Area 4A Race Becomes Tighter

Lexi Fatheree put Foster on her back last season and had her team two points away from it's first area Final Four in a loss to Manvel. Foster was expected to contend again and possibly meet an even stronger Manvel team again this season with the addition of Brianna Turner and Jordan Hosey but there's a story already unfolding

Alex Laperoyle will be teaming up with Fatheree this season as Foster now has two GPR Top 10 players from the Class of 2013. Last year was exciting and this year is looking even better for area girl's basketball!

On September 1st, I am set to launch my scouting service. Thanks for the inquiries along with those who have already joined along with those who plan on joining.

Fall League Update

Clear Springs fall league schedule has been added  AREA FALL LEAGUES

POLL-Day 1

After Day 1, four teams, Cy Falls, Dekaney, Klein Forest and Katy Taylor, didn't receive a vote. Katy Taylor lost Jungwirth who brought so much energy to their team and Klein Forest is left without a significant post presence since the graduation of Keylantra Taylor, so I can somewhat understand that. Dekaney lost players however they have PLAYERS and will be more athletic than ever before. Cy Falls also will be more athletic, not to mention they have gained an All State guard and only lost 2 games last season.

The Beast With The Tip Sheets!

I've been called many things but the two I like the best are "GURU" and now "The Beast With The Tip Sheets". I don't know if  @_CeeBeeh, "Courtney Williams" dad played basketball but she's certainly a chip off the block with the nicknames!

Greater Houston Area-THE OTHERS

Jade Castille did all she could last season as she placed Manvel on her back and led them to their first Final 4 in school history. They now find themselves as not only the favorite to win the Region 3-4A, but to be one of the top teams in the area with the addition of  Brianna Turner and Jordan Hosey

Foster lost a thriller to Manvel  (36-35) in the Elite 8 last season. Much of their success came from the hands of one of  GPR's Top 2013 players, Lexi Featheree who can and did do it all. This season, the arrival of freshman Khayla Mitchell and how quickly she adjusts to the high school game could place Foster in a very good position

St. Pius lost two D1 players to graduation, Jasmine Hunt and Danielle Parks however they have a couple of players ready to fill the void in Micarah Malone, Daryon Fields and Jewel Angelo, all transfers and all from the Class of 2013. Parks was a scoring machine as she put up numbers while Hunt was the shot blocking, athletic post that set the defensive tone. Angelo may not be Parks but she can score, Fields may not be Hunt but her presence in the paint will be felt and Malone will definitely give St Pius a boost on both ends.

St Agnes caused a stir last season with 6'4 Amber Cooper and 6'2 Michelle Nwokedi, one of GPR's Top 2014 players. Coopers departure leaves the weight of the team on Nwokedi's shoulders however she is capable as she can score from anywhere on the court, not to mention one of the best shot blockers this city has ever seen

Word up as as Westbury Christian's State Champion sharpshooter Sylvana Okde fashions the "bling"! Does anyone still say word up? Here's the problem, well a few

• Amber Orrange-GONE
• Caitlyn Diaz-GONE
• Carissa Diaz-GONE
• Brianna Turner-GONE

No worries, Okde who will be heading to Louisiana Lafayette after her senior season, will team up with another D1 guard, Tiffany Davis and that alone should keep WC competitive

Barbers Hill is going as far as Shannon Evans and Kendall Shaw take them. A (47-43) loss to Region 3- 4A representative Beaumont Ozen in the Elite 8 tells them they were close, very close to getting out of here. This season, the challenge may be a little tougher as Manvel is the team to beat but one thing Evans and Vanderbilt commit have never run from is a challenge


THE BEST OF THE REST IS

5A Sleepers

Cinco Ranch took Atascocita to overtime in the Katy Tournament last season and much of their success last season had to do with Rice commit Megan Palmer and Shayne Ortiz, not to mention 6'2  post Ashley Nwanguma who has moved on to HBU. Will the void in the middle be devastating? Not really, Cinco is going to surprise some people

The biggest problem for Cy Ranch will be replacing Kiki  Devane. Enter the Sydney Coleman era as she  is probably one of the best players you may not have heard of however this 2014 GPR Watch List player will be known far and wide by the team she graduates. Playing JV last year due to transfer rules, she is ready for center stage at Cy Ranch where she will team up with a player you probably have heard of, Cienna Rivera, not to mention Kristen Kech and Ashlyn Wieman.

Brettney Branch and Taylor Longley have their backpacks loaded and are ready to go as the once fabulous freshmen duo enter their junior season at Clear Creek along with Amber Harris. Playing Hightower and Clear Springs down to the wire last season, this team could go deep in the playoffs.

As the country played catch-up to what I've been saying for three seasons, GPR's #1 2013 player, Christen Inman, is a legitimate player, well that's an understatement. I expected Seven Lakes to make a run last season however injuries hampered them along the way. Do they have enough to challenge Katy Taylor, Memorial and Cinco Ranch for the top spot in District 19? Inman, Jade Johnson and Sydney Buchel think they do!

District 19 was so entertaining last season as several teams exceeded expectations. Memorial started off with a bang a looked as if they might even when the District however they too had a rash of injuries that slowed them down. Ellen Anderson is a legitimate scorer, while teammates Madison Miller and Kelly Wilson provide a great supporting cast, not to mention instant offense off the bench in Laurel Carrell


NOTE:

Pre-season picks or rankings mean absolutely nothing, it's what you do on the court that counts. As you see with the stock market, things change and just imagine what the odds were on Elsik going to state last season. The best thing to do is prove me wrong on the court, other than that.......................

Updated Poll, Fall League Schedules & Max Preps

First of all, my apologies to Clear Springs and Klein Forest for not having them on the poll. I hit save without making sure everything took but what's an election without getting to vote twice?

• The Fall Leagues that I know about have been added to the links section

Also don't forget that you can upload your rosters free on Max Preps, this simplifies a lot of stuff, at least for me. It always good to know when and where the teams are playing along with who is playing on the team.

The Best Team In Houston is..............pt R2

Ashlyn Hargraves finished the summer strong and plans on helping The Woodlands advance to Austin

Regina Scott may hate me taking her picture but opponents hate battling this undersized sometimes post player as she hopes to help Klein Forest muscle their way to Austin

This could be a breakout year for Peanut, uh, Infiniti Harris and if it is, Veja Hamilton and Dominique "Double d" Dillingham will be mighty happy

Amber Driver will be one of the keys to the locks that stand between Dekaney and Austin

Curtyce Knox will have to heal before she can help the Taz. The big question is how her loss will hurt the chemistry of the team

R2-5A

YOU TELL ME WHO THE BEST TEAM IS!

I've started a poll to let the people speak on who they think the best team in the area is. Could I really believe it's Manvel? After all, they made to last seasons R4 semi-finals on the back of Jade Castille and without Brianna Turner and Jordan Hosey. Let me put this way, the only other duos that had more pub coming in were the Ogwumike's and Batman and Robin on reruns. Manvel is going to surprise many and don't count them out.

The Best Team In Houston is..............pt 8

Clear Springs was a good team before the arrival of Courtney Latham and Brooke McCarty but these two showed off the top that they were for real. Oh, I call Brooke "The Chosen One"

5A Early Look at Region 3 pt 2

The Best Team In Houston is..............pt 7

Camille Williams is smiling for a number of reasons however she knows tat her offensive spark was one of the keys that helped Cy Woods make their first ever Elite 8 last season. Do they have enough offense to replace Nash? They probably have more than enough


5A Early Look at Region 3 pt 2

The Best Team In Houston is..............pt 6

Cy Falls held down the number one spot in the state rankings longer than anyone else however a 54-48 loss to North Shore in the R3 semis shattered their dreams of winning state. Believe or not, they could be even stronger than last year

5A Early Look at Region 3 pt 2 

The Best Team In Houston is..............pt 5

Akunna Elonu was called an absolute "BEAST" on Twitter after my friend Dag saw her play in a volleyball game. During the summer, she was called the same thing on the basketball court however she represents #teamelonu and comes from a basketball family that played at Elsik and last season was like no other

5A Early Look at Region 3 pt 2

Area Fall Leagues

So far I have the dates for Doble, Bellaire and Alodia.

Dobie, September 26th Manvel vs North Shore

Thanks for the responses

GPR EVENTS

The Best Team In Houston is..............pt 4

Raven Burns is not someone you want to have your back to and if Angel Williams means anything, the Cardinals are ready to "Just Do It"

5A-Early Look At Region 3

The Best Team In Houston is..............pt 3

Holly Ray is one of the many reasons you might not want to hit the snooze button on Katy Taylor. Coming from a family of shooters, expect her to be more offensive minded this season as the Mustangs are ready for another run

5A-Early Look At Region 3

The Best Team In Houston is..............pt 2

Why are Taylor and Tyler Gilbert smiling? Because they know many have counted them out before the season has even started after losing their starting back-court to graduation. Take another look at why they shouldn't be dismissed
GPR Early Look At R3 5A

GPR Scouting Service Launch Date-September 1st

Coaches it's take off time as I have everything in place to give you the most in depth and comprehensive report on every player I've seen that I feel can play at the next level. What you can depend on from my scouting service is

• Honest evaluations with complete breakdowns
• Updates throughout the year
• Middle School Watch List
• Rising Stars for freshmen and sophomore classes
• Rankings for junior and senior classes

You will also receive a list of unsigned seniors along with most improved and those whose intangibles might not show up in the box score. For more information, email me at simmie@girlzprepreport.com or girlzprepreport@yahoo.com

Here's an example

FALL LEAGUES-HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please email schedules or days and times along with sites to simmie@girlzprepreport.com or girlzprepreport@yahoo.com

Thanks

The Best Team In Houston is..............

Before I go out on a limb and make someone unhappy, there is really no foolproof formula to figure this out. Never one to back down from a challenge, I plan on doing something a little different this season. Will it be Elsik, the surprise team that made to Austin?

Will it be the best Region 2 team in the area, The Woodlands?

Will AJ be smiling as Bellaire makes another run?

Can Sedalia Ellis and Company finish what they started last season?

Will Rachel Arthur and Lauren Price hold down the fort until Fort Knox returns?

Or will it be the not so "New Kids On The Block"?

Who knows, but we'll break it down starting with "The Truth" only on the GPR website!

Younger Ogwumikes Hope To Lead Cy Out Of Woods

Cy Woods was 7 points away from making the Region 3 Final 4 last season losing to eventual  R3 representative Elsik 60-54. They might have surprised a few people, their second round victory over Bellaire

caught most off guard however we all know that in playoffs anything can happen. Gone is sharpshooter Jennifer Nash who is suiting up for Nichols State but Woods has an outstanding cast of athletes ready to make a charge. Among those players are the upunger Ogwumike sisters,Olivia and Erica who follow the greatest sister act women's basketball has seen and in case you don't know, both are on the GPR Watch List for their respective classes

Sophomore Olivia suffered through growing pains early in her freshman season but finished strong and with hands that remind me of a young Nneka, look for her to clean up the boards and make her presence felt in the paint. Although Erica is entering her freshman season, she may wind up being a 6'2 point guard. With growth spurts throughout the summer, I believe she's close to 5'9 right now but you never know.

GPR Top 30 Not Wasting Time

I have mentioned several times that the 2012 group of young players would mirror the Class of 2015 where over 60 players from the area wound up playing somewhere at the next level. As usual, I'm right on point as we have seen commitments from 16 players and it's not even September. I'll update the list as we move forward toward NLI Signing Date


 

Courtney Williams	North Shore	Texas A&M
Curtyce Knox	Atascocita	Texas A&M
Veja Hamilton	Klein Collins	TCU
Jessika Palmer	La Marque	Texas Arlington
Tyler Gilbert	Hightower	Houston
Aaliyah Brown	Clear Springs	George Washington
Sadalia Ellis	Cypress Falls	Liberty
Katlyn Diaz	Tomball	Louisiana Lafayette
Nicole Blaskowsky	Fort Bend Austin	Iowa State
Kendall Shaw	Barbers Hill	Vandebilt
Taylor Gilbert	Hightower	Houston
Megan Palmer	Cinco Ranch	Rice
Shunta Nevitt	Dekaney	Texas Tech
Paige Bradley	The Woodlands	University of Denver
Sylvan Okde	Westbury Christian	Louisiana Lafayette
Jade Johnson	Seven Lakes	Texas Arlington

Class of 2008-April Sykes Is Still Queen

So many great players came out of that class. Elena Della Done, who at 6'4 could do it all, knocking down threes at will. Nneka Ogwumike, another player I watched grow up before my eyes as she emerged to simply dominate opponents. Then there was this kid named April Sykes that I had heard so much hoopla about and after I had a chance to witness what she could do before my very eyes, there was no way I would ever forget her. When you see a kid her size throw no look 30 foot behind the back passes while scoring a silent 30 in the flow, you realize you're watching a very special player. This was again proven at the next level as she kept Rutgers in the game during first half against Texas A&M single handed during the NCAA playoffs. As this class is about to come to a close, Sykes will enter the WNBA  where I'm sure she will continue to impress!

Ganon Baker Camp- Middle School Ballers

By the time these young ladies reach high school and beyond, I always enjoy referring back to when I saw them  in middle school or younger and what they did on the court way back then. Whether it was Schippers dropping double digit threes or the Burns vs Davis match-up in which they scored almost 30 each or maybe Gray scoring over 50, I have seen some interesting things by those who I tabbed "Stars of Tomorrow". Although I haven't seen Brooke Atherton play in game situation, even though I can't throw that tag on her yet, but I wouldn't count against it happening.

Watching Kiara McElroy grow up over the summer, sometimes playing against kids 4 years older than her and more times than not holding her own tells me she has a lot of good basketball ahead of her. She falls in the category of one of the best young shooters and when everything else catches up, watch out!

 I can't say enough about Faith Cook who is a student of the game. Not afraid of being vocal is one thing however when you actually know what you're talking about, well that something special. A gifted shooter that can score from anywhere on the court, Cook is usually smoking! These were the three middle school players I had a chance to see at the camps and it would be a major plus to get me some middle school schedules out ASAP. I'm really interested in tournaments so I can expand my middle school watch-list, so if it's exposure want, I'm your Polaroid!