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