Guess what #ThrowbackThursday

I've had a chance to see some fantastic players come from the Houston area and I remember the first time I saw Nina Norman and Lindsey Harding play together in the back-court in an AAU game, when it really was AAU not what everybody calls it now because AAU is a NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION, nm, anyway I knew girls' basketball had changed from when  I was in school and it was definitely an eye opener. Along that time, I ran into a couple of guys who would be pivotal in passing down knowledge on what to expect, Greg Cook, played at LSU, went to the Final 4 and just kept it  real, his daughter Aubrey was one of the top posts in the nation , played for Cy Fair and the University of Texas and their daughters graduated in 2005, the DEEPEST class ever from the area I personally witnessed

The other gentleman was Vernon Starks whose daughter is pictured above with my daughter, I think this was during the playoff preview Starks' senior year but both dads, who have passed truly were amazing and honest about the BS that goes with all of this that has not surprisingly gotten deeper. The first time I saw Takia Starks, she was in the 7th grade playing as a guest player on a team and dropped 44 on a loaded 11th grade team with 9 or 10 D1 players, she was in the 7th grade and this is one of the reasons why I stress the "it's not what you do, it's who you do it against" that goes completely over many folks heads that constantly send me stuff on what other people say or have said

Starks went on the break the scoring record, at the time, at Texas A&M and helped lead the squad to multiple NCAA tournaments including an Elite 8 showing . Basketball has changed, and like always, I don't care if anyone agrees with me because if you weren't there, or were and have the knowledge to evaluate, many can't evaluate their  own players let alone eras of players, but the Chronicle used to be on top of it, that has totally changed when BCS players are left off , you didn't have to vote multiple times on websites for Players of the Year, especially when you don't all of the players, but what hasn't changed is the people who actually claimed to make players, that falls into the "gotten deeper" category but this is over 280 characters so let me close lol

Lake City Pride 2020 #HeartOfTexas

Hard to believe many of Lake City Pride's players caught my eye right before they started their middle school careers and now some are preparing for their final high school careers. Kristen Broxton is strong and athletic, gets the job done at the point while Anaiya Turner has a lot of tools in her 5'10 body including attacking from the wings and creating her shot.

Macie Montie is a solid combo guard that can knock shots down and watching Raegan Ojora rebound and go coast to coast with ease is something to see because at 5'10, she handles the ball under pressure and ignites the break plus she defends and rebounds on both ends while Aaliyah Jordan falls into the #sizedontmatter when you can play category because she's strong, powerful, athletic and shoots the midrange efficiently

Aasia Sam left me speechless at times because of her #throwback mentality of "going after everything" and that includes diving on the floor or playing the passing lanes but that ain't all because she has a nice pull-up as well as the ability to take defenders off  the dribble and finish any way you want it. Ariyon Artis  also showed a lot of athletic ability, finished strong after contact and so did Aryana Grays that just seemed to be, well everywhere and definitely can score in the flow and fill up the stat sheet. Deonna Brister, also 5'10, is long and very athletic plus she does a good job of setting defenders up because that first step creates some problems. Drop of the Day went to Deja Tanks as she finishes poweefully and knows how to use her body

Royal Players Basketball Academy 2020 #HearftOfTexas

I love catching startups and I had already caught multiple RPBA squads a few weeks earlier but the Heart of Texas gave me an even better view of the 2020 squad. Janiya Maxie plays bigger than her listed 5'9. she's physical and finishes strong plus she rebounds on both ends. Shed also stepped out and showed she could hit the midrange and she and Kayla Alford make a formidable duo on the inside. Alford's physicality and desire is old school as she battles for everything. Upside from the 21's playing on this squad, Kelly Weckesser, who is just under 6'0, Taelyn Johnson and Hailey Sinclair are some of their players I'll be keeping an eye on

Taylor Charity is heady at the one, really enjoyed watching her decision making as well as her midrange and she had the "save of the day"in the opening game on opening day for a no look assist that had the crowd going. Taylor (Lake Creek) and Sinclair (Grand Oaks) are the lone players that don't attend Oak Ridge who should make some noise with several pieces ready to be filled, Gabrieanna Williams and Isabella Tyson are among those who are getting ready

Madison Pigman showed me a whole lot, very good BB-IQ is always a plus but I just love players that play within themselves and can't get theirs in the flow. Nice mid to long range, well multiple long range shots and diving on the floor after loose ball didn't hurt. Alysssa Castro is a prototype PG, she distributes well and can take defenders off the dribble nicley