Jalen O’Bannon Signs With ASU Women’s Basketball

 

Arkansas State head women’s basketball coach Brian Boyer announced Tuesday that Memphis Central High School standout Jalen O’Bannon has signed a National Letter of Intent to continue her basketball career at ASU.

O’Bannon, a 6-1 forward, averaged 7.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocked shots during her senior season, helping the Warriors to their fourth consecutive District 16 AAA championship and tournament championship. Central posted a 49-1 District 16 AAA record during O’Bannon’s four seasons. During her senior season, she was also named to the Region 8 all-tournament team after helping Central to the Region 8 championship and the Substate championship.

 Read complete Arkansas State article

Angela Hardy selected as Memphis FCA High School Athlete of the Year

from CommercialAppeal.com

Baseball standout Brady Bramlett of Arlington and Angela Hardy, a multi-sport athlete at Douglass, have been selected as the Memphis Area Fellowship of Christian Athletes High School Athletes of the Year.

Hardy is a basketball, volleyball and track standout for the Red Devils and has earned all-district and all-region honors in all three sports. She is also involved in her church, school and other service projects in the community. Hardy plans to play basketball at Southwest Tennessee Community College.

Bramlett, who has signed to play at Ole Miss, was the Best of the Preps baseball player of the year in 2011 while earning all-state and all-region recognition. He has helped Arlington earn the top-seed in next week's District 14-AAA baseball tournament. Bramlett is the president of Arlington's FCA, was named "Mr. Arlington High School", sings in the all-state honor choir and is a member of the Student Government Association.

The awards are given to the senior athletes in the Shelby County area “who best exemplify competitive excellence, together with strong character, godliness and service to others.”

The awards were presented at Friday's FCA Tailgate Rally that featured Hugh Freeze of Ole Miss and Gus Malzahn of Arkansas State.

2012 Signings

Danielle Ballard (Central) - LSU
Bianca Cage (Southwind) - Eastern Michigan
Jerontay Clemons (Coldwater) - Southern Miss
Dakota Doss (Briarcrest) - North Alabama
Lauren Douglas (Briarcrest) - Northwestern
LaMetria Dunn (Fairley) - Dyersburg State CC
Cornelia Fondren (Overton) - Syracuse
Cortrice Golden (Overton) - UT Martin
Jasmine Golden (Center Hill) - Binghampton
Logan Hammond (Arlington) - Arkansas - Monticello
Alexis Hardaway (H W Byers) - Austin Peay
Arielle Hearn (Arlington) - Memphis
Christyn Hopper (Arlington) - Alabama A&M
Lorna Hudson (Peabody) - Bethel
Destiny James (Bartlett) - Jacksonville State
Jasmine McAllister (Southwind) - Walters Sttae
Briana Neal (Overton) - Volunteer State CC
Arkela Ware-Jones (Fairley) - Fisk University
Jalen O'Bannon (Central) - Arkansas State
Alicia Payne (White Station) - UT Chatt
Jasmine Prophet (Hightower HS, TX/Formerly at Millington) - McNeese State
Aaliyah Whiteside (Central) - Georigia Tech

If you are aware of any other signings, please email popo@girlsbasketballtrainer.com.

Nina Davis helps Tennessee Flight win Boo Williams Title

With a 20-point first-half deficit looming over Tennessee Flight coach Tom Insell, his voice so far gone that his usual barbs came in the form of high-pitched cracks, it's hard to believe the coach and his team had much hope of coming back against the Metros in the semifinals of the Boo Williams Nike Invitational gold bracket. But somehow Insell held on to hope.

"You're never out of a game in travel ball," Insell said after his team's 76-64 victory over the Philly Belles-Maryland in the Boo Williams Nike Invitational gold bracket championship game. "Ninety percent of teams give up if they get down 20, but the game is so fast-paced you just need to get a couple of rebounds or stops and get yourself going." Read complete Hoopgurlz article  

Hoopgurlz evaluation from Boo Williams event: Nina Davis (TN Flight): Davis (Central), a 6-foot-1 forward from Memphis, Tenn., brings great versatility to the floor with her combination of size and athleticism. The No. 58 prospect in the HoopGurlz Super 60 has the ability to score around the basket with great effectiveness and did so throughout the weekend. She has the size and ability to attack the basket off the bounce or catch the ball inside and finish with either hand around the rim. Throughout the weekend, Davis was asked to defend taller and often bigger post players, and she rose to the challenge and managed to make things difficult for opposing team's post players. Her size mismatch on defense was an advantage on offense as she used her athleticism and foot speed to go around off the bounce and on occasion chase down the loose offensive rebound and earn her team a second-shot opportunity. Read all evaluations  

Blue Star Media evaluation from Boo Williams event: Another eye catching addition to the Flight roster this spring is Nina Davis (Memphis, Tenn.) from the high profile program at Memphis Central High School. The 6-0 Davis has been a solid contributor and high profile prospect for several years now but seems primed and ready to make a statement this summer. Mother Nature has afforded the previously leaner built Davis some much need physical size and strength and she already appears comfortable putting them to use. Don’t mistake that for saying she’s heavy, she’s absolutely not but there’s some physicality now in place that’s going to make her a difficult match up for some opponents. Another changing aspect of her game is her inside-out versatility. Generally considered a perimeter player, she is providing quality minutes at the small forward spot and doing so effectively. The ability to create off the dribble is sharper than most small forwards and her first step challenges bigger defenders. While her perimeter shot is still not a strength it has evolved and could be a threat if she can connect from the elbows just enough to keep defenders honest. Defensively she’s able to use her quickness against opposing bugs and rotates quickly as help from the weak side. There seems to be a growing interest on the college level in the swing player who can be productive both on the wing or in the small forward spot. Davis may well be suited to fill that kind of role. It’s an important summer in front of her in many ways. Read all evalutations

Memphis Teams 2012 Spring Evaluation Period Results

Adidas Hoosier Hardwood Championships 
Memphis Bobcats 2014 finished 6th
Memphis Bobcats 2015 finished 6th

Deep South Classic
Elite-Holmes finished 3rd in 17u Signature division going 3-1.
Elite-Daniels finished 17th in 17u National division going 3-1.


Tip Off Classic
Team Memphis Elite - Williams 3rd in Gray Bracket
Team Po Po 3rd in Red Bracket
Team Tennessee Glory - Malone 5th in Red Bracket
Team Tennessee Glory - Richardson 7th in TeamPSB Bracket

TSWA Girls All-State Basketball Teams

TSWA ALL-STATE GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAMS

CLASS AAA
Shacobia Barbee (Riverdale); Nina Davis (Memphis Central); Bashaara Graves (Clarksville); Ashlee Mitchell (Tennessee High); Tianna Tarter (Science Hill); Hannah Goolsby (Cookeville); Jai-Jai McLaughlin (Bearden); Sydney Carden (Knox Halls); Leslie Berquiest (Morristown East); Cornelia Fondren (Overton); Tyisha Petty (Riverdale); Alexa Middleton (Riverdale); Caya Williams (Mt. Juliet).

CLASS AA
Elizabeth Masengil (McMinn Central); Rachel Bell (Creek Wood); Abbey Sissom (Cannon County); Abby Miller (Livingston Academy); Taylor Randolph (Upperman); Bre Hall (Fulton); Jayda Johnson (Fulton); Chelsey Moore (Loudon); Laura Johnson (Grainger); Brandi Goodman (Obion Central); Macy Wright (Obion Central); Tiffany Jones (Manassas); Lauren Thompson (CPA); Faith LeGate (CPA); Karly Frye (Chuckey Doak).

CLASS A
T.T. Flowers (Lake County); Rachel Garland (Moore County); Kelsey Risner (Wayne County); Brooke Rhodes (Cloudland); Sydney Roach (Clay County); Casey Cooper (Clay County); Caroline Warden (Jackson County); Sarah McKinnon (Tellico Plains); Lindsey Higgins (Harriman); Lexi Lowery (Cosby); Amber Fair (Union City); Carly Dickens (Clarkrange); Jaycee Coe (Jackson County); Makenzie Hensley (Jackson County); Leeann Baggett (Houston County).

DIVISION 2
Kaylah Keys (Harding Academy); Kaylan Pugh (St. Mary’s); Derica Wyatt (FRA); Chadarryl Clay (GPS); Lauren Douglas (Briarcrest); Christina Slay (Ensworth); Simone Busby (GPS); Sarah Galvin (PJP II); Molly Melton (Knox Webb); Kelsey Brown (Knox Webb); Jane Romano (Knox Webb).

Danielle O’Banion To Be Named Kent State Women’s Basketball Head Coach

The Kent State University Department of Athletics will hold a 1:00 p.m. news conference Thursday, April 19 on the main floor of the M.A.C. Center to announce the hiring of Danielle O'Banion as Golden Flashes' head women's basketball coach.

O'Banion takes over the Kent State program following a four year stint in Memphis, including the last two as Associate Head Coach. Owning the reputation as a proven national recruiter, she served as designated recruiting coordinator for the program helping the Tigers ink three nationally-ranked recruiting classes. The highly touted recruiting classes fostered by O'Banion have lived up to their billing on the court as well guiding the program into the postseason each of the last three years.

With her guidance Memphis has accomplished just as much in the classroom during her tenure. The program has currently graduated 29-straight seniors from its roster, not counting the five-member class of 2012 (two of which already have their respective degrees). Just this last fall six student-athletes from the team achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Classroom success and deep runs through the postseason are nothing new to the Arlington, Va. product. In 10 years as a collegiate coach she has been on staff for nine postseason teams, including a Final Four and two Sweet 16 berths while on staff at Minnesota from 2003-07. In addition she has been a part of two other first round NCAA appearances with the Gophers and one while at Harvard in 2002.

Kent State students, faculty, staff and the general public are invited to attend.

Pat Summitt steps down as Tennessee Lady Vols head coach

from CommercialAppeal.com



After a storied 38-year career, Pat Summitt is stepping down as head coach of the Tennessee women’s basketball team to become a coach emeritus with the program.

Lady Vols associate head coach Holly Warlick will be named the new head coach.

Summitt said that she met with Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart and Warlick this morning to finalize the transition. She said that the decision was hers and she’s comfortable with it.

"I feel really good about my decision," Summitt said. "I think this is going to be a win-win situation for everybody. Holly and I will work really well together."

Summitt announced last August that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type, but continued to coach with the blessing of university officials. In the wake of her announcement, Warlick assumed a bigger role, taking on many of the responsibilities normally reserved for the head coach.

"I feel like Holly’s been doing the bulk of it,’’ Summitt said. "She deserves to be the head coach. I’m going to support her. No doubt, I’ll be there for her."

Summitt conceded that she doesn’t yet know the full scope of her new position.

"We had to give it a name; that’s pretty much what it is,’’ she said. "They kind of outlined everything. I don’t know exactly what it’s going to be."

It’s Summitt’s understanding that she still can attend practice and talk to the players. She also said that she can call recruits, which will be of paramount importance. The Lady Vols currently have just six returning players on campus and three high school seniors signed for next season.

Warlick will be making her head coaching debut after spending the past 27 seasons as a UT assistant, a tenure that began with the 1985-86 season. While acknowledging the difficulties of her revised role last season, Warlick, a former Lady Vols point guard, seemed more comfortable in her role late in the season. If so, Summitt was a big reason why.

"She was very complimentary of me and so that to me means so much and to these kids because I’m doing something in front of the best coach in the world,’’ Warlick said before the NCAA tournament. "And I’m not trying to be Pat Summitt. I’m trying to take what she’s given me and carry on with this team."

Tennessee’s season ended with a 77-58 loss to eventual national champion Baylor in the final of the Des Moines (Iowa) Regional.

During her career, which began with the 1974-75 season, Summitt coached Tennessee to eight national championships. She finished this season with 1,098 career victories and stands alone at that victory plateau among all NCAA coaches. Gene Bess of Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo., entered the season with 1,131 victories at the junior college level.

Summitt’s annual salary started at $8,900 in 1974. This season, her total compensation package was $1.5 million.

Earlier this month, senior Glory Johnson became the 21st player coached by Summitt to be named a State Farm (formerly Kodak) All-American. These players accounted for 36 total All-America honors under Summitt’s tutelege.

Summitt has two basketball courts named after her — one at Thompson-Boling Arena and the other at her alma mater, UT Martin. She also has a street named after her on both campuses.

7 Things to Know About College Financial Aid

Applying for college financial aid is one of the few things in life that may be even more confusing and complicated than taxes. It involves getting together loads of financial information, learning an alphabet soup of acronyms, and understanding how the financial aid system works.

Athletes that are ready to compete at the college level may be too busy with homework, practice, camps, and workouts to sit down for hours and study every last detail of the financial aid process. But to give yourself the best chance of using athletics to pay for your education and get ahead in life, it is crucial that you have at least a basic understanding of how financial aid works.

Read complete GirlsBasketballRecruiting.com article

Brittany Carter Signs Training Camp Deal with Connecticut Sun in WNBA

Brittany Carter (Covington, Ga./Newton County HS) signed a training camp deal with the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun it was announced by the team’s front office Tuesday. Carter becomes the first Tiger to be invited to a WNBA camp since Tiffany Adkins was invited following her senior season in 2001. Carter is trying to also become the first Tiger since Victoria Crawford (2001-2005) to play professional basketball. Crawford played professionally in Israel and Iceland after graduating in 2005.

Carter, a three-time all-Conference USA honoree, capped her Tiger career earlier this spring as the program’s 13th-leading scorer (1,437 points), averaging 15.5 ppg for her three-year career. She also added 4.5 rebounds a game and 44 blocked shots in 93 career games. The Covington, Ga., native holds the University of Memphis single game scoring record (men’s or women’s) with a 49 point effort against Sacramento State at the University of Washington tournament. She was the first Tiger to earn three All-C-USA honors since Tamika Whitmore, who capped her WNBA playing career with the Connecticut Sun in 2008 and 2009.