Richards sending GPR a message at #cyfairinvite

I don't have a lot of pictures of Deauyza Richards not doing "ThePose" however that's not important. What is important is although I knew she was going to play D1 ball the moment saw her wearing those orange shoes, I was so blown away that she made the front page of the GPR website, READ MORE

I used that quote I wish I could make a sticky for new readers, well some old ones too "it's not what you do, it's who you do it against" because Richards was in the 7th grade playing against 9th and 10th grade varsity players and simply dominated. The math equation I used as an example might not be one you'll find in a school,classroom, but on the court, it's a different class called  HARDWOOD 101

I said I had no idea how good she was going to be because at that age, the aggressiveness was still lacking somewhat and I knew she would have to be able to endure more punishment as she continuously played up, I've had some experience in observing this on a first hand basis and I get it

Richards is still growing, she maturing on the court, becoming more vocal and continuously working on her game. She put in an admirable job playing this past weekend in the Cy Fair Invitational and I'll catch her and the rest of the crew this weekend at the Texas Invitational. More to come!!!!

Richards shows she's Ranch ready

DiDi Richards lands in this D1 photo filled with players from Cy Fair Ogwumike and Team Ichiban. Richards  is ready to parlay this summer over to her school season in R3's toughest district when she heads to Cy Ranch. I picked Cy Woods as the favorite, Richards has other ideas and she might be on to something

Wouldn't it be something if these two soon to be freshmen help lead their teams to the area F4 at Campbell Center next year? Yes it would!

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

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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DFW Elite Swiftly arrive at #TXSpringInv

Alexis Morris and Breah Powell were called one of if not the most dominant club back-court before it's all said and done.. Arianna Whitfield and Alexandria Crain have showed that they can actually take over when needed while Stephanie Jackson has complimented the others as well and all are guards.

 Deauzya Richards blinded me more with her talent than the orange shoes she was wearing the first time I saw her as she has simply continued to rise to whatever occasion, btw, I have a pair just like those. Richards, Zarielle Green and Kayla Owens are similar players in size however each brings their own uniqueness to the club. Richards has shown the ability to play multiple positions quite well at the next level, Owens sometimes appears to have wings as she simply soars while Green, well that's the right color because as the baby of the bunch, she's going to be hard to contain once everything is said and done

Lauara Daulton was a huge pick up at the post position while Jade Williams is simply showing signs that she will dominate on both ends of the floor and I'm not talking about just the paint as she is facing the basket as well. All of these kids are in middle school and with with the exception of Green (2018), they are all from that monster 2017 class. When you talking about a squad full of potential D1 players, look no further because they have the makings to be BigTyme players

Richards 2012 flashback

Deauzya Richards may not be the most photographed player I have taken pictures of, at least yet, however I am certain that she has more pictures doing "The Pose" than anyone else in my archives. One thing is for certain, this young Cy Ranch freshman has done exactly what I said she would do a couple of years ago as she's erupted to be one of the states top scorers at just under 18 ppg.

I'm having more and more people trying to sell me on who they've "made" into a player and it simply cracks me up. This young lady had "IT" back when I first saw her and she's showing "IT" on the floor

I knew I had to watch her when I saw the shoes and here's what I said almost two years ago

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With all of that being said, I'll try and catch some of  Richards and her Cy Ranch teammates @ Langham Creek Tuesday at 7pm after the 6pm game between between Cy Fair and Cy Woods at the Berry Center

Schedule

Cy Fair Evaluation Tip Sheet-Middle School

The first time I saw Deauzya Richards, her size and orange shoes caught my eye immediately and after watching  her performance on the court, I knew I was looking at a special player. Click on her name and you'll see I've mentioned her several times before and although I love teasing her about "The Pose", this young lady is already a big time player.

I caught a glimpse of Chasity Patterson even earlier than Richards, it was at a North Shore game and even though I had heard a lot about her, the three minutes I watched as she shot around in the gym and handled the ball gave me a clue as what I could expect and immediately called the sixth grader "The Future"


Richards and Patterson both have bright futures ahead and they performed very well against the high school competition at the Cy Fair Evaluation Camp and when you can go to a camp of this magnitude and hold your own or better against the caliber of players there, at their age, well that speaks volumes and you know I can turn up the noise very loud.

The 2017 class of Texas players is loaded and based on what I've seen just from the area, this class will surpass the record number of 2012 players that went on to play at the next level

Cy Fair Camp Evaluation Tip Sheet part 2

Patterson video from that initial meeting

Monsters show out at Cy Fair Evaluation Camp- Full Court Tip Sheet coming

I know they look innocent but trust me, you do not want to deal with these young ladies on the court. Kayla Owens, Chasity Patterson and Deauzya Richards all made the Full Court Tip Sheet coming up, along with Marissa Banfield from the 2017 class however there were others in attendance at the camp who will have their names in the bright lights before I'm done.





I saw it in Patterson and Richards as I sort of stumbled on both, Patterson just leaving elementary school to attend a North Shore game and her dad was kind enough to let me watch her do a few drills in before the game started.

Richards has always been an innovator, on and off the court, and although she may not have invented the pose, she brought it mainstream and has never looked back on or off the court

This picture tickled me as I saw Banfield surrounded by these big girls and I was tickled even more after actually seeing her play but I can't really take credit for Owens because Marissa;s dad suggested I take a peek at a tournament

What can I say about Owens, hey they named the school after her right?  Stay tuned

Cy Fair Heat 2017 Loaded With Next Level Players

ARIANA WHITFIELD

I've had a chance to see several outstanding middle school teams this season loaded with talented players who are going to do some damage in high school and beyond. The Hybrid is simply off the chain and although raided from last season, the Katy Rebels and Houstonians still have some fire and watching many future College Park and The Woodlands players suiting up for the Dynasty gave me a glimpse of what's coming. Add the Cy Fair Heat and their name fits because they truly brought that at the Alodia Prime Time Rising Stars Showcase, the Heat!

Deauzya Richards and Ariana Whitfield headline this group however it doesn't stop there as they have several ready for prime time players on their squad at every position

They even have twins and although Courtney Fever was out with a broken finger, her sister Morgan  showed me a lot and I hear Courtney is just as good, which means double trouble from the same household

With so many talented players on this already very good team, Richards takes them to another level and that's why she's on the front page, check out the link

Richards Plays For And Brings Heat

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

Cy Woods turns up heat in District 17 race

Move-in Tatyana Perez has been a huge plus for Cy Woods all season and her 18 points and numerous assists played a big part in their victory at Cy Ranch. The biggest part, 6'8 super soph Nancy Mulkey, didn't play because of an injury however Woods placed for player in double figures

The game started off slow and sluggish after Ranch freshman Deauzya Richards opened things up with a long three. Richards has been on an offensive tear and a couple of weeks ago dropped 37 in a game and on this night she led the Mustangs with 16 but this game could be described a number of ways. Like Perez, Ranch point guard Cienna Rivera made things happen as she got wherever she wanted to, creating basket opportunities for her or her teammates

After leading 12-11 after one, Woods stretched the lead to 9 at the half 26-17. Lead was sparked by none other than "Miss Excitement" Tyler Davis whose B2B threes shifted the momentum before the break.The third quarter started slow, the first points came on a Richards basket at 5:46 and when a Rivera steal and assist to Sydney Coleman cut the lead to 5, you could feel the momentum changing yet again.  Not so fast as it was EO time, and Erica Ogumike scored Woods first basket, almost three minutes into the quarter and scored 8 of their 16 in the third as Ranch got big baskets from Abby Davis and were down 42-34 going into the stretch

Woods won 65-46 but this was still a game halfway through the final quarter as Ranch was still by 8. Tyler Davis dropped her third three along with some clutch free throws to finish with 13, while Gbemi Orudami and Ogwumike added 12 each. It's not how you start , it's how you finish and this game got cooking which is what I expected from two of the best teams in the best district. Showdown next Tuesday has Woods against Cy Fair at Berry Center as the race tightens even more

Mustangs duo join elite freshman group

Deauzya Richards

The Cy Ranch freshmen duo of Deuzya Richards and Arianna Whitfield have done what few other freshmen have and that's be an integral part of their respective teams reaching the area semi-finals. Let me give you a little background off the top of my head on some of the names

• Takia Starks, (Westfield)  All Big 12, all time leading scorer for Texas A&M
• Ebony Mangum (Dulles) All Conference at TCU
• Chiney Ogwumike (Cy Fair) MDAA All everything at Stanford, WNBA lottery lock
• AJ Alix (Bellaire)  Top 100,  "The Real Deal" will explode at TCU
• Brooke McCarty (Clear Springs) MDAA "The Chosen One"

Starks and Mangum both made it to the area finals twice, same as Alix who dropped 40 in the area finals as a freshman and closed her career out with 44 in the area semi's. McCarty made it to the area semi's three straight years and took it a step further by helping lead her team to state last season. How about Ogwumike going not only to the area semi's all four years, but the state tournament every year, winning it all twice. Starks helped lead Westfield to the state title as junior, you can't get this info anywhere else now can you

Arianna Whitfield

Richards and Whitfield are in a unique position and no matter how tonight's game against Manvel turns out, they have a chance to duplicate what Ogwumike did and go all four years. Cy Ranch talented duo, along with Rachel Tapps and a variety of  players from not only JV but in their pipeline will keep the Mustangs among the elite teams in the area. By the way, here's another for you, Erin Grant is the only player to win four consecutive 5A state titles with Mansfield. She  played college ball at Texas Tech

Sophomore duo ready to ride at the Ranch #FBISDTournament

Cy Ranch was in a dead heat with North Shore a few months ago as the teams to beat however injuries to key players always become a factor. Nevertheless, the Mustangs are still a force, especially with their sophomore duo of Deauzya Richards and Arianna Whitfield. Richards, already has offers from several Top 25 programs and is the highest ranked 2017 Texan in the country, is capable of going off at the drop of a dime, in fact she dropped four dimes, well 40 points in a game last season, ughhh, against a good team.

Whitfield is also explosive and the duo is one of the best one/two scoring punches in the country. Newcomers Cydney Rivera and D'Asia Collins along with several others ready to step up will be key to how far they ride but if any team can be considered a sleeper to get out of here, this is definitely one of them and I'll catch them at the FBISD Tournament

EVENTS

Coleman helps Cy Ranch advance past Eisenhower

Sydney Coleman played like there was no tomorrow and had her Mustangs team lost, that would be the case, well at least for high school. The TCU commit was everything I envisioned after watching her as a 7th grader as her 17 points and probably close to the same amount of rebounds were huge in their 52-39 victory. Eisenhower led 13-8 after one as Shequeria Debose was trying to send her own message because Debose was hurt during last seasons pregame warm-ups featuring these same two teams

I tweeted  Arianna Whitfield had turned a corner and I was talking both literally and figuratively as her improvement and ability to get to the rim from almost any angle was huge. Ranch was down 15-12 with four minutes left in half when she went to work offensively. Rachel Tapps, came in and did what she does and on a cold night the heat was  turned up on defense and by the time the half ended, Coleman had her double-double or was close to it and Ranch had the lead 22-17

In the third quarter Deauzya Richards came in and joined the act, Richards has been out with a bruised rib and hit some big baskets but it was a variety of Mustangs hitting big shots when needed. Whether it was Abby Davis or Madison Keating, someone other than Coleman got into the act but the game still starts at the one and Louisiana Lafayette signee Cienna Rivera was simply masterful at creating for her teammates as well as herself

Ike was without sharpshooter Sonerka White, she's another player capable of going off offensively. Debose led the Eagles with 14 followed by Jonisia Jackson's 10. White has been sidelined for over a month with a knee injury and her ability to stretch the defense was missed. With that being said, Jhavani Thompson't three late in the game cut the Ranch lead to three but Rivera to Coleman for a bucket, then Rivera with a steal and two free throws sealed it. Ranch moves on to play Seven Lakes in the next round

Elite 8 losers will be among contenders next season

The many faces I have captured of Deauzya Richards  and Arianna Whitfield could have me writing stories for months however this one sort of ties in to what I'm getting at. Cy Ranch, decimated by injuries over the past two seasons is probably going to be the team to beat next season, if you want to copy what I'm saying for a story now, you already have my permission whether I gave it to you before or not because believe I know I'm being copied.

Richards, Whitfield and a healthy Rachel Tapps will be the nucleus and since the game starts at the one, a year older, a year wiser and a year stronger will make D'Asia Collins even more "hard to handle" and remember everyone needs a zonebuster, Alyssa Guerrero is ready

Seven Lakes, well Michelle Fokam and Cydney Varner ar good for 30 every night. I was impressed with the improvement of Bailey Brown and Anna Bowman plus a superb fill in performance last night from Hannah Benenoch. Like Collins, Brooke Biggott will also be a point that attracts attention

Hightower has an abundance of youth in Taylor Howard, Jasmine Harvey and Eneily Rodriguez plus fellow sophomore Lenecia Mitchell will be back. Throw in Panebi Shirey, Rachel Brown and one of the top 2016 points in Texas, Maddison Glass and they could actually win the region, well all three are  going to be in the mix

2017 Deauzya Richards

I guess this is the new pose for GBB so it's for me update my profile pic as well however there is definitely a young lady whose profile has no need to be updated and that's Deauzya Richards. I was so impressed by the young lady that she received front page status a few months ago, ironically the same pose, read more

Even though she played with a high ankle sprain at the BigTyme Fall Finish for 2017 DFW Swift, the young lady went out and competed and was definitely one of the best players in the event, so just imagine what's coming when she's healed. Okay I have the pose down, headband just won't work for me

SBISD opens with few surprises

No crystal ball needed for this one, Cy Falls will play Cy Ranch for the SBISD championship tomorrow at high noon after each go through the formality of playing two games today. Ranch looks a lot better than they did at The Last Run and based on what I saw, I can see why DiDi Richards wanted me to hold off on crowning Cy Woods district champ. Richards is playing huge so far this season and I'm pretty sure being a freshman hasn't fazed her one bit. Even better news is that Sydney Coleman is playing like nothing after happened, she's more fluid and confident than when I saw her earlier. Those two played huge dividends yesterday as they ran the floor while Cienna Rivera was hitting them wit pinpoint passes for countless breakaways and when you through in the fact that the whole team was in sync, they're going to create some problems, especially when you have someone like Rachel Tapps igniting the defense

Cy Falls looked real good early however in the best game of the day, they narrowly got by Klein Forest who played without starters Ebony Parker and Regina Scott and Ekiyah Gray went out late in the game with leg cramps and the offense fizzled away. I'll say this, Klein Forest looked a lot better than opening night against Eisenhower, they have some hungry players who are not afraid to step into the spotlight. Gray at times was simply unstoppable and I truly don''t believe there are 15 players in the area that are better. Falls' Quay Cleveland is putting up numbers early and the addition of Jae Branch gives them some of the best young talent in the area to keep the momentum going as they won't stumbling anytime soon. Ashley Caldwell keeps getting better and I don't think she realizes yet but she's a triple double waiting to happen


I'll revisit day one down the road as I get ready to do just that, OUT!!!!!!

Cy Ranch looking good in bottom eight of Katy ISD Tournament

Cy Ranch opens the KISD Tournament up against Houston Christian and sophomore stars Deauzya Richards and Arianna Whitlfield aren't done just yet. They've already won the FBISD Tournament and I had a chance to see Whitfield at the Texas A&M Duke game on Sunday while Richards gave a verbal to Coach Karen Aston at Texas so they're more than ready. Tompkins battles Angleton, Morton Ranch vs Cy Creek and The Woodlands vs Mayde Creek but the ball appears to be in the Ranch for Saturday's semi's at Merrell


SCHEDULE 

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

Younger Talent Highlights Friday's Action

There was not a shortage of young talent to open the Alodia Rising Stars Showcase. Just when you try and figure out how to replace a class as loaded as 2012 was, well it's the same as when people thought there wouldn't be another class as strong as 2005. To be honest with you, the more young players I have a a chance to see, especially from the 2015, 2016 and 2017 classes, the more I'm impressed at monster classes coming over a four to five year span and if that's an omen, it's a great one for 2018 and beyond..

Add the Cy Fair Heat (2017) and Dynasty (2016) to the young teams loaded with high school stars of tomorrow and each of those teams have next level players galore. While both teams had their share of impressive players let me throw one out right now that has Top 100 written all over her, Deauzya Richards. Stay tuned, more to come on these teams along with a host of other teams and players

2017 DEAUZYA RICHARDS