Just 10 days left...
... until the start of the season, and it's time to start thinking seriously about the top 20. Coming off a week of vacation, I was extremely gratified by the number of preseason forms that coaches have already returned to the C-P, but there are still some calls to be made over the next several days. Most likely, I'll be able to get to a few scrimmages as well to reacquaint myself with some teams I have not seen since I was last in charge of this beat, back in 2002-03.
This year's seniors were freshmen then, but I remember a lot of them and a few in particular.
Actually, one of the first games I covered that season was a Saturday afternoon at Winslow, when I saw Rashidat Junaid for the first time. She scored like 26, including the game-winning bucket with two seconds left, but she wasn't the only impressive ninth grader. Minutemaid forward Amanda Jennings came off the bench to score something like 24, including 10-for-10 from the foul line in crunch time, to earn herself the nickname "Kool-Aid" from the Winslow crowd. Now, I've seen Ra play lots of games since then, over the last two seasons at Camden Catholic, and I know what to expect from her, but I haven't see Amanda "Kool-Aid" Jennings play since that day. It's something I'm looking forward to.
Other great players I saw have great games as freshmen that year:
Timber Creek's Erin Floyd really impressed on the two or three occasions I saw her... Bishop Eustace's Krystal Lazos was unstoppable in a playoff upset win at Gloucester Catholic... Kristina Rosario was still playing a strong second fiddle to Shontae Barnes in the post for Gami, but not for long... Holy Spirit guard Jordan Sykes had a trial by fire, facing Willingboro's pressure in an early-season showcase event.
I'm sure if I went back through my scorebooks, I could find several more impact freshmen from that season, but if I focus on the girls who were obvious start back then, I'm certain to miss a lot of worthwhile seniors who have emerged since. I've certainly seen enough girls' basketball over the last two seasons, especially 2003-04, to be able to pick the rythym back up without too much trouble, but as always, I can't do a great job without help from everybody. I need to know where the stories are, on and off the court. The SJ girls' basketball community is one of the deepest, most alive and diverse around, and there has never been any shortage of intriguing characters. I'm counting on you all to help me get them onto the page.
This year's seniors were freshmen then, but I remember a lot of them and a few in particular.
Actually, one of the first games I covered that season was a Saturday afternoon at Winslow, when I saw Rashidat Junaid for the first time. She scored like 26, including the game-winning bucket with two seconds left, but she wasn't the only impressive ninth grader. Minutemaid forward Amanda Jennings came off the bench to score something like 24, including 10-for-10 from the foul line in crunch time, to earn herself the nickname "Kool-Aid" from the Winslow crowd. Now, I've seen Ra play lots of games since then, over the last two seasons at Camden Catholic, and I know what to expect from her, but I haven't see Amanda "Kool-Aid" Jennings play since that day. It's something I'm looking forward to.
Other great players I saw have great games as freshmen that year:
Timber Creek's Erin Floyd really impressed on the two or three occasions I saw her... Bishop Eustace's Krystal Lazos was unstoppable in a playoff upset win at Gloucester Catholic... Kristina Rosario was still playing a strong second fiddle to Shontae Barnes in the post for Gami, but not for long... Holy Spirit guard Jordan Sykes had a trial by fire, facing Willingboro's pressure in an early-season showcase event.
I'm sure if I went back through my scorebooks, I could find several more impact freshmen from that season, but if I focus on the girls who were obvious start back then, I'm certain to miss a lot of worthwhile seniors who have emerged since. I've certainly seen enough girls' basketball over the last two seasons, especially 2003-04, to be able to pick the rythym back up without too much trouble, but as always, I can't do a great job without help from everybody. I need to know where the stories are, on and off the court. The SJ girls' basketball community is one of the deepest, most alive and diverse around, and there has never been any shortage of intriguing characters. I'm counting on you all to help me get them onto the page.
posted by SMc. @ 3:01 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home