USA Basketball 16u Trials

[Mike Flynn]

The third day of the USA Basketball 16u trials in Colorado Springs is half completed. It is safe to assume that half the team has made their mark to get selected for the team. There wee 34 invitees to the event and it was easly after the first session on Thursday evening for me to select five names for the team. G Kaleena Lewis CA, C Breanna Stewart NY, C Kiah Stokes IA, F Bashaara Graves TN, and G Jewell Loyd IL as people who make a big splash. Lewis and Stewart were clearly above the mark on tbeir play on the second day. Last night I added three more names to my list: C Elizabeth Williams VA, W Cierra Burdick NC, and G Jordan Adams CA. Ariel Massengale helped herself with this mornings session but high school team mate Morgan Tuck twitched her knee and might affect her getting a slot. Both are strong candidates to lock down a position. With these spots the list is now down to four open slots on my sheet and it will be hard for the committee to select these spaces as no one is doing enough to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. There are at least three guards fighting for the next guard slot, two more for the wing position and at least five for the forward position. This teams needs three perimiter scorers and right now Lewis is the only one showing that. The inside position are done and the next session tonight and one early tomorrow will hopefully help find those names.

[StanfordCardinalFan]

Thanks, has Bonnie Samuelson made any noise? Bashara was offered by Pat Summitt last year.

[Mike Flynn]

Samuelson has been a disappointment as she has not hit her shots as much as it would be necessary to make this team. She hit a few open (2-3) during the event so far but hasn't been able to get spacing (due to tight defense by top athletic guards) nor have the time to make them. She is considered one of the better big outside shooters who's not making much noise. Don't think this is just her problem as the guard and big wing players haven't been able to make enough shots to created a spot for themselves. This team is in need of scorers and with outside three-point shooting in the 20-something percent range going into the last session the committee still has at least 19 names to choose at least four spots from.

[Mike Flynn]

I was attempting to move a post on the other forum over here and it got deleted. The main point was questioning the depth of the post position for this group. The poster said the team didn't have the kind of talent from the 2008 class. Well, unfortunately neither did the 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and beyond. Looking at this group the second best player after Lewis is Breanna Stewart a very lanky 6-4 frosh who has a hand in every play for her team blocking shots, scoring, deflecting passes or tipping balls. You have a very surprising 6-4 Kiah Stokes from Iowa along with a very athletic 6-4 frosh Rachel Hollivay from Mississippi in the mix with 6-3 soph Elizabeth Williams and 6-3 frosh Malina Howard. There are some notable post in both classes not her also but this is what signed up and showed. Remember, the great post talent of 2007-08-09 was clustered into a few big names. Even this year there was a number of post players selected for various all-star teams and you can't even find half that amount this year in 2010. Don't bash the class, it will look better especially after searching hard and finding the same old names over and over.

[rock33]

I think it was my post - I thought Liz Williams faired better yesterday and still think we are weak at the post - I think part of the outside scoring comes from the fact that not many of the payers are setting screens and you have a lot of the guards driving into 2/3 players. The defense is also lacking for many inthe fact that many are over playing their man and not in solid defense positon tho help or rotate.

I disagree a little on lewis, I think she has also taken a lot of shots and her % is low, and she also seems smaller than I expected. If she is picked I think it will be more from her rep. But I think you're right that the shooters have not been able to get many looks and some of the bigger wings have had to play the 4 and 5 position which is due to the lack of depth in that area. Stewart is definitely a hilite in the fact that she has so much upside and still only a freshman.

My point on the post is that for some of the size it is not backed up with any gusto like the posts of 2009 etc - and I'm just talking about top posts as these are supposed to be the top posts! (well maybe)

My disappointment is the lack of team play - the coaches put in offenses and the guards drive to the basket - Johnson being one of the biggest offenders but their are many others.

I do feel for the kids as it's a lot of basketball and I think their legs were gone after Friday. Which could be another reason for the sloppy play.

[rock33]

BTW I agree that Massengale has probably pushed thro fatigue and played consistently at the PG to get a spot, don't think Tuck is big enough for her position and didn't see enough while she was playing it's a short window and getting hurt is a bummer.

I agree about those posts being athletic but I think they are lacking in footwork and positioning skills, also finishing, and they tend to go for the big block and foul but hopefully with more coaching their potential i s limitless but at this time I think they need work and being so young they have that time - it will be interesting to see them in 2 years.

[Mike Flynn]

The team has now been posted by USAB which asked that we do not write about it until the official release. You can find it at www.usabasketball.com I have also posted by fourth and final blog on the daily play and selection process. Later tonight when I arrive back in Denver I will write about the players and the impressions they made and didn't make in the course of this four-day event. The biggest thing to come from this event is the concensus that 6-4 post Breanna Stewart from Cicero North in Syracuse NY is the best player in the class and could even be one of the top three in the class ahead of her. Background remarks by USA 16u Head Coach Barbara Nelson concurs with this assessment. Look for the circus around Stewart to reach the fever pitch by the start of the summer.

Another interesting whisper coming out of here is that the No. 1 junior in the country, Kaleena Lewis has verballed to UConn. It would not surprise as Lewis has her sights set on a future Olympic team and going with the 2012 coach at UConn will give her the disciplined strcture and coaching expertise to make that dream come true.

Ace reporter Kenny Kallina called to tell me that Amber Henson did not attend the USAB Trials this week as she is currently injured. Look for her and some of the names that Kevin Lynch provided me (on my blog) to be players of note next year besides the numerous players who with one more year will come back and push at least four-five people out of their present slots this year.,

[KennyKallina]

Ace report, writer of little consequence, I would hope I fall somewhere in the middle.

Amber would have done well at the trails considering her skill, basketball IQ, and being very coachable.

That being said I was also dissapointed that Morgan Jones 6'2'' G/F Lake Mary 2011 was not invited. Jones I thought was a top 20 player nationally in 2011 and is very skilled.

We had three players from Florida, Briggs, Brewer, and Prince make the trails but none made the team. This is dissapointing for the Sunshine State.

[nmolly]

It seems to me that the top inside bigs for 2011 are Williams, Forthan and Henson, the others seem a little undersized or slow and then the 2012 class looks good and recruiters may wait to go after the likes of Stewart, Hollivay, Howard, (who have more height than 2011) with power forwards like Graves, Tuck and Mcdonald .

[nmolly]

Hey Kenny, I'm reading and hearing Brewer and Graves should have made it!

[Mike Flynn]

Graves, oh yes, i had her the first day. Brewer did not show much until the last day. She had moments but she was in the pack of people under consideration (by me) until the end.

[KennyKallina]

Check out Bob's article http://girlshoops.scout.com/2/869102.html

Kenny Kallina
Treasurer - League of Justice
Writer of Little Consequence - Fullcourt.com
Program Director - FGBHoops.com

Kenny Kallina is an award winning author and the 2009 winner of the League of Justice Writing Award for Online Women's Basketball Journalism.

[Mike Flynn]

I sat with Bob Corwin over the course of the trials including the first session of the National Team practice on Sunday afternoon. Most of Bob's assessments are similar to mine.

[rock33]

OK what the heck happened, I left just before the team announcement on business, thinking oh yes I had a pretty good idea who had made it and wow - Loyd not making it was a shocker to me, along with Graves and Brewer and after reading Corwin on how they picked the team I have to say I am totally puzzled, they have 4s in 2/3 spots that I can't figure out, they have Hatman as a forward, OK how can she be a forward with little mobility, I liked Standish but I think I saw that she was pretty muscled a lot of the time by the bulkier guards and she's pretty small and won't get the calls driving to the basket as most of the PGs did having figured out that if they just drove in without even a chance of scoring they'd get the call and it would count as 2 points - thats not going to happen in the real game.

The other thing I'm shocked about is Tuck being on the team - what message does that send - she's a small forward barely 6' not 6' 2" as listed and she only did half of the trials and along with Hartman clearly having some kind of injury which I hear from some close to Cal Storm, she has had since last summer and has hardly played - the team has now 2 players that could be out.

I thought Hollivay should definitely have been given the nod over Stokes who I thought is too slow for this team and did not assert herself for her size.

The trials did not bode well for team play which is a shame and I think that players reputations got them spots over others as it was too difficult for the selectors to make real decisions.

[StanfordCardinalFan]

Top 2011 Kaleena Mosueda-Lewis revealed that some of her favorite schools at this point are UConn, Stanford, Duke, Cal, and UCLA per USAbasketball.com. She said academics come first but she also wants a coaching staff that will push her. Another interesting note is that she said growing up she always awanted to go to Tennessee yet she doesnt list them as a favorite. Hopefully Coach Caldwell can keep her west, if not Stanford of course!