Not only do I know the question, but I also know the answer

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Space City Jammin all day today

Space City Jam Momentum lifted off on yesterday and as they have settled in orbit, I'll be on hand to see many exciting young players, including 2017 GPR Under The Radar players Jade Leblanc-Ernest (HCYA) and Mikayla Schenk (SATCH) as well as 2016 UTR Madison Schenck (SATCH) but they are only a few.

Heavy hitters from out of town are in town, McDonald's All American Recee Caldwell  is on hand with FEAST while HSAA and New Way have several players I've evaluated as well and they are among the favorites.

Tip Sheet will be coming along with Twitter stuff providing the signal is good but just be prepared as this tournament was a huge success last season and it starts an exciting weekend, at least for me

Big games tonight in area's toughest districts

Tyler Davis is ready for the excitement, last season around this time she simply exploded to help Cy Woods make a run and even though they've been plagued by injuries, the race isn't over, well the playoff race because Cy Fair has locked up 17-5A and their remaining games against Cy Creek and Jersey Village are only a formality. Here's the tricky part, Woods and Creek are tied for second place (9-2), while Cy Ranch is a game behind  (8-3). Ranch travels to Woods tonight and they're ahead of Langham Creek for the final playoff spot by two games. The irony is Ranch plays Langham at home in the last game of the season so a Ranch loss tonight and a Langham win would make that a must see game for me

Over in 13-5A Spring has an outside chance to get in after their win against Klein Forest on Wednesday. KF faces Klein Collins tonight and closes with Dekaney Tuesday, while Spring takes on "The Taz" tonight, who are tied for first with Dekaney and finishes the regular season against Klein Oak. If KF wins one of those two, they're in

Tulane impressive in victory at Tudor

I have seen some really good basketball this season and I'm talking on both the high school and college level and last night, Tulane came to town to visit the Owls and left with a 62-55 victory

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Still smooth as silk freshman Courtney Latham had close to 100 fans there to cheer her on, including the Clear Springs team. Latham was a main ingredient in the Chargers recipe to Austin last season and her former teammates and numerous family member made plenty of noise

Chinwe Duru led the Green Wave with seven rebounds and made one of the best drop steps I've seen in a very long time as she Tierra Jones were quite strong in the paint

The soft touch showed by Adesuwa Ebonwonyi from midrange was huge as she hit several big shots throughout the game but two of the biggest keys that unlocked the door to victory came from the backcourt as Jamie Kaplan led all scorers with 16 points while Leslie Vorpahl came off the bench to score 12.

Vorpahl, like Latham, is a freshman and her steady under control play was huge, especially down the stretch. I'll be back later to touch on Rice as they prepare for Southern Mississippi on Saturday at home. Several high school stars from across the state will be on hand for that game which starts at 2pm, yes I'll be there

Texas MCAT for #MDAA

I tweeted last night that MCAT took a whole new meaning as four young ladies from Texas were chosen for the McDonald's All American game. Brooke McCarty, a player I started calling "The Chosen One" before she was 10, Recee Caldwell, a player I tagged as can't miss in the 7th grade, Ariel Atkins, who two seasons ago was relatively unknown nationally but I called her possibly the best player in Texas and Brianna Turner who simply has developed into one not only of the best players ever from around here but one of the most decorated as well since I saw her initially as a 5th or 6th grader. In other words, I was right again!

Caldwell is in town for the Space City Jam tournament out at Legends. Play starts today, the staff will be on hand tomorrow

SCHEDULE

'14 Elise Rodriguez on fire in La Porte win over West Brook

I've always touched on injuries being vital to how far a team goes in a season and too many of them to key players is, well going to create problems. Let me take a step farther, injuries to players at the wrong time, aka viewing periods, can also take a toll and Elise Rodriguez has had more than her share of nagging injuries at the wrong time. The young lady has qualified both on and off the court and is solid at running the one, which means she can run a team, knows and understands the game and won't hurt you because her BB-IQ is right up there with some of the other top points in the state

The unsigned senior has put together some amazing efforts throughout her career, the latest being a 20 point outburst in La Porte's recent win against Beaumont West Brook 40-38. La Porte is trying to secure the final playoff spot in 21-5A and a healthy Rodriguez has definitely been one of the keys

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Hodges on fire in Kingwood win at Klein Collins

Charlotte Hodges is at the magic number, for those of you who don't know, that means six feet however last night 20 was another magic number as she led all scorers in Kingwood's 49-46 victory over Klein Collins on the road. Kingwood moves to 9-5 in district, a game behind third place Klein Forest and a game ahead of Spring who defeated KF last night 63-49

The tough as nail Hodges ability to score in the paint or outside and I'm talking long ball too has made her a very marketable player who is no longer Under The Radar. Unsigned senior Jasmine Nash went off for Klein Collins as she scored 17

Owls' Kuster sets scoring record

With this three against Tulane last night, Jessica Kuster became the all time leading scorer for the Rice Owls and the kicker is she became the all time leading rebounder two weeks ago, I mean exactly 14 days ago. Fourteen also is the amounts of her points and rebounds last night

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More on the Owls loss to Tulane later today

Four score in double figures as Cy Fair wraps up 17-5A

Shania and Asia Woods show where Cy Fair is as far champions in District 17-5A

Mathematically, it''s a possibility as I may have jumped ahead of myself in the title however logically, 17-5A is a wrap after Cy Fair defeated Cy Ranch 69-50. At the start of the season, I figured Cy Fair , 25-4 on the season, would be in the hunt for a playoff spot in the most competitive district in the area but to win it outright, let alone go undefeated, is a bet I would have lost. You can throw in the fact the Cy Woods, currently 9-2 in district and two games behind the 11-0 Bobcats, were my initial team to beat however injuries to Nancy Mulkey throughout most of the season has a lot to do with how things transpired. Cy Ranch initially had me choosing them second in district, again injuries played a part in how their season has gone with Kara Cezar and Rachel Tapps out as well.

You still have to play the game, injuries are part of it and no one has done it better in 17-5A than Cy Fair, The improvement they've shown from earlier this season while putting together this amazing run has been nothing short of spectacular, especially when you look at the fact that with the exception of a three point victory against Cy Woods and a seven point win against Langham Creek, no other team in 17-51 has been in it and while I don't have time to do their margin of victory average during district, it's over 20 just glancing

Here's the deal, are they legit enough to make it to Campbell and beyond, losses to North Shore and Manvel by 5 and 14 say on a neutral court you only have to be what, the best team that game, so in a roundabout way, anything is possible especially if they're clicking like they were last night with four players scoring in double figures, leading the was for both teams was Shania Woods with 15

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North Shore's Jackson shows versatility on and off the court

'15 Adriiana Jackson has shown that despite her height, she is a very talented basketball player that I've mentioned numerous times in the the past along with her being in the  "size don't matter" group of players that simply get the job done regardless

Like I said in the title, she's versatile on and off the court and being a former cheerleader as well as playing other sports, her hard nosed defense and ability to play either guard spots for the Mustangs has helped keep her team as one of the ones to beat year after year however this has simply blown me away as she is a finalist in the Girl's Impact The World Film Festival, which includes a paid trip to HARVARD, and she's also one of only four high school students out of the 15 finalists, here's the video

Tulane's Latham returns home against Rice tonight

When Courtney Latham moved to Texas from New Mexico and enrolled at Clear Springs, my initial sighting told me a big piece to their puzzle was solved as she added a multitude of things to a squad without a starter over six feet during her career, which included three trips to the area F-4 and a trip to Austin during her senior season

I've mentioned numerous times that Latham graduated as one of the area's most underrated players and she's made the adjustment at the next level with Tulane averaging a little over 20 mpg. Tonight, their at Tudor to take on Rice at 7 pm and despite the COLD WAVE, I'll be there to check out the GREEN WAVE in action against the OWLS!

Tuesday area games rescheduled

17-5A isn't the only district that has rescheduled

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Speaking of 17-5A, check out this on Erica Ogwumike

Lexi no Y Bell's making a run

L.D. Bell's Lexi Gordon caught my eye during the summer with her talented  Texas Adidas Elite club team at one of the Prime Time Tournament events I covered and her length, basketball IQ and skill set told me she would make the transition from middle to high school with ease. The title is somewhat cryptic but lot's of times Lexi's name is spelled Lexy, now you get it and it and we'll move in

Opposing teams are getting it as well as Gordon is averaging double digits for Bell's district lead squad as they are getting prepared for what could be a deep playoff run

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Unsigned Williams helping Cougars up the Creek to playoffs

Cypress Creek's Darianne Williams has been explosive for quite some time however the 214 Under The Radar guard's performance this season has come as no surprise to me. Second only to Jessica Munoz as far as scoring on the team, the 5'8 Williams has scored in double digits in over half of her games, twice going over 20 so far for the 20-7 Cougars this season who happen to be in a three way tie in district for second place with Cy Ranch and Cy Woods at 8-2

Creek travels to Cy Lakes tomorrow, while hosting Cy Fair on Friday and Cy Woods next Tuesday, two wins out of the three gives them a lock for a spot and rest assured Williams has played a huge part in them being the position that they're in. Check D out in the video

Duncanville is #1 regardless

I said Duncanville was the best team in the country at the start of the season no matter what you hear or read anywhere else that's the bottom line. Losing a key player to an ACL injury has narrowed the gap but not enough and as Incarnate Word and Long Beach Poly lose over the weekend, well

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'17 Bianca Hernandez update

Bianca Hernandez caught my eye last summer when I observed her knocking the long ball down almost unconsciously and although she was still in middle school, she did a few other things that told me she had the drive to progress and driving happens to be something she's doing more of, with either hand

The young star for Antonian is San Antonio is averaging 16 ppg on JV however she's done some damage when she moved up to varsity and as the progression continues, this Under The Radar star won't be by the time it's all said and done

Satch stars on attack as countdown to Space City Jam begins

Mikayla and Madison Schenck

Progression, progression, progression is what I always look for in players and when you're a player that's been "Under The Radar" , hard work shows how you can catch and pass many who were in front of you. Madison Schenck has elevated her status among the states top 2016 prospects and at a shade under six feet, aka "the magic number" for the next level, her improved ball handling and long ball shooting has college coaches buzzing. Mikayla is on the rise, I haven't had a chance to see her this season but I saw enough during the club season to know that once the dust settles, her spot among the top 2017 players will be solidified, have I mentioned that is a "Monster Class"

Nevertheless, many questions will be answered and a few stories will be told, true stories that is, as the Space City Jam kicks off Thursday

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'14 Goady helps lead College Park to win

Smart, steady and solid is how I've always described Candace Goady however there's another S to add and she showed it last night in College Park's 51-40 victory over Oak Ridge. The unsigned senior who is also one of my GPR Under The Radar players led her team in scoring with 11 points.


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Tana and Tory Too much for Trinity

How about Tana Driver, 2015 GPR Under The Radar player, and Tory Jacobs, Minnesota signee, going completely off last night as they helped lead Irving MacArthur to a 58-46 victory over district rival Trinity scoring 26 points each in the win.

I MAC is dangerous with Driver, one of the states top point guards, and Jacobs, one of the states top scorers as they get in gear for the stretch, aka the playoffs

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Cancellations due to weather

Rain, sleet, sun or snow, always remember I'm bringing you information you can use and as I fight blizzard, check and see what's be rescheduled


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Former area stars returning to Sharp against HBU

Unbeknownst to me, I captured three former area high school stars in this picture, hey that's why I rtake so many because every picture tells a story and a picture is worth a thousand words and I hate typing. Far left, TJ Jefferson (North Shore) on the right we have Rachel Arthur (Atascocita)  and with the ball, Anna Strickland (The Woodlands)

These three young ladies have all played huge parts in the success of HBU this season as new coach Donna Finnie has revamped the team that has made quite a bit of noise this season.

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Tonight, New Orleans has Dasia Batiste (Episcopal) and Jewel Angelo (Manvel) returning while on Sunday 2013 Under The Radar Dani Fielder (Clear Creek) will be on hand with Southeastern Louisiana

Kylah Jones showing she was definitely Under The Radar

Watching Kylah Jones game progress from middle school through her high school career at Westfield, not to mention countless games during the club season, one constant remained no matter what, from baseline to baseline. no matter how much time she was on the floor, she played the game one way, hard

Turning into one of the most explosive scorers from the area in high school, there was no doubt that Jones could play at the next level and no matter what unnecessary obstacles were placed in front of her, she definitely overcame them

Now one of my 2013 Under The Radar selections is doing big things in her freshman season at Loyola, I had a chance to catch with the team a few weeks ago at Campbell Center for the NAIA WBB doubleheader

Jones has been playing major minutes this season and recently scored her career high

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Cougars hot start not enough in loss to Cardinals

University of Houston jumped out Louisville 7-2 last night at Hofheinz and for most of the first half hung in there with the #5 team in the country for most of the first half as they trailed by only 9  but in the second half , the Cardinals caught fire

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Shoni Schimmel dropped 25 including 7/11 from bta in fact the Cardinal team shot an amazing 11/21 on their three point attempts

Woods helps Cy Fair remain on top of District 17

Cy Fair (9-0) is in the driver's seat as far as winning District 17 and their win over Jersey Village last night has them on the HOV as they head into the stretch with a two game lead with four games remaining, Lakes, Ranch, Cy Creek and JV again. Shania Woods scored 19 points followed by Angela Harris (14)  and Shannon Berg (12) in the victory. 

Cy Woods (7-2) is in a three way tie for second place and they avenged an earlier district loss to Langham Creek last night with the Ogwumike sisters combining for 30 points, Erica (17) Olivia (13). Their remaining games are Springs, Falls, Ranch and Creek

Cy Ranch (7-2) won easily against Cy Springs, Cienna Rivera's double-double helped lead the way as she scored 19 points followed by Arianna Whitfield's 12. Ranch has Falls, Fair, Woods and Langham Creek, all four team in the hunt 

Cy Creek (7-2) won a nail biter against Cy Falls at Beery Center, I know it was close but no stats on chron.com. With Ridge, Lakes, Fair and Woods left, that win last night may have gotten them in

Cy Falls (5-4) has Ranch, Woods, Langham Creek and Cy Springs remaining

Langham Creek (5-4) has JV, Cy Springs, Falls and Ranch

2015 Gabrielle Stanton commits to SEC program

Gabby Stanton (2015) was an easy one to pick after I saw her play for the first time last season during a district game against Westfield. I loved her poise on the court, saw she could handle the ball under pressure and hit the open jumper but what really sold me was her ability to come back into the game after being knocked down hard multiple times and I'm talk hard to the extent where I thought she was hurt and out.

The third time she came back; she drained a three which helped seal Kingwood's victory and also showed me what type of player she was. Before the club year, I listed her as an Under The Radar player however that old saying I use so frequently "it's not what you do, it's who you do it against" fits perfectly as Stanton had some spectacular games against some of the top players in the country which also ties into this saying, "it's not what you do, it's who you do it front of" and when a young lady can come back after being knocked down the way she was in that initial sighting, being on center stage was easy for her to show what she could do in front of college coaches

Last night, Stanton informed me she had decided that the University of Arkansas was the best fit for her and after she exploded over the past summer, she had her pick of colleges to choose from so I asked what reasons led to her choosing the Razorbacks ”I just really like their coaching staff and they took a personal interest in me as a person not just as player and I think their style of play is pretty compatible with how I like to play, so I just think it was a good fit for me all around.” said Stanton

Gabby is one of the top point guards in the state, she can score off the dribble or drain it from just about anywhere on the floor but what she does as good as any other point in the state is  see the floor and make pinpoint passes which are other huge pluses to take to the next level where she will do very well

New Way Christian rolling with Momentum for Space City Jam

 I had a chance to cover several of the New Way Christian Academy players at the Midlands Hoops 32 Camp back in October put on by Eddie Venzandt and Sam Smith and to say everything was a success would be putting it mildly. Sam Smith also coaches the 29-6 New Way Christian Academy team and they have been on a roll, winning 21 straight games and losing to the #1 ranked homeschool team which is from Memphis, by only two points in a tournament held in Missouri.

Tonight they put that streak on the line as they face the #2 ranked Lubbock Titans but even more importantly, well at least for me, as that they will also be at the Space City Jam starting Thursday January 30th and running through Saturday, read more

Roeshanda Parker, Nia Smith and Cherlee Collins are three of their top players who ironically made my tip sheet from the Midland Hoops 32 Camp  read more 

Maximize your next level chances

It's not etched in stone that you will play at thee next level, no matter what team you play on, who you train with, etc, etc, etc. There are several recruiting services promising this or that without even seeing the player play and at some point a light-bulb should go off.

I hear people say all sort of things that are just out there like there are enough scholarships for everyone at the next level, well myself and more importantly, the NCAA say otherwise and here are the percentages once again read more

Now if that doesn't get your attention, I truly don't know what will but that's straight from their website. Cover all your bases and the sooner you understand the system, the easier the process will be. Every player in not "set" click on the link below for more information

CONSULTING

Six teams still in 17-5A hunt

I'll never forget somehow capturing a photo of young Kayla Owens over the rim in the summer and someone suggesting I had Photoshopped the pic which was humorous to say the least. The talented freshman's addition has her team, Langham Creek, over the rim as well this season as they are in a position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008 I believe

Tonight they travel to Cy Woods who is currently in a three way tie for second (6-2) with Cy Ranch and Cy Creek while undefeated and in the drivers seat for first place Cy Fair (8-0)hosts Jersey Village.Cy Ranch hosts Cy Springs while Cy Creek battles Cy Falls at the Berry Center, Falls and Langham are tied for fifth place (5-3)

STANDINGS

It's almost a wrap as Bush defeats Hightower

I tweeted Crystal Chidomere was doing just about everything for Bush in their win over Hightower on yesterday and the UTSA signee actually was. Whether it was coming up with big rebounds, blocks or steals or even setting teammates up with assists, she simply was on. I guess her 20 points made a difference as well and they came from a variety of ways including mid to long range and variety of gravity defying hanging in the air as she glided  to the basket

Cierra Palmer, Taylor Perry and Faith Ohanta added 8 points each for the Lady Broncos who probably wrapped up first place in district with their win. Hightower was plagued by early turnovers however they showed the ability to overcome that and the even better news for them is that their young and help is coming for the Lady Hurricanes. Maddison Glass led them with 10 points while Treazure Mouton added 6

Cougars host Cardinals tomorrow night

 This has been a tough season for the University of Houston WBB squad and it won't be any easier on Tuesday night as they host #5 Louisville. The Cougars have been close in so many games and still show a lot of promise and I can back to a winnable game they played earlier in the season against Texas A&M

Louisville brings some heavy hitters in and none who hits heavier, as in passes on the money, than All American Schoni Schimmel. I saw Schimmel throw a no look pass on the money from over 60 feet as asophomore and couldn't take my eyes off of her after that as she brings a lot of excitement to the game

#AutoAwesome from family day at Texas A&M vs Mississippi State

#AutoAwesome photos captured several shots during the game yesterday, I truly love that addition on Google+, especially since I figured out I had nothing to do with the moving pics

Jordan Jones, Jada Terry and Tori Scott all made at least one one of the captures

Former Klein Collins star is still pound for pound, inch for inch, one of the toughest players I've seen, ever!!!

A&M was impressive but I see big things happening at Mississippi State as well in the not too distant future especially when you figure Dillingham and former Temple star Ketara Chapel are getting valuable experience as freshmen plus two high school players that are going to come right in and create problems from opponents next season, Blair Schaefer and Kayla Nevitt to go along with a good nucleus which includes super athletic Martha Alwal, I'm telling you watch out for the party