Memphis Girls Basketball Fundamental Friday: NAIA Opportunities

We all know about UCONN and TENNESSEE because that's all we hear about.

However, there are different divisions of college athletics and NAIA is one of them and they are giving out athletic scholarships too.

As a matter of fact, there is a school right up the road from Memphis that is a two time NAIA Division 1 National Women's Basketball champion - Union University.

The 112 NAIA Div. I schools can give out 11 scholarships each, and 148 NAIA Div. II schools can hand out six each.......

There are, of course, academic requirements, but they are not nearly as stringent as in the NCAA. To be eligible as a freshman, an incoming basketball player must meet two of the following three criteria:

1) A 2.0 grade-point average

2) An 18 on the ACT or an 860 on the SAT in critical reading and math

3) Graduation in the top half of the high school class.

Freshmen entering college this fall need only be admitted to an NAIA school and have that school certify that the student has met two of the three requirements, and she's eligible. Starting in the fall of 2011, however, there will be a slight change in the procedure.

Click here for the entire ESPN RISE article

Top 25 Girls Basketball Travel Teams Poll 2

The girls basketball National Insider Travel Team Poll #2 Post Evaluation Weekend Rankings was released on April 27, 2010.

The voters for the poll include:

Kenny Kallina (Florida - National Insider/Florida Insider)
John McGraw (All Games Sports East)
Apache Paschall (NYC Exodus)
Tom Insell (Tennessee Flight)
Xaver Walton (IL Excitement)
Percy Gordon (GA Pistols Elite)
Keil More (JumpOffplus.com & Peach State Basketball)
Anthony Toney (Sc 76ers Southern Premiere Basketball)
Al Coleman (Cy Fair Basketball Club)

Memphis Elite-Daniels received honorable mention.

Here is the Top 10:

1. Boo Williams (Nike - VA) 225 Points (9 First Place Votes)
2. Tennessee (Nike - TN) 216 Points
3. Philly Belles (Nike - PA) 205 Points
4. Sports City U (Blue Star - OH) 200 Points
5. West Coast Premiere (Nike - CA) 177 Points
6. DFW Elite T Jack (Nike - TX) 170 Points
7. Ring City (Nike - NJ) 166 Points
8. Missouri Valley Blazers (MTW - MO) 162 Points
9. Cy Fair (Nike - TX) 141 Points
10. Tree of Hope (MTW - WA) 129 Points

Click here for the complete Top 25 poll 2

Click here for the complete Top 25 pre evaluation period poll released early April

2009-2010 Pepsi Best of the Preps

Here are the 5 finalist for the 2009-2010 Girls Basketball Pepsi Best of the Preps.

Danielle Ballard
Central sophomore
A 5-8 point guard, Ballard averaged 13.4 points, 7.8
rebounds, 4.2 steals and 2.8 assists for the Lady Warriors,
who advanced to the Class AAA state semifinals for a second
straight season before finishing the year 27-4. Ballard
was named MVP of Central’s 70-66 Class AAA city-title
game victory over Overton and was also selected MVP of
the Region 8-AAA tournament.


Jasmine Newsome
Millington senior
A 5-6 Tennessee-Martin signee and Class AAA Miss
Basketball finalist, Newsome averaged a lofty 23.9 points
in leading Millington to its third consecutive District
14-AAA title and its third straight Region 7-AAA crown.
Newsome, named MVP of both the District 14-AAA and
Region 7-AAA tourneys, also tacked on 5.3 assists and
5.3 steals per game for the Lady Trojans, who finished the
year 33-3.

Erica Ousley
Fairley senior
A 5-6 guard, Ousley averaged 18.3 points during the
regular season to lead the Lady Bulldogs, who won the
District 16-AA tournament title with a 56-40 victory over
Hillcrest. Ousley scored a career-high 42 points in Fairley’s
89-83 triple-overtime victory over Manassas in the
Region 8-AA tournament final, where she earned tourney
MVP honors. She also led Fairley (30-3) to its first Class
AA city title.

Jasmine Robinson
Overton senior
A 5-8 combo guard and Alabama signee, Robinson
averaged 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two
steals for Overton, which, like rival Central, advanced to
the Class AAA state semifinals for a second consecutive
season. Robinson’s Lady Wolverines earned their
third consecutive District 15-AAA tournament title before
finishing the year 30-4.

Jasbriell Swain
Horn Lake senior
A 5-9 Binghamton University signee, Swain earned
player of the game honors in Horn Lake’s 40-28 MHSAA
Class 6A state-title game victory over Greenville-Weston,
scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Swain,
whose Lady Eagles went on to finish runner-up to Class
4A Raymond in the MHSAA Grand Slam, averaged a teamhigh
18.3 points during the regular season.

Click here for the complete Girls Basketball Best of the Preps

Memphis representing at Nike Skills Academy

In 2009, Memphis had 3 players representing the area at the Nike Skills Academy in Atlanta, GA - Central's Danielle Ballard and Aaliyah Whiteside and Ridgeway's Hasina Muhammad.

2010 will be no different. Central's Nina Davis, Overton's Cornelia Fondren and Ebony Hayes have received invitations to attend this years event.

How did Memphis do in the 2010 NCAA Spring Evaluation period

With at least 8 teams traveling, I'm sure Memphis represented very well this past weekend in front of college coaches, recruiters and the media. As I receive recaps from the programs, I will update this post.

Michael T White's Deep South Classic in North Carolina

Team Memphis Elite-Daniels finished 4th place in the 32 team 17U bracket. ESPN Hoopgurlz even tweeted about Hasina Muhammad and Danielle Ballard's performance. Memphis Select Lady Magic also had a great showing in the 17U bracket finishing in 13th place.

Deep South Classic Evaluation from Peach State Hoops Director of Scouting, Keil Moore:

Class of 2012 point guard Danielle Ballard (Memphis, TN/ Memphis Elite) and class of 2011 small forward Hasina Muhammad (Memphis, TN/ Memphis Elite) were both very effective with their play this weekend. Ballard is right their with the best point guards in the class of 2012 and is showing a more improved feel for the game. Muhammad's length creates problems for people when she is on the defensive end, and she has continued to develop her offensive skill set which was already one of the best at the small forward position in the class of 2011.

Click here for complete evaluation from Peach State Hoops


Deep South Classic Evaluation from ESPN HoopGurlz's Kevin Powell:

Hasina Muhammad: Memphis has produced its share of high -level perimeter performers and Muhammad seems to be staging her emergence on the national scene as such. The slightly built, 6-1 wing player is an acrobatic finisher around the cup and uses her length at both ends of the floor. She will need to add mass to her slight frame to continue her maturation as an elite player. Her shot has a considerable hitch and could use some refining, but overall a solid contributor due in large part to her ability to affect the game with her length and overall ball skills on the perimeter.

Super-South Country Jam in Tennessee

Team Idlewild Fury finished in 3rd place. Lillie Pitman lead in scoring, rebounding, steals and block shots. Kaitlyn McCoy lead in assists and second in scoring.

Memphis Lady Tigers sign Two JUCO All-Americans

The University of Memphis women's basketball team has filled its roster for the 2010-2011 season with a pair of All-American junior college players as part of the late signing period.

Memphis will strengthen its guard corps with the addition of 5-7 combo guard Danay Collier (Bronx, N.Y./John F. Kennedy HS/Monroe CC). Collier is currently attending Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y., playing for head coach Tim Parrinello, where she averaged 14.9 ppg as a freshman and a team-best 12.9 ppg last season.

In the post area, the Tigers have again tapped a Memphis link, adding Southwest Tennessee Community College's Kiana James (Jackson, Miss./Callaway HS/SWTCC), a 6-0 forward who came to Memphis from Jackson, Miss., and Callaway High School. James is the second Lady Saluqis player to don the Blue and Gray, joining rising senior Starkitsha Luellen-Higgins.

For complete details click here

Girls Basketball Speed & Agility Camp

Basketball is not just about shooting the ball in the basket. It's involves speed to beat your opponent down the court, reaction on defense and power for shooting and jumping.

Patosha Jeffery is teaming up with Velocity Sports Performance to help develop speed, agility and power for girls basketball players. Velocity Sports is the largest provider of sports performance training in the nation. At Velocity Sports Performance training centers, athletes in every sport, at all ages and all skill levels, have the opportunity to improve speed, agility, mobility and flexibility, and energy systems, while reducing the risk of sports-related injuries. Their proven training, elite curriculum and professional equipment allow children 8-18 and active adults the opportunity to train like the pros.

Girls Basketball Speed & Agility Camp
Saturday, May 22, 2010
10:30am-12:00pm
5th-9th Graders
Only $25
Spaced limited to 25 players
Contact: popo@girlsbasketballtrainer.com

Coach McFerrin featured on Good Morning Memphis

Memphis Lady Tigers Coach Melissa McFerrin interviewed on Good Morning Memphis.

Road to Division I Womens Basketball

Does the road to Division 1 Womens Basketball go through jump shots, block shots or 3 pointers?

Not exactly.

The road to Division 1 womens college basketball goes through ACADEMICS.

ESPN Rise’s Clay Kallam wrote an article describing a necessary process of getting to Division 1.

It all starts at the NCAA Eligibility Center (www.eligibilitycenter.org), and the fundamentals of this game are academic. To play Division I basketball as a college freshman, high school athletes must first complete 16 core courses in English (four years), math (three years), science (two years), social science (two years), plus five other courses that qualify as core courses. Oh, and just taking them isn’t enough — a minimum grade-point average is required as well.

Click here for the entire article explaining academic requirements

She Got Game 19: Jasmine Newsome Interview

Last week's TV episode of She Got Game 19 highlighted Millington Central's senior, Jasmine Newsome. If you missed the show, here is the full interview with Jasmine.




Remember to catch this week's episode of She Got Game 19 on Cable Channel 17 at 11:00am on Saturday, April 17th.

Memphis Teams travel during NCAA Spring Evaluation Period

Spring basketball is in full swing. AAU Super Regionals and Sub States are underway. And now top ranked teams and players will travel all over the country to showcase their skills to college coaches, scouts and the media.

April 16-18, 2010 is the NCAA Spring evaluation period. This means Division 1 colleges coaches are permitted to evaluate prospective student-athletes at non-scholastic events. And Memphis teams will be taking advantage of the opportunity.

Michael T White's Deep South Classic in North Carolina
Memphis Select Lady Magic
Team Memphis Elite-Daniels
Tri-State Elite

Michael T White's Deep South Classic in Kentucky
Memphis Select Lady Tigers

Peach State Tip-Off Classic in Geogia
Team Memphis Elite - 16
Team Tennessee Glory

Boo Williams Nike Invitation in Virginia
Team Memphis Elite-Little

Super-South Country Jam in Tennessee
Team Idlewild Fury

USJN Windy City Classic in Illinois
Memphis Lady Bobcats

Notes:
Since last summer, junior Hasina Muhammad has emerged as a Division 1 top prospect. She is still undecided on what college program she will take her skills to in 2011. During the winter, Hasina's unofficial short list of schools was released including Auburn, Nebraska, Memphis, West Virgina, Ole Miss, Miss State, Pittsburg, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, and Vanderbilt.

The Spring National Letter of Intent signing period for basketball runs April 14 - May 19, 2010 for the 2010 class.

Tennessee Sports Writers All-State Teams

CLASS AAA

Danielle Ballard (Memphis Central)
Aaliyah Whiteside (Memphis Central)
Nina Davis (Memphis Central)
Jasmine Robinson (Overton)
Hasina Muhammad (Ridgeway)
Jasmine Newsome (Millington Central)
Taylor Hall (Morristown West)
Jordyn Luffman (Lawrence County)
Courtney Gobble (Walker Valley)
Caya Williams (Mt. Juliet)
Quesha McClanahan (Oak Ridge)
Torie Vaught (Maryville)
Cheyenne North (Station Camp)
Ansley Ricker (South Greene)
Bashaara Graves (Clarksville)
Shacobia Barbee (Riverdale)
Isabelle Harrison (Hillsboro)

CLASS AA

Erica Ousley (Fairley)
Heather Butler (Gibson County)
Chassidy Fussell (Obion County)
Taylor Mills (Gibbs)
Hollie German (Polk County)
Jenna Adams (McMinn Central)
Madison Lee (McMinn Central)
Aubrey Reedy (Gibson County)
Heather Griffin (Gibson County)
Artavia Bryant (Marshall County)
Chynna Helton (Lewis County)
Amber Rechis (Westview)
Emily Sissom (Cannon County)
Alesa Hammaker (CAK)
Bre Hall (Fulton)

CLASS A

Brinika Shepherd (Westwood)
Beth Hawn (Forrest)
Molly Heady (Clarkrange)
Laken Leonard (Jackson County)
Alexis Anderson (CSAS)
Kayla Kelly (CSAS)
Kellie Reed (Clarkrange)
Terrah Garner (Pickett County)
Layce Colter (Red Boiling Springs)
Keta Robinette (Marion County)
Sara Nelms (Cornersville)
Heather Vann (Moore County)
Dakota White (North Greene)
Emily Bowman (Jackson County)
Sharon Morgan (Middleton)

DIVISION 2

Alex Black (Harding Academy)
Emily Reeves (Fayette Academy)
Kaylah Keys (Harding Academy)
Symone Daniels (St. Benedict)
Anne Panagon (Briarcrest)
Alexandria Warfield (Davidson Academy)
Derica Wyatt (FRA)
Paige Baechle (PJP II)
Marie Carpenter (Ensworth)
Taylor Reece (Brentwood Academy)
Chadarryl Clay (GPS)
Marjorie Buler (Webb)
Jayda Johnson (Webb)

Team Tennessee Glory Wins Huntsville, AL. AAU SRT

Team Tennessee Glory 13U Blue and Orange squads traveled to Huntsville, AL. to participate in the SouthernStarz AAU Super Regional Tournament, April 9 – 11.

The 13U Blue squad went 3-0 to win their pool, but fell to the Alabama Elite in tournament bracket play.

The 13U Orange squad went 3-0 in their pool play and continued with a dominating performance to defeat the Alabama Elite 58-39 in the Championship game. The Glory 13U squad is ranked as one AAU’s Ttop Power teams in the country. These young ladies can flat out play…

The victories have qualified each team for the AAU National Championships, July 9 – 14 in Kings Island, OH

Click here for more information on the event

AAU West Tennessee Regional Tournament Results

10u
1. Lady Plash
2. Pink Panthers

11u
1. Tennessee Elite
2. Team Memphis Elite

13-1
1. Team Memphis Elite - Holmes
2. Lady Magic Elite

13-2
1. Team 4 Evergreen
2. Lady Magic Elite

15-1
1. Team Memphis Elite
2. Lady War Eagles

15-2
1. Team 4 Evergreen
2. Team Memphis Elite

16
1. Dyersburg Storm
2. Henderson Heat

She Got Game 19 This Saturday

I recently interviewed Millington Central's senior Jasmine Newsome for She Got Game. It was my first time interviewing a player and it was so exciting. You can watch this interview and more on this Saturday's episode of She Got Game 19 at 11am on Cable Channel 17.

Be on the look out for more interviews.

Check out this snippet:

ESPN Hoopgurlz Top 10 Girls Basketball High School Teams

ESPN Hoopgurlz has released their Top 10 Girls Basketball High School Teams for the 2009-10 season.

1. Mater Dei Santa Ana, Calif. 32-1
2. St. Mary's Stockton, Calif. 34-1
3. Ben Davis Indianapolis, Ind. 28-0
4. Brea Olinda Brea, Calif. 31-3
5. Bolingbrook Bolingbrook, Ill. 29-1
6. Cy-Fair Cypress, Texas 35-1
7. Potter's House Jacksonville, Fla. 36-4
8. Norcross Norcross, Ga. 28-4
9. Mt. Lebanon Pittsburgh, Pa. 29-2
10. Polytechnic Long Beach, Calif. 32-3

Click here for the complete story

AAU West Tennessee Regional Tournament Brackets

Team Memphis Elite is hosting the AAU West Tennessee Regional Tournament this weekend.

This AAU tournament will have competition in 10U, 11U, 13U-1, 13U-2, 15U-1, 15U-2 and 16U-2 brackets.

The location is St Benedict At Auburndale High School.

Play begins Saturday at 8:00am with a match up between Team Memphis Elite Harris 13U vs Memphis Lady Magic Elite - 13U-1.

For the complete schedule click here

Lady Tarheels Play Day - Saturday, April 3

LOCATION:
Porter Girls & Boys club @ 620 S. Lauderdale, Memphis,Tn. 38126

SCHEDULE:

8AM EAGLES VS. TARHEELS 4/5
9AM DRAGONS VS TARHEELS
10AM EAGLES 8 VS. MUSTANGS
11AM EAGLES 6/7 VS DRAGONS
12 ARK. SELECT VS. MPHS ELITE
1PM EAGLES VS. TUPELO
2PM LADY MAGIC ELITE VS. ARK. SELECT
3PM LADY MAGIC ELITE (B) VS. MUSTANGS
4PM TARHEELS VS. TUPELO

RULES:
18-MINUTE RUNNING CLOCK
CLOCK STOPS LAST TWO MINUTES OF EACH HALF
HALF-TIME WILL BE 3 MINUTES
3 TIMEOUTS
PLAYERS FOUL OUT ON 5TH FOUL

CONTACT: Rachel Dorsey @ 9016905426

Memphis Girls Basketball Fundamental Friday: Learn from Womens Final Four

ESPN Hoopgurlz's Mark Lewis is no ordinary sports writer. Check out his bio:

Mark Lewis is the national recruiting coordinator for ESPN HoopGurlz. Twice ranked as one of the top 25 assistant coaches in the game by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, he has more than 20 years of college coaching experience at Memphis State, Cincinnati, Arizona State, Western Kentucky and, most recently, Washington State.

If someone with over 20 years of college coaching experience is offering advice, I would definitely listen.

Mark Lewis makes some great points in his latest article on Hoopgurlz:

• It seems today that the willingness to spend time in the gym or studying and following the game is taking a back burner to simply playing games.
  
• What do you hear college recruiters claim is missing? Focused skill workouts in addition to the games and practices of both high school and club teams.
• Although shooting workouts are imperative, so are ball handling skills, footwork, passing and cutting and a host of other parts of the game that aren't just going to appear come game time.
• When you are shooting, be sure your goal is shots made and not shots taken. It doesn't matter if you got in 500 shots before school if you only made 75.
• Good coaches will tell you that skill development is about repetition.
• TV coverage of both the college and WNBA game continues to grow, along with internet coverage, offering more opportunities to learn basketball from some of the best in a flat-screen classroom.
• It's great to know that Maya Moore is a great player or that Brittney Griner is changing the game. But beyond that know what exactly it is that sets Moore apart from the rest or why Griner made such incredible strides in her game since the start of her freshman season.

To read the complete article click here

To download girls basketball workouts and other resources click here

College Basketball Behind the Scenes

Although this is related to Mens Basketball, I thought it would interest readers of this blog. Michigan State's Tom Izzo recently allowed media an inside glimpse of his preparation for an NCAA tournament opponent.

This video will give you an example of how serious college basketball really is, both mens and womens college basketball.

McDonalds All-American Girls Game Recap

image from ESPN Hoopgurlz

West team's Meighan Simmons was named co-MVP of the McDonald's All-American Game.


Anytime you can get 24 of the nation's top players on the floor you can bet something is going to happen. It doesn't necessarily guarantee that it will be something good. The ninth McDonald's All-American girls' basketball game Wednesday night was the equivalent of a lot of good ingredients looking good on their own and coming together to create a bad recipe.

In a game that featured 59 turnovers between the two teams, the West squad led by co-MVP Meighan Simmons held off a late charge by their counterparts to claim an 84-75 victory. Natasha Howard of the East team, named co-MVP with Simmons, helped ignite a second half charge that closed a 22-point lead to seven at one point.

Click here for the complete ESPN Hoopgurlz story

Danielle Ballard receives invitation from USA Basketball

image from ESPN Hoopgurlz

Central's Danielle Ballard

Central's Super Sophomore, Danielle Ballard, has received an invitation from USA Basketball to participate in the 2010 U-17 National Team Trials held June 8-11, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Two teams will be selected during the trials, the 12-member 2010 FIBA U-17 World Championship Team and the 4-member 2010 U-18 National Team. Both teams will then depart for home on June 15 and reassemble later for training and the competitions according to the schedules listed.

2010 U-17 FIBA World Championship

June 8-11 U-17 National Team Trials (Colorado Springs, CO)

June 11-15 Training Camp (Colorado Springs, CO)

***break***

July 5-7 Training camp (site tbd)

July 7 Depart for Europe

July 8-12 Preparation tournament in Spain (city tbd)

July 13-15 Training in France

July 16-25 FIBA U-17 World Championship (Rodez and Toulouse)

July 26 Return to United States

2010 U-17 Youth Olympic Games

June 8-11 U-17 National Team Trials (Colorado Springs, CO)

June 11-15 Training Camp (Colorado Springs, CO)

***break***

August 5-10 Training camp (site tbd)

August 11 Depart for Singapore

August 12-13 Training in Singapore

August 14-26 FIBA U-17 World Championship (Rodez and Toulouse)

August 27 Return to United States