'18 Tolbert accepts challenge

Someone said the "Monster Class" of 2017 would have several players making immediate impacts with their high school teams off the top and low and behold that someone was correct. That same person is telling you to expect  much of the same fro this group of incoming freshmen as they're ready to take charge. Under The Radar star Tia Tolbert showed me what she could do over the past two seasons however a healthy Tia Tolbert truly had me gushing with excitement this past season as the young lady has not only matured but expanded her game. More on Tolbert in a couple of  weeks as she joins a "Who's Who" list of players at the 40/40 Combine

'18 Tia Tolbert bringing more July heat #GPRUnderTheRadar

What can I say about Tia Tolbert that I haven't already said? Probably not much as she continues to find ways to put the ball in the basket, she also has become more aggressive on both ends of the floor and to top that off, she's adding another dimension to her game by finding ways to make teammates better.

The talented Tolbert and her Katy Rebels Tolbert squad opens up today at the Super 64 TEXAS division and for more on Double T, click right here

Under The Radar stars shine in #GirlsTXJamboree

Jordan Ott

Although the weather was ugly outside, the talent made up for it inside at Westbury Christian High School where the Girls Texas Jamboree was held. I'll break down each of the five games, I saw enough of Bellaire in the fifth game to know that right now they're the best team in HISD and when they get back to full strength, add them to the list of legitimate contenders to represent R3 6A

Right now, I'll give you an UNDER THE RADAR Tip Sheet

Madison and Mikayla Schenck

2016
Madison Schenck (SATCH) at six feet, she simply does so many things well on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. She makes smart decisions, can handle the ball under pressure in the open court and can hit the mid and long range with ease. The UNSIGNED senior is a steal, this young lady keeps adding to her game and won't quit on you

Marissa Banfield 

2017

Marissa Banfield (Westbury Christian) Loved her game when she was 10 playing a couple of years up, I knew what was going to happen and as usual I'm correct. The main job of a point guard is to make her teammates better, run the offense and not make bad decisions, well she can do all of that plus take a game over when needed

Tia Tolbert

2018

Tia Tolbert (Cy Springs) Tolbert's aggressiveness on both ends keeps getting better, I saw that begin to improve over the summer however I'm loving her ability to create off the dribble and finish strong taking contact. Mid and long range, check and double check. Perimeter defense has gotten better, in fact she loves playing it

Mikayla Schenck (SATCH) Watching this young lady in the open court is blowing me away, well that and her NBA range but what I like even more about what she's improving on, no it's playing the passing lanes, it's her ability to set defenders up to take them off the dribble and with her length and ability to catch and shoot......

Jordan Ott (Lake Travis) One of my favorite players to see before I actually saw her live. I caught a glimpse of Ott in a video and I was scratching my head and over the past two seasons, she's gone from just being good to really good and on the verge of taking it even further. Great size, she knows how to score and when to score and creates match-up problems galore

#UnderTheRadar '18 Tia Tolbert closes out season solid

Tia Tolbert stepped into the Lion's Den off the top at Cy Springs HS and immediately became a contributor but over the course of her freshman season, the talented guard continue to add bits and pieces to her game and the improvement continued to show over the club season. Tolbert closed out the season last week with her Sports Prep club squad and in the the Super 64 she averaged 15 points and 6 assists in that event while raising her average up even high at Battle on the Bayou with 19 ppg

Cy Springs closing gap in win over SATCH #GirlsTXJamboree

The good news is that this is one of the best Cy Springs teams I've seen in a very long time,the bad news is they play in the absolute toughest district in the area however they are capable of pulling off some key upsets in their quest for the playoffs. SATCH on the other hand is still very competitive after Anna McCleod has moved on plus they have some new additions to their squad which never quit as they fought to the very end in their 56-48 loss to the Panthers

Speaking of new additions, 6'4 Carma Nicola is a senior that has her best basketball ahead of her however the improvement I see each time she's on the court is just scary on what she could become. Freshmen D' Anna West and  Tiffany Mack, who is is 6'2 are great additions to this senior heavy team and wen you combine them Tia Tolbert and Kierra Flowers, this could be the team to beat in the district in a couple of years. Big game for Toraya Bass who led all scorers with 16, Tolbert added 10 while Tasia Hayes was definitely solid at the one

The Mavericks have added a couple of key players in Victoria Shelton and Anna Jackson, Shelton is explosive off of the dribble, gets to the rim at ease and big ups to Lydia Hulin who was almost everywhere on both ends. SATCH was without Megan Miller who simply adds another element to the talented team and Krystal Jackson is back from an injury and once she's 100% her 73 inches will come in handy. The Schenck sisters, Madison and Mikayla, do so many things that don't appear in the box score however their 15 and 14 points respectively gives you an idea

The Schenck sisters and Tia Tolbert made the Under The Radar Tip Sheet

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'18 Tia Tolbert sizzling to start July #UnderTheRadar

Tia Tolbert won't let you outwork her, that was shown a couple of seasons ago when I took a good look at the young lady who battled through minor injuries to prove a point. She continues to prove points and make things happen as these stories give you a better idea on what this young lady is bringing to the table read more

Well the table is being set and you might want a seat as Tolbert cranks it up with Sports Prep at the Super 64, so be ready for the buffet

I see ya Tia Tolbert at #JLE6060

Tia Tolbert hasn't come close to touching her potential, her dad is at least 6'5 and her performance at "The Combine" has me thinking big things are in store for the young lady

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Sports Prep finishes 6th behind Tolbert in 8th Grade #PrimeTimeNationaals

I asked Tia Tolbert if she was healthy when I caught up with her at Prime Time Sports Expo before the games begin and she just smiled and acknowledged she was but I also took a Kreskin mind reading course years ago and what she was thinking was " come and find out". I did and she was and after battling nagging injuries all season, she has definitely taken her game to another level as she helped lead her Sports Prep Team to 6th place finish out of 40 teams in the 8th Grade Division at Prime Time Nationals

Tolbert was one of many bright stars for Sports Prep, the athleticism and energy from Faith Isabelle was vital on defense as well as the long ball shooting from Lisette Whiteside. Elecia Lartigue simply just keeps getting better, I remember watching her as a second grader and I just knew she would be one of the names down the road, well that road has been paved as she and Tolbert form a potent 1/2 scoring combination. Kierra Flowers came up huge as well, she made plays and scored almost at will when I had a chance to catch this team and they definitely have a great nucleus

#UnderTheRadar Tolbert's hot hand helps Cy Springs to OT upset

I started to put the picture up from middle school however I don't want to upset sophomore Tia Tolbert @QueenT__  however she and her Cy Springs Panthers' teammates evidently had something to prove as they upset Cy Fair 58-53 in what could be huge for that final playoff spot. Cy Woods is a lock and it appears Cy Falls is too and as D'Asia Collins and DiDi Richards get back into action, it would be safe to assume that they are locks as well, or are any of them

One more time, this is the toughest district "in the area" and I think I've been saying that for the past five years so it's early but this win was huge as Tolbert's 15 points which tied her with senior guard Tasia Hayes for leading scorers on the team. Cy Fair's Kyler Wyatt led all scorers with 15

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Under The Radar Tip Sheet from #IBC

Anytime I get to see the GPR UTR players in action, they already know I'm looking for progression and this weekend, the Insiders Basketball Classic gave me a chance to see just that

2015

Katie Burke (MC Legends)-  Burke was solid, both on offense and defense as she helped lead her team to WNBA Black title. Burke's ability to control the tempo was key as she set up teammates for point blank shots and she added some offense of her own when needed

2016

Brittany Panetti (Katy Rebels-Goss) At 6'2, she's going to school no matter what, that's a done deal and with her skill set, she was already a D1 player before being on the list. What she continues to do is move into mid to BCS category as she sometimes scored effortlessly

Rachel Tapps (Cy Fair Nike Elite-Walker) Tapps is one of the strongest and most athletic guards in her class, she can jump out of the gym and defend so well that I consider one of the top defensive guards in the state. She's attacking the basket better which add to her artillery

Alexia Torres (SA Islander) Torres is simply a gamer, she's smart and smooth and more importantly, has a stroke. I knew she could light defenders up from another zip code but what she continues to show is she gets defenders off balance for easy baskets, with flair many of those times

2017

Marissa Banfield ( Golden Triangle Elite)- Banfield is a prototypical point guard that can score when needed and by that I mean she's a pass first point that understands defenses and always looks to get her team the best opportunity. She's smooth as silk, maybe smoother

Jade Leblanc-Ernest (Pearland Hawks) I've seen Jade a lot over the past season and she's improved a lot and with her IQ and work ethic, well just look at the video and we'll revisit what I think later

2018

Mikayla Schenck (MC Legends) Schenck is turning into a double double waiting to happen and with her improved  ball handling and ability to see the floor, I envision writing she's a triple double waiting to happen. She's long and the light bulb has went off, she can create off the dribble and she wants "it"

Tia Tolbert (Sports Prep)- The respect I had for Tolbert's game reached new heights after this weekend as I saw this young lady perform in pain. That's not an easy task, trust me I won't write with a paper cut, but Tolbert went right, left or any other way as she cut to the basket for scores. More impressively she saw the floor extremely well as she made some huge assists 

Sports Prep stars shine #Hoopfest NCAA

Tia Tolbert's agressiveness is something I knew she would needed to work on to go with what she had in her bag of tricks and let me tell you, I saw a change in her first season at Cy Springs and I've seen a change twice this season, one a month ago and recently at the Hoopfest. Tolbert could always score but the heat she's bringing on defense is just what the doctor ordered and speaking of doctors, Deziree White who joined Tolbert as a couple of the top scorers in the toughest district in the area was not 100% yet she still managed to be impressive during the event . This team has some talented young players, Kierra Flowers too was banged up however like White, you never would have known

Faith Isabelle is a player any team would want, her size and never say quit attitude is simply throwback to yesteryear and there are few things that I enjoy more than watching kids ignite the break yet finish on the other end. Averi Jones and Olivia Chan are a couple of missing pieces along with Michelle Macintyre while Mariel Wade definitely gives the club a boost on both ends but this may have been the coming out party for a couple of 8th graders. I already knew Elecia Lartigue was good yet over the season, her maturity shows even more as she's finishing stronger with contact and when you talk about contact, Annie Carlile looked for it on both ends and by playing up against this type of competition, , both gained some valuable experience and they handled it well

'18 Tolbert ready for new challenge at Cy Springs

The 2018 class has been looking super for some years across the state and the Houston area has more than it's share pf players that are going to step in as freshmen and make their presence felt almost immediately. Tia Tolbert happens to be one of those players and after a club season in which she took her game to new heights, the Under The Radar star is ready to make some noise

Cy Springs happens to play in one of the state's toughest districts but Tolbert will be ready for the challenge early as Springs will be in the Conroe Tournament November 13-15

Sports Prep 2018 wins HS Championship #PrimeTime

Sports Prep entered the girl's scene last year and got their feet wet was they were not only competitive but exciting. This years squad has some of the top young talent in the area including a couple of freshmen, Dezeree White and Tia Tolbert who were not only a couple of the leading freshmen scorers in the Cy Fair district but aa couple of the leading scorers period and in case you don't follow or you haven't been attention, District 17 is the toughest district in the area. Tolbert continues to elevate her game but what I was even more impressed with her this time around is her aggressiveness and ability to finish with contact. She and fellow Cy Springs teammate Kierra Flowers are definitely going to do some damage next season in district, Flowers is explosive and acrobatic and brings intensity on both ends

White and fellow Langham Creek teammate Mariel Wade also continue to improve in several areas but big ups to the Cy Woods duo of Olivia Chan and Faith Isabelle. Chan is smart, she understands the game and makes plays while Isabelle is on the verge of breaking out and if she continues what I saw this past weekend, she too will be one of the top sophomores in D-17 joining White, Flowers and Tolbert. Michelle Macintyre showed me she could score last season and her range has improved but what I get from this squad is they simply bring a lot of heat from as far as Atascocita by way of Averi Jones. Two players will be entering high school this season, Annie Carlisle, who has plenty of upside and Elecia Lartigue who I've been watching forever or what seems like. Lartigue is among the top 2019 players in the area, she's not afraid of physicality, can score and defend but the blend and mix on this team is why they won this event

'18 Tolbert solidifying status as she gets ready for #Hoopfest

I caught Tia Tolbert a few times during her freshman season at Cy Springs and she quickly showed me that the transition process from middle to high school would be minimal and she finished the season being one of the top players in the toughest district in the area

A couple of weekends ago, I had a chance to see even more progression, especially on the defensive end and that, along with the intensity she continues to show has me beaming that I'll catch the young Under The Radar star that's creating buzz among colleges on April 11th at the Houston Insiders Hoopfest


REGISTER

Cy Falls stays tied for first with win over Cy Springs

The game between Cy Falls and Cy Springs started off with  a bang, well a bang bang bang as freshman JoAnn Taylor hit back to back threes to open it up and finished with 10 in the first quarter as the Eagles led 15-11. Cy Springs has come a long way from what they were and are headed in a new direction with their new staff but a total of 9 points in the 2nd and 3rd quarter sort of sealed their fate. Mind you Falls only scored 6 in the second but they won every quarter as the game ended 47-32

As hot as Taylor was the first half, Quay Cleveland was the second half as she finished with 20 to lead all scorers, Taylor finished with 17 but I wanted to really get a good look at the freshmen and Taylor along with Springs Tia Tolbert both impressed me as they are going to be among the names you'll be hearing about over the next few years. Tolbert scored 10 from a variety of ways while Springs was led by Bernisha Coleman's 16 and probably 11 rebounds

Supporting cast did well, Jae Branch and Tasia Hayes made spectacular passes numerous times while Dajia Craft was solid on bot ends. Falls has several players out due to injury including Kiara McElroy however after dropping by Catfish Station last night, I just might be on 290 Tuesday and Friday as Falls hosts Cy Fair Tuesday and travels to Cy Woods Friday but who knows

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STANDINGS

17-6A stays tight as Tolbert continues to rise

I figured the game of the night would be the Cy Falls @ Langham Creek and Falls did win the game 46-40 to remain unbeaten in district with both Cy Woods and Cy Lakes however I didn't expect Cy Springs to take it to the wire against Cy Fair. Under The Radar freshman Tia Tolbert has been making her presence felt all season as she was one of three Springs players to score in double figures in their 51-50 loss against the Bobcats who also had three in double figures

STANDINGS

I've stated over and over that this is the best district in the area and no matter how it FALLS, there could possibly be two teams from 17 at Campbell Center

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I see ya working Tip Sheet from #JLE6060

Celeste Moore and McKenzie Green

The main thing I want to see in players, especially young players, is progression. Some of the young ladies on this list have been playing before my very eyes over half their lives while others I saw more recently at the Hoop-A-Holics Camp I covered for PassThaBall back in December right here at the Bob Knight Fieldhouse in Duncanville. Here'a quick rundown

2018

Celeste Moore-5'3 guard-Lancaster TX- Moore caught my eye at the HAH camp however had to sit out most of it due to an injury. This time around, make no mistake she caught both eyes and their still wide open. Talk about bring heat on both ends, this young lady simply was triple digits

Tia Tolbert-5'7 guard-Katy TX- Tolbert's a hard worker and she absorbs what the instructors teach, then implements in the games. This in itself is huge but when you throw in that she understands how to improvise in certain area, like creating her shot, well that's impressive

Sarah Gwin being #AutoAwesome

2019

McKenzie Green-5'5 guard-Rosharon TX- Green is starting to get it even more which is great, especially for her age. I liked her game a couple of years ago, she's athletic and works extremely hard on both ends but now she's thinking the game which will take her far in the long run

Charlene Mass-5'3 guard-San Antonio TX-Baseline to baseline defense is what caught my eye a few months ago at HAH however that energy has been channeled somewhat to where she's becoming a very good ball player on both ends. She's learning to create and her ball handling under pressure has improved

Elecia Lartigue-5'7 guard-Spring TX-I saw her back in the 2nd grade I believe and just based on her intensity level, I expected she was going to be a player. Nothing's changed plus she's had a growth spurt since a year ago, both on and off the court. Good skill set, big upside, bright future

Sarah Gwin-5'4 guard-San Antonio TX-Gwin is constantly thinking on the court, she's become more aggressive on defense and here's a tip for defenders, do not leave her open. The jump she's made in two seasons is scary and once she becomes as aggressive on offense as far pushing the ball, all bet's are off

Myra Gordon

2020

Myra Gordon-5'7 guard- Ft Worth TX- Having an older sister that only plays but excels can work wonders and Myra's older sister, Lexi, is one of the top freshmen in the country. Myra's jump from a few months ago has me thinking she's on the same path as she went at the older girls hard, maybe not so much at first but she kept picking it up and bringing it. Midrange is deadly, she'll get stronger and faster so you better be ready because she definitely will

2021

Nyah Wilson--5'0 guard-Duncanville TX- Wilson has older twin sisters playing at the next level, she's been watching them forever but what impresses me about her is her ability to run a team at a young age, She's directing players where to go, she put on a ball handling exhibition and she knows how to get anywhere she wants to on the court

Nyah Wilson

Katy Rebels Tolbert #ShowcaseClassic16

I've been watching GPR UNder The Radar Tia Tolbert for quite some time, let's see, she a 2018 and I've been seeing her since before middle school, well I think I may need to use some of that common core to get the exact date but then again it doesn't matter because I've seen progression every time I watched her play and whatever I thought was lacking, she has worked on it and one of those thing was being aggressive on both ends, well she's in July form and we'll revisit her on the Tip Sheet

Her backcourt mate Kierra Flowers has always been fun to watch, this kid has played after breaking her finger and most recently getting cut on a play but she just smiles and drops numbers. Overly impressed with the work ethic Alana Ervin and Mariel Wade, who simply loves to bang in the paint and can shoot it, while Ervin can stretch the defense with the long range, same can be said for Alana Ervin

BIG S/O to Under The Radar Sydney West, she definitely is showing me she has the tools to play at the next level because one of the things you need is a great work ethic, the second, be coachable and comprehend what you are hear is in there as well but with you combine that with her skill set, I've been watching her for three years and I know she's been working, she's going to get this done, trust me. Kristin Pottter  did some big things on both ends, love players that find ways to score and she did just that as well as she wouldn't back down

Taylor helps lead Sports Vision to #HSHT title

Joanne Taylor is making a name for herself week after week as an aggressive young player that knows how to get to hole and finish. Over the past weekend at the Prime Time Qualifier held in Porter, she let a new group know that she will be a name to be reckoned with in the city. The same can be said for several players on this talented team which is primarily made up of 7th graders,  two 6th graders and two 8th graders are on the team as well, and so far the team has had success playing up

One of those 6th graders is Elecia Lartigue, not as aggressive as Taylor but she plays well beyond her years and since she's not only starting but playing major minutes her upside is truly unlimited as she does better than hold her own against the older players

Lisette Whiteside, Mariah Thomas and Tia Tolbert were among several others that made big plays en route to helping their team win the 8th Grade Grand Championship. This was my first time actually seeing Tolbert who is coming off an injury and once she's 100%, this team is going to make some noise down the stretch run

Make no bones about it, Taylor makes the team go and she's one of those players that runs off solar power because she only knows how to play one way and that's hard and I'm talking both ends. It's always refreshing seeing talented players at an early age however just by observing what she does on the court tells me she has some kind of work ethic which will take her a very long way. She has a drew minor flaws that will be tweaked with age but then who doesn't.. She's an offensive machine that I predict will be able to score from just about any way imaginable before it's done, and that's a TIP!

2014 Insiders Hoopfest Gold and Varsity All Tournament team

The Imperial Ice showed that thrice is actually nice as Dayanna Gaston, Shae Routt and Kayleigh Truong helped lead them to the GOLD title and were also named to the All Tournament Team. Gaston is only a 6th grader, yep 2020 and you don't need that to see her potential. Routt, who has already committed to Texas says it all, she and Truong, a guard you want to keep your eyes on, are from the 2018 class, wait Truong is from the 2019 class, even better.

2018 players Tia Tolbert and Listte Whiteside helped lead Sports Prep to the Varsity title and were also named to the All Tournament Team. Both have shown steady improvement and have plenty of upside, Tolbert in fact gets better every time I see her which includes the Cy Fair Evaluation and John Lucas 60/60 Camps I covered this year

I've been watching D'Asia Collins for what seems like forever and the Hybrid Hoops point guard has always understood the game and knew how to run a team, she also made the All Tournament Team. I see the progression over the years and I can't wait to see her in action, as well as the other players who made the list, in high school

The Insiders Basketball Classic will be a GPR Certified event and if you don't what that means......

Join us May 16th-18th  read more