The October exposure period was was filled with some local happenings. Some of them follow:
South Texas Hoyas- Played in the Dallas Texas High School Invitational and represented well. They finished 2-2 , with both losses coming by a total of 2 points. The second loss came in sudden death double overtime. The interesting thing is that former TeamXpress players, LenNique Brown, Cheyenne Berry, Ciara(CC) McLee, and Alison Salmon suited up for the Hoyas. Talking to one Dallas area club coach about the play of a few of these players he wrote, "I now see what you are talking about with Nique. The way she played on Sunday showed me that she can easily play in the Big 12". Another coach sent this text, " Chy and CC looked good today. I have never seen them play so well". This coach went on to say that she had not known that Cheyenne could handle the ball so well. BUT, I KNEW IT! I witnessed Cheyenne play for the Lady Rohawks three years ago and she was something! CeCe Harper, Bobbi Taylor(South Alabama), Monica Engleman(Kansas) and Cheyenne were a sight to see. At times, Cheyenne was the most exciting one of the bunch with her no look passes and creative shot making. The buzz from this weekend is that Cheyenne has her swagger back. She apparently got the attention of a D1 in Louisiana, who immediately asked for a visit on Monday. South Alabama also apparently enjoyed her weekend enough to ask for a home visit Tuesday. Ciara McLee also reportedly had two D1 schools(SELA and UNF) asking for home visits as of yesterday due to her monster weekend. This kid has been on Hoopgurlz twice and is one of the best the city has to offer and the AMAZING thing is that McLee had NO D1 suitors apparently going into this past weekend. As for Brown, she just added a major Big East school to her list of pursuers and they are coming down to SA for a visit. FIT FIT FIT!!!! Jordan Collazo played so well that a few schools jumped on her band wagon and Asha Finch has Southland conference schools already babysitting her!
TeamXpress- Played in Frisco at the Premier Basketball Future Stars Showcase. They struggled early against a good Oklahoma Air team by scoring 24 points for the entire game in a double digit loss but rebounded by beating a good team out of Arkansas . Some bright spots were the play of Arielle Roberson and Tierany Henderson. Roberson is increasingly impressive by adding the 20 footer to her already remarkable skill set. Henderson is a major shot blocker at 5'10 with a wingspan that goes on for days. A key pick up to strengthen the back court was Kelly Gramlich from Austin. I have written about Gramlich three point shooting exploits in the past. The kid can light it up and played extremely well in the Xpress system. Pflugerville sophomore guard, Ari Booth showed glimpses of her bright future. What is most impressive about Booth was that she is one of the few girls in the area that shoots at the top of her jump and with an "L", like a boy. In the past, this has limited her range but I saw her hit a couple from deep this weekend. The TeamXpress games were watched by 20 plus scouts during every game.
SA Heat- Played in the Premier Basketball event. The Heat went 3-1 with the only loss coming to Oklahoma Air. Jessica Kuster continues to impress. Word is that the University of Texas- Arlington commit MAY BE reconsidering and changing her mind. The school that she is rumored to be considering was at both of the Heat's games that I watched. I had a good opportunity to finally get a prolonged look at Leslie Vorpahl(not Vorphal). I really liked what I saw. She has great instincts and finishes well for a small guard. She looked like she more than belonged on the court with girls 3 years her senior. Karissa Cantu has a little spice to her game. She takes chances with passes and plays that are exciting when successful. Cantu and Chelsea Solis are an exciting tandem. The Wagner star, Solis was solid and is reportedly getting ready to commit to Texas A & M Kingsville. I noticed something interesting throughout the SA Heat games. Coach Kobe Cantu gave everybody playing time in an exposure event. He subbed 5 girls at a time, even in crucial parts of the game. He truly showcased all of his kids.
SA Finest- They also played in the Premier Basketball event. They went 4-0 while playing in the JV division with the average margin of victory of 20 points. Although the competition was not the greatest, it did not stop a number of schools from sitting in on a few games. The first game against Mansfield Summit JV saw coaches from UTSA, UAB, Oklahoma, Rice, Colorado St. and OLLU. Madison freshman Brianna Jones apparently got the attention of the OLLU staff with her impressive weekend. The 5'9 guard is getting better by the minute. Former TeamXpress guard, Recee' Caldwell rejoined her original squad and teamed with Wendy Knight to put on a show. UTSA, UAB, Colorado St. repeatedly inquired about Caldwell as she literally floored a couple of opposing players with forays to the basket. Knight shot an incredible percentage as she punished smaller guards and blew by bigger players. Also, having strong showings was Jackie Anderson and Avery Queen. Queen, the 6'1 8th grader, was the reason for the Oklahoma coach in attendance.
Lady Rockets- The Judson High School based team was headed by local coach, Luke Fashaw. This team featured TeamXpress senior Paisley Spencer. The lightning quick Spencer played well over the weekend. Spencer played with this collection of Judson talent due to TeamXpress choosing to concentrate on playing a younger group in the event. The Lady Rockets also featured the talented freshman "LB" Brown. Brown has tremendous upside and an aggressive attacking game that will suit her well in her bright future.
Lady Rohawks- Reportedly, Lady Rohawks played very well despite going 1-3. Coach Harper took a group of old and young to the Cy-Fair Texans event. Harper made sure that his uncommitted seniors received the requisite minutes and opportunities to earn some college attention in the event. He started and played his seniors in positions that would showcase them for the next level. His uncommitted girls reportedly added new schools to their list of suitors. Harper then advertised the future with a young group that featured Taylor Calvert, Niaga Mitchell-Cole, two promising Pflugerville sophomores and the exciting youngster, McKenzie Calvert. Taylor Calvert is reportedly getting a lot of attention from prestigious academic institutions such as,Princeton, Rice, and SMU.
SA Comets Elite- The Comets took their huge front line to the Cy-Fair Texans event. They went 0-3 while playing tough teams Houstonians, Cy-Fair Premier and Houston Heat. Baylor was on hand to babysit commit, Sune Agbuke. More than 20 plus scouts were on hand keeping a keen eye on Kathryn Galindo. The Big for Antonian reportedly had a good event. The Comets were without the services of two experienced guards for the event.
