Out & About: Team WI Select16/CWCC

#2 posting 5.31.2006
Your Daily Dose of Girls Basketball News & Information

This game took place on Sunday, May 28 in Menomonie WI
16Gold/18u Semifinals Memorial Day Classic
Team WI Select 16 48, CWCC 35

A word of warning: Team WI Select 16 had some players fill in for them this weekend. They were able to play in the tournament because it also included 18s.

This game got off to a very slow start with only one point, a free throw by Stoeger of TWS16, in the first combined 10 possessions. TWS16 was able to shake the cob webs loose from the offense and went 7/8 including six scoring possessions in a row. Six different TWS16 players were able to score in this stretch, a testament to their balance and depth. Baernwald was the player that delivered twice with four points. With TWS16 up 17-6, the game turned back into offensive slumberland with 0/9 combined possessions. CWCC endured 6 straight non scoring possessions. TWS16 led at half 25-11.

CWCC tried to battle back in the second half, but a 14 point deficit against a quality team is a hard hole to dig out of. CWCC did go to the glass, and looked to make their points at the line, but, if you have been following the tournament, with running time that was a strategy that was not eventually going to pay off. CWCC did string a 5/6 possession run with Lindsey Liternta scoring five of the 13 points in the run. Amy Sullivan also knocked down five. The closest CWCC got was 29-21. Baernwald again had five straight points to halt the momentum. Toward the end of the contest Wang scored four straight points and TWS16 led 46-29. CWCC had one last kick and scored on three straight possessions, but TWS16 walked off the court with a 48-35 win.

AAU ROSTERS

NUMBERS EXPLAINED
player, high school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
PLAYER EVALUATIONS
TEAM WI SELECT 16
STARTERS
T Wiener, unknown 5, 5, 100.0, .400 RF: ball handling needs to be cleaner.
Steffani Stoeger, Fox River Valley 2, 7, 28.6, .286 smaller guard
Julie Wojta, Mishicot 8, 4, 200.0, 1.000 works offensive boards, drives, no wasted energy
C Buth, unknown 4, 5, 80.0, .400
M Wang, unknown 4, 5, 80.0, .400
BENCH
Ana Wurtz, Fond du Lac 5, 6, 83.3, .500 drives baseline. One of the "ringers" as she graduated this year.
Heidi Baernwald, Appleton East 9, 6, 150.0, .667 can pop the three. steps up in clutch situations.
Taylor Wurtz, Ripon 9, 11, 81.8, .455 3 range. anticipates and alert on d. RF: took an ill advised 3 in a delay game set.
Lacey Probst, Menasha 0, 2, 0.0, .000

CWCC
STARTERS
Jenny Dahm, Merrill 3, 6, 50.0, .167 a little hook action. RF: foot quickness. aggressiveness.
Amy Sullivan, Wisconsin Rapids 11, 8, 137.5, .625 three range.
Aubrey Wisen, Wisconsin Rapids 6, 8, 75.0, .375 Big Guard.
Tori Arnason, Merrill 2, 6, 33.3, .167
Lindsey Liternta, DC Everest 8, 10, 80.0, .400 constantly looking for weakness in the defense ready to pounce on an opening. Eye is drawn to her. RF: not a big guard
BENCH
Anna Weddig, Merrill 0, 3, 0.0, .000
Marlee Arnson, Merrill 2, 5, 40.0, .200 RF: smallish
Jess Schneider, Marshfield 3, 5, 60.0, .200

TRENCH PLAYER
Heidi Baernwald

BY THE NUMBERS
team, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
Team WI Select 16 48, 52, 92.3, .462
CWCC 35, 51, 68.6, .314
TWS16 had the strong numbers, but they also had very strong defensive numbers. But CWCC did not put up great numbers in the quarters. In that game they were at 75.5 pp100 and .327 floor %. The defensive numbers increased for CWCC this game with an increase of 22 points in pp100 and .110 higher in the Floor %.

Next up: tomorrow with general news, & a Look at the Lynx, and then in the evening: the championship game at the Memorial Day Classic.

Coaching Hires Abound; Hawaiian POYs

#1 posting 5.31.2006

COACHING NEWS
COLLEGE
Shawn Stimmel has been hired to coach at St. Mary's Winona. He also will be coaching the golf team. Last year he was the coach at King College in Bristol, TN. They had a record of 18-15 last year. Here is the SMU Press release.
Pam Gohl has been hired as an assistant at MSU Mankato. Gohl was head coach at Briar Cliff for the last three years. Last year Briar Cliff's record was 10-20. Here is the MSU Mankato Press release.
HIGH SCHOOL
MN
As reported last night Carl Pierson has been hired at Champlin Park. This job was rated an A+ back on May 14th. Pierson coached at Red Wing from 2001-03 with a record of 27-46. Each year the record improved. Then Pierson was a grad assistant at Northern for the 2003-04 year. Last year he was coach at Chisago Lakes and they finished 8-19.

COACHING OPENINGS
updated when notified of changes

COLLEGE NEWS
North Dakota was granted a 30 day extension to decide if they are moving up to the D1 exploratory level. Here is more from the Fargo Forum

Mayville State is undergoing some budget problems and the school has been forced to cut programs (soccer) and women's basketball was $2489 over budget in scholarships. Here is the Fargo Fourm with details

AAU ROSTERS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
HAWAII
Here are the POY for the various leagues in Hawaii along with the stories behind them. All stories are from the Honolulu Advertiser
ILH D1: Shawna-Lei Kuehu, Punahou
ILH D2: Jodi Kamemoto, Hawai'i Baptist
OIA East: Artevia Wily, Kahuku
OIA West: Kamia Smith, Radford
OIA White: Megan Kamehiro, Kalani

VERBALS

BOOK PROGRESS
Now I am knee deep in North Dakota papers. I am entering data from the Minot Daily News. I finished the Dickinson paper last week. I should be done with Minot I hope by Thursday and then tackle the Bismarck scene. Then it will be formatting the 146 schools in ND.

Later today the Geek Squad will set up another computer and connect it to the network. Workman's comp is in effect and my part timer will soon start.

My books will be ready to roll at the end of September. I sell the Minnesota book at the MN GBB Coaches convention the first weekend in October. The other books have information on North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and this year Hawaii, plus other new features. The third book breaks down D1, D2, recruiting patterns and analysis of performance. D3 will be added this year. More information on ordering will be coming in September. Cost for the MN book alone is $30. For the whole package $99.

If you have information, rosters, game by game accounts let me know. Send it by email from my profile a mile below.

Got news or information? The readers of this site have been great at getting me stories. Some have appeared today. Let me know your news by an email. Thanks to all the readers for their help in making this a destination stop on the internet highway.

Next up: later today with the Memorial Day Classic Semifinal between Team WI Select 16 vs CWCC.

CP Hires. Out & About: Team WI17/TriState Storm

#2 posting 5.30.2006

BREAKING NEWS
COACHING NEWS
MN
Carl Pierson has been hired at Champlin Park. Last year he was the coach at Chisago Lakes. They finished at 8-19 last year. Previous to that Pierson coached at Red Wing and had a 27-46 record in three years.

COACHING OPENINGS

This game took place on Sunday, May 28
Menomonie Memorial Day Shoot Out 16Gold/18 Quarterfinals
OUT & ABOUT: Team WI17 65, TriState Storm 22

First a word of warning: TriState Storm was not at full strength and had fill in players. With a full squad they are 6-1 winning The Easter Elite Round robin, and losing to Team WI 17s by 7 in a Spring Shootout. Today, with the lack of practice time together and the heat & humidity the results were quite different. This was the first time all AAU season I have seen a team score better than 100 in the pp100 system and also go above .500 in floor %. A reminder: the tournament had 20 minute running time halves (last two minutes stop time if close).

TW17 burst out of the gate with four straight scoring possessions a 9-0 lead and the rout and game was decided. Val Schuster started off with an old fashioned three point play. She added another basket and Hannah Quilling provided the other four points in the initial run. TW17 had runs of 4, 3, and another 4 in the first half. Schuster ended up with 9 in the first half, Quilling with 7. TSS only made one field goal and that was by Amy Storer. The only other TSS player to score in the first half was Julia Rickert. TSS also had an 11 possession drought to close the half. Most of the non scoring possessions ended in missed 3s. They missed four in the sequence. At half it was 30-7 TW17.

The second half was more of the same. TSS did string together a four possession string early in the half, but they only cut the deficit by three on the 8-5 run 40-15. TW17 was in the midst of a three possession run at the same time. TW17 had runs of 3, 3, 4 in the second half. Cassy Schemberger had 8 to lead TW17 in the second half.

AAU ROSTERS

NUMBERS EXPLAINED

player, high school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
PLAYER EVALUATIONS
TEAM WI 17
STARTERS
Hannah Quilling, Eau Claire North 7, 7, 100.0, .714 point guard. calm, assertive, authoritative leadership. Got everyone involved. Looks to drive to the glass. RF: needs to be better at the line (3/6)
Jade Hatchett, Milwaukee Vincent 4, 5, 80.0, .800 Strong pull up jumper. strong & quick. Can elevate. gets after boards
Katie Bushman, Phillips 3, 6, 50.0, .333 active on defensive board
Val Schuster, Wausau Newman 11, 7, 157.1, .714 big frame. good feet, mobility.
Krista Kasuboski, Wautoma 7, 4, 175.0, .750 another 3 bomber.
BENCH
Ericka Derks, Slinger 4, 4, 100.0, .500
Lucy Dernovsek, Lake Holcombe 7, 3, 233.3, 1.000 3 range
Cassy Schemberger, Park Falls 10, 7, 142.9, .714 can score taking it to the glass.
Gabby Hungerford, Wild Rose 12, 8, 150.0, .625 3 range, quick, has drive game

TRISTATE STROM
STARTERS
Brittany Hover, Clayton, WI (add on) 0, 3, 0.0, .000
Amy Storer, Hill-Murray 10, 13, 76.9, .385 ran team, but prefers to be an off guard. only reliable scorer. RF: size
Krissy O'Toole, Wayzata 2, 9, 22.2, .111 physical, strong. RF: I have seen her be a force, but not today. Needs to be consistent on shooting, some shots hit nothing but air. looked tired.
Nicole Christianson, Chetek, WI (add on) 2, 11, 18.2, .091 strong body. RF: another player that had an off game.
Breanna Hover, Clayton, WI Finlandia 0, 4, 0.0, .000
BENCH
Krista Kaput, Hill-Murray (add on) 3, 5, 60.0, .400
Julia Rickert, Duluth East (add on) 5, 4, 125.0, .750 had decent numbers, RF: but at 6-5 I think should have more than five points. Also defensively must get quicker. Gave away more than five points defensively. players went right by her with the ball and with up & under moves.

TRENCH PLAYER
Hannah Quilling

BY THE NUMBERS
Team, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
Team WI 17 65, 52, 125.0, .615
TriState Storm 22, 51, 43.1, .235
As stated before this was the first time over 100 in the pp100 category and over .500 in the floor %. The question would be: is Team WI17 that dominating or was it a perfect storm that conspired to give them the numbers? The quicker, fresher TW17 ran circles around the tired, depleted, and unfamiliar TSS.
When you shoot good, you look good and TW17 looked great. Part of the looking great was due to good shot selection and ease in getting those shots.

Next up: Tomorrow with the general news. and later in the day a O&A with CWCC vs Team WI Select16.

Thorpe Will Answer Questions

#1 posting 5.30.2006
Your Daily Dose of Girls Basketball News & Information

NEW FEATURE
Thorpe is ready to take your questions on anything. It can deal with strategy; tactics; team selection, dealing with the media, parents, administration; anything under the sun that you have questions about. It will be kind of like a "dear abbey" column. We might have to change the name from Thorpe on a Soap Box to Thorpe on the Mountain dispensing his wisdom in a Yoda like manner.
Go to my profile and email me the question. I will make sure he receives it. If you want your name used, let us know otherwise I will just send him the questions without him knowing the source.

AAU TOURNAMENT
MN
This weekend the action is in the West Metro with Hopkins and Robbinsdale Cooper hosting.
Here are the schedules
16Blue (highest level) 16Red both of these tournaments are at Hopkins. The rest are at Cooper 16D2 15d1/d2 14d1/d2 The best match up looks like it will be on Sunday at Hopkins HS at 1:45 pm between North Tartan 16s vs Metro Stars 19s

AAU ROSTERS

COLLEGE NEWS
Marquette
Coach Terri Mitchell of Marquette has been overseas on a trip to the African nation of Rwanda. She was part of an Episcopalian Mission Trip. Here is how Mitchell was touched by the experience in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

COACHING OPENINGS

VERBALS

Got news or information? The readers of this site have been great at getting me stories. Let me know by an email. Thanks to all the readers for their help in making this a destination stop on the internet highway.

Next up later this evening with the second quarterfinal game of the Menomonie Memorial Day Shootout with Team WI17 vs TriState Strom

Out & About: CWCC/Team WI Red16

#2 posting 5.29.2006
Your Daily Dose of Girls Basketball News & Information

This game took place Sunday, May 28
Memorial Day Classic, Menomonie, WI
16Gold/18u Quarterfinals
CWCC 37, Team WI Red16 36

This turned out to be the tightest game of the tournament. And it turned out to be a minor upset. It had some quirks as you will see in the number section.

TWR16 scored right away on their first possession with Anna Peterson's basket. Peterson had six of the first TWR16 nine points. After that Peterson would be shut down the rest of the night. TWR16 led CWCC 9-5 with 12:32 left. CWCC kept in the game via the free throw line. Lindsey Latrelle cashed in six free throws and CWCC was a perfect 8/8 from the charity stripe. TWR16 wasn't bad at the line either as they 6/7. Latrelle led CWCC with 9 points at half time, while Nicole Johnson had 6 as did Peterson for TWR16. TWR led at half 18-16.

The score at half time was low on a couple of counts. 1. to move the tournament along games had two 20 minutes running time halves. With the free throws involved, more time ran off the clock.

CWCC took its first lead of the day on Anna Wedig's rebound basket, foul and free throw to make the score 24-23. Johnson scored on a lay up to put TWR16 up again. Jess Schneider again scored on a put back, foul and free throw to give CWCC a 27-25 lead. Johnson again answered the call to tie the game at 27. At this point both teams were much more sharper in their possessions. Both teams had five of six scoring possessions. CWCC had a three possession scoring run and when the run was over they were up 34-31 with Amy Sullivan's driving basket. Both teams then went into a drought with six possessions going for naught. Another offensive flurry took place right at the end. Afton Glander cut the deficit for TWR16 to 34-33. Tori Arnason knocked in one free throw for CWCC to make it a two point game 35-33. Glander missed on a drive, and Arnason this time converted both free throws to make it 37-33. As the buzzer sounded Tori Fink swished a trey from the right corner.

NUMBERS EXPLAINED

AAU ROSTERS

player, high school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
PLAYER EVALUATIONS
CWCC
STARTERS
Aubrey Wisen, Wisconsin Rapids, 7, 11, 63.6, .273 led team with defensive boards. RF: passing decisions.
Lindsey Liternta, DC Everest 12, 8, 150.0, .625 quick, has moves. not afraid to get hit. has 3 range. rarely, if ever, came out. active/anticipation on defense. eye was on her when she had the ball. RF: forces game at times.
Amy Sullivan, Wisconsin Rapids 2, 9, 22.2, .111 RF: shot consistency
Tori Arnason, Merrill, 6, 5, 120.0, .600 anticipates on d. RF: size
Jenny Dahm, Merrill, 0, 5, 0.0, .000 Has size, RF: needs to convert put backs and make a free throw, speed/quickness
BENCH
Jess Schneider, Marshfield 3, 5, 60.0, .200 point guard
Marlee Arnason, Merrill 2, 3, 66.7, .333 bigger than older sister. good on defensive rebounds. RF:
Anna Weddig, Merrill, 5, 3, 166.7, .667 has size. RF: could be more aggressive.

TEAM WI RED16
STARTERS
Anna Peterson, Osseo-Fairchild 6, 8, 75.0, .375 Started off hot, RF: wasn't heard from again
Caylin Flanigan, Siren 6, 7, 85.7, .286 made two old fashioned three pt plays. RF: consistency
Afton Glander, Alma 4, 8, 50.0, .250 came up with four steals. RF: smaller
Nicole Johnson, Gilman 14, 9, 155.6, .778 post player, decent size. decent feet. consistent. RF: needs to board more
Morgan Stueber, Park Falls, 2, 200.0, 1.000 RF: needs more activity, make a difference
BENCH
Kelly Berndt, Oshkosh West 2, 5, 40.0, .200 RF: shooting consistency
Sam Quandt, Hayward, 0, 4, 0.0, .000 RF: forced passes
Tina Stark, Menomonie, 0, 3, 0.0, .000 has 3 range. RF: needs to grab my attention
Tori Fink, North Fond du Lac, 4, 6, 66.7, .333 3 range. RF: needs more than the 3 ball.

TRENCH PLAYER
Lindsey Liternta

BY THE NUMBERS
Team, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
CWCC 37, 49, 75.5, .327
Team WI Red16 36, 51, 70.6, .353
This is a case where 3 point plays, both behind the arc and at the line, propelled CWCC on to the semifinals. CWCC had a total of 6 3pt plays, TWR16 had 3. Another factor was the battle at the line. CWCC was 14/21 while TWR16 wasn't bad at 9/10, but they were only at the line half as much. TWR also favored the 3 game too much. CWCC only made one field goal (not counting 3s) in the first half. TWR16 had 13 field goals on the day, while CWCC only had 7. The floor % numbers were still pretty low.

Next up: tomorrow afternoon with regular news. Then another Out&About tomorrow evening with Team WI17 vs TriState Storm.

Thorpe on Suffering, Lynx and Suffering

#1 posting 5.29.2006
Your Daily Dose of Girls Basketball News & Information

THORPE ON A SOAP BOX: Tough Losses
Here Coach Thorpe reflects on painful losses and healing

Kevin asked me a question the other day on the phone. What was your toughest loss and how did you deal with it??

I thought for a while and I had many tough losses . As coaches I think we all did. Unless you are a State Champion, most teams lose a tough one at the end of the season. Teams are disappointed but it’s over. You have an empty feeling but you try to say some positive things and get ready for the banquet.

In the middle of the season its more difficult. You have to try and heal and keep the team upbeat because another game is coming. I remember one of the hardest losses. It was in 1991 against Little Falls. Always a good rivalry. We had beaten them in a close game in ‘89 for the State Championship and Jerry Cool would have his team ready. As usual they had there gym packed. We were way ahead in the 4th quarter with about 5 or 6 minutes to go. We had taken a long weekend trip and I saw a chance to play a lot of kids. My second string could play. I thought we would be OK. I was wrong. It was a combination of everything falling apart for us and everything going right for them. I think they pulled within about 4 or 5 with about 3 minutes to go and I put my starters back in. They had cooled down and had already congratulated themselves for beating a good team on the road. They hurried and laced their shoes up and got back in for the last 3 minutes. By this time the gym was rocking and we were not ready to stop their attack. We lost. I felt anger everywhere: assistants because I subbed to early; players that worked so hard and had it taken away; and of course parents.

As I got on the bus one of my assistants said “OK Now what are you going to say?”
I didn’t know what to do so just stood up and decided to talk about how I was feeling. I asked, “Have anyone of you ever played a very bad game . How did you feel? Did you feel you let down your team, coach fans etc.”

It was silent.

“Well,” I said, “I just did a very poor job of coaching and I want to apologize. I am sorry.”
I sat down. It was quiet for a long time. I think they were expecting anger, speech about the things we did wrong. Etc. After a few minutes my captain came up to me and sat down. I was sitting alone. You know the feeling after a tough loss. She said “coach, it was not your fault. This game is just going to motivate us to get to State.”

I felt the anger on the bus disappear and I felt we were still a team. The slogan "Its better to lose a game than lose your team is so true"

That year we did get to State. My point is this: I think kids really appreciate adults being human. When you share your mistakes and insecurities it only makes them trust you more and they are easier to motivate. They see you more approachable. Young people are often very insecure and they respect adults that don’t try and come off as perfect human beings. When I said I was sorry I was sincere. I didn’t do it to manipulate a group of young people .Kids are good at spotting phonies. That was a tough loss and I think we did benefit from it and made us closer as a team.

Sometimes it fine to forget about all the motivational techniques you have read about or picked up at workshops. Just be honest and tell your team how you feel is enough.

Dave Thorpe

Can't get enough of Thorpe? Now get Thorpe on a Soap Box by the Case

AAU ROSTERS

COACHING OPENINGS

VERBALS

A LOOK AT THE LYNX
Washington vs Minnesota 5.27.2006
NUMBERS EXPLAINED

player, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
PLAYER EVALUATIONS
MINNESOTA
STARTERS
Amber Jacobs, 13, 10, 130.0, .500
Simone Augustus 23, 21, 109.5, .524
Nicole Ohlde, 2, 5, 40.0, .200
Krista Mann, 6, 7, 85.7, .286
Timika Williams 5, 10, 50.0, .200
BENCH
Adrian Williams 8, 9, 88.9, .556
Svetlana Abrisimova 9, 8, 112.5, .500
Meghan Duffy 7, 7, 100.0, .714
Tynesha Lewis 2, 2, 100.0, .500
Vanessa Hayden no possessions
Team 0, 2, 0.0, .000

WASHINGTON
STARTERS
Nikki Teasley 11, 10, 110.0, .400
Alana Beard, 25, 13, 192.3, .846
Crystal Robinson 0, 3, 0.0, .000
DeLisha Milton-Jones 12, 11, 109.1, .455
Chasity Melvin 4, 6, .667, .333
BENCH
Latasha Byears, 20, 18, 111.1, .556
Nakia Sanford 8, 8, 100.0, .500
Nikki Blue 4, 5, 80.0, .400
Coco Miller 3, 5, 60.0, .400
Laurie Koehn 3, 1, 300.0, 1.000

BY THE NUMBERS
Washington 90, 80, 112.5, .525
Minnesota 75, 81, 92.6, .432
The fact is MN's Defense in three games has not held any team under .500 floor %. They have not held any team to less than 105 pp100.
The offense has been very consistent with a range of 92.6 to 94.5 pp100, The floor % is a floor of .432 (this game) and a ceiling of .466.
The front line starters (Mann, Ohlde, TWilliams) have a combined pp100 in this game of 59.1 and a miserable floor % of .227.
In order for the Lynx to get one in the right hand column they need to
1. Get better production out of the front line. Shooting below freezing (.320) is not acceptable for those so near the hoop.
2. Tighten up the defense. It all comes down to six possessions in the game right now.

6 ON 6 BALL
IA
Iowa will be bringing back 6 on 6 basketball for their state summer games. Games will start on July 13. Here is the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier with more on the old school ball.

HAWAIIAN AWARDS
Brittney Carvalho, Kapa'a, was named player of the year in the KIF (Kauai Interscholstic Federation). Here is more on the honor from the Kauai Garden Island.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
MI
Here is a refreshing take--a school will be adding basketball at the JC level. Jackson Community College in Michigan will be adding a team in 2007. Here is more from the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

Next up: tonight with the first of the Out & Abouts: game #1: CWCC vs Team WI Red 16.

Menomonie Memorial Day Classic

#1 posting 5.28.2006

MENOMONIE MEMORIAL DAY CLASSIC
Today I went East to see the players, teams and tournament action at the UW Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The brackets I focused on the most were the 16Gold/18U level which had the more high powered teams. Play opened on Saturday in pools
A
CWCC 37, HLC16 33
Team WI17 64, HLC16 21
Team WI17 49, CWCC 23
B
MN Summit 48, YMCA Lady Cats 36
HLC17 40, YMCA Lady Cats 39
MN Summit 49, HLC17 33
C
TriState Storm 35, MN Lady Suns 23
Team WI Red16 39, MN Lady Suns 28
Team WI Red16 40, TriState Storm 37
D
Randolph 43, South MN Elite 28
Team WI Select16 57, Randolph 30
Team WI Select16 61, South MN Elite 20
BRACKET PLAY
FIRST ROUND
If there are no scores it is because they were no posted on the bracket sheet on the wall. Only the winners were posted.
Tri State Storm beat YWCA Lady Cats
Randolph beat HLC16
CWCC beat Southern MN Elite
MN Lady Suns beat HLC17
QUARTERFINALS
CWCC 37, Team WI Red16 36 This was considered somewhat of an upset. (Monday Out&About)
Team WI16 Select beat Lady Suns
Team WI17 65, Tri State Storm 22 (Tuesday Out&About)
Randolph beat Summit
SEMIFINALS
Team WI17 beat Randolph by 7
Team WI16 Select 48, CWCC 35 (Wednesday Out&About)
FINALS
Team W16 Select 53, Team WI17 33. This was considered a major upset. (Thursday Out&About)

The gyms were hot, sticky and there was no air circulation. They weren't quite as bad as Shreveport in July, but it wasn't pleasant. The doors had to stay closed because the floor has just been finished and they wanted to keep the moisture off it.

There were players that usually play for one team, but were playing for another team this weekend. Angel Robinson, St. Paul Central was playing for a team called Exelon along with other Central kids. Their team won the 16 Blue division easily. We didn't watch that level since the better teams were in the gold/18 division.

Another factor in the tournament was running time right from the tap. They had a 20 minute clock. Possessions were definitely less than the 16 minute stop time in the MN State AAU tournament held last weekend. That is why some of the scores are pretty low.

I will also be writing about the 12u championship. Erica Haugen (Osseo 1997, Iowa State 2001) is the coach of this team, and I coached Erica back when she was a little kid. The Lady Cats beat them 46-39. I will do an Out & About for that game on Friday.

I have more AAU rosters added from this tournament.

AAU ROSTERS

CONFERENCE NEWS
COLLEGE
The Midcontinent is in danger of losing its automatic entry into the NCAA tournament now that it will be down to seven members. Valparaiso is leaving to join the Horizon. Chicago State dropped out early in the spring. There are some interested parties joining the league: North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and IPFW. Here is more from the Burlington IA Hawkeye.

Newman College will be joining the Heartland Conference in D2. Newman was a NAIA member. Others in the Heartland Conference include St. Mary's in San Antonio, Dallas Baptist, and others in the Southwest. Here is the article from the Milwaukee Business Journal. Don't ask me how it relates to Wisconsin.

CO-OPS
ND/MN
Many smaller schools are joining forces. Their will be more on the way. Here are some stories from the front lines in the consolidation games. Next up to consolidate will be Kittson Central and Kittson County North in Minnesota. Here is the Grand Forks Herald with details.

SUMMER LEAGUE
Hawaii is getting a summer league thanks to the effort of Nani Crockett, former U of Hawaii player. Games will be held on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Here is more from the Honolulu Advertiser.

COACHING OPENINGS

VERBALS

Next up: tomorrow with Thorpe on a Soap Box and a look at the Lynx vs Washington game from Saturday. Later in the day we start analyze the games from the Memorial Day Classic in Menomonie. First up will be CWCC vs Team WI Red16

MN AAU All Tournament & What ever Happened to...

#1 posting 2.27.2006
Your Daily Dose of Girls Basketball News & Information

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO 1997 MN 15U CHAMPS?
This was my team I coached. It was the second year that we had the core group together. The program's name was Power Play. The other teams out there were North Tartan and Blizzard. In the state tournament that year we opened with Lady Slippers and beat them 75-23; Next were Lakers Blue 70-46; South Metro Green was next with a 90-51 beating. All these games we were playing without Tanisha Gilbert, who hurt her knee in the first few minutes of the first game. In the semis we beat Forest Lake 79-48. We actually were only up by a few in the second half when I inserted Gilbert into the line up. Her appearance lifted a lethargic team into inspired play. In the championship we beat Blizzard 77-67. We trailed at halftime 30-28, again Gilbert came into the second half and that got us going. If we use the 63 possession margin that is pretty much the standard for this year's AAU season that means we were scoring at a 122.2 pp100 in the championship game. If we use the 70 possession margin, which I haven't seen this season at AAU, we are at 110.0 pp100. Floor % numbers at 63 possessions: .603; and at 70 possessions .543.

NUMBERS EXPLAINED

At nationals in Shreveport we opened with the NY Liberty Belles. We trailed in the second half by 17, but we came back led by Jenny Johnson's 19 second half points to tie it. Tanisha Gilbert, on one gimpy knee, blocked a game winner lay up as she sent the ball into the third row. We won in overtime 69-67. After that game we sent an assistant coach and Jill Kalvik to the hospital for fluids. We lost the next game to Houston Hoops 65-55. In the third game in pool play we beat Indiana Shooting Heat 62-54. That advanced us to the bracket play. We lost to MD Hurricanes 66-56. One more loss and we were headed home. We next faced a Tennessee team and fell behind by 17 again, this time in the first half. We did come back again with Alsdurf ripping the twine for 20. We won in overtime 84-81. Our next game was later in the afternoon and we were sent to a steamy, non air conditioned gym against Western PA. We were beat 73-57. My kids were drained. We subbed frequently. Our tanks were on empty. They had left too much on the floor in the morning game.

1997 AAU 15U what happened to the players on that team?
Name, HS, College
Tanisha Gilbert, Champlin Park, Minnesota, Winona State emotional leader
Savannah Martens, Mpls North, dnp one of my traveling kids
Kate Townley, Cretin-Derham Hall, Binghamton magician with the ball, another of my traveling kids
Jenny Johnson, St. Louis Park, Winona State 3 pointer, quick feet and hands
Kate Waddick, Holy Angels, dnp another traveling kid that had a knee injury
Becky Moen, Morris, North Dakota a blind pick using my number system. I had Townley's dad make the sale. She was a wonderful athlete (volleyball, high jumper) baseline slasher, good at the line.
Jill Kalvik, Mpls North, Concordia St. Paul great footwork, great defender
Angie Grabowski, Maple Grove, Carleton knew her from Osseo camps, hard nosed competitor
Jennifer Hughes, Cooper, dnp rough life outside of basketball, fearless between the lines, many floor burns, street fighter.
Hana Peljto, Osseo, Harvard European skilled, good leaper, eager to learn, and try things. Good skills
Chanel Thomas, Trinity/Minnehaha, High Point bulldog in the paint. Nobody was going to mess with her. She had your back
Katie Doerr, LeSueur-Henderson, MSU Moorhead another of my blind picks with the number system. another player with good quickness inside.
Katie Alsdurf, Forest Lake, Marquette/Minnesota a pick up from the Forest Lake team we beat in the semis. great 3 point bomber.

These players were All Conference at some point in College in their career
Gilbert, Townley, Johnson, Moen, Grabowski, Peljto, Doerr (7/12).
Moen was second team All American.
Peljto was academic All American at Harvard.
Kalvik was All American in Volleyball at Concordia STP and also started for the basketball team there.
8 of the 12 made it to the state tournament. 4 won state titles (Martens & Kalvik at North; Townley at CDH; Peljto at Osseo). 3 were up for Miss Basketball (Peljto, Townley, Alsdurf).

I did not coach them the next season (1998) because Peljto was at Osseo, and I was coaching there at the time. That team was divided up into three teams.

AAU ROSTERS

MN AAU ALL TOURNAMENT
I only am rating players I saw. If the player had an off game, or I didn't see her, they don't get ranked. Bold indicates MVP. The 16s will include games from the Qualifier as well.
player, HS, AAU team
14s
Kara Elofson, Breck, MN Metro Stars
Katie Loberg, Princeton, North Tartan
Cassie Rochel, Lakeville North, Lakeville North
Kaiya Sygulla, Lakeville North, Lakeville North
Megan Waytashek, Centennial, MN Stars
Honorable Mention
Emily Dosmann, Rogers, Summit
Briana Tisch, Chaska, MN Metro Stars
15s
Tayler Hill, Minneapolis South, NC Heat
Hannah Linz, Eden Valley-Watkins, North Tartan
Brianna Mastey, Becker, MN Stars Schmitz
Carolyn Mobley, North St. Paul, Total Package
Theairra Taylor, St. Paul Como Park, Total Package
Honorable Mention
Jessie Althoff, Becker, MN Stars Antl
Jaime Birr, Holy Angels, North Tartan
Nicole Mastey, Becker, MN Stars Schmitz
Rey Robinson, Bekcer, MN Stars Antl
Brea Tinney, Osceola, WI, MN Stars Antl
Carly Rothfuz, Eden Prairie, 43 Hoops Lady Elite

16s
First Team
Kachine Alexander, Benilde-St. Margaret's, Triple Threat
Courtney Boylan, Chaska, MN Metro Stars
Angel Robinson, St. Paul Central, MN Stars
Caitlin Rowland, Hopkins, North Tartan
Janessa Wolf, Park Rapids, North Tartan
Second Team
Alyssa Karel, Cretin-Derham Hall, North Tartan
Macie Michelson, Marshall, North Tartan
Elle Queen, Minnetonka, MN Metro Stars
Patrice Thomas, Minneapolis Washburn, Triple Threat
Honorable Mention
Maggie Bauernfiend, Rosemount, Storm
Kiara Buford, St. Paul Central, Triple Threat
Amy Kallemyen, Edgerton, MN Stars
Jackie Kelly, Blaine, North Tartan Blue
Tera Steinbauer, North Tartan
Jenny Theisen, Champlin Park, MN Metro Stars
Tessa Wilka, Sioux Falls O'Gorman, MN Stars

COACHING NEWS
IA
Todd Tidgren has been hired as the new coach in Carroll. He coached the last 14 years at Maurice-Orange City-Floyd Valley. Here is more from the News in Carroll site.
MN
Lynn Dalhed has been hired at Apple Valley. She is the coach of the 14u state champs MN Metro Stars. Dalhed graduated from AV in 1998, and Luther in 2002

COACHING OPENINGS

VERBALS

CORRECTION
Minnesota has NOT hired yet for the assistant position. The information posted early was wrong and has been taken down.

Sorry this was late. I was out honoring my relatives in Western Minnesota for Memorial Day. When I got back home I wrote an hours worth of story only to lose it all. Thanks for your patience.

Next up: tomorrow after I return from the Menomonie, Wisconsin Memorial Day Shoot out

Jernigan to Rutgers

#1 posting 5.26.2006
Your Daily Dose of Girls Basketball News & Information

ALL STAR GAMES
SD/NE
Here are the rosters for the 18th annual SD/Nebraska All Star game to be held at Mount Marty College. The women's game starts at 6 on June 17. This is the story from the Yankton Press & Dakotan

COACHING
MI
Brian Wright is the new coach at Shelby. Wright has been the middle school coach for 15 years. Here is the story from the Muskegon Chronicle.
MN
Charlie Hargrove will be the new coach at Eden Prairie. He was the defensive coordinator in football, and was an assistant with the girls last year.

COACHING OPENINGS

CONFERENCE NEWS
MN
The Rum River is on it's last legs. Pine City, Mora, Milaca, and Zimmerman are all looking for new homes. Here is the StarTribune with progress on the placements.

SIGNINGS
Dee Dee Jernigan, East Chicago, IN will be headed to Rutgers. Jernigan first committed to Purdue, but that changed when coach Kristy Curry headed to Texas Tech. This story is from an AP wire from the MLive site
VERBAL
Ciera McGaughy, Detriot Community High School is going to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

VERBALS

POLICE BLOTTER
WI
Ronald Schaefer, a coach at Luther North in Illinois, has been arrested in a case dating back to 1990 in Menomonee Falls, WI. This is an AP Wire story from the Duluth News Tribune

TOURNAMENTS
DAKOTA SHOWCASE
Here is a list of players that will be taking part in the Dakota Showcase June 29-July 1 in Sioux Falls. The site has been updated with 5-11 and 5-10 players. The two missing teams are ECI teams from ND.
WI
Memorial Day Classic in Menomonie this weekend 16Gold/18 this is pool play 16gold/18 brackets 16blue 15gold/16 15blue 14pool 14brackets Court locations Play ends on Sunday. There will be no games on Monday
MN
The Nate Vanek Memorial tournament will be held at Prior Lake this weekend.

A LOOK AT THE LYNX
This is the result of the Detroit Shock game on Wednesday
MN LYNX
STARTERS
Nicole Ohlde, 8, 10, 80.0, .500
Vanessa Hayden 4, 9, 44.4, .222
Krista Mann, 12, 11, 109.1, .455
Amber Jacobs 3, 6, 50.0, .333
Simone Augustus 15, 10, 150.0, .600
BENCH
Svetlana Abrismova 6, 9, 66.7, .333
Adrian Williams 12, 7, 171.4, 100.0
Shona Thorburn 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Meghan Duffy 7, 7, 100.0, .429
Tynesha Lewis 2, 3, 66.7, .333

DETROIT SHOCK
STARTERS
Cheryl Ford 17, 16, 106.5, .563
Deanna Nolan 13, 12, 108.3, .667
Swin Cash 14, 14, 100.0, .500
Ruth Riley 14, 9, 155.6, .778
Katie Smith 11, 10, 110.0, .500
BENCH
Kendra Holland-Corn 1, 7, 14.3, .143
Plenette Pierson 4, 2, 200.0, 1.000
Kara Braxton 4, 3, 133.3, .667
Jacqueline Batteast 0, 1, 0.0. .000

NUMBERS EXPLAINED

BY THE NUMBERS
MN 69, 73, 94.5, .466
DET 78, 74, 105.4, .541
As you can see the pros are pretty close to the magic 100 number in the pp100. All five starters were 100+. Augustus is getting the job done offensively, but again her first quarter was pretty slow. Ohlde is making her coin at the line, she only had one field goal.

Thanks for all the readers that keep me supplied with the news..


Next up: Tomorrow afternoon with 1. All tournament team from last week's MN AAU State Tournament. 2. comparison from 1997 with my State championship team. What happened to them, what may happen with the current crop of players.

Out & About: Metro Stars/MN Stars 14

#2 posting 5.25.2006

This game took place on Sunday at Forest Lake
MN AAU 14 Championship
Minnesota Metro Stars 52, Minnesota Stars 39

The first half was pretty even. Metro Stars did push the lead to 19-13 on Alyssa Marschner's three. She finished a three possession run for MMS. That was the best run of the half. However there were more non scoring possessions and part of that was due to the speed of the game. The game was rushed by the players. Their adrenaline was pumping and jumping. MMS had a 9 possession drought, MN Stars at the same time was 1/8. So out of 68 total possession by both teams 27 ended in turnovers or .397. That number is higher than the scoring possessions for both teams with 20/68 .294. MMS led 22-20 when Brianna Tisch made a basket and free throw to end the half's scoring.

Kara Elofson broke open the game with three straight scoring possessions for six points and a 28-20 lead. On the third score Elofson was able to finish on the fourth attempt. But then they were 1/9 in their next possessions. The fact was MN Stars did not take advantage of this opportunity with 2/13 possession run. The only MN Star player to score at this point was Megan Waytashek with a shot from the left corner and one free throw. A flurry of points soon descended upon the arena. MN Stars had a three possession run with Waytashek, again, leading the way with four points and a Thiesfeld 3. This put the score at 35-30 for Metro Stars. The game's doubt was soon ended with a 13-0 explosion by Metro Stars. Marschner got things going with a trey, Karin Gibson finished it with a three. MN Stars suffered through a seven possession drought. MN Stars did cut the lead to 48-39 with a 9-0 run, but the hole was just too deep. Keely Brennen provided seven of those points. Ali Schmidt scored the last four points for a 52-39 final.

AAU ROSTERS

NUMBERS EXPLAINED

player, high school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
PLAYER EVALUATIONS
MINNESOTA METRO STARS
STARTERS
Alyssa Marschner, Armstrong, 7, 11, 63.6, .273 has 3 range, aggressive, speedy. RF: but rushes the game/decisions.
Lizzi Nauman, Totino-Grace 5, 7, 71.4, .429 big body. good feet, hands. can run the floor. RF: could even be more aggressive.
Molly Duehn, Burnsville 2, 2, 100.0, .500
Kara Elofson, Breck 11, 12, 91.7, .500 great leaper. can sky. active on the offensive glass. provided the initial boost in the second half. RF: turnovers, again moving too fast
Rachel Moen, Burnsville 0, 4, 0.0, .000 point guard. RF: foot speed
BENCH
Brianna Tisch, Chaska 9, 10, 90.0, .400 big body, takes away middle. RF: shot consistency, passing decisions
Jennie Kalbfell, Lakeville South 0, 3, 0.0, .000
Karin Gibson, Eden Prairie 6, 7, 85.7, .286 3 range. RF: shot selection
Ali Schmidt, Champlin Park 6, 4, 150.0, .750 solid performance.
Lauren Safranski, Burnsville 2, 7, 28.6, .143 RF: again with the speed/rush of the game
Chelsea Garcia, Blaine 3, 1, 300.0, 1.000 can shoot. RF: only one possession

MINNESOTA STARS
STARTERS
Keely Brennan, Eden Prairie 7, 11, 63.6, .273 Burst of activity late in the game. RF: consistency on shooting
Megan Waytashek, Centennial 12, 10, 120.0, .600 most reliable scorer. has range.
Lauren Wittman, Eden Prairie 7, 9, 77.8, .444 made most of the points at the line. RF: experience
Kellie Ring, Somerset, WI 0, 6, 0.0, .000 RF: small, pressure defense bothered her. went down with an injury in the second half and did not return.
Brittany Thiesfeld, Glencoe-Silver Lake 5, 5, 100.0, .400 can hit outside. RF: ball handling
BENCH
Briane Gonzales, Armstrong-Ringsted, IA 0, 3, 0.0, .000
Michelle Tobin, Eden Prairie 5, 6, 83.3, .667
Gabrielle Boever, Worthington 3, 16, 18.8, .063 very active, has a lot of energy RF: forcing the issue either on passing or shooting.
Rachel Gilbert, Becker 0, 2, 0.0, .000

TRENCH PLAYER
Kara Elofson

BY THE NUMBERS
Team, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
Metro Stars 52, 68, 76.4, .338
MN Stars 39, 68, 57.4, .324
If you notice both floor % numbers are pretty close. The Metros scored one more possession than MN Stars. And when the Metro Stars did score they had more 3 point plays, whereas the MN Stars only were able to squeeze a point on some of their free throw attempts. Metro Stars had six 3 pt plays (5 3s, 1 basket&one) while MN stars only had three. MN Stars only took one point away on each five free throw attempts.
Actually the 14s had bigger bodies than the 15s. But the 15s had the speed.

Thanks to the readers for keeping me informed, and correcting any problems
Next up: tomorrow morning--regular news plus the Lynx/Detroit numbers

Menomonie Memorial Day Tournament

#1 posting 5.25.2006
Your Daily Dose of Girls Basketball News & Information

COLLEGE NEWS
Or in this case JC/Community College news. Waukesha County Technical College will no longer be fielding a team. It cuts $150,000 from the budget as the trustees are trying to save some money. Here is more from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

COACHING OPENINGS

SIGNINGS
IA
Bethany Mahmens, Northeast will be headed to Ashford University.
MI
Angela Guisfredi, Lake Linden will play for Michigan Tech

Here is a list of players that already have made verbals. If you know of others let me know and then the list will be updated. The list is by class, alphabetical by player, within each state. This is list does not include any 2006s.
VERBALS

TOURNAMENTS
DAKOTA SHOWCASE
Here is a list of players that will be taking part in the Dakota Showcase June 29-July 1 in Sioux Falls. The two missing teams are ECI from ND.
This site will fill you in on the background of the Dakota Showcase and during the tournament you will be able to find boxscores after the games, stats, and all sorts information
This is the site for the Miss Basketball Showcase in Kearney, Nebraska July 13-16 with information that will be updated on site as the tournament rolls on.
WI
Memorial Day Classic in Menomonie this weekend 16Gold/18 this is pool play 16gold/18 brackets 16blue 15gold/16 15blue 14pool 14brackets Court locations Play ends on Sunday. There will be no games on Monday

MN AAU
The Nate Vanek Memorial tournament will be held at Prior Lake this weekend. With Memorial Day coming and the State Tournament just past the field is pretty thin. The Rochester Shock is in one pool of three and Elite Storm in the other. There is no age classification, just high school. Finals on Sunday at 6

AAU ROSTERS

OVERSEAS
WI
UW LaCrosse coach Lois Hereen will be taking a team of WIAC players over to London June 19-27 in a Goodwill Series games. Here is the press release from UW Platteville which has Holly Kaiser, Liz Tesch, and Lisa Grantman on the roster.

BOOK PROGRESS
I have finished entering data for ND teams in the Grand Forks, Fargo & Wahpeton areas. Now I go through Bismarck, Minot, Williston and Dickinson. I finished the team portion of MN last week. I will be looking to get another computer sometime today. In the next few weeks, I will have a part time worker entering the mountain of information that goes into the publication.
The MN, US, and college books should be ready to roll out by the time of the MN Girls Basketball Fall Clinic in late September/early October. Cost is a low, low $99 for the whole package. More information on ordering will be presented late in the summer and September.

Next up: later today with the MN 14u Championship game between Metro Stars and MN Stars. I kept seeing Stars all weekend. Also a Look at the Lynx vs Detroit last night.
This weekend: a comparision between the teams I coached in AAU back in the day (we were 15u state champs in 1997) what happened to them after that tournament, and what may happen to the current crop. Plus The all tournament teams from last weekends state tournament.

Out & About: North Tartan/Brighton Stars 14s

#3 posting 5.24.2006
Your Daily Dose of Basketball News & Information

This game took place Saturday, May 20 at Forest Lake
MN AAU State 14 Quarterfinals
North Tartan 44, Brighton Stars 38

NT grabbed the early lead at 7-0 and was never really in danger this game. They had a 3 possession string to get things going. Devyn Smith had five with a pull up jumper and a trey. After that outburst the offenses sputtered with neither gaining any traction. BS had dry spells of 5, 6, and 6 during the first half. They started the game with 1/12 possessions. NT never had such severe spells, but they never really clicked or dominated a team that did not have varsity players. NT had bigger players, and two varsity starters. NT led at half 21-14

Five of the first six possessions in the second half resulted in scores. NT, or Katie Loberg, strung three possessions together. Loberg had six quick points all the result of post ups. NT led 29-17, its biggest lead. BS went on a 13-6 run to close the gap to 35-30. Megan Locke provided six of the points. At this point the varsity experience of Holleman and Loberg took over as each scored to push the lead back to 39-30 with 2:29 on the clock. Locke closed the gap again down to 40-35 with 1:18 to go with two free throws. After a Cornelius turnover BS had a chance to cut the lead to two on Allison McKee's 3 pt attempt, it missed and Loberg gathered the board. Holleman missed two free throws. Two turnovers, one for each team left the game up for grabs. Taylor Lamberdie knocked down a huge three for BS with 25.6 seconds left and the game was a tight 40-38. Cornelius converted a lay up and Devyn Smith added two free throws on the next possession for the final margin 44-38 with 3.1 seconds left.

AAU ROSTERS

NUMBERS EXPLAINED

player, high school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
PLAYER EVALUATIONS
NORTH TARTAN
STARTERS
Devyn Smith, Roseville 9, 8, 112.5, .500 can dial long distance. RF: experience
Kelsey Evans, Willmar 3, 8, 37.5, .250 RF: shot selection/consistency
Katie Loberg, Princeton 12, 13, 92.3, .538 big frame, can run the floor, fluid. As you can expect did the job on the boards. changes/alters shots with wing span. upside is good. RF: needs to make chips shots with consistency. Also free throw shooting needs improvement.
Holly Riesselman, Park-Cottage Grove 0, 3, 0.0, .000 big player RF: needs to be more aggressive and assertive
Bree Holleman, Hancock 3, 4, 75.0, .500 point guard. decent feel for the game. RF: size, needs to make the free throws in crunch time.
BENCH
Tessa Wells, River Falls, WI 6, 7, 85.7, .429 good anticipation. nice spin move.
Lindsey Fix, Andover 6, 5, 120.0, .600 RF: needs to stay lower on defense.
Tiffany Cornelius, Elk River 3, 5, 60.0, .400 RF: passing.
Callie Thompson, Becker 0, 3, 0.0, .000
Mimi Reif, Irondale 2, 6, 33.3, .167 RF: Tiny, too much spin dribbles

BRIGHTON STARS
STARTERS (no school was provided, Irondale may be the school)
Ali Schanender, 2, 7, 28.6, .143 RF: shot consistency
Kelli Schramm 2, 12, 16.7, .083 value is in boarding RF: shot consistency, body control
Megan Locke, 17, 18, 94.4, .500 active on boards, RF: too much lead on passes. Needs to knock down free throws.
Taylor Lamberdie 5, 10, 50.0, .200 bank was open on the 3. RF: passing/decisions
Sarah O'Dowd 2, 4, 50.0, .500
BENCH
Allison McKee 5, 6, 83.3, .333
Lindsay ???, 3, 4, 75.0, .500 RF: decisions

BY THE NUMBERS
North Tartan 44, 62, 70.9, .387
Brighton Stars 38, 61, 62.3, .311
I always had a rule when forming 14u teams or any age. This works down
16u---take as many all state players as you can
15u---take as many all conference players as you can
14u---take as many HS starters as you can
13u---take as many HS players that get clock
If you had an all state player as a 13u, that works out real well. Looking at this year's 14u teams at least in the quarterfinal round, the best was two starters for NT, LN. I think that with more HS experience you will get better #s.

Next up: tomorrow am. also one more game from the 14s: the championship between Metro Stars and MN Stars. Is it me or do I see stars every time I turn around.
This weekend the All State Teams, or All Tournament teams for the MN AAU season.

Out & About: Lakeville North/Summit 14s

#2 posting 5.24.2006

This game took place Saturday, May 20
MN State AAU 14u Quarterfinals
Lakeville North 57, Minnesota Summit 40

Lakeville North had little problems putting away MN Summit 57-40. LN is a rarity in the AAU World--a high school team (or community team) that is powerful. No other schools have added to the LN team and they are always butting heads against all star caliber teams. And as a local team they are used to each other, and have been through battles together.

LN didn't score first but they once they did they scored three straight times. Rochel scored four on her way to a team high 17. Scoring strings are harder to come by, and droughts are easily achieved. Summit fell into a seven possession hole and by the time they scored again they trailed 14-5. LN scored six points in the first half on drives/lay ups, plus four points from second chance points. Once LN led 21-7 they only scored one more basket, and that was on their last possession to finish the half. Before that possession they endured a 0/11 drought. Nine of which were the result of turnovers including seven possessions in a row. Summit had a ten possession drought with five missed shots, and five turnovers.

In the second half LN started off with a 6/7 possession streak including five in a row. Rochel scored four, but Kelsie Ammann did her one better with five including one 3. LN led 34-16 at this point on a 11-2 run. The Summit bounced back, but the mountain was quite high as they ran off four possessions in a row. On a 9-3 run Kirsten Goodroad provided five including a 3. There was no real movement after this point.

AAU ROSTERS

NUMBERS EXPLAINED

player, high school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
PLAYER EVALUATIONS
LAKEVILLE NORTH
STARTERS
Cassie Rochel, 17, 11, 154.5, .727 next big thing. great hands. great feet. keeps the ball high when rebounding. changes opponents shots and shot selection. will have many colleges, if they aren't already, salivating for her exit from HS. RF: just needs more strength which I am convinced will happen with time.
Kaiya Sygulla 4, 8, 50.0, .250 scrappy and makes things happen. a pain when guarding ball handler. tough street fighter. a pick pocket. good position on rebounding. RF: needs to finish transition chances. polish up ballhandling. Even though offensive numbers were small, an indespensible player for LN success
Brittanie Olson, 6, 7, 85.7, .429 lefty. works boards.
Kelsie Ammann, 7, 6, 116.7, .667 flurry of activity in the second half. 3 range. RF: free throws
Allie Seurer, 2, 2, 100.0, .500 aware defensively, good anticipation.
BENCH
Jaime Montgomery 5, 5, 100.0, .600 good hesitation move. defensively active hands.
Rachel Banham, 2, 8, 25.0, .125
Tally Berkvam, 6, 5, 120.0, .400 3 range
Braaten, 4, 7, 57.1, .286
Meg Newberry 2, 4, 50.0, .250

MINNESOTA SUMMIT
STARTERS
Emily Dosmann, Rogers 7, 6. 116.7, .667 lefty. big frame. worked for boards. can step out and shoot from the corner. RF: experience
Taylor Morrell, St. Francis 2, 5, 40.0, .200 corner shooter. RF: passing/decisions
Kirsten Goodroad, Blaine 9, 11, 81.8, .364 3 range RF: shot selection
Amy Stone, Rogers 9, 8, 112.5, .625 did all her scoring in the second half. not afraid to get hit. RF: passing
Mackenzie Suda, Blaine 1, 5, 20.0, .200 RF: passing/decision making
BENCH
Jodi Munson, St. Francis 2, 9, 22.2, .111 RF: shot selection, decision making
Taylor Bare, Anoka 3, 7, 42.9, .286 anticipation.
Amy Waterman, Anoka 0, 4, 0.0, .000 RF: ball handling
Rachel Cooper, Andover 4, 4, 100.0, .500 likes to drive
Hailey Barnes, North St. Paul 3, 4, 75.0, .250 3 range

TRENCH PLAYER
Cassie Rochel

BY THE NUMBERS
Lakeville North 57, 64, 89.1, .438
Summit 40, 63, 63.5, .333
LN had the top pp100 and floor % scores of any of the 14 teams I saw. Part of that is due to the close in shots taken either with drives or post ups. Good shot selection, and floor balance compared to other teams at this level (and some above).
Later in the day LN lost in the semis to MN Stars 52-50

Next up: North Tartan vs Brighton Stars 14u quarterfinals

Efficiency, Lynx & Showcases

#1 posting 5.24.2006
Your Daily Dose of Girls Basketball News & Information

PACE OF THE GAME
Here are the comparisions for AAU/HS pace and efficiency
Division, ppg, possessions, pp100, floor %
AAU 47.3, 63.6, 74.38, .370
HS 54.7, 65.8, 83.1, .403
HS games are better run because they have more practice time. AAU has better athletes/players but they are not as efficient.
Here is the AAU age breakdown. Keep in mind I have not spent much time watching the 15s or 14s.

NUMBERS EXPLAINED

age, # of teams, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
16s, 23, 48.5, 63.7, 76.2, .371
15s, 9, 45.7, 63.3, 72.3, .374
14s 6, 45.8, 64.3, 71.2, .355
As you can see there is not much variation in possessions with the 14s actually having the fastest paced games. This is probably due to rapid turnovers. The efficiency does indicate the older divisions are stronger. That is probably due to the fact more players have had some HS seasoning.

A LOOK AT THE LYNX/SUNS GAME
Here is last night's season opener with Connecticut
name, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
MINNESOTA LYNX
STARTERS
Amber Jacobs 9, 10, 90.0, .400
Simone Augustus 21, 16, 131.2, .625
Nicole Ohlde 10, 7, 142.9, .714
Krista Mann, 7, 8, 87.5, .375
Vanessa Hayden, 6, 12, 50.0, .250
BENCH
Svetlana Abrismova 7, 7, 100.0, .429
Adrian Williams 1, 6, 16.7, .167
Tamika Williams 6, 4, 150.0, .750
Megan Duffy 2, 2, 100.0, .500
Shona Thorburn 0, 2, 0.0, .000
Defensively I tried to chart the game, I still have to digest the scratches. My preliminary indication is that Jacobs was responsible for 21 points, Mann 17. I still have to re-evaluate and compare with the finished report.

CONNECTICUT SUN
STARTERS
Lyndsey Whalen 6, 10, 60.0, .300
Katie Douglas 28, 18, 155.5, .611
Taj McWilliams-Franklin 7, 8, 87.5, .500
Nykesha Sales 13, 12, 108.3, .500
Margo Dydek 2, 3, 66.7, .333
BENCH
Ashja Jones 4, 6, 66.7, .333
Erin Phillips 13, 10, 130.0, .500
Megan Mahoney 5, 3, 166.7, .667
Laura Summerton 3, 4, 75.0, .500

BY THE NUMBERS
Lynx 69, 74, 93.2, .446
Sun 81, 74, 109.5, .500
Bench Sun 25, Lynx 16
FTA: Sun 25, Lynx 15...Sun made 22....7 more than Lynx attempted. Sign of aggressive play by Sun, or lack of aggressive play by Lynx.

COACHING NEWS
IA
Pat Meade has retired as Central DeWitt's coach. In 16 seasons his record was 272-82 with a state championship in 1994 at the 3A level. Here is more on the story also with the North Scott coaching job from the Quad City Times.
MN
Minneapolis Southwest has hired Robert Grace as their new coach.

COACHING OPENINGS

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Here is a couple of tournemant alerts
Dakota Showcase June 29-July 1 at Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Teams scheduled from
IA: IBCA Select I; IBCA Select II; Elite I; Elite II;
MN: Triple Threat; Metro Stars White; Summit; North Tartan; Metro Stars Black
SD: Riders; Elite; Northern Lites
ND: ECI Select East; Prairie Shooters; ECI Select West
NE: Daubert Pinnacle
11th Annual Miss Basketball Showcase July 13-16 at Kearney, Nebraska

Thanks to all the help I get with this site
Up next: late today with the 14s: Lakeville North vs Summit; North Tartan vs Brighton Stars in the quarterfinals

Out & About: NC Heat/MN Total Package 15s

#3 posting 5.23.2006

This game took place Sunday, May 22 in Forest Lake
MN State AAU 15 Championships
NC Heat 51, MN Total Package 46

In the battle of the Taylers (or Taylors) Tayler Hill was Queen of the Hill as the NC Heat beat the Total Package 51-46 in the closest of all the finals.

The Package grabbed the lead early with 4-0 push, with a Theairra Taylor 3. Tayler Hill provided her own trey as NCH grabbed the 5-4 lead. The last TP lead came at 7-5 on another Taylor trey. After that it was NCH leads, or a couple of ties in the second half. NCH put together two 3 possession runs in the half one to go on a 6-0 run to 11-7 and another at the end of the half with a 7-5 finish. Hill had four of those points. NCH led 26-19 at the break.

In the early part of the second half NCH went into offensive hibernation with an 0/8 dry patch. It was an equal four misses from the floor and four turnovers. At that point TP cut the lead to 28-25. The TP actually went on a 11-2 run to tie the game at 30. Johnson cast the free throw to tie it. Hill quickly asserted herself into the situation with four points to push the game back to 34-30. Johnson scored on a rebound, foul and free throw to close the gap to 34-33. Nicole Anderson tied the game with a third chance put back at 36. Again it was Hill to the rescue with two free throws as she gathered in her own rebound. Brittany Dyshaw tied it up again with a rebound basket. This time it was free throws for NCH to get them the lead again and it was Ephesia Holmes and Megan Nipe adding to the cushion. The second chance bug struck again as Johnson (it seems that name keeps coming up) scored on a put back after Anderson made the first free throw 42-41. A Hill turnover led to free throws eventually for Danielle Daniels. She made the second to tie it at 42. Hill put NCH up 44-42, and one possession later added a free throw. She then added another basket on a drive and two more free throws for a 49-44 lead. Taylor gave TP their last two points on a steal and lay up with 30 seconds left 49-46. Holmes and Hill each gave one free throw for the final margin.

AAU ROSTERS

NUMBERS EXPLAINED

player, high school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
PLAYER EVALUATIONS
NC HEAT
STARTERS
Annie Berner, Forest Lake -no numbers- a warrior, playing through pain. RF: one hand, in for the tip and that was about it.
Tayler Hill, Minneapolis South 28, 24, 116.7, .583 did a better job at the line tonight. canned three 3s in the first half. can go from 0 to 80 thisquick. creative and body control is Jordanesque. Scored even when the Total Package's total focus was zeroed in on her. RF: on shots she missed, her hand was dropping, ball was bonking off the back rim.
Ephesia Holmes, Minneapolis South 9, 13, 69.2, .385 has some moxy. RF: will need to score more than twice from the floor to relieve pressure on Hill
Brianne Edwards, Minneapolis North 3, 6, 50.0, .333 RF: will need to step up in national levels so defense doesn't just focus on guards.
Megan Nipe, Centennial 10, 12, 83.3, .417 tops at the line. RF: problems with handling TP pressure
BENCH
Courtney Johnson, South St. Paul 0, 1, 0.0, .000
Gina Lange, Forest Lake 0, 2, 0.0, .000

MINNESOTA TOTAL PACKAGE
STARTERS
Theairra Taylor, St. Paul Como Park 14, 17, 82.3, .353 First name says something about her The Air a. as in she plays in the air flying by opposition. "The Air" up There. Rarified Air. still as explosive and all this and that. however: RF: this was her first real big game since SPCP doesn't play in that many games that mean anything. She was able to get inside, the shots were not falling. so better consistency on the shots. Also maybe forced some 3s. By no means are these RFs fatal, they will be changed. If you could buy stock in Taylor I would be stocking up.
Carolyn Mobley, North St. Paul 7, 8, 87.5, .500 another good performance. RF: needs to score when hit for the chance at an old fashioned three.
Danielle Daniels, North St. Paul 5, 7, 71.4, .429 3 range. good speed despite a bothersome hamstring. RF: forced passes
Brittany Travis, Chaska 0, 1, 0.0, .000 RF: still the hands need work. Not much clock in this game
Ari Johnson, Tartan 6, 7, 85.7, .429 NC Heat couldn't keep her off the offense glass. positioned herself well. RF: not as athletic as the other starters.
BENCH
Akilah Hudnell, DeLaSalle 3, 9, 33.3, .333 speed makes me take notice. defense/pressure is right on. RF: now the shooting and ball handling need to come up to speed. Free throw shooting needs improvement
Brittany Dyshaw, Eagan 4, 3, 133.3, .667 good frame. RF: can do more
Jamelia Hudnell, DeLaSalle 2, 1, 200.0, 1.000
Meghan Molitor, PACT 2, 2, 100.0, .500
Nicole Anderson, Cannon Falls 3, 4, 75.0, .500 a battler. defensive pest. RF: overall size.

TRENCH PLAYER
Tayler Hill wins the battle

BY THE NUMBERS
team, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
NC Heat 51, 58, 87.9, .448
Minnesota Total Package 46, 59, 78.0, .407
For a change both teams were above .400 in floor %. However the free throw % was fatal for TP 16/32 compared to NCH 21/26. Both teams really pounded the offensive boards, and did not prevent the other team from getting those boards. Both teams are guardcentric. They may have headaches against big squads later this summer.

This game followed the 16s and the contrast is pretty stark. These teams both have the quickness and speed, but the power and muscle and strength all belong at the 16s. Perhaps that is due to the added year in experience. I think it is all due to frames. The biggest frames on these teams spent time on the bench (Berner/hands, Travis/not able to play at the speed yet). They both will need more bigger bodies to compete next year at the National Level.

Next up tomorrow: A look at the Lynx game with the Connecticut Sun. Plus some surprises. Later in the day--A look at the 14 quarterfinals with Lakeville North vs MN Summit and North Tartan vs Brighton Stars

Out & About: MN Total Package/MN Stars Schmitz 15s

#2 posting 5.23.2006

This game took place Sunday, May 21 at Forest Lake
MN AAU 15 Semifinals
MN Total Package 44, MN Stars Schmitz 37

In a low scoring affair TP beat SS 44-37. TP was first on the board with Theairra Taylor, the jumping jack, scoring on a put back. Jessica Thone fired back with a trey from the left side. Neither team had any traction and both see sawed early. Both teams had problems scoring with SS enduring droughts of 5 twice, while TP had one 5 dry spell. SS did snap out of their offensive slumber with a scoring string of four in a row as they went on a 7-0 run. Brianna Mastey was asserting herself in the paint and she had five points in a row at this time. TP scrambled back to tie the game at 21 on a 8-4 run capped off by Carolyn Mobley's three from the top of the circle. At half it was tied 21 all with Brianna Mastey leading SS with 9, and Taylor pacing TP with 8.

TP came roaring out of halftime with four straight scoring possessions and a 9-0 run to grab a 30-21 lead. SS took their time out after the third possession, but the harrassing Nicole Anderson swiped the ball and scored the lay up to finish the run. The run began with a Mobley 3, and the next three possession scores were the result of turnovers and lay ups. TP maintained the lead for the rest of the game. SS started the half with an 0/6 run. Taylor made a great move to put TP up 35-23 the biggest lead of the day. This time TP had a dry patch with an 0/5 drought. SS matched that a bit later. The closest SS got was 42-35 with 2:07 left.

AAU ROSTERS

NUMBERS EXPLAINED

player, high school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
PLAYER EVALUATIONS
MN TOTAL PACKAGE
STARTERS
Theairra Taylor, St. Paul Como Park, 12, 9, 133.3, .667 a big time talent. good shake a bake moves, bursts of speed. spring in the step. aggressive and plays to win. RF: frame could get stronger. was hidden, but the spotlight will be shining on her...unknown no longer
Brittany Travis, Chaska, 0, 5, 0.0, .000 Big, decent frame. RF: needs to work on catching the ball
Ari Johnson, Tartan, 1, 6, 16.7, .167 RF: ball handling/decisions. forces 3s at times
Danielle Daniels, North St. Paul, 5, 4, 125.0, .500 Part of the Three Amigo speed demons. quick aggressive. RF: size post HS
Carolyn Mobley, North St. Paul 12, 11, 109.1, .545 arms & legs, good 3 range. Active and a hustler. RF: needs strength for post HS
BENCH
Brittany Dyshaw, Eagan 2, 8, 25.0, .125 decent size. exploded in one move to the glass. RF needs to get stronger, and as aggressive as the one move that made me take notice.
Jamelia Hudnell, DeLaSalle, 1, 5, 20.0, .200 quickness. RF: experience
Akilah Hudnell, DeLaSalle 3, 5, 60.0, .400 See above
Nicole Anderson, Cannon Falls 6, 7, 85.7, .571 very tough defender. a constant pain to the ballhandlers she guarded. RF: Needs to improve the free throw portion. If she is going to handle the ball, she will be fouled. 50% is not good enough.
Meghan Molitor, PACT 0, 2, 0.0, .000

MN STARS SCHMITZ
STARTERS
Abby Weiss, Martin County West 0, 7, 0.0, .000
Jessica Thone, Woodbury 8, 10, 80.0, .300 can hit the 3, but: RF: doesn't handle pressure well when dribbling. head down, spins. Forces 3 at times.
Brianna Mastey, Becker 14, 15, 93.3, .533 big body, steady, a workhorse. worked the boards. RF: foul issues
Sarah Hintz, Woodbury 2, 6, 33.3, .167 RF: in the shadows
Ali Schwartzwald, St. Francis 0, 3, 0.0, .000 RF: shot consistency
BENCH
Brittany Wiese, St. Michael-Albertville 2, 5, 40.0, .200
Marisa Yernatich, Duluth East 2, 6, 33.3, .167 RF: consistency outside
Nicole Mastey, Becker 9, 8, 112.5, .625 Brianna's twin. Just as big, decent inside. RF: passing choices. needs to be as aggressive as her sister, she has improved from early in December when if first saw her.
Sam Mehr, Eastview 0, 5, 0.0, .000 RF: Ball handling/decisions

TRENCH PLAYER
Theairra Taylor easy

BY THE NUMBERS
Team, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
MN Total Package 44, 63, 69.8, .365
MN Stars Schmitz 37, 65, 56.9, .292
The pressure TP put on SS gained them points in transition. The fact is offensive skills (ball handling, passing, shot selection) are not as strong as they can be. It is true players are going against better players (stronger, bigger, quicker), but the decisions on offense and execution has not risen to the occassion. This is true for all AAU. I am still waiting for the pp100 to get past 100, and for a team to crack .500 on the floor %. Individual players can and are the best of the best. Any time they are above 100 pp100 they have my attention. Any time they are above .500 on floor %, they have my attention. Of course I am not that wowed by a kid with three possessions, they better get these numbers with more than six, maybe closer to eight possessions.

Next up: 15u championship Total Package vs NC Heat later tonight.

Gopher Inquiry

#1 posting 5.23.2006
Your Daily Dose of Girls Basketball News & Information.

COACHING NEWS
MN
Travis Brown, former Sauk Rapids coach, is now the new coach at St. Cloud Cathedral. He replaces Jerry Cool Jr. Story is from the St. Cloud Times.

COACHING OPENINGS

COLLEGE NEWS
As was said by Strother Martin in the 1967 Paul Newman movie Cool Hand Luke "What we have here is a failure to communicate." That could also be used to describe the findings after a five week investigation in the Minnesota Gophers women's basketbal program by the athletic department. This is an article from the AP wire from the Grand Forks Herald.

Michigan State's Victoria Lucas-Perry is up for a spot on the 20u National team.

HAWAIIAN STATE TOURNAMENT
You can watch the last five seconds of the D2 finals, see Kalani get the trophy, and see Megan Kamehiro cut down the net. It was interesting, but it would have been better to be able to see the whole game, or at least a quarter. If you want to see it go to the Honolulu Advertiser. You need to have Quicktime installed.

MN STATE AAU TOURNAMENT FULL RESULTS
16
Quarters
North Tartan 42, Storm 40
MN Stars Tim 70, MN Summit Blue 50
MN Metro Stars Black 58, MN Metro Stars White 32
Triple Threat 60, North Tartan Blue 37
Consolation Round 1
MN Summit Blue 38, Storm 32
North Tartan Blue 66, MN Metro Stars White 34
Friendship Game
Storm 58, MN Metro Stars White 57
Semifinals
North Tartan 66, MN Stars Tim 34
Triple Threat 60, MN Metro Stars Black 56
Consolation Round 2
MN Metro Stars Black 56, MN Summit Blue 44
MN Stars Tim ?, North Tartan Blue ?
3rd Place
MN Stars Tim 73, MN Metro Stars Black 70
Championship
North Tartan 59, Triple Threat 42

15s
Pigtail game
43 Hoops Lady Elite 53, 43 Hoops Powell 50
Quarterfinals
NC Heat 46, 43 Hoops Lady Elite 36
MN Stars Antl 58, North Tartan 53
MN Stars Schmitz 73, Mpls Lady Lakers 30
MN Total Package 60, MN Metro Stars 52
Pig Tail Consolation
MN Metro Stars 67, Mpls Lady Lakers 52
Consolation Round 1
North Tartan 52, 43 Hoops Powell 32
MN Metro Stars 45, 43 Hoops Lady Elite 43
Semifinals
NC Heat 56, MN Stars Antl 48
MN Total Package 44, MN Stars Schmitz 37
Consolation Round 2
MN Stars Schmitz 49, North Tartan 34
MN Metro Stars 54, MN Stars Antl 51
Friendship Game
43 Hoops Powell 69, Mpls Lady Lakers 64
3rd Place
MN Stars vs MN Metro Stars in progress when I left
Championship
NC Heat 51, Total Package 46

14
Quarterfinals
Lakeville North 57, MN Summit 40
MN Stars Red 43, 43 Hoops Elite 28
MN Metro Stars 47, MN Stars White 22
North Tartan 44, Brighton Stars 38
Consolation Round 1
43 Hoops Elite 45, MN Summit 21
MN Stars White 41, Brighton Stars 37
Semifinals
MN Stars Red 52, Lakeville North 50
MN Metro Stars 57, North Tartan 53
Friendship Game
Brighton Stars 43, MN Summit 35
Consolation Round 2
North Tartan 47, 43 Hoops Elite 31
Lakeville North 60, MN Stars White 59 OT
3rd Place
Lakeville North 39, North Tartan 35
Championship
MN Metro Stars 52, MN Stars Red 39

Next up: Later today with the 15u semifinals between MN Stars Schmitz and Total Package and the finals between NC Heat and Total Package. Yesterday there were three postings with Thorpe, and the two 15u quarterfinal games.
Later this weekend (Memorial Day) I will name the All State teams for each of the age levels based on what I saw for the past three weeks.

Out & About: NC Heat/43 Hoops Lady Elite 15s

#3 posting 5.22.2006

This game took place on Saturday at Forest Lake
MN AAU 15u State Tournament Quarterfinals

NC Heat 46, 43 Hoops Lady Elite 36

43 HLE have some big players, but NCH has the quickness and speed to neutralize that height. But the entire game was a sputtering offensive production with NCH taking it on the chin at the line (see below). 43HLE held their last lead at 4-2. NCH went on a 16-5 run to take an 18-9 lead. NCH had a 4/5 string in the middle of the run. During this time 43HLE coach Trish Dornish, former St. Thomas coach, picked up a technical. NCH did not grab the opportunity as Tayler Hill made a free throw, but Brianne Edwards missed her shot. After NCH had that lead they didn't score the rest of the half. They shut down early with an 0/12 extreme drought. Nine of those possessions ended in missed shots, and actually there were three misses that were rebounded by NCH only to be missed again, so the total shooting % for the last half of the first half was 0/12. 43HLE did take some advantage of this opportunity, but only to the tune of 4/12 possession. Carly Rothfuz scored the last six points for 43HLE. There non scoring possessions were the result of 7 turnovers as they couldn't stand the Heat's pressure.

Megan Nipe finally ended the drought with a put back on Hill's missed free throw to open the half. 43HLE fell into another 0/7 possession hole with 4 turnovers ruining their chances. NCH put together a 4/5 possession string and had a 7-2 run. 7 of NCH's points in the second half came from 43HLE turnovers. By the end of the game NCH started getting into rhythm with an 8/12 possession run. Most of that was in transition.

AAU ROSTERS

NUMBERS EXPLAINED

player, high school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
PLAYER EVALUATIONS
NC HEAT
STARTERS
Tayler Hill, Mpls South 16, 14, 114.3, .643 Major talent. zooms by defenders, explosive and can break a defenders ankles. RF: distance shooting was off, her hand was dropping and the ball was off the back rim. Also free throw shooting must get better.
Annie Berner, Forest Lake 2, 5, 40.0, .200 has a wrist in a soft case. She is a warrior and has played all year with that cast on. She gets points from me for putting in the effort, but can't be that effective. The desire is there. RF: needs to heal properly. It will be interesting to see her with two hands.
Ephesia Holmes, Mpls South 9, 13, 69.2, .308 built like Khalid Al-Amin. used to success. RF: Needs to understand what she is capable of and what she isn't. AAU players are much bigger, stronger, as quick.
Megan Nipe, Centennial, 9, 10, 90.0, .500 crashes offensive boards. decent shot. active on defense.
Gina Lange, Forest Lake 6, 10, 60.0, .300 had a reverse layup. RF: needs to cash in at the line (0/4)
BENCH
Brianne Edwards, Mpls North 4, 8, 50.0, .250
Courtney Johnson, South St. Paul, 0, 1, 0.0, .000

43 HOOPS LADY ELITE
STARTERS
Janie Burich, Roseville 2, 5, 40.0, .200 big body. RF: needs aggressive demeanor
Katya Leick, Park-Cottage Grove 7, 15, 46.7, .267 big body. RF: passing decisions
Courtney Krantz, Visitation, 5, 6, 83.3, .500 another big body. RF: experience in the fast lane
Carly Rothfuz, Eden Prairie 12, 8, 150.0, .750 can take it to the hoop, gets hit and scores. active on defense with steal and score.
Theresa Thour, Wayzata 0, 8, 0.0, .000 RF: obvious shot consistency
BENCH
Sarah Hendricks, Cretin-Derham Hall, 6, 7, 85.7, .429 another big body. good upside. RF: needs to assert more on offense.
Liz Shea, Mpls Washburn 2, 7, 28.6, .143
Kendra Harris, Cretin-Derham Hall 2, 1, 200.0, 1.000
Taylor Brown, Chaska 0, 2, 0.0, .000

TRENCH PLAYER
Tayler Hill, who else did you expect?

BY THE NUMBERS
team, points, possessions, pp100, floor %
NC Heat 46, 61, 75.4, .393
43 Hoops Lady Elite 36, 60, 60.0, .317
the pp100 numbers and the floor % numbers are not good. I think we can thank the rotten free throw shooting for the low showing. NCH shot 7/19 (36.8) that is only a couple degrees above freezing. 43HLE was at 6/11 which was barely above .500. As the years go on 43HLE has some upside, while NCH bodies will not get bigger. 43HLE will get experience.
Some may want to credit the defenses, but I believe offensive skills on an individual and on a team level are not where they need to be. Some players have good (or great) offensive skills. The team portion has not impressed me that much this AAU season. Part of that is the nature of AAU--few practices, new chemistry, no flow of the game with too many subs.

Next up: tomorrow morning plus tomorrow evening with the 15 semis (Total Package/MN Stars Schmitz) and 15 finals (NC Heat/Total Package)