#3 posting 8.1.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information
The Week That Was #18: Fantasyland
The NCAA viewing window has shut for the summer. That means summer basketball is coming to a close. The summer leagues, the summer tournaments have wrapped up their seasons. The Minnesota Sweet 16 tournament this weekend marks the official end of tournaments in the upper Midwest. There may be a few stray tournaments that I don’t know, but the heavy hitters have packed up their gym bags for the summer season.
FANTASYLAND
The Olympics are just around the corner and this leads to my constant summer wish—to see an Olympic style event with all the states involved in a truly national tournament. I am sorry but there are about 1001 “national” champions running around after the summer is done. I look at the tournament fields and usually there is a whole section of the country missing in action. How can you claim to be national champ without a California team or Florida or Texas team?
I would have the American Olympics divided by high school graduating class. At this point I would run 2009s, 2010s, 2011s and 2012s. I would have this event the culminating event of the summer. Every state would have a team. You may play for AAU teams in the early part of the summer, but for this weekend it would be state, not club based. The best players in the state would be on one team. There would be no line jumping (Becky Hammon thinking she is a Russian). If you live in Minnesota and go to school somewhere in Minnesota, you play for Minnesota.
The games would all be in air conditioned comfort, with real seating for fans.
The tournament would run the course of a eight days. There would be 10 pools of 5. (50 states—DC would be in the Maryland orbit. There would only be one game per day for each team. Pool play would run from Saturday to Wednesday. The 10 winners would then move on to a single elimination round. There would be a play in round on Thursday. Quarters would be on Friday, Semis on Saturday, with the grand finale on Sunday.
An example of the pools
A
Alabama
California
Delaware
South Dakota
Wisconsin
B
Colorado
Maine
New Hampshire
Texas
Virginia
C
Alaska
Iowa
Nebraska
New York
North Carolina
D
Hawaii
Kentucky
Minnesota
New Mexico
Pennsylvania
E
Arizona
Kansas
Montana
Nevada
Ohio
F
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Mississippi
New Jersey
North Dakota
G
Georgia
Idaho
Maryland
Oklahoma
Vermont
H
Arkansas
Indiana
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Washington
I
Connecticut
Michigan
Tennessee
Utah
West Virginia
J
Florida
Illinois
Missouri
Oregon
Wyoming
If Canada and other nations can run similar national events, why can’t the USA? It is time for USA Basketball to get control of the summer and start making it work for all parties involved.
Right now the system is broken. It does not favor athletes, or coaches. It is not uncommon for a team to go from one “national” tournament to another “national” tournament the very next day. The thinking is “if X is good 10X is ten times as good.” It ain’t necessarily so. (Don’t send me the proper phrasing here, I know it). The pace of summer ball is not found at either the high school or college level. The NCAA tournament stretches out over a month, not over two days. Summer teams don’t prepare for games like college or high school teams. There is almost no advanced scouting (unless you are playing a team from your own area). You have almost no clue on your opponents, their tendencies, or their flaws. Decisions are being made on players in a false environment.
I know of a situation where a kid went to an “exposure” camp. She had a “supernova” experience, but reverted back to the plow horse when the high school season rolled a round. The college didn’t know the real player.
Players are NOT playing at peak performance at the end of summer from what I see. How can they be? They are tired. If it is Tuesday it must be Bardstown. Pace, space and balance are critical. I stumbled across an East German training book when I was at college dealing with training and peak performance. In a nutshell you trained to reach optimal performance at the end of the event cycle. You don’t get that with the current system.
The current system shows how a player competes against similar (you hope) athletes. Some times those athletes are players, sometime those athletes aren’t athletes. That is a roll of the dice. And this is when decisions are made. A lot of those decisions are wrong. At least 33% of all the 2007 players from Minnesota high schools have left D1 schools, and there is still three years left for that class to graduate. From the 2006 class the number is at least 38%.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
What happens when two All Americans from the Memphis tournament are missing? If you are NC Heat you win the North Tartan Meltdown. NCH was undefeated in the summer in Minnesota. For the fourth time this summer they beat a solid MN Stars Borowicz team for the title. How strong was MSB? They went on to win the Summer Slam in Cincinnati. The special ingredient in NCH’s success is they are quicker and their chemistry is good. They have core players and players that compliment others. The Heat executes and is aware of what is happening.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tayler Hill of NC Heat takes this honor to no one’s real surprise. In the championship game against MN Stars Borowicz she struck for 21 points in the first half. She also had five threes in the game showing off a consistency from behind the arc. Hill also involved her teammates in the offense. She doesn’t get the attention on her passing or defense, but she has skills just as sharp as her scoring prowess.
For those that don’t know or aren’t familiar with how to make this list.1. I need to see the player during the week.2. Player needs to have at least six possessions3. Player needs to be north of 100 pp100 and floor % north of .5004. If I see a player multiple times the average possessions need to crack six. Hot and cold performances are averaged out. I am searching for consistency.
FIRST TEAM
Bethany Doolittle, Midtown Lady Monarchs (Hill-Murray)
Tayler Hill, NC Heat (Minneapolis South)
Alyssa Kerkhoff, MN Stars Carlisle (New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva)
Katya Leick, NC Heat (Park-Cottage Grove)
Sam Mehr, Metro Stars Black (Eastview)
SECOND TEAM
Nicole Anderson, MN Stars Smith (Cannon Falls)
Kahla Becken, MN Stars Carlisle (Centennial)
DeAirra Goss, Indy Gym Rats (Indianapolis Ben Davis)
Janae Burich, North Tartan Crosby (Roseville)
Tempestt Wilson, NC Heat (Elk River)
THIRD TEAM
Lindsey Johnson, Dakota Schoolers (Harrisburg, SD)
Diamond Lane, Midtown Lady Monarchs (DeLaSalle)
Kirstee Rotty, Metro Stars Black (Farmington)
Devyn Smith, North Tartan Crosby (Roseville)
Brittany Thiesfeld, MN Stars Smith (Glencoe-Silver Lake)
FOURTH TEAM
Lindsey Fix, MN Stars Carlilse (Coon Rapids)
Lindsey Munger, Omaha Lakers (Omaha Marian)
Katie Pettit, MN Suns 16s (Howard Lake-W-W)
Hannah Strop, North Tartan 15 (New Prague)
Grace Veker, Metro Stars 15 (Edina)
If you look closely you will not see one MN Stars Borowicz player on the list, and only one North Tartan 15 player. It is all about the rules as listed above.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
With 16 defensive wraps in one game it is obvious that Tori Rule of the Midtown Lady Monarchs is the proper choice. Rule ruled on defense for the Monarchs and for everyone else that matter. She leaps up and snatches the ball like a comic book superhero. She has quick hands and has plenty of steals as well. She makes life miserable for offenses.
FIRST TEAM
Gabby Boever, North Tartan 15 (Worthington)
Erica Gress, Metro Stars 15 (Apple Valley)
Cassie Hooten, MN Stars Smith (Moorhead)
Katya Leick, NC Heat (Park-Cottage Grove)
Tori Rule, Midtown Lady Monarchs (DeLaSalle)
SECOND TEAM
Jes Bolgar, Omaha Lakers (Papillon-LaVista South)
Alyssa Cegelske, MN Stars Carlisle (GHEC)
Jasmine Mendes, MN Suns 16s (Hopkins)
Janay Morton, MN Stars Martin (Osseo)
Theairra Taylor, MN Stars Borowicz (St. Paul Central)
DISTRIBUTOR OF THE WEEK
Tayler Hill doesn’t get a lot of love in this category. Today she does. See above.
FIRST TEAM
Kahla Becken, MN Stars Carlisle (Centennial)
Tayler Hill, NC Heat (Mpls South)
Tori Rule, Midtown Lady Monarchs (DeLaSalle)
Morgan Van-Ri
per Rose, North Tartan 15 (Eden Prairie)
Katy Winge, North Tartan 15 (Minnetonka)
NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
DeAirra Goss of the Indy Gym Rats played with the intensity coaches like to see. Goss in a perimeter type that is a battler. She has speed and quickness. Plus she plays without fear and doesn't back down from a challenge.
POLLS
19s
AAU
1. MN Stars
2. Metro Stars Black
3. Team WI Sr White
4. Team WI Sr Black
MYAS
1. Gym Rats
2. Minnesota Thunder
3. Wayzata AC
4. Southern Minne Magic
17u/16u/JR ELIGIBLE
AAU
1. NC Heat
2. Team WI Select Samuels
3. MN Stars Borowicz
4. Nebraska CSS Bison
5. IBCA Select Red
6. Metro Stars Black
7. North Tartan Larson
8. Nebraska Twisterz
9. Pinnacle Bank Nebraska
10. Sioux Falls Warriors
11. Metro Stars White
12. Fury
13. Iowa Elite
14. North Tartan Crosby
15. Kansas City Hustle
16. All Iowa Attack Red
17. MN Stars Smith
18. IBCA Select White
19. MN Suns
20. Team WI Select Doucette
16u/MYAS DIVISION
1. MN Dynamite
2. Chaska Gold
3. MN Thunder
4. Triple Threat
15u
AAU
1. North Tartan
2. Nebraska Judds
3. Metro Stars
4. Fury
5. MN Suns Arbogast
6. All Iowa Attack Red
7. Team Iowa
8. MN Stars Jihad Lady Cats
9. MN Stars Carlisle
10. Team WI Select
11. PT Players
12. MN Suns Ellen
13. 43 Hoops
14. Team WI Red
15. MN Dynamite
14u
AAU
1. North Tartan
2. Metro Stars
3. Midtown Lady Monarchs
4. Team WI Select
5. MN Stars Seter
6. MN Stars Collins
7. IBCA Select Blue
8. Fury Livers
9. Fury Haugen
10. MN Stars Hested
13u
AAU
1. Cornhusker Shooting Stars
2. North Tartan
3. All Iowa Attack
4. MN Stars Martin
5. MN Jazz
6. MN Fury
MYAS
1. Hopkins
12u AAU
1. Cornhusker Shooting Stars
2. All Iowa Attack
3. MN Stars Farview
4. MN Suns
HIGH SCHOOL
SUMMER LEAGUE/SUMMER TOURNEYS
School, Summer League
1. Centennial
2. Lakeville North, LNSL
3. Hopkins, LNSL
4. Minnetonka, CPSL
5. Minnehaha, CSPSL
6. Eastview, LNSL
7. Maple Grove, CPSL
8. Champlin Park, CPSL
9. White Bear Lake, CSPSL
10. Benilde-St. Margaret’s
Next up: tomorrow
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information
The Week That Was #18: Fantasyland
The NCAA viewing window has shut for the summer. That means summer basketball is coming to a close. The summer leagues, the summer tournaments have wrapped up their seasons. The Minnesota Sweet 16 tournament this weekend marks the official end of tournaments in the upper Midwest. There may be a few stray tournaments that I don’t know, but the heavy hitters have packed up their gym bags for the summer season.
FANTASYLAND
The Olympics are just around the corner and this leads to my constant summer wish—to see an Olympic style event with all the states involved in a truly national tournament. I am sorry but there are about 1001 “national” champions running around after the summer is done. I look at the tournament fields and usually there is a whole section of the country missing in action. How can you claim to be national champ without a California team or Florida or Texas team?
I would have the American Olympics divided by high school graduating class. At this point I would run 2009s, 2010s, 2011s and 2012s. I would have this event the culminating event of the summer. Every state would have a team. You may play for AAU teams in the early part of the summer, but for this weekend it would be state, not club based. The best players in the state would be on one team. There would be no line jumping (Becky Hammon thinking she is a Russian). If you live in Minnesota and go to school somewhere in Minnesota, you play for Minnesota.
The games would all be in air conditioned comfort, with real seating for fans.
The tournament would run the course of a eight days. There would be 10 pools of 5. (50 states—DC would be in the Maryland orbit. There would only be one game per day for each team. Pool play would run from Saturday to Wednesday. The 10 winners would then move on to a single elimination round. There would be a play in round on Thursday. Quarters would be on Friday, Semis on Saturday, with the grand finale on Sunday.
An example of the pools
A
Alabama
California
Delaware
South Dakota
Wisconsin
B
Colorado
Maine
New Hampshire
Texas
Virginia
C
Alaska
Iowa
Nebraska
New York
North Carolina
D
Hawaii
Kentucky
Minnesota
New Mexico
Pennsylvania
E
Arizona
Kansas
Montana
Nevada
Ohio
F
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Mississippi
New Jersey
North Dakota
G
Georgia
Idaho
Maryland
Oklahoma
Vermont
H
Arkansas
Indiana
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Washington
I
Connecticut
Michigan
Tennessee
Utah
West Virginia
J
Florida
Illinois
Missouri
Oregon
Wyoming
If Canada and other nations can run similar national events, why can’t the USA? It is time for USA Basketball to get control of the summer and start making it work for all parties involved.
Right now the system is broken. It does not favor athletes, or coaches. It is not uncommon for a team to go from one “national” tournament to another “national” tournament the very next day. The thinking is “if X is good 10X is ten times as good.” It ain’t necessarily so. (Don’t send me the proper phrasing here, I know it). The pace of summer ball is not found at either the high school or college level. The NCAA tournament stretches out over a month, not over two days. Summer teams don’t prepare for games like college or high school teams. There is almost no advanced scouting (unless you are playing a team from your own area). You have almost no clue on your opponents, their tendencies, or their flaws. Decisions are being made on players in a false environment.
I know of a situation where a kid went to an “exposure” camp. She had a “supernova” experience, but reverted back to the plow horse when the high school season rolled a round. The college didn’t know the real player.
Players are NOT playing at peak performance at the end of summer from what I see. How can they be? They are tired. If it is Tuesday it must be Bardstown. Pace, space and balance are critical. I stumbled across an East German training book when I was at college dealing with training and peak performance. In a nutshell you trained to reach optimal performance at the end of the event cycle. You don’t get that with the current system.
The current system shows how a player competes against similar (you hope) athletes. Some times those athletes are players, sometime those athletes aren’t athletes. That is a roll of the dice. And this is when decisions are made. A lot of those decisions are wrong. At least 33% of all the 2007 players from Minnesota high schools have left D1 schools, and there is still three years left for that class to graduate. From the 2006 class the number is at least 38%.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
What happens when two All Americans from the Memphis tournament are missing? If you are NC Heat you win the North Tartan Meltdown. NCH was undefeated in the summer in Minnesota. For the fourth time this summer they beat a solid MN Stars Borowicz team for the title. How strong was MSB? They went on to win the Summer Slam in Cincinnati. The special ingredient in NCH’s success is they are quicker and their chemistry is good. They have core players and players that compliment others. The Heat executes and is aware of what is happening.PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tayler Hill of NC Heat takes this honor to no one’s real surprise. In the championship game against MN Stars Borowicz she struck for 21 points in the first half. She also had five threes in the game showing off a consistency from behind the arc. Hill also involved her teammates in the offense. She doesn’t get the attention on her passing or defense, but she has skills just as sharp as her scoring prowess.For those that don’t know or aren’t familiar with how to make this list.1. I need to see the player during the week.2. Player needs to have at least six possessions3. Player needs to be north of 100 pp100 and floor % north of .5004. If I see a player multiple times the average possessions need to crack six. Hot and cold performances are averaged out. I am searching for consistency.
FIRST TEAM
Bethany Doolittle, Midtown Lady Monarchs (Hill-Murray)
Tayler Hill, NC Heat (Minneapolis South)
Alyssa Kerkhoff, MN Stars Carlisle (New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva)
Katya Leick, NC Heat (Park-Cottage Grove)
Sam Mehr, Metro Stars Black (Eastview)
SECOND TEAM
Nicole Anderson, MN Stars Smith (Cannon Falls)
Kahla Becken, MN Stars Carlisle (Centennial)
DeAirra Goss, Indy Gym Rats (Indianapolis Ben Davis)
Janae Burich, North Tartan Crosby (Roseville)
Tempestt Wilson, NC Heat (Elk River)
THIRD TEAM
Lindsey Johnson, Dakota Schoolers (Harrisburg, SD)
Diamond Lane, Midtown Lady Monarchs (DeLaSalle)
Kirstee Rotty, Metro Stars Black (Farmington)
Devyn Smith, North Tartan Crosby (Roseville)
Brittany Thiesfeld, MN Stars Smith (Glencoe-Silver Lake)
FOURTH TEAM
Lindsey Fix, MN Stars Carlilse (Coon Rapids)
Lindsey Munger, Omaha Lakers (Omaha Marian)
Katie Pettit, MN Suns 16s (Howard Lake-W-W)
Hannah Strop, North Tartan 15 (New Prague)
Grace Veker, Metro Stars 15 (Edina)
If you look closely you will not see one MN Stars Borowicz player on the list, and only one North Tartan 15 player. It is all about the rules as listed above.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
With 16 defensive wraps in one game it is obvious that Tori Rule of the Midtown Lady Monarchs is the proper choice. Rule ruled on defense for the Monarchs and for everyone else that matter. She leaps up and snatches the ball like a comic book superhero. She has quick hands and has plenty of steals as well. She makes life miserable for offenses.FIRST TEAM
Gabby Boever, North Tartan 15 (Worthington)
Erica Gress, Metro Stars 15 (Apple Valley)
Cassie Hooten, MN Stars Smith (Moorhead)
Katya Leick, NC Heat (Park-Cottage Grove)
Tori Rule, Midtown Lady Monarchs (DeLaSalle)
SECOND TEAM
Jes Bolgar, Omaha Lakers (Papillon-LaVista South)
Alyssa Cegelske, MN Stars Carlisle (GHEC)
Jasmine Mendes, MN Suns 16s (Hopkins)
Janay Morton, MN Stars Martin (Osseo)
Theairra Taylor, MN Stars Borowicz (St. Paul Central)
DISTRIBUTOR OF THE WEEK
Tayler Hill doesn’t get a lot of love in this category. Today she does. See above.
FIRST TEAM
Kahla Becken, MN Stars Carlisle (Centennial)
Tayler Hill, NC Heat (Mpls South)
Tori Rule, Midtown Lady Monarchs (DeLaSalle)
Morgan Van-Ri
per Rose, North Tartan 15 (Eden Prairie)Katy Winge, North Tartan 15 (Minnetonka)
NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
DeAirra Goss of the Indy Gym Rats played with the intensity coaches like to see. Goss in a perimeter type that is a battler. She has speed and quickness. Plus she plays without fear and doesn't back down from a challenge.
POLLS
19s
AAU
1. MN Stars
2. Metro Stars Black
3. Team WI Sr White
4. Team WI Sr Black
MYAS
1. Gym Rats
2. Minnesota Thunder
3. Wayzata AC
4. Southern Minne Magic
17u/16u/JR ELIGIBLE
AAU
1. NC Heat
2. Team WI Select Samuels
3. MN Stars Borowicz
4. Nebraska CSS Bison
5. IBCA Select Red
6. Metro Stars Black
7. North Tartan Larson
8. Nebraska Twisterz
9. Pinnacle Bank Nebraska
10. Sioux Falls Warriors
11. Metro Stars White
12. Fury
13. Iowa Elite
14. North Tartan Crosby
15. Kansas City Hustle
16. All Iowa Attack Red
17. MN Stars Smith
18. IBCA Select White
19. MN Suns
20. Team WI Select Doucette
16u/MYAS DIVISION
1. MN Dynamite
2. Chaska Gold
3. MN Thunder
4. Triple Threat
15u
AAU
1. North Tartan
2. Nebraska Judds
3. Metro Stars
4. Fury
5. MN Suns Arbogast
6. All Iowa Attack Red
7. Team Iowa
8. MN Stars Jihad Lady Cats
9. MN Stars Carlisle
10. Team WI Select
11. PT Players
12. MN Suns Ellen
13. 43 Hoops
14. Team WI Red
15. MN Dynamite
14u
AAU
1. North Tartan
2. Metro Stars
3. Midtown Lady Monarchs
4. Team WI Select
5. MN Stars Seter
6. MN Stars Collins
7. IBCA Select Blue
8. Fury Livers
9. Fury Haugen
10. MN Stars Hested
13u
AAU
1. Cornhusker Shooting Stars
2. North Tartan
3. All Iowa Attack
4. MN Stars Martin
5. MN Jazz
6. MN Fury
MYAS
1. Hopkins
12u AAU
1. Cornhusker Shooting Stars
2. All Iowa Attack
3. MN Stars Farview
4. MN Suns
HIGH SCHOOL
SUMMER LEAGUE/SUMMER TOURNEYS
School, Summer League
1. Centennial
2. Lakeville North, LNSL
3. Hopkins, LNSL
4. Minnetonka, CPSL
5. Minnehaha, CSPSL
6. Eastview, LNSL
7. Maple Grove, CPSL
8. Champlin Park, CPSL
9. White Bear Lake, CSPSL
10. Benilde-St. Margaret’s
Next up: tomorrow
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