliment Lapeyrolerie to form a great dynamic duo.

The Clear Lake area also has some of the top up and coming talent including Brittney Branch, who made 1ST Team All District and was also named Chronicle Player of the Week once, while Taylor Owens, Taylor Longley and Jo Ann Lira all were named 2ND Team All District.

Never before have so many freshmen made their mark so early in Region 3 and this can be attributed to many things, such as everything was spread out, talent wise that is. By that I mean there are more schools and even more transfers. Those reasons, along with fact that the Classes of 2010 and 2011 are not as strong as previous years, plus high school coaches are putting the balls in the younger kids hands earlier,not worried about kids waiting for their turn, has truly changed things.

On the other hand, Region 2 was clearly the better region of the two in the area and here is an example why. Last place Klein beat at least three Region 3 playoff teams, and they probably would have made the playoffs in many districts in Region 3.

Top freshmen from Region 2 were Dekaney's Brianna Taylor, Newcomer of the Year in 13 5A while College Park's Alexia Sanders received the same award in 14 5A. Dominique Dillingham from Klein Collins was named 2ND Team All District in in 13 5A.

Taylor, Inman and Alix are three of the top players in the state in their class right now, all have the potential to be Top 100 in the country, so we will see how it all plays out.

There are several other talented 2013's floating around, I don't know if this class has as many next level players as 2012's guard heavy class does, but it should be a great one and one I will be watching very close.

BIG TEE

We have had several dominate bigs come through Texas over the past few years that have reached stardom and acclaim on a NATIONAL level. Griner, Bone, Green, Rolle, Reed, the Ogwumike's and Gilbert. Brianna Turner is about to enter high school, she's probably more suited at a 3 or a 4 and everyone knows about her, but now we have another on the watch list, Teaira McCowan,shown towering over everyone. The improvement this kid has made in just a month shows she has the desire to get better, along with the tools she was blessed with to leave her mark before it's all said and done.


Both of the Ogwumike's had it back then, no question about that. I didn't see Griner or Rolle until they were in high school, both were very raw even then, however if I had to do comparisons, I would say the kid is ahead of the game of many of the other talented posts that had solid careers in the area and state that I haven't mentioned. No, she isn't dunking tennis balls like Nicky Green was in the 7Th grade. No, she doesn't have the mindset Bone did in the 7Th grade. Reed was more polished at an early age, but I think this kid is as close to or maybe even a little ahead of Gilbert, who was named a Parade's 1st Team and Mc Donald's All American this year.

With hard work and determination, along with being 6'5 and heading to the 8Th grade, this kid will be on just about every college coach or recruiters short list. The sky is truly the limit for BIG TEE.

2012 Players

Here are some of the top players in the nation. They are listed in no particular order and this is not for ranking purposes.

Alexis Prince Edgewater High School Maitland, FL
Courtney Williams North Shore High School Houston, TX
Alexis Jones MacArthur High School Arlington, TX
Jordan Adams Mater Dei High School Irvine, CA
Morgan Tuck Bolingbrook High School Bolingbrook, IL
Moriah Jefferson THESA Glenn Heights, TX
Rachel Hollivay Caledonia High School Caledonia, MS
Breanna McDonald Redan High School Lithonia, GA
Jewell Lloyd Lincolnwood High School Lincolnwood, IL
Malina Howard Twinsburg High School Twinsburg, OH
Bashara Graves Clarksville High School Clarksville, TN
Adraya Carter Buford High School Flowery Branch, GA
Alyson Beebe Saint Joseph High School Santa Maria, CA
Fannisha Price South Shore High School Brooklyn, NY
Breanna Stewart Cicero-North Syracuse High North Syracuse,NY
Lanay Montgomery Watkins Mill High School Montgomery Village, MD
Xylina McDaniel Spring Valley High School Blythewood, SC
Asia Dozier Spring Valley High School Columbia, SC
Imani Martinez North Hunterdon High Annadale, NJ
Jasmine Kemp Stephenson High School Stone Mountain, GA
Destiny Brown Gateway Senior High School Monroeville, PA
Danielle Ballard Memphis Central High School Memphis, TN
Khaleah Cooper Girard College High School Philadelphia, PA
Majorie Butler Webb School Of Knoxville Knoxville, TN
Sidney Cook Southmoore High School Oklahoma City, OK

2011 Players

Here are 50 of the top 2011 players you may want to take a glimpse at. Again, I am not ranking anyone on here, just letting you know who some of the top players in the country are, nothing more, nothing less.



Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis Mater Dei High School Anaheim, Ca
Elizabeth Williams Princess Anne High School Virginia Beach, Va
Cierra Burdick Butler High School Charlotte, NC
Ariel Massengale Bolingbrook High School Bolingbrook, Il
Amber Henson Sickles High School Tampa, Fl
Bria Smith Christ the King High School Massapequa, NY
Alexia Standish Colleyville Heritage Colleyville , TX
Justine Hartman Breaa Olinda High School Brea, CA
Kayla Brewer Jean Ribault Jacksonville, FL
Rachel Mitchell Atoscicita HS Houston, TX
Briyona Carty Trenton Catholic Academy Willingboro, NJ
Kiah Stokes Linn Mar High School Marion, IA
Alexyz Vaioletama Mater Dei High School Fountain Valley, CA
Krystal Fortham Jefferson High School Portland, OR
Morgan Jones Lake Mary High School Altamonte Spring, FL

Kalia Johnson Thomas Dale High School Chester, VA
Bonnie Samuelson Edison High School Huntington Beach, CA
Cassie Peoples Cy Fair High School Houston, TX
Crystal Bradford Community High School Detroit, MI
Betnijah Laney Smyrna High School Clayton, DE
Whitney Knight Bishop McGuinness Winston-Salem, NC
Quaneisha Mc Curty Northwest Whitfield High School Tunnel Hill, Ga
Ariya Cook-Williams Long Beach Polytechnic High School Long Beach, CA
Elem Ibiem Spalding High School Griffin, Ga
Brittant Roundtree Potters House Christian Jacksonville, FL
Allyson Malott Madison High School Middleton, OH
Taylor Greenfield Ballard High School Huxey, IA
Kacy Swain Chaparral High School Temecula, CA
Chairese Culberson Berkeley High School Berkely,CA
Asia Boyd Renaissance High School Detroit, MI
Brianna Banks Northgate High School Newnan, GA
Raven Ferguson Columbus Africentric High School Columbus, OH
Tori Scott John Ehret High School Marrero, LA
Jasmine Camp Chamblee High School Ellenwood, GA
Loliya Briggs Potter's House Christian Gainesville, FL
Megan Buckland Bishop McGuinness High Point, NC
Kalpana Beach Westlake High School Westlake, OH
De Shawn Harden Lansing High School Olathe, KS
Amber Orrange Westbury Christian High School Houston, TX
Whitney Holloway Montini High School Plainfield, IL
Isabel Harrison Hillsboro High School Nashville, TN
Erika Johnson Holy Names Academy Seattle, WA
Alexy Rhode Pinnacle High School Cave Creek, AZ
Ronnisha Major Huntsville High School Huntsville, TX
Syessence Davis Neptune High School Neptune, NJ
Brittany Roundtree Potters House Christian Jacksonville, FL
Britney Hardy Frisco High School McKinney, TX
Erica Payne Carondelet High School Concord, CA
Temi Fagbenle Blair Academy London, ENG
Liza Clemons Elmhurst High School Fort Wayne, IN

FATHERLY LOVE

As Father's Day approaches, I wanted to give a shout out to all of the dad's who volunteer their time and energy, be it coaching or just being there period. I caught up with some former athletes that are still giving back.

Kelvin Hampton was a standout high school ballplayer from KG and went on to play college basketball

His daughter, Kelsey, will be entering her sophomore year at Dekaney. I've been watching her for almost a year and here is a kid that is "working on her game" The improvement shows everytime I see her. She comes from an athletic family, not only did her dad play at the next level, uncle Rodney played in the NFL and a couple of Pro Bowls.

Eric Gray was a star athlete at Aldine High School back in the late 80's and early 90's and also played at the next level.

He is now focusing his attention on the Houston Fastbreakers, one of the top younger teams in the city.

As dad focuses on his team, college scouts across the country will be focusing on his daughter, Ekiya, who although is only an 8th grader, the kid has "CAN'T MISS" stamped all over her. I guess it doesn't hurt if your grandfather, Thomas Henderson, was a star NBA player that just happened to play in the Olympics.

Gray will team up with Ebony Parker next year in high school, Parker has the poise and instinc to make a name for herself and put their high school on the map. Folks watch out for these kids because with these numbers, 23 and 24, you are dealing with Michael Jordan and Jack Bauer.

Emanuel Davis is a former Houston Rocket, played in league six years and I have had the pleasure of knowing him since his daughter, Tiffany, was in middle school.

Tiffany is among the top guards in Houston's loaded Class of 2012. She attends Westside High School and led them to one game away from the Region 3 Final Four.

Davis has added something to her game each year and if you blink, you might miss something.

Alexis Durley and Davis are high on many college coaches lists and both are outstanding players that "know and understand the game". Durley is a star on a loaded Dekaney squad that has a chance to make a run. Durley's dad is also a coach with the Cy Fair Shock

RAW TALENT

Many folks like to label kids the next this or that and sometimes they hit on the head, I have a knack for that. A few weeks ago, I had a chance to see 6'5 Teaira McCowan of Bryan Elite, only 13 years old. Tierra is a 7th grader and very, very raw, but she's ahead of the game already, by almost a foot.

She runs the floor well and has pretty good hands. The rest of it will come, this is her first season playing organized ball. Is she the next Griner, Bone or Ogwumike? Only time will tell, but she will be a player before it's all said and done.

THE BIG DANCE

The 23 players in the NCAA women’s tournament who played their high school ball in the Houston area are listed below, followed by their College, Class, Position and High School


Damitria Buchanan Texas A&M Sr. F Houston (Jones)
Karima Christmas Duke Jr. G-F Houston (J. Frank Dobie)
Sydney Colson Texas A&M Jr. G Houston (Westside)
Adaora Elonu Texas A&M So. F Houston (Alief Elsik)
Lauren Flores Texas Fr. G Houston (North Shore)
Emily Frazier Liberty Fr. G Magnolia (Homeschool Christian Youth Association)
Kelli Griffin Baylor Jr. G Houston (Clear Brook)
Brittney Griner Baylor Fr. C Houston (Nimitz)
Jasmine Hartman Oklahoma So. G Houston (Bellaire)
Jasmine Henderson Lamar Fr. G Houston (Dulles)
Krystal Hill Princeton Jr. G Houston (North Shore)
T.K. LaFleur TCU Sr. G Houston (Langham Creek)
Eboni Mangum TCU Sr. G Houston (Dulles)
Rachel McLeod Liberty Jr. G Houston (Homeschool Christian Youth Association)
Jennifer Nwokedi Tulane So. F Houston (St. Agnes Academy)
Nnemkadi Ogwumike Stanford So. F Houston (Cy-Fair)
Tolu Omotola Liberty So. F Houston (Bellaire)
Waltia Rolle North Carolina Fr. C (Westbury Christian)
Trashanna Smith Lamar Jr. F Houston (Hastings)
Brittney Williams Lamar Sr. F Spring
Kayla Williams St. Francis Jr. G Humble
Megan Williams Ark.-Little Rock So. F Houston (James Madison)
Morgan Williams Georgetown So. G Dickinson

Here is a link to the bracket

http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/tournament/bracket

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

CONGRATULATIONS LAMAR CARDINALS!!!

This video says it all!

State Farm and Jerry Kroll did an amazing job. Kroll was a High School All American at Memorial back in the day.

WHAT A FEELING!!!!!!!

Darika Hill registered her third double-double of the State Farm Southland Conference Basketball Tournament with 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Lamar University women's basketball to an 86-59 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the championship game Friday night.

With the win, Lamar (26-7) earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Jenna Plumley also had a double-double for the Lady Cardinals, finishing with 13 points and 14 rebounds as Lamar won its first-ever Southland Conference championship and earned its second berth in the NCAA Tournament, the first for the Lady Cardinals since 1991.

Former Silsbee senastion Ang Green gets a chance to go to the "Big Dance". Green proved to be a valuable asset to our club program helping us finish runner-up at Basketball On The Bayou in 2007. She's a tremendous scorer and only a sophomore whose future appears to be bright.

Houstonian Jasmine Henderson is another sophomore that goes to her first"Big Dance". As a former Dulles player, she helped her team to three Region 3 Final Fours.

Brit"Moses" Williams and former OU player Plumley, have helped lead the Redskins to the promised land. Williams has done it at every level, winning back to back AAU National Championships and leading her high school team, Spring, to the state semi-finals.

Plumley was a standout at OU before finding a home in Beaumont and she certainly helped turn this program around. Hill was simply unstoppable for the Cards all week and she was named MVP of the Tournament. Plumley, whose 13 points and 12 assists were just too much to handle and she was named to the All Tournament squad as well.

Shay Montgomery, left, was one of the best long range shooters to come out of the Houston area. West Columbia's Jade Davis has come into her own and continues to do what she did in high school and that's put numbers up.

Elisa"Baby Shaq" Beagle was a force to be reckoned with over the years. Beagle, along with Davis, made the All Tournament squad for Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Deziree Green played both high school and club ball with my daughter, so I go wayyyyy back with her family. One of the most gifted scorers from Houston, she helped our club team win a National Championship back in 2005.

Maybe this was an omen as the Aggies vs the Cougars were the halftime show on Friday night. It's always great to see the little ones interested at an early age.

I called it an omen because U of H, even though it was the men, knocked off UTEP in the Conference USA Tournament Championship, while Texas A&M, back on the female side, took down undefeated Nebraska on Saturday. They went on to beat Oklahoma on Sunday for the Big 12 Conference Tournament title.

BIG 12 TOURNAMENT CHAMPS

CONGRATULATIONS TEXAS A&M!!!

DANIELL ADAMS- MVP

TYRA WHITE -ALL TOURNAMENT

My Big 12 Tournament Preview

http://fullcourt.ehclients.com/index.php/news_articles/view/big_12_2010_tournament_preview_putting_the_exclamation_point_on_a_season_of/

I'm speechless and so happy for the team, especially my daughter who has endured so much pain over the last two years. Hopefully they make another run, they've finished in the Elite 8 and Sweet 16 the past two seasons, so I need them to make it to San Antonio where I'll be covering the Final Four this season. GIG EM!

Here's a little promo video from my daughter

http://www.bringemtoaggieland.com/sydney.asp