USA Bound!

Amber Ramirez has received an invitation to USA Basketball 16u tryouts in May. The Wagner freshman is among 34 players invited for a chance to play for Team USA.

Like two years ago, USA Basketball is allowing for additional players to tryout by paying an application fee and paying for the trip. Ramirez is one of the select few to have all expenses paid for a shot at making the 16u team.

Congrats to Amber! Well deserved.

Showcase Hoopers 1: Tovar, Green and Dean

Belle Tovar(2016) Takes Flight

 

 

Belle Tovar is a Hooper!  Watch the 2016 guard for a significant amount of time and you will come away with the same sentiment. In a girls game dominated by players that are "built", Tovar is a old school hooper. She is that kid that learned to play the game by playing the game. As witnessed in the above photo, taken at the SB Showcase, Tovar has an unconventional flare to her game and takes risks not commonly seen by young female ball players. She is not afraid to try new learned moves and her athleticism  and size allows her to make head turning plays. The Wagner HS frosh is one SA's brightest 2016 players.

 

 

Taylor Green(w/Ball) one of CenTex Best 2017's

 





Like many daughters of coaches, Taylor Green is a gym rat. Her individual skill set is clean and her understanding of the game is impressive for a young kid. The thing that truly makes her stand out is her ability to defend. Many times, so called elite defenders are glorified hackers and risk takers that prey on weaker players. Green is not that type of player. She is remarkably in tune to exposing offensive players weaknesses by using her athletic ability and understanding angles. She knows how to use the court and her teammates as additional defenders as well. Her 3ball is strong and her motor is why she is already drawing college interest.

 

Japreece Dean(2015)- Central Texas play maker

 

 

Good players make plays. While that sounds obvious, often so called good players fail to make plays. Japreece Deam (Vista Ridge)is a play maker. The 5-5 PG is a really good passer in traffic despite her small frame. The way she finds her teammates with an array of pockets passes and drop offs ensures that her teammates get easy baskets. While she makes others better, she can also keep defenders honest by attacking off of the bounce to score and shoot the open jumper. Dean is easily one of the better point guards in South and Central Texas. 





SA's Young Bigs: 2017's Mabry and Knight

Makala Mabry and Hannah Knight

 

While San Antonio has garnered national love by having some really good guards lately, local Bigs have yet to be considered Top 100 player in a national scale. 2017's Makala Mabry and Hannah Knight are on pace to possibly change that real soon.

 

Both of the 6'1 post players performed well at the SB Showcase and followed it up with impressive performances at the very competitive  Houston Elite Spring Fling last week. The 8th graders played up one grade and both still led their team to 3-0 record while averaging double doubles.

 

Of Mabry, one national scouting director wrote in an email to college coaches "mid to marginal high major D1-athletic-scores inside-can put on the floor-scores with reverse layup-steps out to . Another national service has Mabry rated as the #62 prospect in the country. Mabry is a combination of speed and power. She rebounds out of area extremely well, has good timing as a shot blocker and nice touch on her jumper.

 

Of Knight, the same national scout wrote, "mid to marginal high major D1-pretty athletic & strong-scores around the basket with L & R-works hard". The same national service that rated Mabry, slots Knight as the #78th best prospect in the country. Knight is a powerful force around the basket with a good range on her jump shot. She lives in Poth and will play for that legendary program. Though she will not play for recently retired Peggy Hosek, the HS legend will still be a huge part of her development.

 

The big question with young Bigs is how will they continue to develop? If Mabry and Knight continue to clean up their skill sets and remain focused, both kids will surely fulfill their considerable promise.

 

 





SB Showcase: Williams and Connally

Gabby Connally and Kianna Williams

The ShesBallin Showcase  featured over 100 prospects in two sessions. Kids from Oklahoma, Indiana, Colorado and all over the state of Texas convened in San Antonio for a celebration of talent and dedication. Though many participants were from across the state and country, two of the brightest stars were from San Antonio.

With the San Antonio 2017's being arguably as good as the 2010 and 2014 classes in terms of potential college prospects, the top 2 players are guards Kianna Williams and Gabbi Connally.  Both guards are considered Top 100 prospects in some national services, with Williams being considered in the Top 30 in one reputable report.

Williams is cat quick. Her change of direction is reminiscent of 2015 speedster Kyra Lambert. Her pass first mentality and calm demeanor reminds some of NC State PG and former Wagner great Len'Nique Brown. Like Brown, Williams will join a stacked backcourt at Wagner HS next season.

Connally is a score first guard in the mode of Baylor bound McKenzie Calvert, a player she reportedly patterns her game after. She is strong enough to play through contact and is a fiery competitor. Connaly has a flash in her game that warrants fans and is bound for Brandies HS.

These two kids are sure to keep the recent trend of San Antonio producing national caliber guards alive. Both kids are already drawing interest from major programs across the nation.

Peach State Basketball recaps: ShesBallin Showcase

The second annual ShesBallin Showcase was a huge success. Some of the local players spotlighted in the Peach State Basketball recap are Avery Queen, Jackie Anderson,  Amber Ramirez, Gabbi Connaly, Desiree Caldwell and Kianna Williams. The Recaps follow:

Upperclass Recap

Underclass Recap

Local players Erica Sanders and Tierra Davenport were also featured in the Cy-Fair evaluation Camp.