Houston United Eddie #simmiecolsonclassic

Houston United head coach and director Chuck McCowan has coached some of the top players from the social media era that have gone on to not only play at the next level but the highest of the next level and before I forget to make it about me, almost 10 years ago was my first article about his squads, notice I said a young Di Di Richards had Top 100 written all over her, she won a National Championship at Baylor and plays in the WNBA #thereisnome 

Another of the "true developers" over the years, McCowan has a nice pipeline working as I caught the younger squads here and here so as I stay on the lookout and see their progression on the court over the next few years, let me drop this 2025 squad

Renata Martinez (Cy Springs) stands at "the magic number" which is 6'0, she understands how to create her shot under pressure and drop it, also attacks off the dribble, nice upside 

Susan Maring (Cy Springs) 6'1 is 73 inches and with my area code being 713, she is definitely one to be monitoring because she has nice hands and footwork, plenty of upside 

Tiana Harden-5'11 (Cy Creek) long and athletic is the base and with her being active on the defensive end, that's a great foundation

Jaslyn Ford (Cy Springs) is 6'2 and strong, that's an understatement as she rebounded on both ends and scored on putbacks, with players literally hanging on her 

Isabelle Jordan (Cy Springs) uses her athleticism nicely, did a good job defending as well as rebounding, on both ends. scored around the rim

Macie Aranda (Tomball Memorial) good rebounder and defender

London Columbus (Jersey Village) plays within herself, nice court vision

Kendall Kyle (St Agnes) looking at her height, I'm even more impressed with writing UPS and at 5'7 she elevated over taller players to grab rebounds

Keeping an eye on  

Emery Haralson (Cy Springs)

Andrea Pleasante (Cy Park)

When they were under TWELVE #AI18

Had to dig deep into the archives for this one but I've been knowing many of these talented players from the Bryan/College Station for a very long time, keep in mind my daughter was a freshman at Texas A&M in 2007 and many of these players were at numerous games over the years, Precious and Treece Daily (Mexia) Darby Hurley (A&M Consolidated) Ziggy Richards (Rudder) Rebekah Hailey and Alexys King (College Station) in fact King was actually a ball girl and her energy told me even before she played she would make a lot of noise over the years

Precious wasn't on that original team, she's a freshman but her along with now sophomores Sissy Thompson and Nay Johnson (College Station) showed me a lot really quickly on the younger team but this was a trip I had to make because with the exception of Hailey, the others are seniors so here we go quickly as College Station won Aggieland Invitational, Rudder came in 2nd and A&M Consolidated finished 6th

Alexys King -straw that stirs the drink, can score in droves in fact she scored double digits in the second half of three of the games I caught during the event but her ability to do it in the flow as well as shoot the long ball and score off the dribble makes her one of the top UNSIGNED players in Texas

Rebekah Hailey-just keeps adding to her impressive offensive repertoire. The long ball was already there but she's creating her own shot, under pressure and mixing it up nicely and watching her go C2C countless times with the stop and pop ....

Trece Daily -size doesn't matter when you can play and boy did she play. Took the game over down the stretch against Graham with clutch assists and baskets not to mention was ice from the free throw line

Ziggy Richards- helped Rudder pull off huge upset against Hendrickson who was ranked #1 by TABC in 6A. Richards has hit some big shots but none bigger than her basket stopping a late Hendrickson run

Darby Hurley-does so many things that don't show up in the box score but don't get it twisted, off the dribble, mid to long range, she puts the ball in the basket however she gets key rebounds and assists and made several huge defensive stops to help them finish strong in the event

ASA bring heat @ 2017 Prime Time Nationals #7thGrade

Raka Lee and Bryanna Turner definitely know how and when to apply pressure, in fact Turner has already made a Tip Sheet because her ability to score multiple ways as well as her explosive first step will definitely create problems for defenders throughout her career. Big improvement throughout the squad, Charli Joesy and Kendra Lindsey have definitely elevated their games while Shai Rogers energy just ignites the squad

One of the biggest jumps has been Cameron Richards, shooting, a jumper and not only is she shooting them, she's knocking them down. Taylor Smitherman , Kalissa Whitson and Kourtney Wright all have shown they too can score while the upside from 5th Grader Taler Thornton playing up and more than holding her own tells me that I definitely need to keep  my eyes on her

Texas 2017 MDAA squad has players I called in MS

I thought this picture would be appropriate since Chennedy Carter will be attending Texas A&M and my daughter graduated from there so let me just throw this out on the players from Texas that will be playing in it. I caught Carter with Arlington Swoosh as an 8th grader and I knew she would be a D1 player however after joining DFW Elite her game just took off and resume is mind boggling

2017 MDAA TEAM

The same can be said for Alexis Morris who I first saw with the Houston Hoops and when you have the "it" factor at a young age, she too was in the 8th grade, well I just knew she be in the running for an MDAA selection. Jade Williams and Kianna Williams had it early as well, both were in the 8th grade too but when Williams expanded her game bta at 6'3, she became a nightmare to defend while Williams just gives defensive players nightmares period

Deauzya Richards sold me on day 1 when I saw her wearing some orange shoes, I was so impressed I bought me a pair but my game was long behind me as I watched her continue to elevate hers and as she has helped lead her team to state this season, well nothing she has accomplished has surprised me. Chastity Patterson is one of those players I called BCS in the 6th grade or earlier, Courtney Williams, Brooke McCarty and of course my daughter when she was 5 yrs old but nevertheless, I was right and just use the search bar and type in their names, I gotta roll but this 2010 video on Patterson......

Mustangs get it done as they head to state

Since Deauzya Richards and Ariana Whitfield arrived on campus, I knew that Cy Ranch had the potential to make a run. Joining established area stars like Sydney Coleman (TCU) and Cienna Rivera and the poise of those two freshmen as well as the amazing sophomore Rachel Tapps (UTEP), I felt this team could definitely make a run

Over the next three seasons, injuries played a big part on the Mustangs not advancing, in fact all of their D1 commits, including '18 D'Asia Collins who will be committing soon as well, had to nurse nagging injuries the past two seasons but this season, they not only stayed healthy but continued to improve.

Richards has elevated her game to more than just a scorer, in the quarter and semifinals, she flirted with triple doubles and solidified herself as being able to do everything I said she was when she was in the 7th grade. Whitfield's midrange game is one of the states best and believe me,that will be huge at the the next level and if you don't realize the importance of Collins then you need to Google "the game starts at the one" and get back with me

Big ups to Jayla Buster, a super athlete that can actually play basketball while she and Kween Jean just moved up the list on my Texas 2018 rankings. Jean at 6'2 showed she could definitely score in the Regional Finals but her rebounding and defense has definitely improved over the past few months and she made her presence felt

It ain't over for Ranch, the emergence of freshmen Shadiya Thomas who has that "never scared" mindset is definitely a player that has plenty of upside and will have multiple offers and I guess the biggest surprise for me was the play of sophomore Nia McWhite who caught my eye immediately by just making big plays at the right time

Cy Ranch vs Clear Creek Regional preview

I guess this game is somewhat fitting as Cy Ranch and Clear mirror each other in many ways. I guess the biggest way is I thought both of these teams would definitely make a run when their top players were freshmen however both teams have suffered injuries to key players at very inopportune times. Nevertheless here we are in the semifinal nightcap and lets meet the players. The game starts at the one and D'Asia Collins is one of the top 2018 PG's in Texas, I knew this would happen when she was 9 so nothing she does surprises me

 In the last two games, Ranch has had big pluses from Jala Buster who simply went off in the early going against Katy Taylor and Shadiya Thomas in the last game against Katy when she came off the bench with so much energy, she was part of the reason the momentum changed and gave the Mustangs a huge boost. Kween Jean has been solid in the middle while Ariana Whitfield has been clicking from mid and long range, she set a school record for 3's with 8 against Katy Taylor while DiDi Richards has simply done a little bit of everything as she tinkered with a triple double last game

Lacee Savage and Alex Simmons are both out for the Wildcats, had they been healthy you never know how this whole thing would have played out, well you still don't know because the two Hannahs, Froeschl and Zajac, are both capable of going completely off in this setting, trust me I've seen them do it too many times, not to mention the explosiveness Keondra White brings to the table. Caitlyn Burroway is just a gamer, she is one of those inside players that can face the basket and her mindset is "she will not be denied" so this should be an interesting game and I can't wait for the doubleheader to begin

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ASA @PrimeTimeSportz #SWRegional

You have to realize I'm a very complex guy and when you throw in nostalgic as well as sentimental, well it kind of tears me up as I watch many of these kids grow up right before my eyes. ASA , formerly TWELVE , has some players I met while my daughter played at Texas A&M and I'll never forget almost 10 years ago seeing Precious and Treece Daily, who are heading to the 9th and 10th grades respectively, wait a minute, man I am old, but you get the picture.

Darby Hurley, Sailor Smith and Lauren Peters have all shown they could shoot the ball while Treece Daily just brings so much energy on both ends and can score multiple ways. Love the way Hurley has added even more to her offensive repertoire as she did a good job of not only creating her shot but attacking the basket but let me say this, I see improvement in all of the young ladies I've watched over the years from this organization

Kaylea Walker was a bright spot as she and Zaria Richards kept things going smoothly . Jocelyn Young and Shakira Rayford also brought plenty of heat baseline to baseline and LaTayvia Byrd just soars over opponents. She's a battler on the boards and can finish but battling and finishing doesn't stop there as Shakayla Burns makes the Prime Time SW Regional Tip Sheet

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Tompkins vs Cy Ranch @ Merrell Center 7:30 pm

The game starts at the one, always has, ALWAYS WILL however when you have a 6'3 like New Mexico signee Brittany Panetti, hey that rhymed, things can happen in huge ways. Tompkins and Cy Ranch have had their share of injuries the past two seasons and the winner of this game will be making their first R-3 semifinal game at Campbell Center, well actually let me take an assist from the Mustangs PG's dad, they actually made it year before last so this would be Tompkins first if they happen to pull it off

Tomkins has the Goss twins, loved them immediately in middle school because #sizedontmatter when you're smart, skilled and can score. The athleticism from Kendall Rollins will make her hard to defend as she knows how to score plus Hannah Hudson continues to fill in many of the blanks however Panetti will have a lot to do with the outcome, btw, what genius called them a sleeper, yep

On the flip side, I said Cy Ranch and North Shore were the most likely to represent the region and although many judge things by wins and losses, I judge things differently and with D'Asia Collins back at the one, she's one of the top "18s at her position, things will go smoothly. Rachel Tapps (UTEP) is one of the most gifted athletes that can play ball, Deauzya Richards was called a Top 100 lock when she was in the 7th grade wearing those orange shoes I love and Arianna Whitfield has become a big time scorer

All four have been hurt at one time or another, many times more than one but there here and ready. Who will win it, I stand by my preseason prediction on who it comes down to but guess what, I ain't playing and I don't really care, I just want to see all of the teams play the best they can and whoever represents the region, take care of business in San Antonio because the heat gets hotter around the AlamoDOME

Mustangs outrun Panthers at end

If I had one wish for every team I've watched in high school girl's basketball since I actually became interested shortly before the turn of the century, it's that they could make it through the season injury free. Hightower, Cy Falls and Cy Ranch have battled through more injuries than any other team if I'm not mistaken and I'm talking about multiple players on each team but the Mustangs of Cy Ranch may just have everyone beat as far as that. Last night marked the return of Deauzya Richards, one of the top players in the country and D'Asia Collins, one of the states top sophomore points played in her second game showing know lingering effects from a knee injury

Arianna Whitfield has been out multiple games, as well as Rachel Tapps, Whitfield is one of the top 17s in the state, she scored her number (20) while Tapps has signed with UTEP, so this can change the complexion of a team dramatically if one of those D1 pieces of  the puzzle or not there. The Mustangs weren't as crisp as they'll be in a week or two but the chemistry is definitely there in time for the run and they fought off a talented Cy Springs squad who are battling for a playoff spot as well.

Tasia Hayes went off dropping four threes on the evening including two in the first quarter giving the Panthers an early 19-14 lead after one, in fact they lead after each of the first three quarters as multiple players put up numbers including 6'2 freshman Tiffany Mack who scored 10. Richards also scored 10 for  Cy Ranch in return but her desire to go after the ball, aka following her shots, is somewhat of a lost art nowadays but this was a pretty good game, both teams are still in the playoff hunt and if the Mustangs stay healthy, they could be hunting 1-10 West

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Collins return key to Ranch run

If you've read what I've written over the years you should know that one thing has remained constant "the games starts at the one" and no matter what you think you believe about the game, if you don't believe that something is definitely wrong. Preseason, my top two picks were Cy Ranch and North Shore and keep in mind anything I predict is based on teams at full strength. North Shore has definitely showed they are the cream of the crop among the area 6A schools in Region 3 while Cy Ranch has had to go through the injury bug yet again, for the third straight season, that's the bad news.

The good news s that they're almost back to 100%, Arianna Whitfield and Rachel Tapps have had to miss a few games while DiDi Richards has been out since early December, she's about to come back and one of the states top sophomore points, D'Asia Collins just came back last week after being out all season with a knee injury. Collins returned with a bang, scoring, defending and running the team like she does and one thing I can say since I first saw her at 8 or 9 is that she was born to be a PG, her poise and confidence along with her BB-IQ has been off the charts since day one and she simply blew me away a couple of years later at the Texas A&M Camp so this is about to get interesting

TUESDAY'S SCHEDULE "DOUBLE CHECK"

#UnderTheRadar Tolbert's hot hand helps Cy Springs to OT upset

I started to put the picture up from middle school however I don't want to upset sophomore Tia Tolbert @QueenT__  however she and her Cy Springs Panthers' teammates evidently had something to prove as they upset Cy Fair 58-53 in what could be huge for that final playoff spot. Cy Woods is a lock and it appears Cy Falls is too and as D'Asia Collins and DiDi Richards get back into action, it would be safe to assume that they are locks as well, or are any of them

One more time, this is the toughest district "in the area" and I think I've been saying that for the past five years so it's early but this win was huge as Tolbert's 15 points which tied her with senior guard Tasia Hayes for leading scorers on the team. Cy Fair's Kyler Wyatt led all scorers with 15

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D-17 watch Tapps outburst proves Mustangs in hunt

Okay let me give you some quick hitters on the toughest district in the area, why do I say that, because I know what I'm talking about and two of District 17 teams could make it to the Campbell Center. Special S/O to the Chronicle for posting box score, not sure if they're accurate but we'll assume they are

CY WOODS 62 CY RANCH 50

This is a game I started to attend however the Mustangs were without DiDi Richards, Ariana Whitfield and D'Asia Collins so I felt like I knew how this would play out. The Wildcats Big Three of Catherine Reece, Jasmine Williams and Nancy Mulkey all scored in double digits but the big story is Rachel Tapps going off for 25 proving what I said years ago, "she's more than just a defensive standout"

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CY FALLS 59 CY SPRINGS 46

This is a game I was going to attend however after running into some of the players at the Outlet, I found out no Yinnngggg no Branch so I adjusted gears and chose to do something different. The Eagles still flew with three players in double digits however the 25 outburst by UNDER THE RADAR sophomore Tia Tolbert proves what I said years ago, "this kid can play"

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CY FAIR 61 JERSEY VILLAGE 53

Jersey Village has already won more games than last season, maybe the last two and much of that success has to do with the electrifying Truong twins and Kayleigh went completely off with 21 in a losing cause while Angela Harris and Olivia Noah dropped 15 and I'll close with something I said about Harris in the 6th grade and the Truong's in the 5th, "those kids have D1 written all over them" and drum-roll please, once again I was correct

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Patterson on fire in Mustangs win

This is one of my favorite pictures of Chastity Patterson as it's almost saying "take it from me" and although earlier in her career many tried to do just that however in three days, it will be five years since I first saw the young lady with a ball in the gym, keep in mind she was in her school uniform, 6th grade, however watching her mannerisms, ball handling and of course, her stroke, I simply NEW she would be one of the top players in her class

Patterson dropped 40 last night in the Mustangs win over Cy Fair, no surprise as she and Deauzya Richards, another middle school talent I knew would become a big time player, have both eclipsed that number and I wouldn't be surprised if both drop 50 before their high school career ends. North Shore is one of the favorites in the Peggy Whitley Classic, they've already defeated Cy Woods, Hightower and Clear Springs, all among the top teams in the area

PEGGY WHITLEY CLASSIC

One more time, every player that I have said would be among the TOP players in the country since my own daughter was in middle school almost 15 years ago, have done exactly as I said and again, the future is NOW

2015 Texas Invitational All Tournament team

Yep I stole the picture and it's worth more than a thousand words

MVP: Ciera Johnson, Duncanville

Zarielle Green, Duncanville

Chasity Patterson, North Shore

Megan Valdez-Crader, San Antonio

Brennan Ashlynn Dunbar, Clear Falls

Lexi Rich, San Antonio

Madison DiDi Richards, Cy Ranch

Nancy Mulkey, Cy Woods

Cierra Lane, Pearland

Ja’Carria Ferrell, North Crowley

RECAP

Dekaney defeats Cy Ranch

I expected a battle and in the first quarter it was as Dekaney's Jaelyn Richard-Harris and Cy Ranch Deauzya Richards were hitting baskets and the quarter ended with Richards dropping a 30 footer to cut Dekaney's lead to 2. In the second quarter, Richard's had to leave after a hard foul and Dekaney simply went on many runs, ignited by Richard-Harris and when you factor in the supporting cast of Jasmine Smith and Makeeda Collins plus Kene Hamilton and Keishawna Scott,, they simply started opening the game up. Big ups to the two sophs I didn't see in the summer, they seem to be getting better every game

Ariana Whitfield is coming off a three for all at the Texas Invitational where I think she tied or set a record for threes, I can't remember but I do remember that this team is better than played yesterday. Rachel Tapps was on the end and it appeared her head was over the rim, this is the athleticism she possesses and the UTEP star is finally healthy and ready to make things happen. A key ingredient missing is D'Asia Collins, game starts at the one and she's one of the best sophomore points in Texas so when she returns, this team will be different

Richards was able to return however the Mustangs just couldn't put together enough to get back in it. Taylor Coleman and Alyssa Guerrero are definitely serviceable in this system, new additions Jalie Burkhalter and Jala Buster will pay dividends when it counts and if this team stays healthy, I'm standing by what I said earlier that they are definitely one of the teams to beat in Region 3

No MAJOR upsets on opening day

Three opening day games caught my eye as they featured teams I felt that would be in the hunt late February for that coveted trip to San Antonio.

North Shore @ Hightower was tight until Chasity Patterson went completely off in the third quarter to help lead the Mustangs to victory. Cy Ranch @ Seven Lakes, the Dynamic Duo of  Deauzya Richards and Arianna Whitfield accounted for 38 of their Mustang teams 41 points to win on the road and how about Clear Springs holding off Dekaney at home

Even better news is that I'll see all those teams plus many more by next Saturday but here are the opening day results which are probably close to being right

SCORES

Richard returns home in San Jac Invitational

San Jacinto College definitely made some noise last season as they were among the top ranked NJCAA teams throughout the season and were both entertaining and exciting every chance I got to see them play. Michael Madrid takes the helm this season as the new head coach and I'll get a chance to check the new look squad out during the San Jac Invitational starting tomorrow

Murray State vs SW Christian  2pm
SABU vs LSU Eunice  4pm
San Jacinto vs Cisco  6pm

Former Goose Creek Memorial star Amber Richards returns home with her LSU -Eunice squad and after an impressive freshmen season last year, Richards is ready to build on that  read more

Saturday's games also start at 2pm

Cisco vs SABU
LSU-Eunice vs Murray State
SW Christian vs San Jacinto

Cy Ranch tested and ready for 2016 run

I can't think of any other team that has had to deal with injuries to key players three seasons in a row and still manage to be in the hunt than Cy Ranch. Like the other Mustangs (North Shore) this Mustang squad could easily be the team that represents R3 in the 6A division because of numerous D1 players. High flying Rachel Tapps (UTEP) is coming off of a brilliant summer as she continued to defy gravity and when you throw in that she sometimes sings the National Anthem, well this could be a story within a story itself

The Mustangs also have a couple of the top 2017 players in the state, Deauzya Richards is listed by many services as a national Top 10 lock, if you do your research I think I called that back when she was in the 7th grade wearing those orange shoes and as usual, if I call it someone will answer and she definitely get's off to the challenge. Arianna Whitfield blew up after the summer, I hate to say I told you so, well actually I don't , but Whitfield is a gamer and has turned out to be someone who relishes pressure situations

One of the states top freshmen last year was D'Asia Collins who I knew would be a college player back in the 3rd grade simply because of her mindset and BB-IQ, well also that mental toughness that you can't teach. Well she's continued to raise her game and stock and should be ready after an injury over the summer which is very important since the game starts at the one. Cy Ranch has plenty of firepower, the previous four players have all shown they can score double digits consistently and the way Alyssa Guerrero drops the long ball, that's at least five coming at ya

Heavy hitters line up in '17 class for I-45 Shootout

I called the 2017 group from Texas a MONSTER class when I caught a glimpse of many of the players in middle school like Chasity Patterson, Deauzya Richards, Alexis Morris who I said even back then were LEGITIMATE Top 100 players who were going to be on the short list for MDAA honors and I believe all are listed somewhere in the Top 20 o most national services

I also said the Suber twins, Kiana and Briana, Lexi Gordon and Chennedy Carter had BCS written all over them and that Arianna Whitfield was close, so as the song continues to play, my lyrics haven't changed as these young ladies will be on hand for the I-45 Shootout September 6th at Lutheran North

Several other standouts will be there from various classes, I'll drop some 18s on you when I get a chance

#CFInvite 2015 starts now

Another Cy Fair Invitational is set to begin in a couple of hours and I'm just playing out some scenarios in my head on what to anticipate as I camp out at Cy Ranch all day today. The highlight game on paper would be Cy Fair Ogwumike vs Texas United at 7:55 featuring Joyner Holmes (Cy Fair) and Lauren Cox (Texas United) a couple of players I said that would be MDAA when they were in middle school and out of all these years I've been only wrong once but shouldn't have been


Pictured above are a couple of other players I said the same thing would happen while they were in middle school, Cy Fair's Chasity Patterson and Deauzya Richards and I'm in pretty good shape on that as well. Several outstanding teams and players will have a chance to be evaluated by me, well provided their coaches turned in correct rosters but I guess I'll be using the same hashtag I did last year

#CFInvite Archives

Also here is the link to schedule, I actually played with it a few times and it's pretty neat but then I get bored and just printed the games out so I could mark off teams

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