The inaugural ShesBallin "Blue Print" was just
that, the foundation. Thirty three college coaches from twenty eight schools came to San Antonio, including twenty two Division 1 programs. In terms of a
national scale, those numbers are small. When taken into proper perspective,
those numbers are huge!
I have been on both sides of the exposure game. I have
played in huge events, featuring hundreds of teams and hundreds of coaches and
not had a single scout at my game. Slowly but surely, attendance at my games
has steady risen. Now, when attending large events, I experience the other
side. No less than a few dozen scouts sit in on the games with a few games
earning 70 plus at times.
With that in mind, the Blue Print provided some clubs with
the chance to play in front of coaches. Not just brag about attending an event
WITH coaches, but attended an event and play in FRONT of coaches. The George
Gervin Center allowed for coaches to view multiple games at the same time.
While admittedly not the strongest field of teams, the event featured teams
from Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico.
One of the best events that I have attended in terms of
results was a small event in Houston that featured a couple dozen coaches. It
was one of the best because of results; a couple of my players earned Division
1 offers from their performance at the
event. I have no doubt that some kids got a step closer to their goals of
playing college basketball with their performance at the Blue Print!
The significance of the event will be felt in the fall, when
college coaches finish the viewing period and get settled in for the school
year. Then, many of the players attending the event will get the attention that
that earned. Many new faces came to light and many familiar ones helped their
standings and reputations.
The game of the event featured SA Finest Blue vs Louisiana Lady
Blues. The Lady Blues feature eight players, seven of which have Division 1
offers. SA Finest Blue features nine players, seven of which whom have Division
1 offers(3 already committed). All twenty 26 and 31 coaches in attendance on
Monday sat on the game. The crowd was over flow with players from other teams
sitting on the floor and viewing from the second level. The SA greats like two
of the Roberson sisters, Arielle and
Amber, Anissa Hastings and Tai Dillard were in attendance. The Lady Blues
feature great guard play, including Top 15 2014 Lawriell Wilson. SA Finest
started slow, which has been typical in the first two events of July. The Lady
Blues were a headache for Finest off of the dribble. The super quick and
athletic guards and wings had the crowd oohing and aahing. Twice the Lady Blues
extended the lead to double figures. SA Finest was down 10 with 3:30 to go
before they decided to stop playing around. They cut the lead to five with a
little over a minute to go when 2014 Recee' Caldwell hit a three off of a
double staggered screen. She followed it up with a beautiful bank shot pull up
jumper on the left side in traffic to cut the Lady Blues lead to one point .
The crowd had encircled the court and the
coaches were sitting at attention, the atmosphere captured the best of club
ball. Excited parents, hyped fans, pleased college coaches all anticipating the
outcome. After a few empty possessions,
Wichita State commit and SA Finest Blue forward Briana Jones scrambled for a loose
ball and timeout with 9 seconds to play. The Lady Blues immediately double
Recee' Caldwell as she attacked the paint to find 2014 Wendy Knight. Knight
used the dribble to attack for dribble pull up at the left elbow. However, she
could not fully shake her defender. The heady Knight faked a pull up and
allowed her defender to take the bait. She then calmly dialed up a 15 foot
twine tickler! Game Winner with 2
seconds left, SA Finest Blue prevails by 1. The win meant little for SA Finest
and the lose didn't hurt the Lady Blues in the grand scheme of things. The game
put a stamp on the Blue Print. Local fans had a chance to see 17 sure fire
college players play against each other. College Coaches discovered some new
prospects and became better acquainted with more. Wendy Knight catapulted
herself up the recruit boards of many schools in attendance. And San Antonio
won! Not the game, but the event. The Blue Print was a win for the city! Let's
celebrate by ensuring that the players continue to mandate that college coaches
come to the city. A popular saying goes, " If you build it, they will
come". We now have the Blue Print!
