2013 GPR UTR Kylah Jones has strong debut

Whenever  I watch a player grow the way I watched Kylah Jones from middle school, I'm going to bat for them and the former Westfield star is going to be one I'll be saying I told you so about before it's all said and done. Jones put in a strong 24 minutes for Loyola in an exhibition game against Louisiana Lafayette that I had on my calendar for numerous reasons including exit 97 for Boudin

Jones scored 9 points in a game featuring several players from the Houston area including former Hightower star Jasmine Brewer and fellow freshman Megan Temple for Loyola. Former North Shore star Ashley Benjamin and Westbury Christian sharpshooter Sylvana Okde put in tsome work for Louisana Lafayette so that's five area kids in all. Okde simply went off dropping 5 threes and scoring 23 points

Now that Jones has her first game jitters out of the way, let's see what happens next even though I already know

STATS

2012 GPR UTR Lauren Price flashback

Lauren Price was one of the key fixtures in Atascocita's remarkable runs over her career. She showed me a glimpse of what to expect as a sophomore in the E-8 by scoring close to 20 with almost as many rebounds and although injuries slowed her down the past two seasons, she still was an integral part of "The Taz"

Lauren is entering her sophomore season at Le Moyne and here's a glimpse of what she did during her decorated career

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Injuries were one of the reasons Lauren was Under The Radar however if you can play, there is always a chance and believe me she could play

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Fab 4 one more time

Jackson, Coleman, Powell and Wright are four talented freshmen that are DYNOMITE!!!!!!


That will never get old and it's like they posed for that rhyme.

2012 GPR UTR Crystal Porter flashback

Let's go back to 2011 when Elsik,  the team that no one expected to make it state, actually did. Well no one but them which shows that anything can happen in a one game playoff and as Rudy T so eloquently put it, "never underestimate the heart of a champion"

Crystal Porter made TABC All State that season and is ready for her second season at Canisius
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Even with all of that, Porter was one of those Under The Radar players
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New Fab 4 emerges at McKinney North

BREAH POWELL

I've told everyone over and over about the 2017 class, either in person or by writing it and when you have this type of star power coming from everywhere, there are definitely going to be upsets. Breah Powell is actually the first 2017 player that made one of my Tip Sheets with DFW Elite prior to her 8th grade season but all of her freshmen teammates at McKinney North have as well

TIA WRIGHT

Tia Wright is one of the top players in the country, no question about it and before it's all said and done, well trust me. Alex Coleman and Stephanie Jackson round out foursome and the thing about is I'm projecting D1 for all. Wright, Coleman and Jackson went off Cy Fair Nike AC and like Powell, it didn't me long to realize that I was watching some very special players that just kept getting better. It's not going to take school teams long either as they have already knocked off a couple of Top 25 TABC teams in the fall and I'll make sure and catch the young ladies at Sandra Meadows

2014 Elise Rodriguez has eyes on prize

Elise Rodriguez has battled back from injuries over her career and her presence was felt immediately when she returned last season to LaPorte in the second half of district play. During the first half, the top three teams in district, North Shore, Port Arthur Memorial and Channelview all won with ease before the return of Rodriguez and even though they all won after her return, all the games were decided by five points or less. This 2014 Under The Radar player can score when she needs to however her BB IQ and ability to make her teammates better while running the one is what caught my eye years ago. Check out the video and will be be following her, well my staff of one will, throughout the season

2014 Jasmine Nash ready for encore at Klein Collins

I love when people say they read my blog all of the time and follow it with "it's not what you do, it's who you do it against" and over the past few seasons, I've watched Jasmine Nash match up against some of the top guards to come through here and to say she held her own would be an understatement. Nash has been in the shadows of a couple BCS players since transferring to KC, first Veja Hamilton (TCU) and last season Dominique Dillingham (Mississippi St) but never one to gripe and not minding to accept whatever role she's been asked to play because in her own words, "team comes first"

This season will be a little different as Nash steps into the drivers seat at Klein Collins and not only can she defend, this video shows you she can, well just watch it and take note this Under The Radar player is about to blow up

GPR Under The Radar Week

It amazes me when I get an email from someone regarding a player and they include "well such and such thinks this" about said player. I don't have an agenda, both of my eyes are somewhat accurate and I think my track record speaks for itself regarding talent. I'll be doing pieces on my GPR Under The Radar players over the next couple of days and during the season, we'll look back on some of the ones I tagged UTR as they enter their freshmen and sophomore seasons at the next level so stay tuned


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2016's JEFFERSONIZED

 While I adjust and readjust players that I had a chance to see over the summer, the Lady Houston Phenoms duo of Jasmyne Harris and Shannon Jones moved into legitimate BCS contention after their performances this summer. Always remember it's not what you do, it's who you do it against and let me add a twist, it's also who you do it front of

I'm still processing my reevaluations of some of the top sophomore players and several have been added including that impressive Cy Ranch duo of Rachel Tapps and Taylor Hunter as well as countless you can read about on my service.

SBISD Tournament packing star power as Coleman commits

Sydney Coleman has "the pose" down to a tee and after her weekend commitment to TCU, that's also taken care of as she's another "can't miss" seventh grader I expected big things from. Coleman is one of many stars for Cy Ranch that will be showcasing their talents at the SBISD Tournament next week and the Mustangs are also one of the contenders in R3 that have a shot at making it to Austin

Klein Forest, one of the favorites in area R2, along with last seasons 4A-F4 rep Lamar Consolidated

Schedule

Monster class I will be watching

You have a little bit of everything in the 2017 class and as I make my schedule to start yet another journey, one thing I've said over and over throughout this millennium is that TEXAS is and will always be loaded.

Tia Wright ain't the only player that's DYNOMITE, that will never get old and as I watch the progression of those I already know about, one thing is for sure

There will be others lending a helping hand by showing me their stuff. On the national level, many of these young stars have already made a name for themselves

Some already have BCS offers on the table and to be honest with you that number in itself could hit the highest ever for the state but when the dust settles and it's all said and done, like many before from the state on a national level, some have a shot at being #1

Hoop-A-Holics Camp Dec 15 in Metroplex area

Middle school and club coaches, this is a PERFECT opportunity to get the younger players on the map.  

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Texas 2016 being updated

Cox, Holmes, Mack, Mulkey, Chou, and Ramirez are just a few of many young ladies from the Texas 2016 class that I labeled BCS a long time ago, like before they played in their first high school game, it's documented and archived on here. Several players made gigantic strides right before my eyes over the club season, like Cierra Johnson who joined what could turnout to be the biggest year in Texas ever for, well "bigs"

I'm looking around various places and I'm not seeing Calveion "Juicy" Landrum who like her nickname, has the JUICE to be among the top players in the country before it's all said and done. All I can say is remember no one had Ariel Atkins as high as I did as soon as I did and I'm talking freshman season, but this class is very, very special, more to come as I hit it!!!!

Texas Invitational pairings set

Clear Springs took North Shore to OT in the The Last Run but the race is about to start as both teams will be competing in the Texas Invitational, along with GPR area favorite Manvel and state favorite Duncanville.
Here it is my can't miss game, North Shore vs Duncanville will be a great early season test for the Mustangs but always remember "it's ain't where you start, it's where you finish." Feel free to substitute isn't for ain't but anyway

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GPR Area Top 15

GPR 2015 UTR players Gabbie Stanton, Brooke Jolivet and Charlotte Hodges had breakout summers and I'm thinking their Kingwood squad just might pull off some surprises. I've thrown 15 HS names out there just for my friend Troy Sim based on what I've seen so far and who certain teams have. One thing is for sure, Manvel is in the driving seat in R3. The 15 HS teams are on the front page of GPR

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Disclaimer- the thoughts and views listed are mine and mine only

2017 Bianca Hernandez added to UTR list

Always remember it's not where you start, it's where you finish and remember that I'm a fan of players that can shoot the three consistently, well catch and shoot. Over the club season, I saw enough of Bianca Hernandez to know she could do that but as she enters her freshman season at Antonian Prep HS, in just those few months this video shows me she's not only been working but she's added more to her game. Stay tuned, I'll be bringing you a lot more on this young lady

October 26th @ Bellaire HS

2013-14 TABC Pre-season Rankings

It's always good to speculate and try and anticipate how everything plays out so here is what TABC came up with. Two things I can honestly agree with, Duncanville is the team to beat and after watching Manvel at the Greater Houston Invitational, they are probably the best team in R-3 5A with their BCS front-court. Notable omissions of North Shore and Dallas Skyline jumped out at me as both teams have a shot at representing their regions as well. I'm pretty sure this list will look a lot different by December

Here are the full rankings:

Class 5A
1, Duncanville
2, Cibolo Steele
3, Manvel
4, Flower Mound Marcus
5, Clear Springs
6, Round Rock Stony Point
7, Mesquite Horn
8, Pearland
9, San Antonio Wagner
10, Irving MacArthur
11, Klein Forest
12, Westside
13, San Antonio Johnson
14, Cypress Woods
15, Cedar Ridge
16, Bellaire
17, San Antonio Reagan
18, Southlake Carroll
19, Austin Anderson
20, Lubbock Coronado
21, Harlingen
22, Mansfield Timberview
23, Bush
24, Plano West
25, San Antonio Stevens

Class 4A
1, San Antonio Brennan
2, Arlington Seguin
3, Aledo
4, Vista Ridge
5, Tomball
6, Plainview
7, Dallas Lincoln
8, Leander
9, Brenham
10, Georgetown
11, Kerrville Tivy
12, Austin LBJ
13, Lamar Consolidated
14, Dallas Adams
15, Mansfield Summit
16, El Paso Hanks
17, Fort Worth Trimble Tech
18, Dawson
19, Floresville
20, Canyon
21, Dallas Carter
22, Wheatley
23, Schertz Clemens
24, Lindale
25, Wichita Falls Rider

Class 3A
1, Celina
2, Boerne
3, Fairfield
4, La Vega
5, Levelland
6, Bullard
7, Hondo
8, Wichita Falls Hirschi
9, Lubbock Cooper
10, Argyle
11, Madisonville
12, Melissa
13, West Oso
14, Yoakum
15, Stephenville
16, Crandall
17, Frisco Lone Star
18, Kennedale
19, Mexia
20, Navasota
21, Buna
22, Smithville
23, LaVernia
24, Abilene Wylie
25, Splendora

Class 2A
1, Brock
2, Wall
3, Franklin
4, Sonora
5, Marion
6, Jim Ned
7, Alba-Golden
8, Crawford
9, Poth
10, Idalou
11, Dallas Life Oak Cliff
12, New Boston
13, Schulenburg
14, Centerville
15, Alvord
16, Tatum
17, San Antonio Cole
18, Cisco
19, Howe
20, Teague
21, Canadian
22, Central Heights
23, Jarrell
24, Gunter
25, Taft

Class 1A Division II
1, Roscoe Highlands
2, Lipan
3, Follett
4, Leakey
5, Nazareth
6, Garden City
7, Eula
8, Strawn
9, Turkey Valley
10, Dodd City
11, Menard
12, Leggett
13, Saltillo
14, Chireno
15, Cross Plains
16, Rankin
17, Baird
18, O’Donnell
19, Coolidge
20, Borden County
21, Frost
22, Rochelle
23, Round Top-Carmine
24, Aspermont
25, Paducah

Class 1A Division I
1, Triple A Academy
2, Martins Mill
3, Kerens
4, Wellington
5, Goldthwaite
6, Plains
7, Port Aransas
8, Falls City
9, Slocum
10, Christoval
11, Gruver
12, Santo
13, Mason
14, Zavalla
15, Clarendon
16, Harper
17, Muenster
18, Smyer
19, Martinsville
20, Neches
21, Weimar
22, New Deal
23, San Saba
24, Windthorst
25, Shiner

Large Privates
1, Argyle Liberty Christian
2, Dallas Bishop Lynch
3, Plano John Paul II
4, St. Agnes Academy
5, Concordia Lutheran
6, Kinkaid
7, St. Pius X
8, San Antonio Antonian
9, San Antonio IWA
10, Episcopal
11, Trinity Christian
12, Plano Prestonwood
13, Westbury Christian
14, St. Johns
15, Houston Christian
16, Midland Christian
17, Dallas Christian
18, Fort Worth Christian
19, Austin St. Michaels
20, Dallas Parish Episcopal
21, Lutheran North
22, Austin St. Stephens
23, Bishop TK Gorman
24, Waco Reicher
25, Carrollton Prince of Peace

Small Privates
1, Sherman Texoma
2, Marble Falls Faith Academy
3, Austin Brentwood
4, McKinney Christian
5, Fort Worth Lake Country
6, Boerne Geneva
7, Midland Classical
8, Rosehill Christian
9, Amarillo San Jacinto Christian
10, Muenster Sacred Heart
11, Cypress Christian
12, Round Rock Christian
13, Red Oak Ovilla
14, Colleyville Covenant Christian
15, Lubbock Christian School
16, DeSoto Canterbury
17, Victoria Faith
18, Granberry Happy Hill
19, Austin Walsdorf
20, San Antonio Cornerstone
21, Providence Classical
22, Bryan Brazos Christian
23, Selma River City Believers
24, Wichita Falls Notre Dame
25, Shiner St. Paul

2018 Collier commits

Texas landed a prize as 8th grader Charli Collier from Crosby committed a few days ago. Collier is one of the top players not only in the state but the country and here's a little piece from last nights news

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Barbers Hill set to soar again

Barbers Hill has been impressive in the preseason and after watching several of the young ladies perform through the summer, I certainly see why

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Falcons and Titans ready to chase Mustangs

Taylor Alexander is all smiles and after I watched her continue to improve over the summer, her GHI performance showed she will be huge as Channelview and PA Memorial aren't ready to give the district title to North Shore

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Gabby Gregory takes unofficial to Texas Tech

Use the ever so helpful search bar on hear and type in Gabby Gregory's name and you can sort of follow the timeline of when this young lady caught my eye prior to her freshman season. She's been catching eyes from others, more importantly college coaches along the way and over this  past weekend, she joined Mackenzie Calvert, Jasmine Caston and Lexy Hightower at Texas Tech, Calvert was on an official while the the others were taking an unofficial

District 20 #downtothewire again

Angel Williams jumper isn't the old thing Bellaire has going for them as the always potent Cardinals have flown atop district rivals most of this century. The race is going to come down to them and Westside again, I'm hearing good things about Lamar as well but it appears the Cardinals and Wolves have the upper hand

Irenisha Johnson was one of many new faces on both teams that caught my eye at the Greater Houston Invitational

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Concordia Lutheran shows fire at #GHI

Year after year, season after season, private school Concordia Lutheran has put together teams that consistently competed with the public schools. From Taylor Schippers to Taylor Longley and now the Sydney Thomas era, the Crusaders have pulled off some impressive wins along the way. At the Greater Houston Invitational, they showed signs of making a run towards state, especially when you factor in several key players weren't in attendance due to volleyball

Thomas, one of the toughest players in the area that could play, brings a new dimension to the Crusaders who have a little bit of everything to create problems for their opponents. Sydney Mackzo and Beth Thompson were knocking the long ones down consistently while Lindsey Tredway was doing damage in the paint. Jessica Canez also came up with some huge baskets and when you factor in those key players who are still competing in volleyball, Concordia Lutheran might just make a run

Westside's scrappiness will keep opponents on toes

One thing that's always consistent with Westside's GBB program is that they will always play hard from baseline to baseline from the opening tip until the final buzzer and a perfect example would be their one point victory against Katy Taylor in the opening round of the playoffs last season to their two point defeat in OT against Cy Woods in the second round, Woods lost to eventual R3 runner-up Seven Lakes in OT in the E-8 match-up.

Sentreal Gregory's improvement continues to grow as she has established herself as a legitimate D1 prospect. She's gotten stronger and her ability to make her teammates better showed at the Greater Houston Invitational. Gabby Castillo and Janae Smith also have elevated their games and this is good news for the the Wolves who competed without several players that are participating in volleyball

6'0 sophomore Tajh Gellespi was out with a minor injury however 6'2 junior Alexis Adams proved more than serviceable in the paint. Adams is raw in some areas however her athleticism and effort will give Westside a boost they haven't had in the past. The Wolves shot an abundance of three's which came from multiple players so you never know once the one and done playoff series begin

Heavy hitters at TCU today on unofficial visits

Today was a big day for TCU WBB as they had several of the top players not only from the state but the nation as well on unofficial visits. Attendee’s from the 2015 class were Jordan Danberry (Arkansas), Jordan Moore (Texas) and Oklahoma’s Makenzie Ellis. The 2016 group had Lauren Cox, Joyner Holmes, Nancy Mulkey, Mikayla Christian, Jada Underwood, Kianna Ray, and Sydney Goodson along with 2018 Jordan Ott, all from Texas

Dekaney's Nevitt #AutoAwesome from #GHI

Six feet, long, athletic and coordinated is almost an automatic as far as getting to the next level, providing you have grades and test scores. Kayla Nevitt showed me as a baby, well middle school baller that she had the tools to be very successful on the court and she's been an integral part of Dekaney's success over the past three seasons. She accepted being a role player, nothing phased her, she never complained and always showed that "team first" mentality over everything else as she kept learning and getting even better

Her hard work paid off in a big way as she committed to Mississippi State last week and the way she was knocking shots down from everywhere at the Greater Houston Invitational, I'm thinking she'll contribute off the top in college. I mentioned grades earlier, my older daughter was actually one of Kayla's teachers and she always talked about Nevitt being a great student, well it appears she's that way on and off the court.

2016 will be well represented at Space City Impact

Madison Schenck continues to add stuff to her game and over the summer, she not only showed she was a next level player, but a D1  player as well. Anna McCleod was already receiving correspondence from D1 schools however she blew up over the summer after showing BCS potential. These two young ladies happen to play for SATCH and will be performing in the Space City Impact again next year. This is a tournament for home schooled teams and I was pleasantly surprised at the talent. Also on the rise is Madison's younger sister, Mikayla, who I saw first hand grow both on and off the court right before my eyes and she is, well let's just say you'll be hearing that named mentioned with the top 2018s

At the Midland Hoops 32, I saw several players from New Way Christian who will be in attendance as well so I'm getting pumped just thinking about it but January will be here before you know it


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2013 GHI schedule out-all games at Yates HS!!!!!

Jordan Hosey, Brianna Turner, Rangie Bessard and company are ready for the run as they are all on hand this weekend for the Greater Houston Invitational. Schedule has been posted and can be found via link under my EVENTS tab which is also the best way to VERIFY where I'll be ahead of time. Game are at Jack Yates HS

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Crossover trio at photo shoot

Lamar Consolidated's Ann Nwosah, Westfield's EJ Bryant and Terrys Krystal Reid were all on hand at the Greater Area Houston photo shoot. The trio played for Crossover this season, Nwosah has committed to McNeese State, Bryant UT Dallas and Reid is still deciding on where she's heading

Guess who made the pic?

I blew this one up for you and it's from the Greater Houston photo shoot, enjoy!

Do I hear #threepeat ?

What does Duncanville's Ariel Atkins and Tasia Foman have in common with the Miami Heat's Lebron James and Dwayne Wade? Both duos are in position to help lead their teams to their third consecutive title and as hard as it is to do it, well it might not be so hard after all, well for Duncanville.

Duncanville is battle tested and they've won two titles after losing key components each season but the duo of Atkins and Foman don't necessarily need a key because they have the combination. November 8th will be sort of what could be a state final match-up as they travel to Dallas Skyline, economically it makes no sense for me to drive four hours to see one game however throughout my years I've driven further for much less so that's up in the air.

The Pantherettes come to town for the Texas Invitational November 21-23, Manvel and North Shore are probably the only teams playing in the event that have a shot at stopping the streak in case they get by Skyline. Last season, I wrote Duncanville was playoff ready during the TI and of course, I was correct as they cruised to, well sort of, an overtime scare at Timberview almost ended the streak, but it's seventy something and counting

2014 Under The Radar Whyte goes off

Abigal Whyte continues to show improvement every time I watch her and the 5'10 wing with an abundance of athleticism simply went off for Dekaney in Frisco week before last. In the video below, Whyte is showing her value on both ends of the floor and she'll be one of the many stars on hand this weekend at the GHI

Arkansas grabs GPR Texas Top 100 duo

 The Arkansas Razorbacks came into Texas and got commitments from two of the states best. McKinley Bostad is one of the best long range shooters in the country, she's showed me that time and time again over her career and she was one of the big reasons Kennedale made it to the state championship last season.

The Razorbacks also landed McKinney HS star Mariah Mitchell. Mitchell is one of those guards that can do a little bit of everything and she's coming off a junior season in which she averaged around 17 ppg and has shown she can score on a variety of ways

I say this over and over and over regarding the assumption that Texas kids won't leave the state however in closing, there are more next level players in Texas than available scholarships and the Razorbacks have landed two gems

Aldine Tournament November 21-23

The Aldine Tournament and Texas Invitational are going on the same time so I'll have to play this one by ear as I alternate between the two events. One of the reasons, well two, are pictured above, Shaqueira Debose (Eisenhower)and Alacharion King (Nimitz) are two of the areas best players you may not know about and both have the ability to help lead their respective teams on a run, not just in the Aldine Tournament but when it really counts in February. The list has been updated again, still contemplating Nov 8 road trip

Events

No "Hocus-Pocus" here

Sometimes you see things that aren't there or you miss what is. Don't drop the ball, educate yourself on how it truly works

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Big Three ready for run at SBISD Nov 7-9

The Big Three from Klein Forest is ready for their final run, in fact they were runner-up at the SBISD last season but wait

Cienna Rivera and Co won it last season and are ready to do some damage, especially with a healthy Sydney Coleman and Ashley O'Block, not to mention super sophs Rachel Tapps and Taylor Hunter plus those fabulous freshmen, DD Richards and Ariana Whitfield

 Uh oh, Richards and Coleman are getting ready right now

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