Recruiting Information, Summer & Fall Leagues, Exposure

#2 posting 8.12.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

RECRUITING INFORMATION
Patosha Jeffrey has an audio "How to use the Top 12 Women's College Basketball Recruiting Web Sites" audio is now available for free at www.patoshajeffery.com/basketballrecruiting.htm.
Below is a description of what's in the audio:
Where to get college coaches attention
-Why playing your high school schedule is not enough…
-3 periods of the year that hundreds of college coaches come out
-How to go from being a local player to a national basketball player
-2 types of certified events you can display your talents at
-How to get invited to an event….you’ll find out who to call
-Why AAU is old news …..
How to become eligible to play college basketball
-What you must do to play college basketball
-Who verifies your eligibility to play college basketball…it’s not your schools guidance counselor
-Learn what you need to do starting as a 9th grader
-What is the most important NCAA publication designed for high school athletes and families…
-What you need to get and where if you think you want to play college basketball
-Learn what is the NCAA
-What gpa you have to make to play college basketball
-What are core courses, when do they change and how it affects what you must make on ACT or SAT
-What to do if you are home schooled, have a GED or is an international player
-If you qualify for eligibility waivers
When the recruiting process begins
-What questions to ask a college coach…you take the upper hand an interview the coach
-How to become eligible and remain eligible to play college basketball
-How to compare graduation rates of schools you are considering
-How to transfer from one college to another
-Learn the recruiting rules and regulations
-Definitions of key recruiting terminology
-When a coach can contact you and how…..know if you need to worry about text messaging fees
-When can a coach come watch you play
-When a coach is doing wrong….what type of integrity does that coach have
-What the National Letter of Intent is
-How often the recruiting calendar changes
-Differences between D1, D2, and D3
-How to get the scoop on every major women’s college basketball program
Where to go to get your foot in the door of college coaching
-Get the latest Women’s basketball news…..
-How to become a college basketball coach
-College basketball coaching moves….is the coach that recruited you really the coach
-NCAA changes…how it affects you during recruitment
-Why you need to visit espn.com and usatoday.com

SUMMER LEAGUE WRAP UP
Braham won the Pine City Summer League. Here are the final standings.
Braham 10 0 1.000
North Branch 10 1 .909
Siren, WI 6 4 .600
Hinckley-Finlayson 6 5 .545
Pine City 6 5 .545
Rush City 2 9 .182
Grantsburg, WI 2 9 .182
Webster, WI 1 10 .091

FALL LEAGUES
Breakdown Fall League: Becker
The Becker League will fill to capacity for the 6th straight year. Becker, Champlin, Rogers, STMA, Princeton, Barnum, Elk River, and many more are already confirmed. This league will cap off at 56 teams.

Breakdown Fall League: Kennedy
The Kennedy Fall League is also growing from a year ago when it was hosted in Lakeville. Hopkins, Mpls South, Tartan, Eastview. Lakeville, Eden Prairie, Chaska, Osseo, Jefferson, Roseville, Shakopee, Rosemount, Red Wing, and many others have already confirmed.

The Kennedy and Becker league offer divisions for 9th, JV and Varsity.

Breakdown JR High Fall League: STMA HS and MS
This league is 4 weekends long with the same format as the Kennedy and Becker league. We have 9 schools who are entering multiple 7th and 8th grade teams. This one we have limited gym space so contact The Breakdown if interested.

To print a registration form, please go to www.mnsportspreview.com

FALL EXPOSURE
North Tartan and 43 Hoops are excited to run THE SUPER 80 September 27th.
www.northtartan@msn.com or www.43hoops.com
The link to register online is:
https://tms.ezfacility.com/APP/OnlineRegistrations/Register.aspx?CompanyID=286&GroupID=11471

Next up: tomorrow or when news breaks

Lady Cats Best in Midwest, Fall League, Midtown Y Results

#1 posting 7.25.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

MN STARS LADY CATS BEST OF THE MIDWEST CHAMPS
The MN Stars Lady Cats won the Best of the Midwest Tournament by first toasting Madison, WI Bulls Elite 43-31 and then taking care of the Lady Lightening Gold 38- 26 in the championship game. This is the fourth time this Summer the Cats have reached the finals in a National tournament and the second time they've walked away with the Championship.

Tyisha Smith-Mpls. South & Brianna Williams -Hopkins were both selected to the all-tournament team by Tournament coordinator Mac Irvin.

MN Stars Martin reached the championship game but was overwhelmed by Maywood, IL Dribblers 59-38. MSM finished runner up with a 5 - 1 tournament record.

BATTLE OF THE PLAINS
IBCA Blue played KC Lady Pioneers in the Battle of the Plains in Lincoln. The game was competitive for the first half as the contest went back and forth. The game was tied at half time, but KC Lady Pioneers came out shooting threes, must have hit 7 in the 2nd half. The Blues had a dry spell in scoring and was lost 65-40. The KC Lady Pioneers went on the the championship game to win the title in the high school division.

Here are some IBCA photos in the Battle of the Plains with Red, White and Blue teams. Also here are some photos from the Kearney and Chicago tournaments.

FALL LEAGUE
The Breakdown Fall League will now be at Bloomington Kennedy instead of Lakeville South. Due to the amount of teams that will be participating and interest level, we need to have the 8 wood courts. Becker is remaining the same. Interested teams should contact us right away if they are planning to participate. 9th, SO/JV, and Varsity divisions.

Also, we will be running a 7th and 8th Grade Fall League in STMA HS and Middle School. This is also at the request of many organizations. Both League will be sponsored by the Minnesota T-Wolves and Lynx.

You can go to our website or here is the registration forms for the Fall League and the 7th-8th Grade League.

MIDTOWN YWCA RESULTS
Here are this week's Midtown YWCA results
5:00 pm games
Whirled Peas - 51, Carleton - 46
Sweet Sensation - 64, UW Superior - 41
MSU Purple - 52, UST #2 - 30
5:55 games
St. Mary's - 61, GAC #1 - 54
Concordia St. Paul - 78, Anoka-Ramsey - 36
MSU Gold - 77, Augsburg - 22
6:50 Games
UM Crookston - 54, Northwestern - 46
7:45 Games
Northern St. - 56, St. Kate's - 36
UW River Falls - 58, The Hub - 54 (overtime)
8:40 Games
St. Cloud St. - 64, St. Cloud/Mankato Alumni - 54
The Finishers - 83, Hamline - 46
9:35 Games
GAC #2 - 47, St. Olaf - 35
St. Ben's - 58, UST #1 - 45

Next up: more news

Battles in Lincoln, Chicago, & Alex Summer League

#1 posting 7.23.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

TOURNAMENT RESULTS
BATTLE OF THE PLAINS
Here are some results from the Battle on the Plains in Lincoln, NE July 22nd-24th.
The Bison were 2-0, The Judds 1-1
NE Bison CSS 84, Sanford Center 53
NE Bison CSS 71, IBCA Select White 49
IBCA Select Red 80, NE Judds CSS 51
NE Judds CSS 75 NEN Extreme 52

BEST OF THE MIDWEST-CHICAGO
On Tuesday MN Stars Martin 13U Started out great with a win over the Bolingbrook Panthers W/Jade Martin (Brooklyn Park) leading the way 63 - 35. Stars -Martin will play today at 2 pm & 4 pm at Elgin Community College.

MN Stars Jihad- Lady Cats 15U stumbled out of the blocks against a very game Maywood, IL Dribblers 16U during the Second half the Cats regained their balance and took care of the Dribblers 52 - 40. The Cats will go at 4 & 7 pm at Judson University.

SUMMER LEAGUES
ALEXANDRIA LEAGUE
The Hancock Owls defeated Sauk Centre 3-0 on June 9th with scores of 27-18, 15-10, and 14-10. Bree Holleman led the scoring with 32 points, followed by Hannah Newhouse with 8 points, Lindsie Cunningham with 7 points, Illissa Koehl with 6 points and Kaylee Voorhees with 3 points

On June 11th the Owls defeated Osakis 3-0 with scores of 30-9, 16-10, and 13-9 for an overall score of 59-28. Bree Holleman led the scoring with 31 points, followed by Hannah Newhouse with 6 points, Kendra Schmidgall with 11 points, Illissa Koehl with 7 points, Lindsie Cunningham with 4 points.

On June 16th, the Owls defeated Alex II with scores of 17-15, 15-12, and 23-11 for an overall score of 55-38. Lindsie Cunningham scored 9 points, Kaylee Voorhees-14 points, Aria Walstad - 4 points, Illissa Koehl - 4 points, Lauren Nelson - 14 points, Kendra Schmidgall - 10 points.

On June 18th, the Owls defeated CGB 2-1 with scores of 19-13, 16-17, and 35-13 for an overall score of 70-43. Lindsie Cunningham scored 5 points, Kaylee Voorhees-6 points, Aria Walstad - 3 pts, Kendra Schmidgall - 18 points, Bree Holleman - 23 points, and Lauren Nelson - 15 points.

On June 23rd, Melrose forfeited to the Owls.

On June 25th, the Owls defeated Browerville 2-1 with scores of 17-15, 16-21, and 26-15 for an overall total of 59-51. Hannah Newhouse scored 10 points, Lindsie Cunningham - 7 points, Kaylee Voorhees - 7 points, Lauren Nelson - 9 points, Kendra Schmidgall - 23 points, and Aria Walstad - 3 points.

On June 30th, the Owls played against Brandon-Evansville and picked up their first loss of the summer 1-2 with scores of 24-16, 19-29, and 12-29 for a total of 55-74. We came out strong in the first game and defeated the Chargers 24-16. We only had five girls for the entire night and had to play with four at one point due to an injury in the second game, but the girls gave 110% the entire night. The Owls had an excellent offensive punch with three girls scoring in double figures (Hannah Newhouse - 12 points, Bree Holleman - 19 points, Kaylee Voorhees - 14 points). Lindsie Cunningham knocked down two treys and Kendra Schmidgall scored 4 points and pulled down an impressive 10 rebounds.

On July 2nd, the Owls defeated Bertha-Hewitt 2-0-1 with scores of 20-12, 23-15, and 17-17 for an overall total of 60-44.Bree Holleman led the scoring with 28 points, followed by Lindsie Cunningham with 13 points, Hannah Newhouse with 9 points, Kendra Schmidgall with 8 points, and Lauren Nelson with 1 point. Bree pulled down 7 rebounds followed by Lindsie and Kendra with 6 each.

On Monday, July 7th the Owls played against Alex 1 and lost 1-2 with scores of 20-23, 22-17, and 13-21 for an overall total of 55-61. Bree Holleman led the scoring with 35 points followed by Lindsie Cunningham with 11 points, Lauren Nelson with 7 points, and Hannah Newhouse with 2 points. Bree and Hannah led the rebounding with 7 each followed by Hannah with 6.

On Wednesday, July 9th, Hancock wrapped up the regular league playing against the Minnewaska Lakers and defeated them 2-0-1 with scores of 20-11, 23-23, and 20-11. The Lakers came up the court with four seconds remaining in the second game and hit a trey for a tie. The Owls were really hot from 3 point land in this game and nailed 11 treys. Hannah Newhouse scored 6 points and pulled down 2 rebounds. Bree Holleman scored 24 points (5 treys) and dished out 7 assists and picked up 4 steals. Lindsie Cunningham scored 13 points which includes 4 treys and picked up 2 steals. Kaylee Voorhees scored 8 points (1 trey) and pulled down 6 rebounds. Lauren Nelson scored three points and pulled down 5 rebounds. Kendra Schmidgall scored 9 points (1 trey) and pulled down 2 rebounds. Aria Walstad played outstanding defense and picked off 3 steals and dished out 2 assists.

The Owls tied with Alex 1 for the number two seed; therefore, Hancock was bumped to #3 seed due to head to head competition. The playoff games were best 2 out of 3 competition.

The Owls received a bye in the opening round and then on Monday, July 14th played against Browerville (who beat Alex II). Hancock defeated Browerville 2-0 with scores of 16-13 and 29-8 for a total of 45-21. Hancock had a nice balanced scoring attack with Kendra Schmidgall leading the way with 14 points, followed by Hannah Newhouse with 11 points, Lindsie Cunningham with 11 points, Aria Walstad with 6 points and Kaylee Voorhees with 6 points. The Owls only had five players on this night and they played with a ton of heart and hustle (especially in the second game).

In the semi-finals, Hancock was matched up against Alexandria and defeated them 2-0 with scores of 19-10 and 14-13 for a total of 33-23. This was definitely a defensive battle between both teams. The Owls played some very disciplined basketball in the first game and took excellent care of the basketball. Alex took an early lead in the second game and the Owls trailed the entire game and won on a last second shot when Kaylee Voorhees pulled down a big rebound (with 3 seconds remaining) and threw the ball to Bree Holleman who hit a jumper at the buzzer. Once again, Hancock had several girls reach the scoring column. Hannah Newhouse scored 8 points, Bree Holleman scored 9 points, Lindsie Cunningham scored 2, Kaylee Voorhees scored 6, Lauren Nelson scored 3 points, and Kendra Schmidgall scored 5 points.

The Lady Owls were excited to move into the Championship round against the Brandon-Evansville Chargers. The Owls won the Alex League Title in 2005, 2006, and 2007. This summer they had to settle for Runner-Up. The Chargers have all of their starters returning from last year and have an outstanding team. They defeated the Owls 2-0. Hancock played right with them in the first game until Kaylee Voorhees went down with a knee injury. After that, the wheels kind of fell off the wagon and the Chargers ran away with it in the second game, and we couldn't seem to buy a basket. Kendra Schmidgall led the scoring with 9 points, Hannah Newhouse scored 6 points, Bree Holleman scored 5 points, Lauren Nelson scored 4 points, Lindsie Cunningham scored 2 points, Kaylee Voorhees 2 points, and Illissa Koehl scored 1 point.

The Owls have been playing in Alex League for numerous years. Bob Cunniff runs a very classy league. The teams that participated in Alex League this past year were as follows: Alexandria 1, Minnewaska, CGB, Osakis, Hancock, Sauk Centre, Alexandria II, Melrose, Browerville, Brandon-Evansville, Bertha-Hewitt.

Next up: more news

Summer Camps, Summer Leagues, and Summer Trips

#2 posting 7.21.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

CAMPING
The Grand Rapids Press has a story on the Hope College basketball Camp. Some players come from overseas. Some have returned since 6th grade. The key: the directors keep it fresh.

Chris Engstrom coached at a basketball camp in Rhinelander, Wisconsin last week. Engstrom has Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. From WJFW.

SUMMER LEAGUE
The Eau Claire Leader Telegram looks at the Altoona Summer League. The Girls side features two state tournament squads, eight teams that won or shared their conference title.

BUENOS AIRES
Marquette coach Terri Mitchell posts her 4th blog on her U18 National experience. They are now in Argentina.

ITALY
The Gophers are headed to Italy and Tanisha Smith looks forward to seeing some art by Michelangelo.

If you are looking for the out & abouts from this weekend
On Saturday I posted all three games (Centennial vs Princeton, New London-Spicer vs Rochester Lourdes, and Esko vs New Ulm Cathedral).
On Sunday I posted the Lakeville North vs Benilde-St. Margaret's game.

next up: tomorrow unless news breaks

St. Cloud State Down to Two

#2 posting 7.19.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COACHING NEWS
ST. CLOUD STATE FINALISTS
Here are the two finalists for the St. Cloud State women's basketball coaching position--Lori Fish, current MSU Mankato coach and Paula Krueger, head coach at the Colorado School of Mines. From the St. Cloud Times.

UM DULUTH ASSISTANT
Jess Abrahams, a member of the Minnesota State University-Mankato coaching staff the past four years, has been named the new assistant women's basketball coach at the UM Duluth.

WESTERN MICHIGAN DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Lindsey Hass has been named Western Michigan Director of Operations for women's basketball. Hass played and coached at MSU Mankato and recently interned at Duke. Hass played her high school ball at Dover-Eyota.

ALL STAR GAMES
The "home" beat the "away" 42-39 in the Lenawee County All Star Game last night in Michigan. Catherine Herriman of Sand Creek was named MVP. From the Adrian Daily Telegram.

TRANSFER
Mary Sbrissa has left the Oregon women's basketball team and will transfer to New York Institute of Technology.

GAME TIME & CLEAN UP TIME
Iowa's Kachine Alexander is not only a player but a coach. She led her team to a 98-73 victory in the Game Time League in Iowa. Alexander played her high school ball at Benilde-St. Margaret's. From the Daily Iowan.
Also from the DI---The Iowa basketball team helped clean up Normandy Drive after the recent floods.

TAKE IT OUTSIDE
Former Gopher Janel McCarville (and current New York Liberty player) will take her game outside for the first pro game held outdoors today.

Next up: even more news

Chicago Review, Strength Training, Outdoors

#1 posting 7.18.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

CHICAGO SUMMER SHOWCASE HOOPGURLZ REVIEW
Hoopgurlz, off ESPN, reviews the recent Chicago Summer Showcase. Mentioned in the article are Jaime Printy of IBCA Select Red and Shakila Boler and Suriya McGuire of North Tartan Larson. Photos of area players include Printy, Boler, and Amber Kirschbaum (her back) in the first photo.

COACHING NEWS
Derek Ouren has been hired as the new girls basketball coach at Fargo North. He was the boys assistant at North for four years. From the Fargo Forum.

Krista Van Hauen has been hired as an assistant coach at Northern Colorado. Van Hauen has been an assistant at Cornell College and Waldorf College in Iowa.

TOURNAMENTS
The Wisconsin Swing is hosting the Jimmy V Classic Tournament this weekend in Baraboo and Wisconsin Dells.

UPTOWN (or midtown) SUMMER LEAGUE
Because of the renovations currently being done over at the Uptown facility they've moved the league over to the Midtown facility (Lake St. and Hiawatha Ave.).
5:55 Games
GAC #1 - 48 St. Olaf - 31
Concordia St. Paul - 70 UW Superior - 33
St. Cloud St. - 63 UW River Falls - 31
6:50 Games
Northern St. - 72 The HUB - 46
Augsburg - 53 Northwestern - 49
Carleton - 65 Anoka-Ramsey - 52
7:45 Games
Mankato St. Gold - 69 Sweet Sensation - 58
St. Ben's - 61 Whirled Peas – 51

STRENGTH TRANING
Patosha Jeffery has a series of girls basketball strength and skill training videos on YouTube. In this video the Dip is demonstrated. Jeffery also has skill demonstrations like ball handling and agility drills. There are 25 in all.

OUTDOOR BALL
The New York Liberty have announced a free fan festival on the day of the Outdoor Classic game on Saturday, July 19th for all ticket holders by Epic Record's hot group, MENUDO! Learn more about the free concert.

Reminder: It’s time to get tickets for New York Liberty’s history-breaking “Liberty Outdoor Classic" (which will be the FIRST regular season outdoor game in professional basketball history). A trailer for the event can now be viewed here.

Next up: another dose of news

Bs Tops As, Summer Ball, Thefts

#2 posting 7.17.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

SUMMER BALL
The Lake Country Echo looks at how Pine River-Backus has been spending their summer.

Holdingford won the St. Cloud State summer league title with a win over Albany. From the St. Cloud Times.

Devils Lake will host a team camp this weekend. 15 varsity teams will be there. From the Devils Lake Journal (in the middle of the article).

The Gophers have been running their day, elite and position camps. Team camp is July 24-26.

Five Iowa State players will be on the Twister Sisters team in the Iowa Games this weekend.

ALL STAR GAMES
The Bs got revenge yesterday with a 77-68 win over the As in Fargo. The Bs broke free from a 54 all tie. Jada Meiklejohn (LaMoure) led the Bs with 13 points. Andi Wheeler (Grand Forks Red River) of the As led both teams with 14 points. From the Fargo Forum.

The Nebraska girls basketball All Star Game takes place on July 28th at 6 pm at Lincoln North Star. If you can't go you can watch on the internet at netnebraska.org.

COACHING NEWS
Dan Wolfe has taken a leave of absence from St. James. He will be at Gustavus in the exercise and health department and will assist the women's team there. From the St. James News.

Kyle Wilson has been named assistant women's basketball coach at Adrian College in Michigan.

SCHEDULE
Penn State will participate in the 3rd Annual Maggie Dixon Classic. They will face UConn on Sunday, Dec. 14. Army will play Rutgers in the first game of the event.

Vermont has released their 2008-09 schedule.

SOLVERSON AND GREECE
Here is more on Iowa's Johanna Solverson and her decision to play women's basketball in Greece.

THIEF JORGENSEN
Jennifer Jorgensen (Southeast Webster-Grand, IA) has the most stolen bases in US high school softball history. She will take this speed to Pacific on the basketball court. Jorgensen was Iowa's Miss Basketball in 2008.

Next up: even more news & information

NC Heat 2nd, Black Out

#4 posting 7.15.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

NC HEAT 2ND
NC Heat finished 2nd in the AAU Junior National Tournament in Orlando today. NCH beat Garner Flames Blue out of North Carolina 63-60 in the semis and then lost to Silver Bullets NY Elite in the championship 67-53. Here are the brackets.
Tayler Hill, Katya Leick and Anne Berner were named All Americans.

SUMMER LEAGUE BLACK OUT
The Champlin Park Summer League scheduled for tonight was cancelled due to recurring black outs in Brooklyn Park. The power went out three times from 4:40 pm to 6 pm. The decision was made to play the entire CPSL playoffs next week starting at 6 pm.

At least this wasn't two and a half hours away like the time I went to Kingsland during a blizzard for no game. It was only a five minute drive this time.

Next up: tomorrow morning.

Gas, Tournaments, and Camps

#2 posting 7.10.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

GAS PRICES
The 13u AAU national tournament has 41 fewer teams than last year. One reason may be gas prices. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.
I have also heard and seen camps that have had to cancel due this summer. The money crunch is affecting more than tournaments.

The Rochester Shock finished 0-5. from the RPB.

GREAT LAKES SHOOTOUT
Mike Bleadorn has coached for Team Wisconsin, now he is coaching for Kettle Moraine. His team will be in Menomonie this weekend. From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

CSS BISON/JUDDS
Here is how the CSS Bison and Judds team wrapped up in Atlanta. From the Lincoln Journal Star.

MORE MISS BASKETBALL
The Omaha World Herald has a preview of the Miss Basketball Showcase in Kearney.

GAME TIME
The Game Time summer league games are reported on in the Daily Iowan. Current and former Hawkeyes play and also some Minnesota natives--Kachine Alexander and Hannah Draxten--too. From the Daily Iowan.

COLLEGE DECISIONS
Amanda Mutchler of Manchester, Michigan was named their female athlete of the year and will head to Hope for college.

The South Washington County Bulletin has more on the recent Katya Leick (Park-Cottage Grove) verbal to Nebraska.

NORTHERN SUN
The St. Cloud Times looks at UM Duluth and the revolving door of women's basketball coaches.

MOVING ON
Iowa State director of women's basketball operations Michele Roberts is the new associate athletic director/senior woman administrator at the University of Nebraska Omaha. From the Ames Tribune.

SCHEDULE
Missouri State has released their 2008-09 schedule.

AWARDS
Lynxster Candice Wiggins was named rookie of the month in the WNBA.

Next up: Later today with reports from the Top 100 expo in St. Cloud.

Heat 2nd in Atlanta, Tournament Week Part 2

#1 posting 7.10.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

TOURNEY RESULTS
TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS ATLANTA
The Ohio Glory got the best of NC Heat Wednesday in the 17 Championship game. The Heat was ice cold from the floor in the game and were down 18-4 late in the first half. With just under 5 minutes left 1st half, NC Heat began to press and closed to 24-21 at halftime. The Heat went back to half court match up or man for most of the 2nd half. They did manage to take leads of 28-27 and 30-29. Then it was Ohio's 12-0 run that made the score 41-30 Ohio with about 4 minutes left. There was no Heat run to match and the final score was 54-38. The Heat shot many fewer free throws. The refs were very consistent and even but were instructed to let 'em play.
NC Heat plays today at 1:30 pm EDT vs. the top team in pool I in the AAU Nationals. Pool play runs through Saturday and bracket play begins Sunday.

END OF THE TRAIL
North Tartan's 15U placed 2nd in the Gold bracket, lost by 1 to a team out of Texas in the finals. North Tartan Larson's team lost in the final four in the Diamond Bracket but didn't play the 3rd place game as they had to catch flights back home.

The MN Metro Stars program had a successful tournament at the Nike End of the Trail in Oregon City, OR.

The 15U team went 4-1 and won the consolation title in the White bracket with a dramatic overtime win in the final game.

The Black team placed 3rd overall in the Gold bracket out of 32 teams. The Black team was also awarded exhibition games at the End of the Trail against the Mile High Magic Black and Northwest Blazers. Both teams featured top 25 national players in the class of 2009. The End of the Trail is the 2nd tournament in a row that Metro Stars Black has advanced to the final four, having done so at the Miss Basketball event in Sioux Falls in late June.

The Metro Stars 14U, 15U, White, and Black teams will now travel to Chicago for the Nike Summer Showcase which begins on Saturday. Information about the Metro Stars program can be found at www.mnmetrostars.com

15 AAU
The MN Suns Ellen is the #5 seed and are in pool D in the AAU 15 tournament. MN Suns Greg is in pool I along with Michigan Fastbreak.

MISS BASKETBALL KEARNEY
The Miss Basketball Showcase tips off today. Here is the results page.

GREAT LAKES SHOOTOUT MENOMONIE
Here are the schedules for the Great Lakes Shootout in Menomonie. scroll down the page.

SUMMER LEAGUES
CONCORDIA ST. PAUL
If you didn't catch it last night Minnehaha won the championship of the Concordia St. Paul Summer League. I reported on two of the games last night. I will have the photos and stats loaded up later today.

CHAMPLIN PARK
The playoff picture has come into sharper focus as 7 teams have locked up a playoff spot in the varsity league heading into the final regular season game at 6pm next Tuesday. The first round of the league playoffs begin at 7 pm.

Andover and Coon Rapids will square off at 6pm with the 8th and final playoff spot at stake. The winner of that game earns the right to face the #1 seed, a team that has yet to be determined as Maple Grove (9-1) faces off with Minnetonka (10-0) in the 6 pm game. There is also a scenario where Champlin Park (9-1) could finish with the first seed. Visit the Champlin Park website for a rundown of the scenarios.

In the JV league, only 3 teams have clinched a spot in the playoffs. Three teams are mathematically eliminated, so 6 teams are battling for the final five playoff spots. With four of those teams sporting 5-5 records it's almost certain the tie breakers will become a factor.

PINE CITY
Braham leads this summer league at 6-0, North Branch is second at 6-1. Three week remain with the next two weeks at Rush City and the last week at Braham.

Next up: more news

9 Teams Looking for Titles, Central Falls

#1 posting 7.8.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

TOURNAMENT UPDATES
AAU 12u-ROCHESTER
The MN Suns lost to Orlando Edge Red 64-48. They will face another Minnesota team, the MN Stars in the playback round today. The Stars lost to PV Vogues 51-34. Here is the championship bracket and playback bracket.

END OF THE TRAIL
NATIONAL DIVISION
Metro Stars Black advances to final 4 of Nike End of the Trail gold bracket where they will play the North Tartan 15U team. The game is on the main floor at Oregon City High School at 3:30 PM. The winner will advance to the finals of the bracket.
North Tartan 15 beat Orange County Elite Black and Boulder Rockies White on Monday.
MSB beat Utah Sky Black and the Winston-Salem Stealers.

The IBCA Select Red team won a thriller second round game against AZ Silver Streaks 58-48 to advance to the quarter finals of their bracket. IBCA trailed by 9 late in the first half before scoring 5 points in 30 seconds to cut the lead to 4 at the half. IBCA went on a 12-0 mid way through the second half with a barrage of 3 pointers.
The IBCA Select Red team played at 6:15 (Oregon time) against the Wichita Bearcats, but there is no word yet.

Michigan's Finest beat Evergreen Express, and East Bay Explosion before falling to Nor Cal Elite Black in the quarterfinals of the Platinum Bracket.

North Tartan Larson won twice yesterday. They beat TSIN Gold and then Cal Stars Red to move to the semifinals in the Diamond Bracket.

AMERICAN DIVISION
In the White Bracket Metro Stars 15s lost their first game to Team Concept So Cal.

All the brackets can be found here on the End of the Trail Site.

TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS-ATLANTA
Signature Division
MN NC Heat won their first two games in Atlanta Monday.
In game one they played City Rocks from NYC. NC Heat led at half 42-23 and extended the margin to 69-41 final. The Heat shot very well hitting 27/59 2 pt FGs, 2/5 3 pt FGs, and 9/13 from the line. Every Heat player scored in this contest.
Game 2 was much more physical. They played Team Unique from DC. NC Heat ground out a 33-27 halftime lead. After halftime their defense buckled down and held Unique to 8 points in 10 minutes after half en route to a 59-47 win. It was a foul filled game as the Heat shot 45 free throws, making 29. They shot 12/27 from 2 pt and 2/7 from behind the arc.
The Heat advanced to the final 8 where they'll face the hometown Peach State Elite Black who knocked off NE Bison CSS. Game time Tuesday is 11:30 am EDT

NE Bison CSS 17U beat Indiana Legends 17s 59-51 in their first game. In the second contest Peach State Elite beat NE Bison CSS 55-45.

All Iowa Attack lost twice yesterday in the Signature A Bracket 55-48 to the CY-Fair Houstonians, and 40-37 to the Dayton Hoopstars.

Sponsored Division
The NE Judds CSS 15s beat New Jersey Elite 17s 47-23. Time ran out on the NE Judds CSS 15s comeback against CY Fair Houston Heat 17s 62-61.The Judds rallied from 15 down with three minutes to play.

In the A division All Iowa Attack Jensen beat the Lady Bulls 50-39, and then beat Hoop Sessions 46-43.

Here is the Signature B Bracket, and Signature A Bracket. Here is the Sponsored A Bracket and Sponsored B Bracket.

MIDWEST SUMMER CHALLENGE-CINCINNATI
Four Wisconsin teams have advanced to the bracket play in the Midwest Summer Challenge. #1 seed is WI Fastbreak Select, #3 Team WI Select Samuels, #4 Team WI Select Doucette, and #7 WI Legends.

SUMMER LEAGUES
CONCORDIA ST. PAUL
Minneapolis Southwest defeated St Paul Central in the best of 3 games on Monday night in the first round of the Concordia League Summer Playoffs.
Theairra Taylor, Samantha Robinson-Ricks, and Kyana Johnson played for Central.
Southwest was led by 3 Sophomores (Vinishia Jackson, Micah Thornquist, Aleyse Hunteman) and 3 Freshman (Rayna Lindsey, Maddy Horan and Eva Mitchell).

Minnehaha Academy defeated Mpls Southwest in the 2nd round to advance to play the winner of Henry Sibley and Bloomington Kennedy.

Thanks to all the readers for the great help in getting the news out.

next up: more news.

Olympics, Hard Work, Tourneys and Summer Leagues

#2 posting 7.6.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

OLYMPIC CITIZENS
Becky Hammon (from South Dakota) is playing with Russia in the upcoming Beijing games. Rethinking Basketball looks at the fluidity of the citizenship requirements.

Former Gopher, and current Connecticut Sun, Lindsay Whalen is expected to be named to the USA Olympic team. From ESPN.

HARD WORK
A Bill Gosse column in the Appleton Post Crescent looks at "hard work" and how it does NOT guarantee scholarships. Paragraph #2 is critical.

TOURNAMENTS
12u AAU Nationals
Here are the results from the local teams
PAL Diamonds 43, Rochester Shock 31
GA Pistols Gold 57, Rochester Shock 26
MN Stars 49, Tennessee Elite 42
MN Suns 63, Southern Starz 32
All Iowa Attack 51, Michigan Mystics 16
Nashville Music City Players 54, All Iowa Attack 50
Team Orlando Edge Red 61, ABC Knights (WI) 39
Team Memphis Elite 64, ABC Knights (WI) 47
Central Jersey Hawks 58, Michigan Shock 44

MIDWEST SUMMER CHALLENGE, Cincinnati
Here are the schedules. No results in yet.

END OF THE TRAIL
This tournament starts today. Here are the schedules.

CHAMPLIN PARK SUMMER LEAGUE
Here are the playoff scenarios for the Champlin Park Summer League. Five teams are in the playoffs, three spots are open.

Next up: tomorrow

12u AAU Tournament, East Ridge, Traveling vs HS

#1 posting 7.4.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

AAU
The 12u AAU Nationals tip off Saturday in Rochester, Minnesota. Three Minnesota teams will take part: the Minnesota Suns, the Minnesota Stars and the Rochester Shock. Katie Ohm will be a torch runner. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

EAST RIDGE
The South Washington County Bulletin looks at the new school coming in 2009--the East Ridge Raptors. The SWCB has a Q&A including transfer issues.

SUMMER LEAGUES
Little Wound, South Dakota has been busy this summer with an 18-6 record after all their leagues and camps this summer. From the Lakota Country Times.

TRAVELING VS HIGH SCHOOL
The Quad City Times looks at elite traveling teams, specialization and high school sports.

HIGH GAS=DOUBLEHEADERS
Cornell, Wisconsin will have more double headers (boy/girl) this season due to high gas prices. From the Chippewa Falls Herald.

SCHEDULES
South Dakota State has released their 2008-09 schedule. They are at Minnesota on Dec 9.

Next up: more news

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

Summer Leagues Followed by Fall Leagues

#1 posting 6.30.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

SUMMER LEAGUES
LAKEVILLE NORTH
Lakeville North is 5-1 in the LNSL (beat Prior Lake, Red Wing, Eagan, DeLasalle and Hopkins) and lost by single digits to Eastview. Tournament starts on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. and concludes on Tuesday night July 8 at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Also Lakeville North is again traveling to Kearney, NE for the Miss Basketball Tournament on July 9-13th.

DEER RIVER
Bigfork is 7-1 in the Deer River Summer League. They lost to Deer River by two and beat them the same team by 25.

FALL LEAGUE
Yes Fall League. Summer isn't over and Fall Leagues are being planned.

Minneapolis Roosevelt is looking for eight more teams to sign up for the league which will start on Saturday August 30th and run through the entire month of September ending on the 27th.

The fee is 275.00 per team and each team will play two games each Saturday with the last Saturday serving as a tournament playoff date. All games will be played on Saturday mornings and afternoons at Minneapolis Roosevelt high school. Teams committed thus far: Mpls. Roosevelt, Mpls. South, Tartan, Columbia Heights. For more information call Coach Tim Williams at 612-232-9704.

OUTDOOR BASKETBALL
The "Liberty Outdoor Classic" game against the Indiana Fever (which will be the FIRST regular season outdoor game in professional basketball history)

A trailer for the event can now be viewed here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh_3IQ6aN3k

Additionally, the Liberty have announced a free fan festival on the day of the big game:
Bring your friends and family and enjoy:
. New York Knicks player/alumni appearances
. New York Liberty alumni appearances
. Basketball Clinics and Autograph Sessions
. Interactive Games, Music, Prizes and More

Next up: More News

The E-Mail Grab Bag: Summer Tournaments, Summer Leagues

#2 posting 6.29.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

THE E-MAIL GRAB BAG
I am back from Sioux Falls and I am able now to get to my e-mails. Thanks to the readers for the great information. You are keeping the public informed.

HOOPGURLZ RANKING
Theairra Taylor of St. Paul Central is ranked #86 in the nation by HoopGurlz.

SUMMER TOURNAMENTS
WALKER
Bigfork won the Walker tournament Saturday for the second year in row.
Moose Lake didn't show up so Bigfork had to play Walker. International Falls showed up late so they forfeited their game against Walker.
first round
Crosby beat Nevis 36-30
Bemidji beat Pine River 45-19
Fosston beat Park Rapids 31-30
Remer beat Lake of Woods 34-26
Walker beat Intl Falls (forfeit)
Pequot Lakes beat Cook
Frazee beat Blackduck
Bigfork beat Walker 56-25
Quarterfinals
Crosby beat Bemidji
Remer beat Fosston
Pequot beat Walker
Bigfork beat Frazee
Semifinals
Crosby beat Remer 35-26
Bigfork beat Pequot 50-34
Championship
Bigfork beat Crosby 43-36, 1st & 2nd
Pequot beat Remer for 3rd

ALEXANDRIA/BREAKDOWN
Here are the Alex Girls Results for Breakdown Tourney
Play in games
Becker beat West Central
Battle Lake beat Alexandria II
Quarterfinals
Moorhead beat Becker
Annandale beat Osakis
Minnewaska beat Princeton
Alexandria beat Battle Lake
Semifinals
Moorhead beat Annandale
Alexandria beat Minnewaska
Finals
Alexandria beat Moorhead
It was the second straight weekend Alexandria won a Breakdown tournament.

Minnewaska was 3rd
Becker the consolation champ

All Breakdown Tourney Team (Alexandria)
Rey Robinson, Becker
Kassie Hooten, Moorhead
Angela Christianson, Alexandria
Jessie Althoff, Becker
Liza Torgerson, West Central

SUMMER LEAGUES
PINE CITY
Pine City has a summer League. There league rotates between towns and runs on Tuesdays until July 29. Pine City hosts on July 1, Rush City the 8th, 15th, and 22nd, Braham the 29th. Here are the standings after five games
North Branch 5-0
Braham 4-0
Pine City 4-1
Siren, WI 2-2
Hinckley-Finlayson 2-3
Rush City 1-3
Webster, WI 0-4
Grantsburg, WI 0-5

CHAMPLIN PARK
Minnetonka is alone in first place at 6-0 in the Champlin Park summer league
Champlin Park and Maple Grove are 5-1 in second place
Roseville, Totino-Grace and Osseo are 4-2 tied for fourth place.

Next up: More Summer tournament results

Dakota Showcase All Touranment

#1 posting 6.29.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

DAKOTA SHOWCASE ALL TOURNAMENT
The Sioux Falls Argus Leader looks at the Dakota Showcase Saturday results with the emphasis on South Dakota teams.
The All Tournament team has been named. Tournament champion IBCA had three players make the All Tournament team. Katie Schechinger of IBCA Select Red was named MVP. Nebraska had six total players on the list. Tina Fisher of Metro Stars Black was the only Minnesota player named.

Ashley Eide of Sioux Falls Washington led all players with 121 points in six games, 20.7 ppg. She page 11 and 15. Tournament champ IBCA Select Red did not have a player in the top 25 showcasing their balance.

Here is the final standings (by state
Iowa 12-4 .750
Nebraska 23-11 .676
Minnesota 20-22 .476
South Dakota 10-14 .417
Kansas 5-8 .385
North Dakota 5-13 .278
Montana 1-4 .200

COLLEGE DECISIONS
Dana Cook of Addison, Michigan will play basketball at Hillsdale next season. From the Adrian Daily Telegram.

Portland, Michigan had six players sign to continue their basketball careers:
Lindsey Pettit, Ferris State
Sarah Wellman, Spring Arbor
Sam Feldpausch, Lansing Community College
Jessica Stiffler, Lansing Community College
Ashleigh Seal, Lansing Community College
Kelsey Aulerich, Lansing Community College

Bethany Merfeld of Waldron, Michigan is headed to Olivet.

SUMMER LEAGUES
Spring Grove is 5-0 in the Viterbo Summer League in LaCrosse. From the Spring Grove Herald.

GAS COSTS
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier looks at the rising cost of gas, and the impact on high school budgets. Iowa high schools can not charge participation fees.

D1 COSTS
The Grand Forks Herald looks at the costs of moving to D1.

HALL OF FAME
John Petersen of Columbus Scotus in Nebraska was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame. His girls basketball teams were 353-148 with three state championships during his tenure. From the Grand Island Independent.

EMAILS
I will get to my emails later today. I wasn't able to figure out how to access my account in Sioux Falls.

Next up: Later today.

Draxten & Krei in Game Time

#1 posting 6.28.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COACHING NEWS
Katie Falco has been hired as an assistant women's basketball coach at South Dakota State. She played her college ball at Northern Iowa and was an assistant at Montana State. She replaces Travis Brewster.

Nebraska women's basketball assistant coach Sunny Smallwood has been promoted to Associate Head Coach.

SIGNING
Lena Gipson of Fresno City College has signed with Santa Clara. The 6-1 Gipson only played one year with FCC and averaged 18 ppg on the 35-3 team.

FRESHMEN HAWKEYES
Hannah Draxten and Kelly Krei are playing in the Game Time league. Krei's team beat Draxten's. From the Daily Iowan.

AWARDS
Iowa State's win over Kansas State in the Big 12 Quarterfinals was chosen the Big 12 women's game of the year in a vote by fans.

ACADEMICS
The MIAC has released their winter and spring academic all conference list. Here are the Gustavus players that made the list.

POLICE BLOTTER
DePere girls basketball coach Dave Johnson entered a deferred no-contest plea in a misdemeanor disorderly conduct case. From the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Next up: more news

Uptown Y Summer League, Point Guard Skills, Whalen vs Bird

#3 posting 6.19.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

UPTOWN YWCA COLLEGE SUMMER LEAGUE
5:55 Games
Minnesota St. (Purple) 64, Carleton 29
Northern St. 46,St. Cloud/Mankato Alumni 40
6:50 Games
St. Thomas #2 55, Anoka-Ramsey 38
St. Ben's 66, Bethel 35
7:45 Games
St. Kate's 33, St. Mary's 28
UW River Falls 58, Gustavus #2 45
there were games scheduled at 8:40 and 9:35 but no word on those contests.

Next week the league plays on a rare Tuesday night and the regular Wednesday night.

POINT GUARDS, AND WHALEN VS BIRD
The Rethinking Basketball blog has a post on Point Guards and what makes one great. It looks at the skills involved, it has a heavy dose of numbers for stat heads, and it looks at Lindsay Whalen vs Sue Bird.
Also RB looks at how a point guard can influence a game even with a shooting slump.

Next up:

Michigan State Verbal, Missouri Western Signings, Flood, and Summer Leagues

#1 posting 6.18.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

VERBALS
Kelsey Smith, a 6-4 post from St. Charles North, Illinois, has verballed Michigan State. From Hoopgurlz.

SIGNINGS
Missouri Western State has signed five more girls basketball players for the upcoming campaign.
Kimberly Rickels, 5-9 guard from Iowa City, Iowa
Abby Stone, 5-11 post from Jefferson City Helias, Missouri
Brenna Saline, a 5-8 guard that is a transfer from Southern Illinois
Taylor Lyons, a 5-11 swing player. She is transfer from Ohlone College, originally from Vallejo Logan, California.
Jade Simmons, a 5-3 point guard. She is a transfer from Palomar Junior College. Murrieta, Calif)
Kristin Bush, a 5-11 forward from Slinger, Wisconsin, signed in the fall.

FLOOD BATTLE
Hannah Draxten of Fergus Falls is now down at the University of Iowa taking some summer classes, but lately she and the rest of the women's basketball team has been busy sandbagging against the floods. From the Fergus Falls Daily Journal.

SUMMER LEAGUES
Prescott, Wisconsin hosts a summer league with six teams: Prescott, Somerset, Ellsworth, and Baldwin-Woodville from Wisconsin and Park-Cottage Grove and Cannon Falls from Minnesota.
There games are on Mondays at 7, 8 and 9 pm.

Here are all the results from the Champlin Park Summer League last night. Minnetonka and Totino-Grace are both 4-0 and sit atop the 12 team league.

ROGERS BREAKDOWN TOURNAMENT
Here are the schedules for the Rogers Breakdown tournament on Saturday for the Blue, Gold, and Silver Brackets

TAMARA MOORE INTERVIEW
Tamara Moore, former Minneapolis North and Wisconsin player, is interviewed on the SportsBrain. Moore played in the Inner City All star game with the boys since there was no girls Inner City All Star Game.

ALL STAR CHAMPIONSHIP
The Minnesota Coaches Championship All Star game is up on SportsBrain on You Tube. The AA won the event back in April.

Next up: more news

Brewster on the Move, Shrinkage, Athletes

#1 posting 6.6.2008
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

COACHING NEWS
SDSU lost their 2nd year assistant coach this year as Travis Brewster is headed to the University of North Dakota.

Matt Sobiech is the new head girls basketball coach at Mound-Westonka. He has been the assistant there the past 3-4 years. Before that he was a student teacher and assistant coach at North Branch.

Jon LaBeau has resigned as girls basketball coach at St. Mary Catholic Central in Monroe, MI. The Kestrels have a 50 game winning streak in the Huron League. From the Monroe News.

Diane Robertson has resigned as girls basketball coach at Edwardsburg, MI. Robertson coached for two seasons. From the Niles Daily Star.

Corey Baumgartner has resigned as girls basketball coach at Kewaunee, WI. Baumgartner is moving on to Kaukauna to be an assistant principal. From the Green Bay Press Gazette.

SIGNING
Northern Colorado has signed Brittany Fernandez of Butler County CC. The 6-0 center played her high school ball at Kansas City Washington.

SHRINKAGE?
Could Minnesota drop a class in basketball? It seems three is the favored number except for football. This tidbit found in the golf article in the StarTribune. Look at the last paragraph on the first page.
I would be in favor of this move.

FINAL FOUR
Columbus has put in a bid for the women's basketball final four for the 2012-2016 years.

ATHLETES ON ATHLETES
Brian McCormick looks at what athletes think about athletes. His point that there is more to athleticism then running fast and jumping is too narrow a definition. Check out the other athletic skills that don't get spotlighted.

SUMMER LEAGUE
Cedar Rapids Washington is in two summer leagues in Cedar Rapids--the Jefferson (Monday)and Kennedy (Wednesday) leagues.

ALL STAR GAMES
The South Dakota vs Wyoming All Star games take place this weekend with the first game today in Gillette, WY today at 5:30 pm and then Spearfish, SD tomorrow at 5:30. rosters included. From the Rapid City Journal.

BASKETBALL ON THE DIAMOND
New Life's infield is full of basketball players. Kristin Stein, Olivia Mann, Rebekah Schmidt and Jenny Ramey all are basketball players including pitcher Danielle Schmidt. The Eagles won their Class A quarterfinal game 2-0 over Chatfield. From the Rochester Post Bulletin.

BASKETBALL ON THE LINKS
Michelle Tobin, Eden Prairie Junior and a member of the Minnesota Fury AAU team, recently participated in the State Class AAA Girls' High School Golf Tournament and helped her team to a third-place finish

Next up: later today with the week that was. and what a week it was.