Cy Ranch wins 2017 Katy Phillips 66 Tournament

Cy Ranch has and continues to be one of the areas top teams and the started off being ranked the #2 in the state by TABC however I knew they lost a lot, I knew there would be a different look and I also knew that other teams were pretty good as well and the main thing is you had to be the best team on the floor that particular game and keep in mind the Mustangs have already lost a couple of game this season, one to defending state champion Duncanville in the Texas Invitational and one to Katy a couple of weeks ago, I don't think there's a deeper team in the Houston area and they would have to be the favorites on paper but trust me, this is the widest open I have ever seen the region and as many as twelve could conceivably get hot at the right time and make a run

When you talk about getting hot at the right time, you got plenty go to players, Jayla Buster signed with South Alabama, she brings so much heat on both ends and she just came off an All Tournament performance in that Texas Invitational event plus the inside performance from Kween Jean just keeps getting better but those two seniors along with fellow senior Mariah Thomas understand what it will take to back to state and if anyone truly understands it's Tournament MVP D'Asia Thomas who knows and has always known #sizedontmatter "if you can play" and :the game has and always will start at the the one" and she is putting on performance after performance flirting with double and triple doubles all season. Shira Patton and Shadiya Thomas rounded out the All Tournament players for the Mustangs and they are both a couple of the best sophomores in Texas so the nucleus as well as talented players from off the bench will make them hard to beat, but again, anything can happen

2019 Claire Hale opening up season strong for Brandeis HS #GPRUnderTheRadar

I remember driving to a tournament to see Claire Hale play and in the previous game she had suffered a minor injury which was somewhat noticeable and before the game I told her that if she couldn't play, don't worry because I'd catch her another time and her response was " no, I'm playing" and play she did going off for a triple double and that's how the story starts. Well actually it doesn't because I had seen her play the previous season but the jump she made in that short time was tremendous

Now the talented junior is showing even more improvement for Brandeis HS starting the season off powerful with several double-doubles already including a 19/11 in a district opener against a very talented Stephens squad so @ClaireHale_12 is completing the next level package in more ways than one since not only is she excelling on the court but in the classroom as well and to top it off, she plays in the violin in the school orchestra and with that, I'll close with "stay tuned"

2021 Gracee Smith opens up HS career with a bang #GPRUnderTheRadar

First look at Gracee Smith was was short one however when you're as good as I am, i guess the phrase "It doesn't take me long" certainly would apply to this because when you comprehend the game and have skills at a young age, things just fall into place. Over this past club season, Smith moved to a team a little close to her home in Arcadia Missouri, the SE Dynasty and although I didn't catch up with her personally, the video on the 2021 Under The Radar player spoke volumes as I could definitely see the improvement

Last night the Arcadia High freshman opened up her varsity career, flirting with a triple double as she dropped 23 points, pulled down seven rebounds and passed out eight assists but trust me, this young lady is nowhere near the finished product and that falls right back to the comprehension and skills statement I mad to open this up. I'll be keeping a close on eye on this young lady over her career as she has all the tools to do some pretty big things 

Cy Ranch takes 3rd in 2017 Texas Invitational Gold

First of all, let me say this, I make my decisions and predictions as well as player evaluations on what I see and it's not that I don't respect what other people see or write, it's more of the fact that I don't care because we all see  different things and I'm usually right or close to it, without any agenda so I'll start off with the defending R3 champ Cy Ranch

Their only loss this year has been to back to back state champions Duncanville who is simply looking like they're on course for a three-peat however lets not jump ahead, I'll get a better look next month when I cover Sandra Meadows and Spring Creek just for fun but can the Mustangs be stopped? Well they are explosive, D'Asia Collins is flirting with triple doubles already this season and she definitely has proven she is one of the top PG's in the state and the game does start at the one

Jala Buster was simply a BEAST all tournament and for that, she made, well All Tournament but this team has so many players that can step up and make things happen and you're definitely going to need that down the stretch. Two of their wins against R3 opponents were narrow, 1 against Seven Lakes and 3 against Clear Springs so who knows what will happen in February. I know Westside is still missing their post, I know Langham Creek definitely can create some problems but the biggest problems could come from either  Atascocita or Hightower  who finished 1-2 in the FBISD event

I'll catch Cy Ranch tomorrow at Katy and on Tuesday I'm pulling a double as Klein Oak will be at Jersey Village at 11:30 then I'll catch Ridgepoint at Katy Taylor at 1pm so things will start to shape up really soon and this might be one of the most wide open races to see who heads to Austin, my bad, Vegas, wait that's where my babies team is going, San Antonio, I got it now but the biggest question is DO YOU GET IT :) Action coming at ya

2017 HoopAHolics bringing more excitement

Always remember it's now what you do, it's who you do it against and to amend that a tad, it's also who you do it in front of, providing they are really looking at you and more importantly that they truly know what they're looking at. I know that there is so much out there on social media that it can be mind boggling to say the least but much of what you read, have been told or truly believe is probably not true as far as being evaluated and having a chance to play at the next level but one thing is true, so many players have came through PassThaBall events at a young age that I knew were on the right course for the next level and beyond

I encourage parents to use the search bars on here and on my website to check out the archives on talented players I caught,many at a young age and many only once or twice that I knew had it and I base what I see on what I've seen because there has truly been some heat placed in front of me to see over my 20 some odd years of watching girl's basketball and if you are a player, I suggest you check out this years event which will be held in Irving TX

Here's a link to some of the stories and players that have participated  HoopAHolics and here is a link for you to sign up to this amazing event being held on December 10th so REGISTER NOW

Diamond In The Rough 2021 Tip Sheet

MARISSA TELL (HAYNESVILLE HS)

There was a pretty impressive group of incoming freshmen on hand for PassThaBall's Diamond In The Rough and since this was an NCAA Certified event nicely attended by various college coaches across the country, many of these young ladies definitely raised some eyebrows. I always stress the importance of being "seen" in a variety of settings by those who are actually watching and believe me, I'm definitely watching everyone and when you travel from Haynesville Louisiana like Marissa Tell did, she simply blew me away at Prime Time Nationals, you know you're in for something special and this group definitely was that

Kenadee Winfrey-5'10 guard (Canyon) prototype big guard that can shoot the ball from all over the court but her ability to get to the basket was definitely a plus. Rebounds and defends, long and athletic plus nowhere near the finished product

Bailey Harris-5'8 guard (Wiley) handles ball well under pressure, sees floor and definitely understands the game. Showed she could create shot and hit it consistently

Kayla Glover-5'4 guard (Desoto) been watching this young lady for 4 or 5 years and even at an early age, you knew she was going to bring it. Gets to the rim with ease and can score outside, strong and athletic, loves to defend baseline to baseline

Kendall McGruder-5'8 guard (South Grand Prairie) she's one of those players that just makes things happen and can take a game over multiple ways, either by setting her teammates up for easy baskets or just doing it herself. Huge upside and her explosiveness ....

Masa Al -Noubani- 5'3 guard (Carroll) showed she could the ball well, understands who to get the ball to and when to get it to them but her first step is a monster and she's shown me this numerous times. Gets to basket effortlessly at times for baskets

Jordyn Newsome- 5'8 guard ( MacArthur) showed me so much in a short span that I was even more sold that when I saw her a few years ago. Athletic and gets to the basket at will from all over, finishes with contact, can hit the mid to long range but she plays the passing lane to a tee and defends

Kelsey Boyette- 5'8 guard (Carroll) caught her over the club season for the first time and during the numerous times I watcher her, I saw improvement each time. Definitely showed several signs in this environment, poised under pressure and understands the game

Jordyn Sowell-5'8 forward (Carroll) strong body, loves contact, giving and taking and finishes strong after taking it. Pressure defender that can wear opponent down, rebounds well for her size against bigger opponents

Marissa Tell-5'11 guard (Haynesville) one of the top young prospects I've seen from Louisiana, long and athletic, already "gets it" and with her size and athleticism there is no telling where she'll land. Can score from midrange, slice to the basket from the wing and post up underneath

Paulina Porter- 5'9 guard ( Flower Mound) she can definitely overpower defenders with her strength, understands how to create and finish strong with contact or hit the shot from outside. Rebounds and defends well

Haley Allen- 5'6 forward ( Lewisville) good athleticism, can defend " however you want it" on perimeter, under the basket or baseline to baseline. Good energy, showed she can score in traffic plus rebounds well

Trinity White - 5'9 guard (McKinney) "powerful" fits for numerous reasons. Strong body enables her to do many things, she loves the contact and with her ability to set defenders up already, she keeps them guessing because she can face the basket and score or take the lick for and ones

Check out the video below and PassThaBall events coming up HERE

Westside showing signs of being a sleeper

One thing I know about Westside no matter what type of squad they suit up, they're going play baseline to baseline from start to finish and to be honest, this is a very scrappy squad that could make a run. Kayla Pilson, Jordan Lewis, Shanna Petty, Yasmine Aragunjo and Jessica Soders  get the ball going, pun intended , and the return of 6'4 Fatou Samb will definitely have them in the hunt. The lost a close one to Katy in the SBISD Championship however I can't wait to see this squad at full strength and I'll catch them this Thursday in the Texas Invitational

I'll also get another look at this talented young lady, Aldine's Cherilyn Williams, a very talented unsigned senior that I hadn't seen, smh for a number of reasons including players being hid in the summer but live and learn folks and I'll catch her in the AISD Tournament on Friday

Katy wins #SBISD

Definitely loved what I saw on opening day from Katy when they played Cy Woods and even though Cate Reece was still playing volleyball, Cy Woods was a test and after the Tigers defeated Westside for the SBISD championship, another huge test has been passed as they are preparing for a tough district run with some heavy hitters early

Cassidy Howard and Savannah May are two of the talented juniors on the squad, they control the tempo and simply make things happen. Howard's explosiveness to the rim as well as ability to drop the long ball from, well Katy and both made all tournament squad. I'll make sure in catch them again in what's shaping up to be a sending message Katy ISD event coming up soon

Green and Pantherettes eyeing state trifecta but first Texas Invitational

When you talk about young players I called early, add Zarielle Green to the list of those who I said were not only "can't miss" prospects but peep this, through her progression over the years there have been games where she truly didn't miss going off numerous times in front of me.

Fast forward, I guess six years later, the Tennessee signee and her talented Duncanville teammates are heading down here for one of the states top events, the Texas Invitational and I'll be there all day Thursday, Friday I'm checking out  Aldine ISD and I'll close it out at FBISD on Saturday so stay tuned as the defending back to back state champs try to make it three in a row

SCHEDULE

Desoto sending early message winning Lady Gander Tournament

I made a special trip out to Baytown for a couple of reasons, first Desoto was in town, well closer than than Dallas, and I had to see a couple of young ladies who I've been watching since I guess the 6th or 7th grade, cousins Kia and Kayla White, both SMU signees and a couple of the top players in the state of Texas and secondly, I'm trying to make my rounds to see just who has a shot at representing each region as well as making a run for the state championship and believe me the Eagles definitely have the nucleus to soar providing they stay healthy

Kayla & Kia, pictured above, made the all tournament squad, both are explosive scorers that can take over games. Brielle Woods is a talented guard that makes things happen, got to the rim with ease numerous times and saw the floor, Ash'a Thompson punishes on the inside, I'd have to say she s among the top sophomores in the state but the show that Bria Patterson is putting legitimizes her as one of the state's top juniors. The bench has several talented players including Celeste Moore, another young lady I've been watching forever as well as freshman sensation Kayla Glover. The upside of junior Achai Arop tells me something as well and when you look at he fact the roster has her listed at 76 inches, well do the math but one of the key tests will be they have to go through defending state champion Duncanville, who I'll catch this week as well as many other talented teams in their region capable of winning it all