4A Championship preview-McKinney North vs Canyon

McKinney North is simply scrappy ad several players on their team do so much more that with appears in a box score. The same can be said for their opponent tomorrow, Canyon, because over the years, they have simply amazed me by defeating some teams that I didn't believe they could.

Chanteria Jackson shows her timing on the block while track star Breah Powell is like a blur out of the block, how about crossing two sports in that one. Powell, Mikaehla Connor, and Stephanie Jackson all hit big shots in their win against Brennan, Tia Wright cause some huge turnovers, Alex Coleman put in some quality minutes, hey holks, Blake Carrington would be proud because North is on the verge of a mini-Dynasty, just crossed basketball and television

When you talk about basketball dynasties, look no further than Canyon who has been to state only a couple of dozen times. Madison Parker was scoring almost at will early against Georgetown while Angel Hayden forgot she was a freshman and just went off. Caitlyn Cunyus came up with some huge defensive plays so my pick is, drumroll please, McKinney North simply because I said they would do what they are doing before the season even started and before I saw everyone in 4A, how bout that.

Here's the deal, Canyon know how to win in an abundance of situations and if they can handle the heat from up North, they will probably win but that heat has melted plenty this season. This should be a great game

3A Championship preview -Argyle vs La Vega

6'4 Erin Degrate was just that yesterday, "The Great" as she used her size and strength to help keep La Vega undefeated. Calveion Landrum is one top sophomores in the country, yeah I know what I said and I mean it. Those two have to be on to beat Argyle who has multiple scorers in Vivian Gray, Delaney Sain and Jesse Sheridan, hold on. Argyle, those three names, hmmmm, read more

I covered Argyle's school team playing in a Prime Time event last May and going back to what I said back then,well let me pat myself on the back once again. These two teams are going to get after it tomorrow, I think La Vega will pull it off however I wouldn't be surprised if Argyle wins it

Unsigned Connor goes off in McKinney North win

Unsung is a TV show about people in the entertainment business who were really good but never exploded and the uncanny thing about that is there are several players available in Texas and Mikhaela Connor has put together some unforgettable highlights rolling in my head for McKinney North who still has unfinished business

I said that they had a shot a going to state, again I was correct. I also said Brennan was the best team I had seen in Texas 4A and I think I'm still right however at this point, it's not uncommon that the best team loses because you only have to be what, the best team that game

Like #AutoAwesome, I don't lie and it's unimaginable to me why this kid is still available so as I continue to unwind, I'll close it with a link to the box score and be ready for my Tip Sheet when it's unzipped


BOX

Texas State "Tip Sheet" coming for @FullCourt_WBB

This picture captures three locks for my Full Court Tip Sheet, two are still playing for La Vega. Juicy and The Great, while one 6'4 sophomore gave her all and was more than a pleasant surprise. How pleasant was Wylie's Brittany Brewer, well if the size and classification didn't get you attention, her eval will, stay tuned

Thursday was #AutoAwesome in Austin

Although I've attended the girl's state tournament each year since 2006, this was actually the first time I came on opening day, primarily because I wanted to see the 4A match-ups this season and when it dawned me on who was in the 3A, that was simply icing on the cake. Canyon defeated Georgetown and will play McKinney North for the 4A title. North beat top ranked Brennan whose lone previous loss was to Manvel

For the 3A title, undefeated La Vega defeated Abilene Wylie and will play Argyle who got by Navarro. Both title games will be on Saturday and if you aren't here, all of the title games are being televised by Fox

BOX SCORES

SCHEDULE

BROADCAST

Will "The Showdown" happen?

Duncanville is at 104 consecutive wins and in my opinion  the best team in the country and although others may disagree because I haven't the other teams, my response would be you haven't this one either, see how smooth I am. Okay now here's the deal, I'm guessing Manvel will be playing Duncanville in the championship and in spite of them losing by 30 to Whitney Young in the Sandra Meadows Classic, I consider that a fluke for a number of reasons and the Mavericks are more than capable of bringing the title home. With that being said, there's also no guarantee that Manvel will beat Plano West, I mean they got here with Natalie Chou scoring six points against Skyline, I would have lost big on that one.

By the same token, I didn't see San Antonio Wagner at full strength so with Amber Ramirez back in the flow of things, you never know but the smart bet would be Duncanville advancing to the finals. They are battle tested and if you had a chance to witness how they took a part Whitney Young, who I considered the best team I'd seen after they played Manvel, you'd know that they simply rise to the occasion.

Prediction is that at least three future Longhorns will be going at Saturday night the number will be 106

2014 Texas State Tournament Schedule " live and online"

It's as simple as clicking on the links below

SCHEDULE


And if you can't make it, you can always watch online. The great news is that ALL of the championship games will be on the tube Saturday which means I ain't staying till Saturday night  ::)

BROADCAST

Foy one of the unsung for McKinney North

I talk about the four freshmen from McKinney North a lot but you have to realize that first of all, Breah Powell is the first 2017 player In put on a Full Court Tip Sheet two seasons ago with DFW Elite and last season the other three, Stephanie Jackson, Alex Coleman and Tatiana Wright put the show in SHOWTIME for Cy Fair Nike Elite AC. Also on that team was Mikayla Foy, blessed with size and strength, she often did the little things that might not come up in the box score and when you go back and look, you can see the stat sheet is full

Foy is among the leaders in scoring and rebounding and I'll definitely be on hand tomorrow night at 8:30 for that match-up against Brennan. Well I actually be there before then but anyway..........

2014 Under The Radar Darianne Williams

Talk about going off when it counts, Darianne Williams scored 25 points in Cy Creek's opening playoff game against Nimitz. Williams had some huge games throughout the season and she's one of the best available scorers that you probably heard about and I mean scoring against in the toughest district in the area, one more time, it's not what you do, it's who you do it against and in this case, it's who's telling you who's doing what. She's unsigned but after the video of her scoring all types of ways, well here's the playlist, read more

2014 Under The Radar Candace Goady

Candace Goady was always in the mix at College Park and you can judge a lot by a player when they strive to regain the level that they played at prior to an injury. Goady came back with a vengeance in her senior year and helped College Park make a run at the playoffs. She's smart, she can score and  she's solid, on and off the court. Here's her highlight

2015 Under The Radar Gabby Stanton to SEC

Always remember "it's not what you do, it's who you do it against" and although I talked and wrote about how good this young lady was, she did the hard part by showing it on center stage which is why from Under The Radar to Over And Beyond she went. The BCS schools came a knocking and the door that was opened leads to Arkansas, so the Kingwood star got this done early!!!!

2014 Under The Radar Amber Richard gives GCM boost in run

Goose Creek Memorial had their most successful season ever and a healthy Amber Richard helped in a huge way. A healthy Richard spelled "good news" as a team can never have too much firepower in the arsenal and Richards showed me a long time ago she kept her weapons loaded

The interest in Richard is growing, her ability to play combo guard is something that will give her more options at the next level

2014 Under The Radar Tyler Davis

Tyler Davis picture says it all. She brings it both ends of the floor, she's the ultimate team player that adjusts to whatever is best for the team but folks let me say this, when I've had a rough one and that energy level ain't what it was, this has been one of the players that has come big so many times in so many games either for Cy Woods or in club ball



I call her Miss Excitement, she did in last seasons playoffs against Seven Lakes in the Elite 8 and her back to back threes and two baskets in the final quarter of this seasons area finals against Manvel kept them within striking distance for the most part. This kid can go and don't sleep on her because she will be gone

2013 Under The Radar Alexus Hynes making adjustment at North Carolina Central

One thing college coaches can count on is me shooting it straight because I know talent, I've seen talent, I know where the bar has been set at every position and I'm capable of knowing what level a player can excel in. North Carolina Central needed a point guard and Hightower's Alexus Hynes became an Under The Radar player late. A video and visit later sealed the deal for the Eagle and she's been flying ever since

I just found out Hynes has worked her way into the starting line-up and that tells me she made the adjustments she needed in  her game. You can have all the potential in the world but you need to be able to do exactly what's needed to help your team and it looks like she has done that

If your kid is Under The Radar, all I can promise is maximizing her exposure and my track record speaks for itself. The sooner you jump, the sooner you can score. In the link below, the NCAA shows the statistics of "playing at the next level" so all I can say is don't wait until the last minute

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2012 Under The Radar Crystal Porter helps lead Elsik to state

2011 was a magical season as Elsik did what not many people, myself included, thought they could do and that's represent R3 in Austin. Few of you reading this remember "The Run" made by Elsik but I'm playing it back in my head as the Rams were in some of the biggest games of the season and in the playoffs, they knocked off Cy Woods, Clear Springs and North Shore to make it to Austin

Undersized post Crystal Porter was the glue and at a shade under the magic number, she played as if she was 6'2 usually out-rebounding bigger opponents on both ends. The Under The Radar Porter landed on her feet at Canisius where is she is doing just what I thought she could do, making a difference playing D1 basketball and always remember this as I remix what Rudy T said, "no matter what your size is, never underestimate the heart of a champion and remember I'm usually right"

2014 Under The Radar Elise Rodriguez

Misconceptions always bother me however if a player can hang in the air and score, make reverse layups, split defenders with either a crossover or going behind their back, well that shows athleticism and don't get me started on dishing out assists with either hand but La Porte's  Elise Rodriguez biggest problem is that nagging injuries didn't allow her to do some of the things I've seen her do since she was in middle school during the viewing periods

Rodriguez is one of the top available point guards in Texas, she can set her teammates up for gimmes simply because she not only knows the game, she thinks the game and her grades off the court echo's that. Can she score, well I already said she could with some athletic moves but the mid and long range aren't a problem but her ability to run a team is something you shouldn't sleep on

2013 Under The Radar Kylah Jones going off at Loyola

Throughout my many years I have across many cut-throat petty adults that it just sickens me to my stomach but when I see a player that I know can play, no matter what some of the so called "experts" have said, that just bothers me. It's usually "she can't do this or that or she won't qualify" and if colleges don't do their the homework and just take what some people tell them, more times than not they'll miss out on a gem

Kylah Jones is definitely a gem, I saw that when she was in middle school and whatever she needed to work on, I would catch her doing just that. against the guys at the gym, yeah Sim in the gym folks. Jones wound up with several offers in spite of the blank blank and has landed on her feet nicely at Loyola where she has been on a rampage of late and I mean coming up huge which in turn proves once again I was right

Do I know everything? Absolutely not, but I do know talent and players who are capable of getting it done at the next level and usually in big ways and Jones is definitely bringing it like I knew she would

2014 Under The Radar Jasmine Nash

Sometimes kids have it and just don't realize it but when I gave Jasmine Nash a Rising Star award when she was still in middle school, I knew she was going to do some big things along the way. Fast forward to the Texas Invitational against regional finalist Cy Woods and you can read about Nash dropping five threes in the first half, three in a row in a span of two minutes after I walked into the gym

VIDEOS

She plays hard and is relentless going to the basket and defending, on ball defending included. The Klein Collins star is unsigned and available and the picture below says what? I WAS RIGHT!

2014 Under The Radar Kaylyn Thomas

 Over the past two seasons I've caught Kayln Thomas both in school (HSAA) and club ball, (NT United) and in the video below, I can certainly see why she's always showing progression because she's constantly working on her game. Standing a shade over 5'9 with a strong body, Thomas can attack the basket from any angle against almost anyone and her strength enables her to finish after contact. Hypothetically, if that's taken away, she can step out and hit the mid to long range and listening to her just speak  in the video should tell you quite a bit more about this unsigned 2014 player who is "next level ready

2014 Under The Radar day starts with Taylor Lewis

Taylor Lewis was one of the bright stars for New Way that caught my eyes years ago and what better way to start off my 2014 "Under The Radar" day with a young lady who not only brings excitement on the court, her high academics definitely are doing the same thing off the court

Here's a write-up of the exciting and explosive unsigned point guard for Little Rock Central

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Deuver named Southland Conference Player Of The Week

Central Arkansas is currently in first place in the Southland Conference and senior post Courtney Deuver was named Player Of The Week
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Here are the standings

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Even more exciting news, I'll be on hand once again at the Merrell Center in Katy, March 14-16, for the Southland Conference Tournament

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TAPPS-Area teams still in hunt

Several area teams are still alive in TAPPS. The addition of Sydney Thomas this season is one of the reasons Concordia Lutheran is in the semifinals for the 5A class while Tyra Cormie and Marissa Banfield have certainly boosted Westbury Christian's chances. Banfield was captured in this #AutoAwesome photo has been nothing but that as she joins that talented group of 2017 players who are simply off the chain

Here's the schedule, read more

Watch the 2014 Texas State Tournament

Here's the link

Patterson and Richards have me looking as bright as their future

Let me tell you something, when I call it, the players just have to answer and if I had a Freshman Of The Year Award, these two young ladies would definitely win it together. I don't give awards, too much thinking and typing for free and I gave you enough free info when I told you about Chastity Patterson as a sixth grader being "The Future" and Deauzya Richards being, well I really haven't given her a name other than "The Pose" based on how she takes her pics but one thing is certainly for certain, neither pose as basketball players, they are LEGIT BCS players and with Patterson helping North Shore to Elite 8, while Richards managed to overcome bruised ribs in a freak accident to help lead Cy Ranch to the Final 4, they both were knocked off by Manvel and if you took Manvel out of the equation, both of their teams had as good a chance as anyone else to be heading to state

Now to club ball but even before they get going with Cy Fair Nike Elite, they will be on hand for the Cy Fair Evaluation Camp on March 2nd . I'll catch a "red eye" from Austin to cover the event, my eyes will probably be red as well from the state tournament but let me see who else is one the verge of exploding


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2018 Rayven Patin added to Under The Radar list

I saw a lot of exciting players competing during John Lucas All Star Weekend and many of them were point guards who actually made the Tip Sheet. Rayven Patin didn't make the Tip Sheet primarily because she had obligations on day one and couldn't play, yes she's a high academic student as well, which trickled over to her operating at point guard for the Baton Rouge Lady Tigers. Smart and steady, setting her teammates up and getting hers in the flow was my initial summary however she showed she could turn it on when needed.

I've added the future Cabrini HS in New Orleans player to my "Under The Radar" list and let me say this, this 5'4 guard has even begun to scratch the potential I see in her because always remember "it's not where you start, it's where you finish" and by the times it's all said and done, she will be among the names you'll be reading a lot

I'll catch Patin March 8th and 9th at the John Lucas 60/60 Combine in Duncanville and you'll be getting a progression report

60/60 Combine link

Cy Woods knows tomorrow is still bright

Cy Woods Tyler Davis showed some "Miss Excitement" late in their area final match-up against Manvel however they couldn't capitalize when the Mavericks gave them opportunities to close the gap late. That's the bad news as far  as the Lady Wildcats who were knocked out in the Elite 8 by Seven Lakes in overtime the previous year.

My "It's all about progression" statement works with so many topics and that was a big jump to get to the area final game and without knowing who will be joining Cy Woods from middle school, the team still has a solid foundation that could conceivably have them making a run

Erica Ogwumike, arguably one of the state's top prospects will be back as well as Tatyana Perez who happened to show she was one of the top "ones" in the state. Throw in a "healthy" Nancy Mulkey, a super soph that's on the MDAA short list and they might be using the great Bum Phillips line about last year they knocked on the door, this year they beat on the door and who knows what next year will bring, okay it was remix but you never know

Schedule is set for State Tournament

McDonald's All American Brianna Turner's Manvel squad will be going against future McDonald's All American sophomore Natalie Chou's Plano West team on Friday night. How about McDonald's All American Ariel Atkins Duncanville star studded group going against the always exciting Amber Ramirez, who like Chou, is only a sophomore and on the MDAA short list for 2016,San Antonio Wagner's talented squad

Here's the schedule

Montgomery closes out season #AutoAwesome

Montgomery  fought hard both days at Campbell Center in fact they've shown that same fight throughout the season. Maloree Schurr closes out her fantastic career before she heads to East Tennessee State as playing a huge role in the Lady Bears coming out of the den and being one of the last remaining eight teams trying to make it to state in 4A  read more

Texas teams heading to Austin

Here's a team I told the "national" guys about back in October that had a shot at going to state and would be doing some damage over the next few seasons with a talented group of freshmen. McKinney North sealed the deal yesterday and I will catch them on Thursday. Here are the teams heading to Austin


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Davenport huge as Duncanville advances

The thing about Duncanville is they simply know how to turn it on and when you have multiple players capable of simply going off, well that's one of the reasons they're back for a chance at the #threepeat

Tiara Davenport came up big against Bell scoring 21 points as the Pantherettes advance


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Georgetown looking to defend title

I really thought Montgomery had a chance after watching the two teams on Friday but Georgetown has been there before and did what they had to do. Maddie Anderson came up huge early to help set the tone. Danny summed it up

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Manvel heads to Austin

This #AutoAwesome photo captures what I've said since watching Manvel in the Greater Houston Invitational, this was the team to beat in Region 3 and their record shows just that. There were teams that I felt had a chance to beat them  during the playoffs, that old saying you only have to be the best team that game works but another saying also works and I've seen this happen over the years, the best team doesn't always win however this time it did.

Manvel is probably the only team capable of beating Duncanville from Region 3 and in the state tournament so I'm assuming that will be the final as they will draw from San Antonio Wagner and Plano West, who is the common denominator for both teams

I'm gonna let Angel take it from here

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5A Region 4 Ramirez led Wagner one game away

She's healthy and read more

4A Region 4 Who can beat Brennan?

They're the best 4A team I've seen

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Bell still ringing as Duncanville test starts at 7pm

I'm almost certain that Duncanville will advance however I was also certain Timberview and even more so Marcus would LD Bell however one more time, "you only have to be the best team that game" and who knows, without seeing Bell, they may be the best team

We'll know soon enough , read more

McKinney North one game away

Also, since we're on it me talking noise nationally about teams to watch, McKinney North and their Fab 4 freshmen are on the verge of making it to state

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Skyline turns it around when it counts

I remember speaking to some of the national guys during the preseason as they ran down teams for their rankings and one name that was noticeably omitted by everyone and that was Dallas Skyline. Their roster has double digit next level players at various levels including the always Ashley Gulley because her initials say it all and every time I've seen her, AG is  "Always Good", well since getting back into shape following an injury

To be honest with you if anyone could have stopped Duncanville's streak, I thought this was the team so I took a road trip to the Metroplex but that ain't happen and along the way they lost to some teams I didn't think they should have lost to including their opponent today, Plano West

That game ended 67-44, but this is not the same Skyline team but neither is Plano West since they've done some impressive stuff themselves including knocking off Ricgardson, who split with Skyline for the district title, and Pflugerville, the best team I saw from R2 back in December, but as Natalie Chou and company, along with everyone else playing the rest of the playoffs, you only have to be the best team that game

Turner's dominance continues in Manvel's win

Like this picture, a trip to state has had Brianna Turner in the picture since she transferred but also like the picture, not close enough to actually see Austin. She's on a mission and the odds are with them winning today and setting up a potential rematch against Duncanville but the odds have changed slightly since Cy Woods has Nancy Mulkey back. Last night, Manvel took care of Cy Ranch and they're looking for a District 17 sweep in the area round but again it won't be easy, or will it

This should be a good game, Turner has been going completely off, she had a double-double and was close to to having it at the half. Rangie Bessard also had a double-double, plus when you throw in some long balls from Amiya Jackson, well I'll let Corey tell you about it

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Cy Woods "Big Three" go off as they face Manvel today

Sometimes things just seem to work out and although Cy Woods was my preseason pick to represent R3 in 5A, that was before I saw Manvel go completely off at the Greater Houston Invitational. Cy Woods had a few setbacks, one big one along the way as 6'8 post Nancy Mulkey has battled injuries throughout the season but last night she gave a performance worthy of the nickname I threw on her, "The Incredible Mulk"

How about 23/10 plus a few blocks, deflections and altering. How about Olivia Ogwumike going off for 17/9 and the baby of the Ogwumike sisters Erica, adding 12 points and 18 while the most dominant player to have played in this area, older sister Nneka, was in the stabds watching. Tyler Davis came through wiith some "Miss Excitement" knocking down a couple of threes and chipping in 10 points but Mulkey definitely was the difference

 Miranda Lejune put on a show for Pearland, no stats in the paper and I wasn't smart enough to keep em, so I'll wing it and say she had between and 15 and 20. Laneetra Guillory and Keara Hudnall also scored in double digits and closed out their careers not like they wanted but back to back area semi's is pretty impressive in itself

Montgomery Schurr they have chance against Georgetown

 Montgomery's Maloree Schurr did just about whatever she wanted en routed to a double-double as they defeated Friendswood. Georgetown's Haley Frias caught fire in the third quarter against Terry hitting a couple of threes and at least one other basket as the Eagles outscored the Rangers 19-2 in that decisive third quarter

Should Georgetown win, they'll head back to state to defend their title

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Club duo play huge role in helping 4th place teams make it to area semi's

Take a lot of pictures, save em to a file and just let everything else take it's course is one way to explain how this stuff seems to fall into place for me but how about this story. Rachel Tapps and Caitlyn Modesett played club ball with Cy Fair Platinum last season and now they are ready for even bigger roles under the bright lights at Campbell Center this evening

Sharpshooter Modesett will help lead Friendswood against Montgomery, they got here after finishing fourth in district and defeating district champ Goose Creek Memorial in the E8

Tapps, who I didn't was coming back this season after an injury,  but after seeing her video with that magical voice, nothing surprises about her on or off the court. She'll be out there helping Cy Ranch apply the heat tonight to close the quadruple against Manvel. Hey peep this, Ranch also finished fourth and defeated district champ Cy Fair to get here

On top of that, these might be the first two fourth place teams to make it to the area finals, I don't have time to check but if I'm not correct, it hasn't been many