Kaitlin Murphy, Furman University

profile from Furman athletics site

Year:	Soph.
Hometown:	Memphis, Tenn.
High School:	White Station H.S.
Height:	5-6
Position:	G

Adrienne McKay 2010 Highlights

Here is another highlight from Patosha Jeffery's Inaugural End of Summer Shoot Out tournament.

This senior point guard, Adrienne McKay (Briarcrest Christian 2011) is tough. Her body build makes her look strong and from the look of her performance and difficult shots made, she is strong. She can go left and right and the penetration into a pull up jump shot is her thing. She loves the behind the back move and has an up and under fake move (not shown in video). Oh--and she can feed the ball to teammates.

Registration for Patosha Jeffery's Pre-Season Show Off Camp has been extended to September 22th. Visit GirlsBasketballExposure.com

Peach State Hoops updates 2012 Rankings

Peach State Hoops released their updated 2012 ranking late Wednesday evening.

Central's Danielle Ballard stays at 14th and Aaliyah Whiteside jumps 3 spots to 24th.

Here is the rankings Top 10:

1 Moriah Jefferson Home Schooled Glen Heights , TX
2 Breanna Stewart Cicero-North Syracuse North Syracuse, NY
3 Imani Stafford Windward Los Angeles, CA
4 Jordan Adams Mater Dei Irvine, CA
5 Morgan Tuck Boilingbrook Bolingbrook, IL
6 Andraya Carter Buford Flowery Branch, GA
7 Ally Beebe St. Joseph Santa Maria, CA
8 Basharra Graves Clarksville Clarksville , TN
9 Jewell Loyd Niles West Lincolnwood, IL
10 Alexis Jones Irving McAuthur Irving , TX

For the complete ranking, click here

Seniors invited to Pre-Season Show Off Camp

Seniors don't miss the opportunity to get on the recruiting radar.

The fall evaluation period is the last opportunity before the regular basketball season to let college coaches and recruiters know that you have skills and are interested in playing basketball at the next level.

Come Show Off your skills at Patosha Jeffery's Pre-Season Show Off Camp October 2nd.

Media expected to be in attendance: 901PrepScoop.com, TigerSportsReport.com, GirlsBasketballExposure.com, MemphisGirlsBasketball.com

Click here to learn more about the Girls Basketball Exposure Camp

Karisma Tyson, University of Arkansas - Little Rock

profile from UALR Athletics site


#1 Karisma Tyson

Position: Guard
Height: 6'0"
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
High School: Overton HS
Experience: High School





Overton High School: A McDonalds All-American nominee and four-time all-tournament team honoree…Ranked No. 83 in the nation…Averaged 14 points her senior season while leading the Wolverines to three-straight district champions and third in state the past two seasons…Averaged ten points her junior season, 12 points her sophomore season, and 18 points her freshman season.

Quote of the Day

“I advise you to say your dream is possible and then overcome all inconveniences, ignore all the hassles and take a running leap through the hoop, even if it is in flames.”
-Les Brown

Hot Commodity: Height

Over the past few months, I have learned that height is a hot commodity in college basketball. I mentioned in an earlier post about how I was so surprised at the number of times I was contacted by college coaches still looking for 2010 players. The majority of the programs were looking for post players.

Today, I watched 2 of the 3 games during the third week of play at the Super 80. What I noticed was a nice abundance of height. Some play in the post. Some play on the wing. And some can play both.

Below the players are listed with their approximate height:

Kelsie Briggs (2013), 6'1, Munford, G/F
Rachel Byers (2012), 5'11, Bartlett, F
Kourtney Coleman (2011), 6'0, H. W. Byers (Holly Springs, MS), G/F
Jeri Craine (2012), 5'10, Wooddale, G
Symone Daniels (2011), 5'10, St Benedict F
Lauren Douglas (2013), 6'1, Houston, F
Ebony Hayes (2013), 6'3, Overton, F
Madison Luckett (2013), 6'1, St. Benedict, G/F
Jalen O'Banion (2012), 6'1, Central, G/F
Aaliyah Whiteside (2012), 5'10, Central, G

That 'D'

Sometimes its not about being able to score but about being able to keep the other player from scoring. I've watched this young lady do just that the last 2 weekends. Last week, junior Bianca Cage (Southwind) put the clamps on the number 10th ranked player, Danielle Ballard (Central). This week, she disrupted the opposing team's point guard in half court situations and got steals in full court situations because she is always ready to play defense.

Memphis Girls Basketball Fundamental Friday: How to Stand Out

I was reading a blog post from Alan Stein. He is the strength and conditioning coach from the video I posted in the last Fundamental Friday segment: Conditioning Drills

His post talks about branding yourself. It has some very interesting points and it comes at the right time especially since basketball tryouts and the last NCAA evaluation period of the year are approaching. That means players will be putting themselves in position to impress and stand out so team coaches and college coaches can see them.

Here are some interesting points:

What are your favorite brands?
Nike? Apple? Facebook? BMW? Vitamin Water?

Do you consider people to be brands? Well they are! The most obvious is Michael Jordan (heck, his company is called the Jordan Brand). What about Donald Trump, Jay-Z, and LeBron James? Do you consider them brands? I certainly do. Why? Because the characteristics that come to mind when you think of them as individuals are automatically associated with the product they endorse. Make sense? You won’t see Donald Trump endorsing Wrangler Jeans.

If you want to be successful, both on and off the court, you need to start viewing yourself as a brand as well. Think of it as “brand you.” Everything you do affects your brand in some way (either positively or negatively). The way you dress, the way you act, and even the way you play. You need to take your brand very seriously if you want to make it to the top. And just to clarify, I believe in being authentic. I am not telling you to act like someone else or to try to please others just for the sake of it. You need to be real. You need to be genuine. You need to believe in your own brand, and equally important, set the standards of your brand. You need to decide what characteristics you find most important and then live up to them every day of your life.

Is your goal to play college basketball? Then carry yourself as if you already do! Hold yourself to the same standard of excellence as an elite college basketball player would… now… don’t wait. Carry yourself with the same honor, character, humbleness and work ethic as college superstars Evan Turner (Ohio State) or Wesley Johnson (Syracuse). Those two represent everything that is right with college basketball. Evan and Wesley know the importance of their brand. And now both are surefire lottery picks.

What do you want people to think about your brand? What would you want them to say when describing your brand? Hard working or lazy? Coachable or a hard-headed? Energy giver or energy taker?

What makes your brand unique on the court? Are you a great passer? Or are you a ball hog? Are you a lock-up defender? Or do you only play one end of the floor? Are you a good teammate? Or are you only focused on getting yours?

What makes your brand special off the court? Are you a good student? Or are you a class clown? Do you do what is right when no one is watching? Or are you always looking for a short-cut or an easy way out? Nike cares about what people think of their brand. So does Apple. So does Vitamin Water. So does every other big time brand. So should you.

If you don’t think these things matter, then honestly, you don’t have a clue. They matter more than you know. What people (coaches, teachers, scouts, parents, friends, etc.) think about your brand has a direct impact on the opportunities you will have in life. You only buy brands you like and trust, right? Why would people be any different? Would you buy an iPod if there was a good chance it would break? Would you drink Gatorade if it tasted like vinegar? Absolutely not! So why would a college coach want to give you a scholarship or an NBA general manager give you a contract if they didn’t have full confidence in your brand (both on and off the court)? The answer is… they wouldn’t.

Everything you do reflects your brand – everything! The way you dress, your email etiquette, your Tweets, your table manners, your voicemail message, your eye contact… the list goes on and on.

I roll my eyes when a player sends me an incoherent email full of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes asking me what they need to do to be successful on the court. Especially when it is sent from ChocolateAdonis@aol.com (which actually happened!). How am I supposed to take them seriously? If you don’t have the personal pride to use spell check or punctuation, why would I think you have the discipline to follow my recommendations? Please don’t waste my time. Same goes for someone who has a 5 minute rap song full of foul language on their outgoing voice message or a Facebook profile full of inappropriate pictures. These folks just don’t get it.

Research has shown it takes less than 30 seconds for someone to form a lasting impression of you. If you make a poor first impression, it can take up to 21 follow up impressions to change that person’s opinion. First impressions are a big deal. Remember, whether it is right or wrong, people will always judge you and judge your brand. What do you want them to think?

One of my favorite stories of first impressions and building a strong brand is when Michael Redd met Jerry Colangelo. Back in 2006, USA Basketball was in the initial stages of putting together the “Redeem Team” to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Jerry Colangelo (managing director of USA Basketball) arranged individual interviews with every potential player. He wanted to meet with them prior to deciding who to put on the team. He wanted to look them in the eye to get a sense of their character and commitment. Michael Redd drove straight from his practice with the Milwaukee Bucks to a hotel in Chicago for the interview. When Mr. Colangelo answered the door, Michael was standing there in his team warm-ups with a garment bag on his shoulder. After shaking hands, Michael asked if he could be excused to use the rest room. When he emerged a few minutes later he was dressed in a full suit and tie. Now he was ready for the interview. Now he was ready to show Mr. Colangelo what his brand was about.

Michael Redd’s actions landed him on the team that eventually won the gold medal. Putting on his suit and tie for the interview showed respect and professionalism. You see, Michael Redd gets it. He understands the importance of his brand. It is not an accident he plays in the NBA and has an Olympic gold medal.

What is Your Brand?

Quote of the Day

“Luck is what you have left over after you give 100 percent.”
-Langston Coleman

Will She Dunk in a Game?

Tiara Caldwell, 6'2 Sophomore at Millington High, has been practicing her dunking techniques. Check her out as she attempts a dunk on a 9 feet 10 inch high goal with a mini basketball.