Brighton Loses Again, Trench Players, Bad Days, Blessed Events

#2 posting 8.31.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

BRIGHTON LOSES AGAIN
#1 Brighton has had a rough week, and they probably don't want to play any Saginaw teams anymore as they lost to Saginaw Swan Valley 59-50 in overtime on Wednesday. Brighton lost to Saginaw Nouvel Catholic on Monday. You can either read the game account in the Saginaw News or in the Ann Arbor News. By the way Nouvel Catholic won the tournament in convincing fashion over Saginaw Heritage 59-33.
Another team that my spies say to pay attention to--Saginaw Arthur Hill--won their first contest of the year over Flint Northern 51-31. A few more games are also included in the story from the Saginaw News.

Class C Champ Houghton hasn't been bitten by the Brighton bug as they won for the second time 57-45 over L'Anse. Senior Brooke Asiala led the way with 17 points. More from the Houghton Mining Gazette.

Marquette rallied to beat Traverse City Central 52-42. Story from the Marquette Mining Journal

NO PARADE
No one, at least in the online papers I checked over, reached the magical 25 point mark. I think I might have to lower the total to 22.

RECRUITING TRENDS
Women's Hoop Blog shows that the NCAA is now trying to limit text messaging. The Ivys want a ban entirely.

TRENCH PLAYERS AND PLAYERS OF THE GAME
How do I choose the trench player of the game? Usually it is who is most productive over the course of a game, but I will go with a difference maker when the game is tight and a player injects herself into the game and changes the course of events. I pick a player that I would want in the trenches with me: someone smart, resourceful, play with a sense of urgency and are able to get the job done. That eliminates players that are inconsistent, make stupid mistakes, are lackadaisical and choke when the whole world is watching. The folks at the Wages of Wins Blog also have their formula for picking a player of the game. It ain't all about the points.

Speaking of players of the game--check out True Hoop blog. They talk about who is the biggest NBA star using Google Trends.

HAVING A BAD DAY
The WOW blog also has a nice piece about having a bad game. Everyone pulls a stinker once in a while. I generally look at how the player responds to bad situations. Everyone looks good when things are going right. The true person comes out in adversity. Now we will se how former #1 Brighton responds to two losses they weren't expecting. Or is it true they may have been a tad bit overrated?

CELEBRITY BLOTTER
We will close with the news that Arizona Cardinal Quarterback Matt Leinert, USC Heisman winner, and USC basketball player Brynn Cameron are expecting a baby boy. What does papa Cameron think? read about the blessed event in the Ventura County Star. Cameron won't be the only player missing in action this year for USC.

VERBALS

HS TRANSFERS

COACHING OPENINGS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. . Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow morning.

Unity Christian Overpowers, Lansing Previews

#1 posting 8.31.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MICHIGAN GAMES
Unity Christian was the more physical team in a 43-35 win over Lowell. More from the Grand Rapids Press. Also featured in the GR Press is the father/daughter combination of Coach Scott Soodsma and senior guard Amber. Unity Christian finished second in the B tournament last year.
Auburn Hills Avondale opened strong with a 54-33 win over Troy. Sade Johnson had 17 in the win. This game and some more briefs synopsis found in the Detroit News.
Lansing Waverly dropped Lansing Everett 50-33. In the Lansing State Journal
Reniesha George hit the game winner for Lansing Eastern in a 52-51 win over Williamston.
Steph Bolman made a shot in the paint with four seconds left in overtime to propel Webberville to a 43-41 win over Potterville on Monday.
Portage Northern downed Battle Creek Central 50-43, and they had to comeback to do it. More in the Kalamazoo Gazette.
Lansing Sexton beat Lakewood 51-46 in the Tip Off classic. story from the Ionia Sentinel-Standard.
Hamilton beat Holland Christian 31-29 in the finals of the Lakeshore Charity Classic. again from the GR Press.
The Mount Pleasant Morning Sun delves into the games in that locale.

MICHIGAN PREVIEWS
The Lansing State Journal reviews teams and lists 10 players to keep an eye on for the 2006 season.
Also featured is many Mid Michigan teams trying to rebuild and replace seniors from last year. They also list their top 10 teams in their coverage area for both large and small schools.

VERBALS

HS TRANSFERS

NEVER ENDING COURT BATTLES
And I am not talking about the basketball court, but the court of law. The Michigan HS Athletic Association have asked for a a review of the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals decision to force the MHSAA to switch the volleyball and basketball seasons. More from the Detroit Free Press.

MERGERS
MN
Kittson Central and Kittson County North will be combining this winter in girls basketball. The new combination will be Kittson County Central. Kittson Central won the class A tournament in 2002. They should have a strong contingent this winter. Here is the Grand Forks Herald with the story.

COACHING NEWS
SD
Levi Klippenstein will be the new coach at Hot Springs. He is a Hot Springs grad and went to college at Chadron State.

COACHING OPENINGS

ADIDAS FALL FINISH
The Hawaiian team Aloha is getting ready for the Adidas Fall Finish tournament. Big Island players were highlighted in an article by the Kauai Garden Island paper.

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. . Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: Perhaps later today with the Point parade.

Whalen to Join Gopher Staff

#3 posting 8.30.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

WHALEN ON GOPHER STAFF
Lindsey Whalen, former Gopher All American, and current player for the WNBA Connecticut Sun, will join the staff as an administrative assistant. Her main focus will be building community relations. This is a definite boost for Minnesota. Here is the Gopher press release on the hire. The Women's Hoops Blog speculates on Whalen's chances to join the National Team.

Next up: tomorrow morning unless some other big news comes along.

Houghton Rolls

#2 posting 8.30.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

GAME REPORTS
Defending C Champion Houghton had no problems with a 63-16 win over Baraga. And they did it without point guard Alyssa Polso who will be out with a knee injury perhaps for the year. Story from the Houghton Mining Gazette.

Amy Gall, former Goodrich assistant and current first year Davison coach, lost a match up with her former team last night , and it wasn't very close 68-36.

POINT PARADE
For those of you that don't know-you need to score 25 or more to make the list. Michigan divides it schools in four classes A being the largest to D being the lowest.
If there is someone missing, please email me and we will get the news up. Go to my profile and email me.

Games from 8/29/2006
A
Danielle Davis, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills 30 vs GR Forest Hills Central 60-44
Chelsey Jackson, Flint Central 28 vs Pontiac Central 51-64
Laura Longmire, Muskegon 26 vs Muskegon Catholic Central 56-67
Brittany Williams, Warren Lincoln 26 vs Milan 65-67
B
Japera English, Detroit University Prep 28 vs Marine City Cardinal Mooney 67-59
Joi Jennings, Detroit University Prep 26 vs Marine City Cardinal Mooney 67-59
C
Jaylin Feldt, Muskegon Catholic Central 26 vs Muskegon 67-56
Amanda Tipton, Burton Bentley 25 vs Beecher 60-54

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFERS

VERBALS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. . Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow morning

Ladywood Upsets Loy Norrix

#1 posting 8.30.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

GAME REVIEWS: FAVORITES DROPPED
Livonia Ladywood knocked off Kalamazoo Loy Norrix and Cetera Washington 49-37 in the championship game of the Loy Norrix tip off. The Michigan State recruit managed only nine points. Story from the Kalamazoo Gazette.
Lakewood upset host Portland in their tip off tournament 36-34. Story in the Ionia Sentinel-Standard.
Ottawa Hills took out Forest Hills Central 60-44. story from the Grand Rapids Press.

ANOTHER HOME
Walled Lake Western gym isn't ready so they played their "home" game at Walled Lake Central. They won there too against South Lyon 51-29. This is from the wrap of Detroit Free Press.
St. Clair opened their season with a 48-40 victory over Flint Hamady. More wraps from the Detroit News.
Bianca Barton, Bloomfield Hills Roeper, had her car stolen before the game with Utica Eisenhower, and therefore missed the first quarter. Without her ball handling BHR had 8 turnovers, and never recovered in a 39-23 loss. From the Detroit News.
Grand Rapids Press has boxes on yesterdays games.

PREVIEWS
The Monroe News takes a look at St. Mary's Catholic Central along with some neighbors.

My spies in Michigan say that Saginaw Arthur Hill has been impressive. With the losses to Brighton and Kalamazoo Loy Norrix look for SAH to move up in the polls.

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFERS

SIGNINGS/VERBALS
Jackie Artise, a 5-5 guard has signed with UM Crookston. Artise played last year at Point Park University. She started 16 games and averaged 8.4 ppg on a 5-19 team. She played her high school ball at North East, PA. Here is the UMC press release.

VERBALS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. . Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: later today with a full point parade and more late Tuesday Results from Michigan.

#1 Brighton Loses

#1 posting 8.29.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MICHIGAN OPENERS
#1 Brighton was dropped by Saginaw Nouvel 75-60. They had 12 turnovers in the first quarter which did not help matters. It is the second game covered in the Livingston Press & Argus.
Northview beat Rockford 60-49 in overtime. Maddie Burnett led Northview with 16. From the Grand Rapids Press.
Rogers cameback from a 7 point deficit in a 46-43 win over Tri-Unity Christian. GRP
Scroll way to the end to read about three games in the Battle Creek Enquirer.
West Catholic beat East Kentwood 60-55
Grand Haven coach Katie Kowalczyk-Fulmer won her homecoming as the Caledonia grad beat her alma mater 38-31.
Like Reading Boxes? Here is the Grand Rapids Press area coverage.

POINT PARADE
I will again go through the paraders. I will use 25 as the cut off point
A
Emily Joseph, Utica Ford 27 vs Harrison Twp L'Anse Creuse 62-19
Kendra Anderson, East Kentwood 26 vs GR West Catholic 55-60
B
Taylor Prior, Armada 32 vs New Haven 44-38 (story from Port Huron Times-Herald)
REBOUND PARADE
B
Taylor Prior, Armada 20 vs New Haven 44-38

MICHIGAN PREVIEWS
Merrill & Freeland have previews in the Midland Daily News.
The Marquette Mining Journal highlights teams in the Mid Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula.
Gaylord is featured in the Gaylord Herald Times.
Gaylord St. Mary's is looking to defend it's Ski Valley Title--from the GHT
Ida is favored in the LCAA conference. The Adrian Daily Telegram explains.
Pennfield has it's season previewed in the Battle Creek Enquirer.

PERFECT SEASONS
There are many things that can derail a perfect season. Here is the Grand Rapids Press on why some teams don't put this one down on the goal sheet.

COACHING NEWS
MI
One reason coaches in Michigan don't like the season switch: they coach both boys and girls. Here are some other reasons from the Ann Arbor News
MN
Carl Scales will be the new coach at Eagan. Scales coached Metro Stars White 16s this season. He was a sophomore coach at Hopkins for four years, and last year he was an assistant with the boys at Eastview.

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFERS
ND
Shanlee Taken Alive and Marlee Finley are both attending four time A champion Mandan.
Taken Alive, a three year starter at McLaughlin, SD moved to Mandan in January. The 5-9 guard had close to 1000 points before moving.
Finley is from Four Winds-Warwick. The 5-11 guard/forward has been the mainstay at FWW and averaged a double double in the 2006 North American Indigenous Games in leading her team to second place in the 17-19 division.

HS TRANSFERS

VERBALS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. . Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up:
Tomorrow morning as Michigan gets under way in a serious way.

Kalamazoo Previews

#1 posting 8.28.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MICHIGAN PREVIEW
The Kalamazoo Gazette lists 10 players to watch in their coverage area and then goes team by team in their coverage area. It looks like there is 23 pages on this article so pull up a cool beverage and dig in.

Here is what the Lenawee Daily Telegram has to say about the TriCounty race. Sand Creek won it last year, Coaches think close to five could win this season.

The Press & Guide spotlights Dearborn Divine Child

SCORECARD
Here is the State by State totals for D1 so far, with the HS Classification as well.
IOWA 7: 1 Juco, 6 HS--2 from 4A, 2 from 3A, and 2 from 2A
MICHIGAN 5: 3 from A (largest class), 2 from C
MINNESOTA 5: 2 from AAAA, 2 from AAA, and 1 from A
WISCONSIN 4: 2 from D1, 1 from D2, and 1 from D3
SOUTH DAKOTA 3: 2 from AA, 1 from A
NORTH DAKOTA 2: 1 A, 1 B

For 2007 total D1 & D2 committments Minnesota has 9
If you add in future classes Minnesota still leads with 10


VERBALS

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFERS

HALL OF FAME
Vivian Stringer, ex-Iowa coach, and current Rutgers coach, will be inducted into the Hawkeye Hall of Fame on Saturday. Iowa made the final four in 1993. Article is from the Daily Iowan.

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. . Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow morning

Cetera Etcetera

#1 posting 8.27.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

CETERA WASHINGTON
CW of Kalamazoo Loy Norrix is the subject of an article in the Kalamazoo Gazette. She already has made a verbal to Michigan State. She was named player #2 in the Detroit Free Press ranking.

VERBALS

MICHIGAN PREVIEWS
Flint Journal has previews of all the main conferences: Big Nine, City, Genesee Area Blue, Genesee Area Red, Metro, and the proverbial others.
Simone Trice once hated the idea of going to Flint Northwestern, but it turned out that mom knew what she was doing. Another story from the Flint Journal.

The Saginaw News has plenty of previews from their area.

Bay City All Saints coach Terry Coburn wants to extend the season a few more games this year. The Bay City Times finishes the story.

St. Clair has been a power lately and they have height. Here is more on St. Clair and the other teams in the Blue Water area from the Port Huron Times-Herald.

COACHING OPENINGS

ADIDAS FALL FINISH
HI
Hawaii will be sending a team to the Adidas Fall Finish this year in Indiana. The team dubbed Team Aloha will be making the states first appearance. The headliner will be Shawna-Lei Kuehu of Punahou. This is all the brainchild of Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann. Two versions of the same tale from the Honolulu Star Bulletin or the Honolulu Advertiser.

HS TRANSFERS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. . Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow morning

Stohlmann to Assist at Gustavus

#1 posting 8.26.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

STOHLMANN NEW GUSTAVUS ASSISTANT
Naomi Stohlmann has been named assistant coach at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter. She graduated from Concordia St. Paul in '97. She coached at SPA, and Minnetonka as an assistant. She then was an assistant at North Dakota State. This is the Gustavus press release.

COACHING OPENINGS

BOOKS ON A SHELF
The Wages of Wins blog talks about Basketball on Paper, and another book Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations. It is primarily an economic book while BoP zeros in strictly on sports. Wages of Wins is both a sport and Economic book.

VERBALS

HS TRANSFERS

Thinnest posting ever.

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. . Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up tomorrow.

Wilka Verbals

#1 posting 8.25.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

WILKA VERBALS
Tessa Wilka, Sioux Falls O'Gorman has made a verbal to North Dakota State. She is the second player within the week to commit to NDSU. She will be joining MN Stars Summer teammate Amy Kallemeyn there. The 6-0 perimeter player also played on the SD Riders this summer. Both are featured in a Fargo Forum article. Wilka stands alone in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

THEISEN VERBAL
Jenny Theisen, Champlin Park made a verbal a few weeks ago to MN State Moorhead. Now they have posted it in the Fargo Forum.

VERBALS

CONFERENCE NEWS
Both South Dakota State and North Dakota State will soon learn their conference fate. The Midcontinent conference is evaluating the two. Here is more from the SF AL.

MICHIGAN PREVIEWS
Here are some more team previews
Allen Park Cabrini, Gabriel Richard, Taylor Light & Life, & Mount Carmel are featured in the Southgate News-Herald.
Gibraltar Carlson, and Taylor Kennedy share a spot in the Southgate's coverage. Southgate Anderson, Wyandotte Roosevelt, Lincoln Park and Romulus are the Southgate's foursome. River Rouge and Melvindale share the same billing in another Southgate NH preview. Allen Park, Trenton and Taylor Truman finish off the SNH previews.
Grosse Ile is featured in the Grosse Ile Camera.

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFER
Katrina Brekke will be attending East Grand Forks. She played last year at Cavalier, North Dakota. She averaged 8.4 ppg last year.

HS TRANSFERS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. . Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow morning.

Brighton #1 in Michigan, Grand Rapids Previews

#1 posting 8.24.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

BRIGHTON #1
Brighton is the #1 team according to the Detroit Free Press. Brighton may have four DI players on the court. The Free Press also lists 24 more teams.

MICHIGAN PREVIEWS
Saginaw area teams are previewed (Nouvel Catholic, Heritage, plus some conference races) in the Saginaw News.
ReShawnda Jackson is coming back to Saginaw Arthur Hill. Last year she moved to Texas. They also will have another transfer Brittany Dorsey, they say she is from Mississippi, but there also was a BD that played at St. Paul Highland Park last year. Again another story from the Saginaw News.
The Observer and Eccentric newspaper chain has plenty of previews today:
Lakeland gets the once over in the Observer and Eccentric newspaper. They will be trying to chase Brighton in the Kensington Valley Conference. Novi is chronicled in the same paper, but you have to scroll past football to get there. South Lyon. Northville also have previews.
The Bay City Times previews Bangor John Glenn.

GRAND RAPIDS AREA PREVIEWS
In the Grand Rapids area Kent City is the #1 team. Here is the rest of the top teams and top players from the GR Press. Fellow columnist Jeff Chaney has Rockford #1.
Veteran coach Colleen Lamoreaux-Tate has a new gig at Grand Rapids Catholic Central. She only has one returning starter. This story is from the Grand Rapids Press along with previews on GR Central, Union, Ottawa Hills, Creston, West Catholic, and Gateway.
More GR Press previews--this time Belding, Cedar Springs. Greenville, Northview, Rockford & TriCounty.
Unity Christian and Carrie Snikkers are featured in the next batch of previews in the GR Press.
Grandville, Alllendale, Jenison, Hudsonville, and Calvin Christian round out the next GRP previews.
Up next Wayland, South Christian, Middleville, Hastings, Caledonia, and East Kentwood are in preview parade.
Next is the coaching carousel at East Grand Rapids with their fourth coach in four years, with more previews of Forest Hills Central, Eastern, and Northern; Ionia; Lakewood, Lowell; Northpointe Christian and Saranac.
Byron Center's Brooke Carter is looking for an elusive title.
Jamillya Hardley is featured in an article in the GRP.
Comstock Park, Coopersville, Kenowa Hills, Sparta and Ravenna are next in the parade.

Here is a story in the Muskegon Chronicle about Kristi Boehm of Kent City.
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port has had to deal with the injury to their best player Kaycee Damm. She was in a car accident before the second practice of the year. Here is the Huron Daily Tribune with more on Damm and how EPBP is coping. Another story from the Bay City Times.

VERBALS

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFERS

Next up: tomorrow afternoon.

Kallemeyn, Michelson Verbals

#2 posting 8.23.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

Too much news was going on today, that is why you get a second dose. I couldn't get to my email until now since I did the original posting on another computer.

VERBALS
Macie Michelson, Marshall has made a verbal to South Dakota State. Marshall finished second in the state in AAA last season. Michelson averaged 15.5 ppg for the Tigers. The point guard also played for the Girls Basketball Recruit Summer team of the year North Tartan 16s this summer. Here is more from the Marshall Independent.
Amy Kallemeyn, Edgerton has made a verbal to North Dakota State. She averaged 27 points a game last season. She played summer ball with the Minnesota Stars.

With these two verbals MN has 9 for the 2007 class and now is in the lead. Iowa has 7, with 6 of them HS players which is good for second place.

VERBALS

COACHING NEWS
MN
Bill Kunze has been hired at Duluth East. His brother Bob coached the East boys to 2nd in the AAAA State finals in 2001. Bill was the boys coach at Cloquet. More from the Duluth News Tribune, but you have to get past the boxing story.

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFERS
Amanda Viehauser has left Minneapolis Washburn for Robbinsdale Armstrong. She is the second Washburn player to leave after last season. Patrice Thomas left for Bloomington Kennedy earlier. Washburn used to have Porsha Zimmerman and Kiara Strickland on their roster when those two were younger.

HS TRANSFERS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. All these stories came from readers. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow afternoon, really. Unless some more big news breaks.

Michigan Top 25 Players

#1 posting 8.23.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MICHIGAN TOP 25 PLAYERS
This is a list of the top 25 players by the Detroit Free Press. In fact they list 100. #1 on the list Kellie Watson is the subject of two articles in two different papers today again with the Free Press and with her hometown paper the Ionia Sentinel-Standard . I am happy to say my streak continues. I had Watson the #1 player in the 2008 class in Michigan last year, and in fact in all the states I cover. My publications will be coming out at some point in October.

VERBALS

MICHIGAN TEAM PREVIEW
Essexville Garber is the subject of a preview from the Bay City Times.

COACHING NEWS
MN
John Fenske, Kingsland coach, is now wearing another hat. He is the new athletic director at Kingsland. He still will be coaching the girls. Here is the Spring Valley Tribune with more.
Mike Barger has been named coach at Mankato East replacing Lyle Jones.

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFERS

COLLEGE SCHEDULES
Both Minnesota and Wisconsin have released their schedules for the upcoming year.

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow afternoon

DiCecco's Surgery

#1 posting 8.22.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

DI CECCO'S QUADRUPLE BYPASS
Northern Iowa's Head Coach Tony DiCecco had quadruple bypass surgery on Friday. He had tests prior to this and was told he needed a stent. Read more about Coach DiCecco and his recovery timetable in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. More in the Des Moines Register

LEADERSHIP
Bay City Western HS, Michigan took part in a leadership and team building excercise at Central Michigan. Here is more on the event from the Central Michigan press release, and more from the Leadership Institute.

SIGNINGS
MI
JJ Alexander, Mendon will be attending Glen Oaks CC this fall. She averaged 14.5 ppg last year. Here is more on Alexander and her decision in the Sturgis Journal.

MORE LOF
Here is the Grand Forks Herald on the verbal made by Detroit Lakes player Corey Lof to the University of North Dakota.

VERBALS

BIG 10 SEASON
Wisconsin has released it's schedule for the upcoming year. The Capital Times has indicated that the early road trip will be the key sequence of games for the Badgers.

WINNING & THE NBA
The Wages of Wins blog is going through what each NBA team did last year and how their players produced. They start in alphabetical order with the Atlanta Hawks.

POLICE BLOTTER
Arrowhead coach Ron Reichle comments have been chronciled here before. Here is another article with more details, this time by the Lake Country Report on the harrassment complaint filed by a former player.

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFERS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow afternoon

Lof Verbals

#1 posting 8.21.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

LOF VERBALS
Corey Lof, Detroit Lakes, MN, made a verbal to North Dakota last night. The 6-0 forward scored 12 ppg this past season. UND is moving up to the D1 level. Lof is the 7th player in 2007 to make an early commitment. She is the 3rd to committ to a D1 program. So far Iowa has six players headed to D1 programs. Here is more from the Fargo Forum.

VERBALS

MORE MICHIGAN SWITCH STORIES
The Port Huron Times-Herald says enough already and just switch. It is time to move on.

IOWA WOMEN RAISE MONEY FOR READERS
The Iowa Hawkeye Women's team raised money for First Book of Johnson County. Team members read books at the Barnes & Noble at the Coral Ridge Mall. More about the program in the Daily Iowan.

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFERS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow afternoon

Comparisons: HS/AAU & More

#2 posting 8.20.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COMPARISONS
Today we will look at numbers from the seasons just concluded, compare & contrast, and then offer up suggestions to make next summer better.

First off let us look at the numbers
Level of play, points per game, possessions per game, pp100, floor %
Minnesota HS 54.77, 66.1, 82.91, .404
Iowa HS 48.66, 58.36, 83.36, .407
JUCO 66.3, 79.9, 82.98, .395
AAU 49.13, 60.6, 81.04, .391
Lynx 74.15, 77.29, 95.93, .459

You would hope the pros would have a higher pp100 and floor % and they do, but this is from a team that was 10-24. Defensively the Lynx gave up 103.76 and a floor % of .485. So you can see the difference between being on top and the bottom in the WNBA is narrow.

In general HS ball had better pp100 and floor % than AAU. Why? practice, practice, practice. I also think that on these AAU teams all these wonderful scorers are loaded on a team and the pedigrees are impressive, but the role players are few and far between, or they are slow in developing.

The Iowa information is only state tournament information when I was there, and it should be remembered that MN played 36 minutes last year, not 32. So if we break it down in points per minute it looks like this
Minnesota 1.5214
Iowa 1.5206
Pretty close. Add in possessions per minute
Minnesota 1.8361
Iowa 1.8238
and MN is playing a slightly faster paced game.
If we break down the MN and AAU numbers down by class
A 54.19, 67, 80.82, .393
AA 56.94, 68.1, 83.58, .403
AAA 52.98, 65.8, 80.55, .396
AAAA 55.15, 65.1, 84.72, .412
It is evident that the higher the class, the better the teams. More pp100, better floor %, and less possessions all point in that direction.
The same can be said for age classifications in AAU
16+ 49.51, 59.9, 82.62, .395
15 47.95, 62.21, 77.07, .387
14 47.11, 65.44, 71.99, .358
Again the older players better be more skilled than their younger sisters. Right down the line again--better pp100, better floor %, less possessions. This is probably due to better ball handling and passing decisions.
But still the HS teams are higher than the AAU on average. Is it true for the better teams?

TEAM COMPARISONS
We look at a couple of teams from each season. In HS I have chosen Hopkins, and Bloomington Kennedy, the two finalists in the AAAA tournament in Minnesota. Hopkins won the title, and they did it on defense. I am also tossing in the GBB Recruit summer team of the year (North Tartan) and offensive team of the year (SD Elite). Here are the numbers with the defensive pp100, and defensive floor % second.
Hopkins 97.69, .493, 78.41, .364
Kennedy 102.92, .487, 85.29, .400
North Tartan 97.77, .468, 64.24, .313
SD Elite 108.01, .471, 78.06, .363
As you can see pretty similar numbers throughout. The North Tartan defense was suffocating (just ask New Mexico Heat Elite). Hopkins put up the best floor % numbers on offense. I think the reason they don't have a better pp100 was probably due to the missed free throws--they didn't max out their points on the possession.

PLAYER COMPARISONS
First off congratulations to Seimone Augustus of the Lynx for being named WNBA rookie of the year. I don't even see how it could be debated. If Cappie Pondexter and Augustus were switched, Phoenix would have made the playoffs.
Anyway here are the numbers for Augustus 113.76 pp100, .549. No other Lynx made it past 100 ppg or .500 playing full time. Chandi Jones did make 154.55, and .636 in a limited injury plagued year.
Now let us look at the numbers for the HS and AAU players
Jillian Schurle, Hopkins had the best HS numbers last year 132.7, .660
Jill Young, SD Elite summer player of the year named by GBB Recruit was 135.9, and .538. It must be the year of the Jill. Young's numbers on the floor % were a bit lower due to the 3s attempted.

So the players numbers in HS and AAU are comparable, but their is one big difference: HS players might not go up against strong players night in and night out. Which leads us to the differences

I understand why recruiters like AAU
1. They can plant their rear end down and watch many different kids
2. The speed of the game is faster than in HS
3. Bigger bodies, in general.
4. They also don't have to travel down ice slicked highways to a country crossroad. They can watch in sandals.
but I think HS is more like college than AAU
1. you have conference play where you know your opponents, their tendancies, their tricks. In AAU you are flying blind at times.
2. You are only playing one game a day. Four games in a day in AAU in sauna like conditions is probably not the best indicator if they can play. Can you imagine the NCAA DI tournament held on a weekend?
3. You are practicing every day or more. In AAU you are lucky to get your squad together at one time with all the spring distractions. That is why AAU numbers are down in pp100 and floor %--lack of practice time together. I do not credit defense for the lower numbers, but lack of familiarity with their teammates.

HOW TO IMPROVE SUMMER
Tournaments
1. have air conditioned gyms if possible
2. schedule the finals of all ages/classes so the fans can see them.
3. have rosters/programs available. Actually this was pretty good for the month of July.
4. don't sic the dogs on the poor reporter trying to get information. I have to say I was treated well by most tournaments, but two need to improve their people skills.

Teams
1. get a website with all the information available on your team. This is 2006, not 1966.
2. get uniforms with nice contrasting colors. One team had uniforms that were impossible to read because the colors were too close. White on a dark color. or Black on a light, very light color will work.
3. get uniforms with your name on the back. That way we won't have to keep referring to the program. It shows a classy organization.
4. scheduling tournaments. If x is good it doesn't mean 10x is ten times as good. Perhaps two tournaments in July should do the trick. Some one will see them. Some teams and players were just dragging by the end.
5. get practice time and players that can be there. I am not in favor of forcing kids to pick one sport and I am not in favor of raiding the spring HS sports.

Structure
1. Have a real national tournament. I am tired of reading about this or that tournament when the best players and teams aren't even there. Every state should be at a national tournament. Make that tournament the last weekend in July. And only send one team from each state. Then the state tournaments will be ferocious, and you will get an undisputed national champ.
2. Get rid of the age divisions and go with graduating class. Why should they be split up now? All the players will graduate and go off to college in the same year anyway. Age divisions are a relic from another age and dinosaurs refuse to do what is common sense because they have a vested interest in continuing down this dead end street.
3. push the start of AAU tryouts off the day after the State tournament. I was told of a school that had to delay their welcome home celebration due to the AAU tryouts. That is just plain wrong. Plus kids should be able to inhale and exhale for a moment to savor the season.

Players
1. look like you are having fun, and not like you are going to the mines.

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow afternoon with the general news of the day.

Selfless Act

#1 posting 8.20.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MICHIGAN SEASON SWITCH
More folks have opinions, usually all negative about the switch. Here are some letters to the editor from ordinary people in the Detroit Free Press. Another article in the Bay City Times echos many of the same concerns.

CAPITAL AREA SHOWCASE
September 13, the Breslin Center at Michigan State will be hosting the fifth annual Capital Area Showcase. There will be three games starting at 5:30 pm. 10 all area players will be playing in this event. Find out more in the Lansing State Journal.

SELFLESS ACT
Last season Becky Bosserd of Hope College volunteered to take herself off the roster before the NCAA DIII playoffs. Hope had 16 players, and only 15 could dress for the tournament. As a result of her actions, Rob Zaagman set up the Rebecca Bosserd Scholarship fund to any Hope student that shows that kind of spirit. Read more about the acts from the Grand Rapids Press.

Next up: later today with a comparison of the HS/AAU and WNBA numbers, and also a look at how to improve the summer experience.

Late Signings

#1 posting 8.19.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

SIGNINGS
UM Crookston has signed 5-7 guard Chrelle Hunter of Iowa Western CC, and Omaha Benson HS. Here is more on the signing in the Crookston Times.

Anoka-Ramsey will be playing this year after a one year hiatus. Love Washington, Blaine, Desiree Robinson, Osseo and Marlayna Graff, North Branch are some of the players that will be wearing AR uniforms this winter.

VERBALS

OPEN GYM
Anoka-Ramsey has open gym going on Sundays at 5 pm.

COACHING NEWS
ND
Trevor Yetterboe has been named the new coach at Four Winds-Warwick. He had been coaching at New Rockford since 2002. He was district 7 coach of the year in 2006. Here is more from the Devils Lake Journal.

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFERS

JOHNIKIN GRABS HONORS
Kelsey Johnikin, Sioux City West, has been named athlete of the year in the Sioux City Metro area. She will be headed to Jacksonville State in the fall on scholarship. Here is the SC Journal's article.

POLICE BLOTTER
WI
Coach Robert Schaefer has been accused of having sexual relations with a girl dating back to 1990. All this is alledged to have happened as Schaefer was teaching and coaching in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. Currently Schaefer is a coach at Luther North HS in Chicago. Here is more on the story from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow with general news of the day, and later a look at HS, AAU, and WNBA #s comparisions and how to make the summer better.

Watch What You Say

#1 posting 8.18.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MORE ON THE MICHIGAN SWITCH
The Muskegon Chronicle is not in favor of the switch. Apparently the lawsuit started with volleyball parents complaining about the lack of time for JO season. The Dowagiac Daily News chimes in on the change of seasons.

MICHIGAN TEAM PREVIEWS
Ionia with Kellie Watson is featured in their hometown Ionia Sentinel-Standard. Also in the ISS is Pewamo-Westphalia.

COACHING NEWS
SD
Michele Greene Klapprodt has been named the coach at Rapid City Stevens.

COACHING OPENINGS

VERBALS

HS TRANSFERS

POLICE BLOTTER
WI
Watch what you say. You don't want to read about this in the papers or on blogs. Here are some comments alledgedly made by Arrowhead coach Ron Reichle as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow with the general news of the day. On Sunday I will be evaluating summer, HS, and pro ball

Roysland Ready

#1 posting 8.17.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

ROYSLAND READY
Kelly Roysland is ready for her senior season at Minnesota. She traveled with the Gold Rush up to Fosston on Monday. Here is Roysland's story and the Gold Rush angle in the Crookston Times.

VERBALS
IA
Here is the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier with the recent verbal commitments from Rachel Madrigal, Decorah and Jacqui Kalin, Sioux City North. Both were teammates on the Iowa Select I team this summer. They will be joining teammate Erin Brocka, North Butler, who committed earlier in the summer. Madrigal was named to the Girls Basketball Recruit First Team last Sunday.

VERBALS

MICHIGAN TEAM PREVIEWS
Zeeland East from the Grand Rapids Press.

COACHING NEWS
MI
Steve Brown will be the new coach at Comstock Park. He previously coached the team nine years ago. More from the Grand Rapids Press.
WI
Lisa McKinley has been named the coach at Grantsburg.

COACHING OPENINGS

INVESTIGATION
WI
Arrowhead HS is under investigation for complaints about female athletics. The females do not get the equipment or publicity according to the complaint. Girls Basketball coach Ron Reichle is also under the microscope. This story is from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

POLICE BLOTTER
HI
Former Lanai coach Russel Zaban pleaded guilty to providing liquor to minors. The incident took place when his school went to Oahu in March 2005. Some more details of the case can be found in the Honolulu Star Bulletin.

SUMMER VS SCHOOL
There is an argument made to keep the summer open until school starts and then start practices and games. The Ironwood Daily Globe explores the issue. The MHSAA is instituting a seven day dead period next summer. This article is from the Warren paper.
FALL BALL
More on the Michigan season lawsuit can be found at the Detroit News. Most coaches like the system as it is. Here is the Battle Creek Enquirer with more on the issue.

HS TRANSFERS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow with the general news of the day. On Sunday I will be evaluating summer, HS, and pro ball

End of Fall Ball in Michigan?

#1 posting 8.16.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

END OF FALL BALL?
The 6th District court of appeals has ruled that the Michigan High School Athletic Association discriminates female athletes by having their basketball and volleyball seasons switched with the rest of the country. The ruling won't affect the 2006-07 year. This is an AP story posted on the Duluth News Tribune. The Detroit News talks about the MHSAA's vow to carry on the fight.

MORE MICHIGAN TEAM PREVIEWS
Saranac is highlighted along with new coach Dean Gage. Story is in the Ionia Sentinel-Standard.
Another school with a familiar new coach is Genesee with Eric Tinnin. Story is in the Flint Journal.

COACHING NEWS
IA
Bert Hansen will be the coach at Indianola. He had been the boys coach at the school before retiring with 531 wins in 2003. Here is more on the Hansen hire by the Des Moines Register.

COACHING OPENINGS

SIGNINGS
HAWAII
Hawaii Pacific University has signed seven players for its first season.
Kamia Smith, Radford pg 5-7
Shannon Mihaysiro, Roosevelt F 5-10
Kelly Morey, Clackamas CC G
Ashley Jenkins, Taft, CA CC F
Natalie Mitchell, Taft, CA CC G
Jocelyn Norris, Taft, CA CC C
Lauren Lawson, Current student at HPU
more found at Honolulu Star Bulletin.

VERBALS

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
IA
Kala Kuhlmann has been named female athlete of the year by the Des Moines Register and Sioux City Journal. These are two different awards with similar results and one winner. Her team won the 1A title in 2005. This year's team lost in the state semifinals. She will be headed to Nebraska.

JOLENE ANDERSON
Now that the 20u experience is over Jolene Anderson, Wisconsin she takes some time to go over future plans in an interview with the University of Wisconsin web site.

HS TRANSFERS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow afternoon with the general news of the day.

Helsper Verbal; Mich Practice Reports

#1 posting 8.15.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

VERBAL
SD
Liz Helsper, Brookings has made a verbal to Augustana. Helsper played on the SD Elite team and will join Megan Doyle, Hanson at Augustana. She is the third SD Elite player to verbal. Here is more from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.
MI
Chelsea Albert, Brighton 6-2 to Bowling Green
Shannon Murphy, Brighton G 5-7 to Florida Gulf Coast

VERBALS

SIGNING
Kristin Van Zee, Pella and Des Moines CC has signed with UM Crookston. She is a 6-3 center.

PLAYER MOVEMENTS
Chelsea Luehring has left Drake. She played HS ball at Grundy Center. Apparently she will be going to school in Colorado.

MICHIGAN PRACTICE OPENERS
Detroit Community, Brighton, and Auburn Hills Avondale are highlighted in this Detroit News article.
Manchester, Brighton again, and Ann Arbor Pioneer are highlighted in the Ann Arbor News.
William Winfield is back at his old job at Detroit King. He retired after last season, but is now unretired. He has a 543-48 record. A Detroit Free Press story.
The Grosse Point North has freshmen trying out for the varsity squad. More from the Detroit Free Press.

COACHING NEWS
COLLEGE
Chuck Evans, football coach at Iowa City Regina is now the Director of Women's basketball operations at Iowa. Here is the Iowa Press release with more.
MI
Sue Nissen is the new coach at Traverse City St. Francis. She played college ball at Central Michigan. She only took the job Sunday. Here is more from the Traverse City Record Eagle.
Calumet has had turmoil in the coaching ranks. Here is a Houghton Mining Gazeette story by Paul Peterson about the perils of coaching and weak administrators.

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFERS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow afternoon with the general news of the day.

Final Summer Tournaments

#2 posting 8.14.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

IOWA IRISH CHAMPS
A team of Iowans won the European Challenge tournament in Limerick Ireland on Sunday. The big gun was Jennifer Jorgensen of SE Webster with 26 points as they beat University of Limerick 44-36. Here is more from the Des Moines Register plus more on Rachel Madrigal and her verbal to Northern Iowa.

VERBALS

LITTLE FALLS AAU
Here is a story on the Little Falls AAU team. They finished 2nd in the state tournament and then went to Orlando to play in the Level 2 National tournament. They were the only school team mixed in with "all star" teams. Here is the Morrison County Record with more on the experience.

KUEHU'S SUMMER
Shawna Lei-Kuehu of two time champion Punahou had a big summer. She wound up playing for a California team. She made a nice transition to the perimeter there averaging 17 ppg. She has quite a bit of interest from the mainland including UConn. Here is the Honolulu Star Bulletin with more.

MICHIGAN OPENS
Today the Fall season opens as Michigan, the only state left playing in the fall, started practice. I am sure we will be seeing and reading a lot about this in the coming months.

COACHING NEWS
MN
White Bear Lake has hired Jeremy Post according to the MSHSL website. He had previously coached in the Forest Lake system with the boys.

COACHING OPENINGS

HS TRANSFERS
MN
Casey Christian of Shakopee will now go to school at Prior Lake.

HS TRANSFERS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: tomorrow afternoon with the news of the day.

A Look at the Lynx: No Spark

#1 posting 8.14.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

A LOOK AT THE LYNX: NO SPARK

The Lynx season ended officially in Southern California yesterday.

MINNESOTA
STARTERS
Amber Jacobs 6, 9, 66.7, .333
Seimone Augustus 11, 18, 61.1, .333
Svetlana Abrosimova 10, 11, 90.9, .364
Kristen Mann 6, 5, 120.0, .600
Nicole Ohlde 9, 10, 90.0, .500
BENCH
Vanessa Hayden 7, 11, 63.6, .364
Megan Duffy 8, 9, 88.9, .333
Tynesha Lewis 2, 2, 100.0, 1.000
Team 0, 1, 0.0, .000

LOS ANGELES
STARTERS
Temeka Johnson 4, 6, 66.7, .333
Tamara Moore 9, 5, 180.0, .800
Jessica Moore 4, 7, 57.1, .286
Mwadi Mabika 0, 0, 0.0, .000
Lisa Leslie 24, 22, 109.1, .636
BENCH
Murriel Page 14, 10, 140.0, .700
Lisa Willis 11, 9, 122.2, .400
Doneeka Hodges 4, 5, 80.0, .400
Brandi Davis 2, 2, 100.0, .500
Tiffany Stansbury 6, 7, 85.7, .429
team 0, 1, 0.0, .000

TRENCH PLAYER
Tamara Moore

BY THE NUMBERS
Minnesota 59, 76, 77.6, .382
Los Angeles 78, 74, 105.4, .527

The season is now over. The work at repairing or refurbishing the Lynx can now begin in earnest. The StarTribune goes over the weak spots. I would put defense #1 and not #5 in their list. The Strib also lists what needs to be done. I also think they need a post player that is effective. If Ohlde is a true four, then she is out of position now. Hayden is a back up. So look for a point and look for a post. Of course the first item on the shopping list is who will coach the team. Forget about looking in the collegiate ranks. Why would they leave their personal fiefdom? I would not be surprised to see recycled NBA types try their hand at the women's game. This seems to be the trend. But trying to get Brenda Frese, or Pat Summit, or Auriemma is a foolish dream.

As far as this game goes it ended in the second quarter. To sum it up LA was 9/11 their last 11 possessions. MN was the mirror opposite at 2/11.

Augustus had her secod worst day as a Lynx. If she wants to be playing in the playoffs in the month of Augustus, then she will need the quality help to get the job done.

Next up: the general news of the day.

Summer Awards

#2 posting 8.13.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

This is the first Girls Basketball Recruit Awards. I can only give out awards for things I saw during the Spring/Summer. Both team and players had to be seen a minimum of four times to make this list. The pp100s, floor %, and how well their teams played all factored into the decisions. I am sure some will be surprised at the selections, but the numbers are screaming at me.
We will look at tournaments, teams and Players

TOURNAMENTS
Best Tournament: Dakota Showcase--one game to focus on, air conditioning, strong field, plus they treated the media well.
Biggest Disappointments: No championship games in the Bloomington 16 AAU tournament in June, or the North Tartan Meltdown.

TEAMS
Top Offensive Team: South Dakota Elite. There average pp100 was 108.01 and a floor % of .471. They did all this scoring without the use of a post. Their prime weapon was the 3 as they made five straight 3s against Iowa Select I in the Dakota Showcase.
Top Defensive Team: North Tartan. They held opponents to 64.24 pp100 and their floor % was .310. Their top defensive gem came at the expense of the New Mexico Heat Elite. They held them to 26 straight non scoring possessions.
Top Team Offensive Game pp100: (open to all) Daubert Pinnacle Nebraska 133.85 pp100 vs South Dakota Riders in the Dakota Showcase.
Top Team Offensive Game floor %: Team WI 17 .615 vs TriState Storm in the Memorial Day Shoot out at Menomonie WI.
Lowest Team Defensive game pp100: 43 Hoops Elite held the Bluejackets to 29.78 pp100 in the MidTown Minneapolis tournament
Lowest Team Defensive Floor %: Triple Threat held Minneapolis Lady Lakers to .154 in the Great Lakes Shootout in Menomonie WI.
Best Comeback: North Tartan down 17 to NMHE when they put the clamps down for 26 long possessions in the North Tartan Meltdown.
Best HS Team: Champlin Park. They won the MN Sweet 16.
Most Players committed (so far): IBCA Iowa Select I with five: Kelsey Cermak, Iowa; Kelsey Bolte, Iowa State; and Erin Brocka, Rachel Madrigal, and Jacqui Kalin to Northern Iowa.
TEAM OF THE YEAR:
North Tartan 6-0, strong defense, good depth. big bodies. It was too bad NT never matched up with South Dakota Elite or Iowa Select I. Those would have been interesting games.

PLAYERS
Best one-two combination: Rebecca Friestleben and Melissa Fitz for MN Quest combined for 72.4% of the points in a win over Kansas Team Excel in the Adidas MidAmerican Shootout.
Best Clutch Buzzer Beater: Kesley Bolte, Iowa Select I vs Indiana Elite Open in the Adidas Mid America Shoot out.

GIRLS BASKETBALL RECRUIT ALL SUMMER TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Tayler Hill, NC Heat Heart and Soul of NC Heat. Scorer par excellance. Key moment: Dropping 3s vs Metro Stars Black in 66-53 win.
Alyssa Karel, North Tartan cool point guard for NT. Off to Wisconsin
Rachel Madrigal, IBCA Iowa Select I big guard that runs the floor and finishes. Also has 3 game. Off to Northern Iowa
Kristin Rotert, SD Elite another of the big perimeter players. tough enough to play inside. Off to South Dakota State
Jill Young, SD Elite snappy passer, great instincts, smooth shooter, does small things like getting in the way of cuts. Lifts everyone around to another level

SECOND TEAM
Kachine Alexander, Triple Threat quick, defensive minded, not afraid to mix it up
Talisha Barlow, Minneapolis Lady Lakers missed the early part of the year, but made up with a strong finish
Kelsey Bolte, IBCA Iowa Select I clutch shooter, the big perimeter trend holds true here too. Off to Iowa State
Val Schuster, Team WI 17 a rough and ready post player that has speed
Jenny Theisen, MN Metro Stars Black, Champlin Park 3 points from the corner signature shot. Off to MSU Moorhead.

HONORABLE MENTION
Kelsey Cermak, IBCA Iowa Select I
Hayley Darrington, Southern Minne Magic
Deena Ewert, North Tartan Blue
Jackie Kelley, North Tartan Blue
Brianna Mastey, Minnesota Stars Schmitz, Becker
Abby Plucker, SD Elite
Caitlin Rowland, North Tartan
Tera Steinbauer, North Tartan
Patrice Thomas, Triple Threat
Janessa Wolff, North Tartan

SPECIAL MENTIONS
Both Daubert Pinnacle Nebraska the team, and Kelsey Woodard the player should receive recognition for their good play. They won the Dakota Showcase giving SD Elite their only loss this summer.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jill Young For the summer had a 135.9 pp100 the highest. Floor % wasn't bad either at .538.

Here are some of the shots of the players from earlier this summer.
#1 Tayler Hill hitting a 3 vs Metro Stars Black. #2 Alyssa Karel passing to a oncoming Tera Steinbauer as Karel is falling out of bounds in a win over Metro Stars 19.

#3 Rachel Madrigal scoring on a back cut against North Tartan Blue. #4 Kristen Rotert going in for the layup. #5 Jill Young on a drive to the basket.



#6 Kachine Alexander scoring in transition. #7 Kelsey Bolte scoring on an out of bounds play. #8 Val Schuster scoring on a drive. #9 Jenny Theisen eyeing a 3. I didn't have a Barlow photo.



Next up: Tomorrow will be coming in the afternoon. In fact all the next few weeks will have afternoon postings.

20u FIBA Champs

#1 posting 8.13.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

20U CHAMPIONS
The 20u American national team obliterated the Bahamas on Friday 114-23. Jolene Anderson , Wisconsin, had 12 points in the victory. And in what was supposed to be the big test against Brazil the 20u team passed with flying colors 96-54. Anderson led all scorers with 17 in this contest. Here is the FIBA Americas tournament site where you can find out more on the other teams. Here is the article in the Michigan State Green & White on the gold medals won by Michigan State coach Joanne McCallie and Spartan Victoria Lucas-Perry.

COACHING NEWS
COLLEGE
UW Milwaukee has finished out their coaching staff. They recently hired Travis Brewster, former assistant at North Dakota, and Sheila Roux, former head coach at UM Crookston, as assistants, and Lindsay Bronson as video coordinator.
MI
Nick Greenwood has been hired at Newberry. Greenwood is a 1998 graduate from Newberry. He graduated from Lake Superior State for college. Here is the Marquette Mining Journal with more.
John Green is taking over at Saugatuck. He replaces Kevin Chipman, only girls coach Saugatuck has had. Green and the team are analyzed in the article in the Grand Rapids Press.

COACHING OPENINGS

THOMASMA TO KALAMAZOO
MI
Sarah Thomasma, Sturgis '06 will be attending Kalamazoo this fall. The 6-0 center was deciding between Kalamazoo and Hope. Here is more about the decision in the Sturgis Journal

VERBALS

GAZETTE'S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
The Cedar Rapids Gazette has named its Athlete of the Year and it is Sara Clancy. Clancy played basketball at CR Xavier. Their team won the state title her junior year. She will be attending Minnesota as a soccer player.

TO CUT OR NOT TO CUT
Here is a story about cutting policies in the schools around Des Moines. Southeast Polk recently decided to let coaches make cuts. If a kid isn't playing, they are cut, but they don't know it. Their practice time to game time ratio is close to zero. Here is the Des Moines Register's article.

GOLD RUSH
Yesterday we told you about the Gold Rush tour by the Gophers to Alexandria, Fosston, and St. Cloud. You can add Bemidji to the itinerary. Here is the StarTribune with their take on the tour.

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: it will be awards galore in the first ever Girls Basketball Recruit Summer awards later today.

Wojta Verbals, Vandy Violations

#1 posting 8.12.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

VERBALS
WI
Julie Wojta, Mishicot has verballed UW Green Bay. The 6-1 forward was the player of the year the last two seasons in the Manitowoc Herald Times paper. She averaged a double double last year with 17.1 ppg and 12.5 rpg. She joins Kayla Tetschlag of Sheboygan North in verballing early. Here is the Green Bay Press Gazette story.

So far according the records Iowa and Minnesota have had six players commit from the 2007 class. If you add in CC players and future classes Iowa has 9, Minnesota 7, SD 4, WI 4, Nebraska 2, ND 2, Michigan 1, Indiana 1. More will be coming.

VERBALS

NCAA VIOLATIONS
A Vanderbilt staff member violated NCAA recruiting rules when they attended an AAU event on July 22. Vanderbilt self reported the violation and undertook the penalties and education involved. Here is more from the Hendersonville Tennessean.

COACHING NEWS
MI
Keith Willis was removed from coaching duties at Calumet in a special school board meeting. Verbal abuse was one of the complaints. Willis was coach of the year for the ABC schools in the Upper Peninsula. Here is more on the ordeal from the Houghton Mining Gazette.

COACHING OPENINGS

BASKETBALL & RODEO
ND
Courtney Fettig, Bismarck Century is a 6-1 forward that averaged 11 ppg last year, she also is a barrel racer in rodeo. Rodeo seems to have her heart. Century won the Minnesota Gopher team camp at the end of July. Her is the story in the Bismarck Tribune.

GOLD RUSH
MN
The Minnesota Gophers women's basketball team will be embarking on a three city tour starting Monday August 14 in Alexandria and then Fosston for dinner in the evening. On Tuesday they will be in St. Cloud. For more information check out the Gopher press release. The Crookston Daily Times zeros in on the Fosston angle.

CONFERENCE NEWS
MI
Carson City-Crystal will be the smallest school in the Central State Activities Association, but the coaches there are looking forward to the competition. Next year CCC will be joining the Central Michigan Athletic Conference. Here is the Greenville Daily News with More.

HS TRANSFERS

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: The general news of the day Sunday morning. Later Sunday I hand out summer awards, name all this and all that with players and teams, and tournaments.

A Look at Lynx: Monarchs Rule

#2 posting 8.11.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

A LOOK AT THE LYNX: MONARCHS RULE

The Lynx made a go of it late, but in the end defending champ Sacramento go the job done.

NUMBERS EXPLAINED
player, high school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %

MINNESOTA
STARTERS
Amber Jacobs 2, 6, 33.3, .167
Seimone Augustus 31, 22, 140.9, .682
Kristen Mann 3, 11, 27.3, .091
Tamika Williams 6, 4, 150.0, .750
Nicole Ohlde 11, 15, 73.3, .333
BENCH
Svetlana Abrosimova 4, 6, 66.7, .333
Vanessa Hayden 4, 5, 80.0, .400
Chandi Jones 3, 3, 100.0, 1.000
Megan Duffy 2, 4, 50.0, .250

SACRAMENTO
STARTERS
Ticha Penicheiro 2, 4, 50.0, .250
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 2, 5, 40.0, .200
Nicole Powell 9, 12, 75.0, .333
DeMya Walker 12, 13, 92.3, .538
Yolanda Griffith 18, 14, 128.6, .643
BENCH
Kristin Haynie 0, 3, 0.0, .000
Erin Buescher 7, 8, 87.5, .500
Kara Lawson 14, 9, 155.6, .667
Rebekkah Brunson 10, 9, 111.1, .444
Kim Smith 0, 2, 0.0, .000
Schlanda Dorrell 0, 1, 0.0, .000

TRENCH PLAYER
Even though the Lynx lost it was Augustus that made it interesting in the end.

BY THE NUMBERS
Minnesota 66, 76, 86.5, .461
Sacramento 74, 80, 92.5, .450

If you notice the MN floor % numbers are higher than Sac's. The made free throws were pretty even with MN holding a 16-14 made edge.

It should be noted that only Griffith for Sacramento's starters was above 100 pp100.
The bench play for Sacramento was much better with 31 points to 13 for the Lynx.

The Lynx suffered through a five possession drought to close the first quarter, and had another
five possession spell in the second quarter late. When that one was over Sacramento added 8 points to their 26-22 lead to make it 34-22.

Sacramento led 61-45 when MN went on a tear. They scored on 11 of 14 possessions including the first five in a row. It was a 21-9 run. Augustus provided 14 of the points. With 2 minutes to go MN trailed 70-66. With the ferocious comeback the old veterans had to reappear to finish the job. Sacramento squeezed every second out of their last 3 possessions. MN failed to convert when they had the chance. Abrosimova missed a layup, and Mann and Augustus missed jumpers.

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up tomorrow morning with the general news of the day, and then Sunday we have the first ever girls basketball recruit summer awards for teams, players and tournaments.

Johnson, Taylor Verbals; Dream Team?

#1 posting 8.11.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

VERBALS
SD
Vanessa Johnson, West Central 2009, has made an early verbal to South Dakota State. The 5-9 guard averaged 19 ppg last year. The Sioux Falls Argus Leader has more.
WI
Natalie Taylor, DePere has made a verbal to Southern Illinois. Minnesota was one of the schools interested according to the article in the Green Bay Press-Gazette. The 5-10 forward helped DePere win the Wisconsin D1 title (biggest school) two years ago.

VERBALS

SIGNING
MN
Rebekah Fitzgerald, Faribault, and Rochester CC, has signed to play volleyball and basketball at UM Crookston. Here is more from the Crookston Times.

COACHING NEWS
SD
Former Sioux Falls Roosevelt coach Fred Tibbetts is fighting colon cancer. Tibbetts won 11 tournament titles in SD. Here is the story from KELO tv in Sioux Falls
COLLEGE
Barry Schrock will be joining head coach Eileen Kleinfelter again at Central Michigan. They coached together at Findlay. Here is more on the new assistant from the Mount Pleasant Morning Star.

COACHING OPENINGS

TRANSFERS
MN
Hannah Potter, 6-1 2009, will be open enrolling at Edina. She was in neighboring Hopkins.

HS TRANSFERS

ALL STAR GAMES
MI
The Michigan Coaches All Star game took place last weekend, and the Black won 84-61 in the AB division. Melissa Jeltema of Grand Rapids Christian won the MVP award. She will at Oakland in the fall. Here is the Grand Rapids Press with more details.
Another story from the All Star game is the Grandville combination of 6-8 Allysa DeHaan and coach Charlie DeRyke together for one last hurrah. Again the GR Press.

FOREIGN TOURNAMENTS
USA 20U
The 20u USA team had no problems in a 124-38 shredding of host Mexico. Jolene Anderson, Wisconsin had 15 points. There is more stats, quotes and schedules at the USA site. The big game will be with Brazil who is also undefeated. Here is the FIBA Americas tournament site where you can find out more on the other teams.

MI
The Magic, an 18u Upper Peninsula team won the Delfin basketball tournament in Tampere Finland. They defeated the defending champ and European 2006 champion Nokia of Finland 48-36. More in the story from the Marquette Minning Journal.

DREAM TEAMS AND WINNING
Again the Wages of Wins talks about the USA men's team and their struggles against NBA reserves and role players in a 90-86 win over Brazil. What made the original dream team different from current versions? The answers come by reading the article.

Thanks to all the readers that make this site the first and last source of girls basketball news. Keep up the good work. Keep me fed.

Next up: later today an analysis of the Lynx and Sacramento game. On Sunday I hand out summer awards, name all this and all that with players and teams, and tournaments.