Valuable lessons learned on way to Katy Final 4

In yet another example of "I told you so" North Shore has shown it's not how you start it's how you finish as they return to the semis in the Katy Nike Classic. They will battle a very capable of winning R3 Cy Ranch team as the Mustangs attempt to pull off a trifecta as far as tournament wins, they've won two already

Colleyville Heritage held off Katy Taylor on the top side of the bracket and they will take on a legitimate contender for the state title in Mansfield Timberview.

Me, I'm pooped and I head out to Desoto tomorrow for the Young Guns Camp, but I will recap this along with that before you know it so stay tuned

Lutheran North faces test against Klein Oaks in Aldine Tournament

Klein Oaks Shannon Hines and Sasha Cedeno

Jae Branch (2016) and Tiffany Valentine (2015) are averaging more than 60% of Lutheran North's points over the season so far and although their record is 5-2, they will have to face a tough Klein Oaks squad in the opening round of the Aldine Tournament. I wrote about the new additions at Lutheran North a couple of weeks ago and so far dividends are being paid, read more

Nicolette Erkman, Sasha Cedeno and Shannon Hines are KO's "Big Three" and they've done well in this tournament before as they attempt a TKO toward the semis

Wiemann helping to fill up the Ranch

As a freshman, I saw promise in Ashlyn Wiemann and I recall sitting with her grandfather as he was beaming with pride as she nailed three after three and letting me know that was his granddaughter. Well now Wiemann is a senior and although every college needs a shooter, she has elevated her game to not only be able to score on a variety of ways but also her defense has continued to improve and that is what really impressed me over the summer, by the way I saw her drop nine or ten threes in a game so what does that tell you.

Watching these talented young ladies evolve into next level players is always a joy for me to watch, especially when they continue to do it in the "team concept" and although Ash is the leading scorer for Cy Ramch, her unselfishness is one of the main reasons you might not want to sleep on this team.

If you bought a paper just to see the preseason rankings, the Mustangs weren't among the top ten teams however as they've galloped along their way to two tournament championships this season ,SBISD and FBISD , I called another one right yet again, GPR Preseason Rankings, don't count Pearland out!!!!

Cy Ranch opens up today in Katy's Nike Classic against Baytown Lee and they will play either CCCarrol or Hightower in the second round. I'm seeing a possible rematch shaping up between them and Seven Lakes tomorrow at 6pm, same time as the projected Timberview vs KC game will be played so unless I figure out how to clone myself, well anyway there's going to be some great action across town this week.

McDonalds Bryan-College Station field is set

Several area teams will be participating in the McDonald Bryan College Station tournament Dec 27-29 and from the brackets the field looks great. The new look Conroe team with freshman Erica Powell making noise in her young career. LaPorte who has been battling without one of their key players Elise Rodriguez, a 2014 GPR UTR player and of course, one my surprise preseason picks Pearland and I've seen these three teams once each

Those are only a few of the area teams I've seen this season that will be playing in the the event, a couple of more were seen this week, well sort of. 2015  Brynae Thompson continues to put up numbers as she added another 20 or more points game to her young career helping lead a young Jersey Village team along with Westfield  who unlike JV is filled with seniors, led by Kylah Jones and Diamond Ford., two of my UTR players for 2013. I've seen JV and Westfield multiple times this season




I put this highlight clip of Jones on FB yesterday and buzz was created almost magically.

Remember if I have tournament brackets, they will be posted under EVENTS on the GPR Website

Dillingham heads scrappy KC bunch

Klein Collins has already won one tournament this season, the Conroe Invitational and it appears they are on a collision course to play Mansfield Timberview  Friday night at 6pm, yes I'm that good and speaking of good, if that match-up does happen, I'm sure it will be as good as it was when these two teams met in the semifinals last season, read more.



Several players have stepped up this season for Klein Collins including 2014 GPR "Under The Radar" player Jasmine Nash who is taking defenders off the dribble and dropping them from, well everywhere like in the above video, the first was a two, the second a three, but the heart and soul of the team happens to be Dominique Dillingham, read more

Blast from the past Wednesday

2002

Weight was a little lighter, hair was a little darker but I was still calling it, even more so!

Klein Collins clicking on all cylinders at Westfield

Kendall Festervand, Jasmine Nash , Quai-Smith -Sims

Klein Collins traveled to Westfield in what was a must see game for me, especially when several of GPR's "Under The Radar" players were on the floor. The Lady Tigers are one of the teams who have a legitimate chance at winning 13-5A while Westfield is battling to make the playoffs and the way the Mustangs opened up, you just never know

Kylah Jones

Kylah Jones started out on a mission, scoring seven points in the first two minutes of the ball game and that, along with a basket from Diamond Ford had the Mustangs up 9-2, Ford by the way was playing with flu like symptoms and could only go limited minutes.

After that, it was a game of KC runs led by, well take your pick. Infiniti Harris (2) and Kendall Fendall had threes in the opening quarter along with Dominique Dillinghmam's six points and by the time you looked up it was 21-12 KC with a little over two minutes into the second quarter

Dominique Dillingahm

By the time the half ended , KC was up 34-21 and even though both Jones and Dillingahm were already in double figures, the momentum was on the Lady Tigers side as offense was coming from everywhere.

Jasmine Nash solidified herself even more with three threes and was aggressive on both ends, Nash by the way received a Rising Star award from me back when she was in the 8th grade and was called a key earlier this year in a story I wrote calling her another weapon for KC after losing Veja Hamilton. Her performance shows no crystal ball was needed, at least from this camp

Destiny Barrett

Dillingham led all scorers for the game with 25 and along with 14 from Nash, they almost outscored Westfield's 41.

Jones finished with 16 on a variety of shots and would have more however she had to sit about three minutes due to getting scratched and having blood removed from her uniform. Destiny Barrett added 10 for the Mustangs who despite the loss are still in contention once everyone is healthy

Peggy Whitley Classic has teams ready to surprise

The 55th Annual Peggy Whitley Classic gets underway next week and like last seasons tournament, expect the unexpected. Clear Springs and Manvel are definitely the favorites however San Antonio Wagner and Cy Woods might have something to say about that, just like North Shore did last season after they captured number 54.

Erica and Olivia Ogwumike, along with Rachel Mulkey lead Cy Woods who was picked as one of the favorites this season by the Chronicle. Woods is also one of two teams with two Chronicle Preseason All Greater Houston players, E Ogwumike and Mulkey. Manvel is the other with Brianna Turner and Jordan Hosey

Here's the link for the brackets

Buchel and Inman lead Seven Lakes to victory

Like I said before, listen and absorb because this young Spring team is definitely going to make some noise. Season before last, I said the Klein Forest incoming freshmen class was going to turn that program completely around and after back to back playoff appearances, I guess I was correct, not to mention KF had never gone to the playoffs before. Spring is a little different and not only have they made it to the playoffs but all the way to Austin however that was back in 2006, which was also the same season they played in the postseason.

Katy Byrne, Brittany Smith & Christen Inman

I called last seasons Spring freshmen class the heir apparent to turn that program back around however two key players, Brittany Smith and Brittany Perkins, had to play JV due to transfer rules, while another, Bernesha Peters played off the bat and made Newcomer of the Year. Perkins is out with a sprain however Smith and Peters jumped started Springs offense last night against Seven Lakes in what should be a momentum booster despite losing 57-53. Another boost has got to be Toni Atkinson who led the Lions with 14 off the bench including six in the opening quarter. Turnovers galore on both ends however when you have young players, that's going to happen and  by the final part of the season, you'll see a difference, Smith and Peters added 12 and 11 respectively

Brittany Perkins

Seven Lakes is battle  tested, they know how to win games and a big part of that has got to go to seniors Sydney Buchel and Christen Inman who combined for 40 points in their victory, read more

Turner's Top Five

Brianna Turner has taken her game to a whole "nother" level, I know it's not word but it fits and if you had a chance to watch her against Clear Springs at the TI, you know exactly what I'm talking about. GPR's Top 2014 player has made five head college coaches happy this morning as she announced her  top schools, read more

Mansfield Rotary Tournament has action awaiting

 Lili Thompson missed the first part of the season with a minor injury however she, along with the Killer B's, Bennett and Bradley, have Mansfield Timberview thinking they can improve from last seasons runner up finish, read more

GPR Monday- Seven Lakes @ Spring

"BBB"

First look at both Seven Lakes and Spring tomorrow. Prior to Jack Frost Tournament, Spring jumped off to an impressive 6-0 start, this includes wins over Clear Falls and Clear Lake. This week they participate in the Montgomery Tournament opening up Thursday against Chronicle preseason fave Cy Woods


Seven Lakes has lost three games, all against teams in the unofficial GPR Area Top 5 and are tuning up for the Katy Tornament, they are matched against Angleton on Thursday

Sandra Meadows Classic attracts local flavor

AJ Alix

Several area teams are making the trip down to Duncanville to play in the Sandra Meadows Classic and two of the teams, Bellaire and Westside, can call themselves former champions, read more

GPR Saturday-Young Guns Camp (Desoto)

I don't know how many of you remember the movie Young Guns, it came out almost 25 years ago and several characters went on different levels of stardom. The sequel wasn't as good as the first one however it was okay. DFW Elite is hosting the Texas Big Tyme Young Guns Camp in Desoto TX next Saturday for those future stars from the 2017 through 2020 classes and yours truly will be on hand to check it out.

Some of the players that will be attending are

 2017
Alexis Morris
Breah Powell
DiDi Richards
Jade Williams
Alex Crane
Stephanie Jackson
Madison Washington

2018
Jada Peacock
Madison Williams
Zarielle Green
Asia McCullough
Lauren Davenport
Sydney Hardeman

Unlike the movie, this is for real and my second time seeing many of the future stars of tomorrow will probably be better and continue to get better because these young ladies or in the gym working. If you haven't registered, there's still time and there's no time like a Big Tyme event, read more

Hurricanes still bringing energy

Hightower's N'dea Scott is one of many talented sophomores on the Hurricanes squad however leadership by their juniors and seniors are keeping them competitive even after losing the over 6'0 "Big Three", read more

Johnson shows San Antonio won't be a pushover

There is nothing like seeing good basketball, especially when you've been up all night or even when that energy level begins to get low, excitement fuels the adrenaline, well at least for me. San Antonio Johnson was ranked the last time I looked at TABC and I haven't seen the teams from R4 that are however what  I do know is Johnson put on a show at the FBISD Tournament and although Morgan Stearns isn't a household name, she proved to be a serviceable player on a squad that almost won it all. How good is Johnson? read more

GPR Friday- Nike Katy Classic

From the Merrell Center to Morton Ranch it's all day in Katy and the big question is this, can Cy Ranch pull off the trifecta? Having already won the SBISD and FBISD tournaments, the Mustangs are among the favorites not only in this tournament, but also one of the teams on my short list that has a chance to represent R3 in Austin.

With offensive weapons coming from everywhere on this team, keep an eye on sharpshooter Ashlyn Wiemann, one of my UTR players who can definitely light it up from the outside. After dropping double digit threes on numerous occasions this past summer, Wiemann gives the Mustangs yet another option on offense

Houstonians in Poland

If a picture is worth a thousand words, well this is certainly worth that and then some. Brianna Gilbreath, Sydney Colson and Nneka Ogwumike!!!!!

GPR Thursday-Aldine Tournament (Campbell Center)

I knew Tierra McCowan would be a star when I saw her at 12 when she was around 6'4, the only question was when she would turn the corner. Not only has the corner been turned, she's elevated to the freeway and the  Autobahn is definitely within reach as she's passed star status with flying colors.

The DFW Elite star simply went off over the summer and made my tip-sheet for the Big Tyme Fall Finish, read more Now she heads to Houston with her high school team, Brenham who has to be one of the favorites for the Aldine Tournament.

Brenham meets another favorite, Friendswood, in the first round on Thursday followed by Huntsville vs Marshall. I'll be there, games start at 3:30 and you can always find the brackets under the EVENTS tab on the GPR website

Ford's fast start good news for Westfield

Diamond Ford is coming off a solid summer of club ball and that has parlayed over to the high school season  as her play has helped jump start the Westfield Mustangs to a  7-3 record in the early going, those losses by a combined total of six points, two of which were by a single point. Ford is a big guard that's playing multiple positions for the Mustangs and has been on an offensive tear of late which is will be good news as you can never have too many weapons on the floor.

On Tuesday, Westfield takes on district rival Klein Collins in what's appearing to be a fight that has at least six teams battling for four spots. Until then, here's a look at Ford's preseason highlights

Wichita State hits jackpot

Jaleesa Chapel

The Wichita State University women's basketball program signed seven student-athletes for the fall signing period, head coach Jody Adams announced.  The class consists of Jamillah Bonner (Butler Community College/Wichita Southeast HS/Wichita, Kan.), Jaleesa Chapel (Dekaney High School/Spring, Texas), Moriah Dapprich (Branson High School/Branson, Mo.), Briana Jones (James Madison High School/San Antonio, Texas), Morgan Landers (Burleson High School/Burleson, Texas), Marissa Preston (Staley High School/Kansas City, Mo.), and Kayla White (East Central High School/San Antonio, Texas).

Chapel, Jones, Landers and White are all from Texas and all have impressive resumes showing that this is not only the largest recruiting class in Coach Adams five seasons but it's also a class that will be able to compete on the national level and don't be surprised if they pull off some surprises along the way

Morgan Landers

Jamillah Bonner, 5-8, G
Butler Community College/Southeast High School
Wichita, Kan.
KBCA All Star
3-time All-City Selection
3-time All-Region
2010 Kansas State High School champion in Triple Jump
2011-12 at BCC: 16.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2.8 steals per game
Adams on Bonner: "I believe she is a program-changer in how she plays and the tempo at which she plays.  I've never, in the past few years, seen anyone play on both sides of the ball and leave it out there every possession like she does.  In doing that in our system she could be the most decorated junior college player to leave Wichita State in two years.  She has phenomenal speed and leaping ability.  She is a fighter and has an edge."

Jaleesa Chapel, 5-10, G
Dekaney High School
Spring, Texas
1^st Team All-District
Vype Magazine Houston's Top 50 Girl Hoopers
Team Defensive Player of the Year
All-Tournament Team
All-Academic Team
9.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2.2 spg
Team went 40-2 and was a state finalist - first state championship appearance in school history
Adams on Chapel: "She will be one of the most athletic student-athletes at Wichita State.  She has phenomenal speed and unbelievable leaping ability.  There is no ceiling for her.  Not only does she excel on the court but she does so in the classroom."
Moriah Dapprich, 6-0, G/F
Branson High School
Branson, Mo.
All-Tri Lakes
All-COC Large Schools 2^nd Team
Younger sister of current WSU freshman Michaela Dapprich
Adams on Daprich: "She can play the four or the three position for us.  She has range and can extend a defense beyond the three.  She can also post up and is very versatile."
Briana Jones, 6-0, F
James Madison High School
San Antonio, Texas
1^st Team All-District - Jr.
All-Academic Team
HM, All-District, - So.
13.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.2 apg, 2.4 spg
Adams on Jones: "She fits into our defensive schemes and will help us on the boards tremendously.  She has a knack for getting to the glass and reading the ball off the rim.  She also excels in the classroom."
Morgan Landers, 6-2, Post
Burleson High School
Burleson, Texas
All-State Honorable Mention
2^nd Team All-District
2^nd Team All-Johnson County - So.
Premier Basketball Report "Player to Watch"
8.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.9 spg, 0.9 bpg
Adams on Landers: "I believe she can be an impact player.  She's a skilled and versatile player.  She has a very strong body and is a high IQ player."
Marissa Preston, 5-8, G
Staley High School
Kansas City, Mo.
2x 1^st Team All-Conference
1^st Team All-District
KMZU Dream Team
Kan. - Mo. All-Tournament Team
17 ppg, 3 rpg, 5 apg, 5 spg
Team went 21-7 and reached state quarterfinals
Adams on Preston: "She loves the game of basketball and the competitiveness.  You can just see the excitement every time she is talking about basketball.  She is always wanting to learn and get better.  First and foremost she looks to score.  She is a combo guard that will get looks at the one and the two.  I love that her work ethic already meets that of a college student-athlete."
Kayla White, 5-9, G
East Central High School
San Antonio, Texas
2^nd Team All-District
Defensive Player of the Year
MVP Lady Rohawk Tourney
13 ppg, 3 rpg, 8 apg, 5 spg
Adams on White: "I look for her to come in and bring energy on the defensive side of the ball.  She fits very well in our system and how we like to pressure."

Brianna Jones

Husky Classic set to tip off

The Husky Classic starts today at 5pm and the first game will feature Navy against UC Davis followed by HBU vs Jackson State. Tomorrow, HBU takes on UC Davis at 1pm and the tournament wraps up with Navy against Jackson State in game two. All the action will be at Sharp Gym

HBU

Timberview's "Dynamic Duo" ready for Katy Nike Classic

How close are Terriell Bradley and Jalea Bennett? Super close and not just because they live walking distance from each other, have played together since middle school, play on the same club team and are not only two of the "can't miss" top players from the state, they also are two of the reasons that Mansfield Timberview is in the hunt for the "March to Austin" aka being in Austin in March

This bond started  in middle school when Bradley won the MVP trophy of a tournament and gave it to Bennett instead, which also takes this bond to another level in the terms of respecting each others game and the fact that they compliment each other so well on the floor.

With key players out so far this season, notably Lili Thompson, a Stanford signee, Timberview has managed to not only stay undefeated but setting the stage for what should be an outstanding tournament coming up along with an exciting district race as they have to battle Cedar Hill and Duncanville.

Joining Timberview in the top half of the bracket is Katy Taylor, Cy Falls and Klein Collins, which could be your E8.

Going south on the bracket, what's brewing up to be a rematch that started creating buzz shortly after Cy Ranch knocked off Seven Lakes last week in the FBISD Tournament, just may happen as those two, along with Clear Falls, Westside and North Shore are probably top contenders on the bottom half of the bracket

Fielder seals deal

I've been watching Dani Fielder since her freshman season and although she started out raw in some areas, she quickly started doing things that caught my eye however the most important thing she did was to continue improving. Standing around  6'0 with an abundance of athleticism always helps however the skill set just kept getting better until she solidified herself as a threat not only in the paint but from bta

I listed Fielder as an "Under The Radar" player and like many UTR's before her, four this season so far and over a dozen last season, I'm taking her down as she has moved on to the next level in grand fashion. After a trip to Southeastern Louisiana, Fielder knew this was the perfect for her, great school, not far from home and knowing she's going somewhere she's really wanted and will be pushed to get all they can out of her

Fielder is coming off a monster Texas Invitational tournament for Cy Creek and now that the pressure is off, she's ready to explode for the remainder of the season

Duncanville ahead of everyone

With a starting five unmatched by most, Duncanville came to defend their Texas Invitational title and also prove a point. Not only is their first five impressive, so are the reserves led by Keyana Smith. How good are they? read more

Branch breaks scoring record

Clear Creek's Brentney Branch is another young lady I've had the pleasure of watching for what seems like a n eternity. It's truly amazing to observe these young ladies grow up right before my eyes and watch them take their games to another level. Branch is one of those players you would categorize as a "gym rat" that always finds the time to work on her game.

That effort has landed her not only a scholarship (SFA) but also being regarded as one of the best scorers from this decade. Let me clarify what I consider a scorer, it's a player that puts the ball in the basket on a variety of ways and this weekend, she broke the Texas Invitational scoring record in BTwice style.

Not only did she end the tournament with 125 points, she also dropped 40 in one of her games.

Mustangs too fast for Jaguars in FBISD finals

Cy Ranch defeats San Antonio Johnson in the championship game of the FBISD Tournament by double digits as they win their second tournament of the season, they defeated Klein Forest for the SBISD title last week. Sydney Coleman's 12 points along with Cienna Rivera's 10 were high for Cy Ranch while San Antonio Johnson's Tiara Davenport led all scorers with 17.

Hightower defeated Bush for third place while Katy Taylor won consolation

2012's at the next level

Sylvana Okde and mom

After my chat with Mr. Lang on yesterday, I realized he brought up a valid point about players who have moved on and since 2012 holds the record, I'll start following that class and the ones that follow

After glancing at yesterdays box scores, two players stood out, I may have missed some and if so, email

• Sylvana Okde (Louisiana Lafayette) 20 points in 30 minutes on 8/14 shooting including 4/7 from bta. Add the five assists and she accounted for a point a minute

• Sadalia Ellis (Liberty) Seven assists in 11 minutes, along with four rebounds

Upset Saturday at Texas Invitational

Duncanville defeated Bellaire in the championship game of the gold bracket going away after the Cardinals played then tough in the first half but more on both teams later. The real story was Bellaire defeating Clear Springs and Manvel losing to Temple in the silver semifinals.

Manvel also went into OT with SA Jay and Clear Springs beat Cy Falls by three on opening day

All this shows is that several teams are capable of knocking each other off on any given day and when the playoffs start, it's one and done.

I'm chilling for the rest of the day but there is still more to come from both majors when I thaw out and I see no reason to change my Area Top 5 just yet

Colson and Gilbreath in Poland

I was speaking with Kelsey Lang's dad yesterday and he told me he was trying to find some info on my daughter and suggested I put a link up on here. To be honest, I never thought it about since high school along with some college stuff here and there keeps me busy enough but after thinking about all the area kids who have gone on to play at the next level and beyond, it might not be a bad idea.

Sydney Colson (Texas A&M) and Brianna Gilbreath (USC) played at Westside and Cinco Ranch respectively. Both would be come both high school and college All Americans and play in the WNBA, Colson one year with the NY Liberty and Gilbreath with Phoenix

Now they are playing together in Poland, here's the link

Area Top 5 posted

Kaylin Roher

Kaylin Roher's shooting touch returned on yesterday in the most opportune time as Clear Springs defeated Manvel. Sharpshooting Roher will be a key during the season as Clear Springs has an arsenal of weapons led by "The Chosen One" Brooke McCarty. These two, along with Jo Ann Lira, Courtney Latham and Rhyshinique Ball put together a Fab Five that are state worthy.

Speaking of five, I decided that I would do my own Top 5 of area teams which is now on the front page of the GPR website. I started to do a Top 10 however I might be changing it twice a week and if that sounds sarcastic, it isn't by any means because to be honest with you, that's a good thing and it's what the area needs to create buzz and get more fans interested, like in the olden days I remember right after the turn of the century.

Let me say this, although I feel when it's all said and done, my preseason list will be looking pretty darn good as far as how the playoffs go, even though the sad part is some of these teams will knock each out on their way to the Campbell Center.

To be fair, I'll also add the Chronicle's preseason list, keep in mind SA Jay did not beat Manvel in OT on Friday and Clear Creek actually beat Eastwood yesterday, bonjour!!!!

Calling Caldwell was easy

The first time I met Recee Caldwell was when she and her dad attended a Texas A&M game years ago and even though I had never seen this young lady play, watching observe and dissect certain things she spoke about after the game showed me how knowledgeable she was.

A few months later, I had a chance to watch her play and after her performance  not only did I say she was a can't  miss but a Top 10 player and I'm talking about the country, use the little search bar above and you would be surprised at what you might find.

Fast forward to now, she is now in a position to help lead the first out of area team to come in and win the FBISD Tournament, first up is Hightower who will have plenty to say about that  and the winner of that game will take on the Bush/Cy Ranch winner for the championship, the losing teams will play for third place

Class of 2014 Top 100 going off this weekend

The Texas Invitational showcased four of the Top 100 players from Texas. Brianna Taylor and Brooke McCarty are the two top players in the area and they play on the two top teams in the area and today they showed exactly why they are what they are. Clear Springs defeated Manvel 63-53 in round one, McCarty had 26 while Turner had 25 and both did what great players do, took over when they needed and that will be the front page story coming up and still free

Tasia Foman and Ariel Atkins chill with SMU signee Kiara Perry before their game against Victoria East and so far Duncanville hasn't been challenged in the TI. Atkins and Foman should be Top 100 players across the board, they have elevated their game so much over the past season and this may be the best threesome in the state

How about San Antonio Johnson coming down here and handling Seven Lakes? Well that's really not that much of a surprise since Recee Caldwell has some of the same attributes these other 2014 players have and that's not only put her  team on her back but make her teammates better, which is why she's one of the top guards in the country. With Johnson winning, there is no way I will miss the FBISD Tournament tomorrow as much as I want to see  Duncanville /Desoto winner against Clear Springs/Bellaire winner however I need some updated pictures of Caldwell and by winning, well........

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook

 I tweeted a lot of information yesterday during the tournament, some of it actually good, and if you're not following GPR on FB or Twitter, you may be missing out on quick hitters that might not reach the blog or main website.

Coyote's won't catch this Road Runner

I saw Tasharian Robinson play a couple of seasons ago, not realizing how young she was as she was playing up for the Houston Lady Road Runners however she will be among the top 2017 players entering high school next season

SA Johnson invades FBISD

I know the elections are over but it's still November so I've been flip flopping all over the place on whether to stay at the Texas Invitational for the duration or head out to Fort Bend. I was happy to see my old friend Ray Caldwell at the TI and then I asked him why he was here and after he told me Recee's team was playing, I'm trying to figure out how I missed that

Recee is another young lady I called early, I believe 7th grade and I know many may wonder how, like the slogan I too "Just Do It"

Nevertheless, here's the deal. SA Johnson is on track to play Seven Lakes tonight at 7pm. Johnson is a favorite to go to state and should they win, this could be a possible preview of an  Austin battle between them and Delaney should they win which intrigues me

Close calls on opening day at Texas Invitational

There is nothing I dreaded more than blowouts, it did absolutely nothing for me especially since I have horrible sleep habits however I learned that even in blowouts, you can always find a gem, sort of like like hearing about great finds at garage sales, well maybe not. There were some blowouts, but there were also some entertaining games which almost turned out to be of major proportion.

Cinco Ranch came off of a defensive battle with Cy Fair on Tuesday and had to go against Bellaire and almost came away with thee win

Clear Springs, who may be the top team in the city after their high noon match up with Manvel had themselves in a game that went down to the wire against Cy Falls as Bree Fabritis imitated Shernise Robinson from last seasons Eagles team as she was draining threes from everywhere, five in the game against Springs

The Woodlands are missing three starters for the tournament as they handled Victoria East with ease, East fresh off a state trip lost a lot from that 2012 class, but even with that being said, The Woodlands were too tough. Well with even that being said, again, even at full force I don't think they would have been able to defeat Duncanville because they are playoff ready right now

Like Victoria East, Mansfield Summit not only made it to state but they won it however they lost two starters who transferred. Nevertheless, this team can bring a lot of heat and pressure as they almost upended Cinco in OT

Ashlyn Arnold has been out however she's close to 100% and they'll need her at full strength for the big run. Manvel has talent galore however SA Jay showed you only have to be the best team that game, well sort of as they lost in OT, don't believe the Chronicle as they have the score backwards which shows once again where the best information comes from

Klein Collins lost a thriller to Desoto, then beat North Shore who lost to Temple earlier, but the bottom line is everyone is getting tuned up. I've seen some strange things happen over the years which are sometimes worthy of  being on the  X Files but I'll give you tidbits on teams and players when it's done.

Had a chance to holler at Brooke McCarty as she and Dominique Dillingham have been playing together what feels like forever and II asked her how old she was when I first saw them play, she told me eight and I've been telling you all ten. "The Chosen One" at eight, wow maybe that crystal ball really does work