Tournament Fans Will See National Stars Basketball Players Assemble For Aau Girls Championships
First the University of Connecticut and then Spokane landed the biggest fish in the women’s high school basketball pond.
The powerhouse Huskies signed Shea Ralph, the consensus girls player of the year for 1996. She is in Spokane playing with the 18U Mercury Athletic Club of North Carolina during the AAU Nationals 18U and 16U Girls Basketball Championships.
Spokane will see Nikki Teasley, considered the top junior in the country, before any college coach can make a pitch. The senior-to-be is coming to town with the Maryland Hurricane for the 16U tournament, and she’ll be scrutinized by coaches hoping to get her to sign a letter-of-intent during November’s early signing period.
The tournaments run Saturday through July 14 at sites from Cheney to Coeur d’Alene. Opening ceremonies are Friday evening at Riverfront Park.
It is unusual that Ralph made the national junior team as a senior; it’s remarkable Teasley did it as a junior.
Teasley is one reason most Division I NCAA colleges - definitely all the women’s basketball powers - and many others will be in town for nationals.
“It is the premier basketball tournament in the country,” new University of Washington coach June Daugherty said. “Every coach will be there, not just Division I.”
July is an evaluation month for college coaches, and the AAU tournament is the first stop. Officially, evaluation month starts Monday, but the NCAA makes an exception for the AAU tournaments when the tournaments start, recruiting starts. College coaches can watch players and make themselves seen, but they can’t talk to players - only their coaches.
Much of the focus for the college coaches is on the 16U tournament, dominated by juniors.
However, coaches can’t ignore the 18U tournament. Some colleges are scrambling for a player, some juniors play up and some juniors have a birthday that forces them up.
“Programs are still looking for talent on the 18s,” Daugherty said. “Some players on the 18s are juniors. It’s a great measuring tool to see them complete against upper level competition.”
Ralph, a 6-foot forward, was the USA Today and Women’s Basketball News Service player of the year.
The Georgia Trojans have a pair of extraordinary talents - LaShonda Stephens, a 6-4 post who is going to defending NCAA champion Tennessee, and Kiesha Brown, a 5-9 guard headed for Georgia. Also headed to the powerful Southeastern Conference is Auburn-bound Tiffany Krantz, who plays for the Tennessee Stars.
The Spokane Stars 18U No. 1 team will get a look at Tammi Blackstone of the Iowa Gators in pool play. Blackstone, a 6-4 post, made several All-America teams and signed to play at Drake.
The Stars’ U Too team takes on Katie Shurcka-Duffy, who is playing for the Potomac Valley Cardinals before heading to North Carolina State. She was first-team WBNS and second-team Parade and Blue Star.
Melanie Pearson, a 6-foot forward heading to Stanford, and Maylana Martin, a 6-3 post signed by UCLA, are on the California Gold team. Martin was a first-team Parade All-American, Pearson was second-team by Parade but first team by Women’s Basketball News. Oregon has 6-6 Jennifer Mowe, a first- or second-team pick by most publications, who is playing for Triple Threat out of Portland.
Team Texas has three All-American players: Tamika Catchings, Chasity Myers, who is going to George Washington, and Lynn Pride, a 6-2 post who was first-team All-America and signed with Kansas.
Top-seeded North-Tartan Blue (Minnesota) is led by 5-10 twins Coco and Kelly Miller. Kelly was a first-team picked by WBNS and Coco was on the second team.
In all, there are more than 50 All-Americans as determined by various scouting services spread among the 114 teams.
Spokane provides some of its own stars.
The 18U No. 1 team has Stacy Clinesmith of state champion Mead, the Washington player of the year who is headed for Santa Barbara. Carmel Lampson of Kamiakin is also going to UCSB. University’s Syd Perno and Mead’s Chelsea Clark will remain teammates at Gonzaga and Jennifer Swinton of Ferris is off to GU rival Portland. Alli Nieman of Sandpoint, Idaho’s player of the year, is going to University of Idaho for basketball and volleyball and Andee Schmick of St. John-Endicott has signed with Eastern Washington.
, DataTimes