PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON
LaSondra Barrett, who recently was selected by HoopGurlz as MVP of the Nike Midwest Showdown, has cut her list of suitors from 25 to nine.
A native of Mississippi, Barrett isn't your household name, but by the end of the summer, she'll be as highly regarded for her basketball skills as any.
LaSondra Barrett
The No. 16 prospect in the 2008 class, per HoopGurlz.com, includes on her updated schools list Baylor, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi, North Carolina and Vanderbilt. So far she has made unofficial visits to LSU, Ole Miss and just this past week a visit MTSU. Barrett hasn't said there is a time table on paring the list further but also maintains that if someone new comes in and makes an impression that she could add a school as well.
Barrett is on a nice run this year. After leading her Murrah of Jackson, Miss., to a 36-3 record during the high-school season, she had a nice showing at the Boo Williams Invitational to start her club season on a high note. She followed that with a good showing at the Nike Regional Skills Academy and the aforementioned MVP performance in the Nike Midwest Showdown in Mason, Ohio.
One mystery is Barrett's omission from the USA Basketball Youth Developmental Festival later this month in Colorado Springs at the USA Basketball Training Center. She could very well be this year's Jasmine Thomas, who did not get invited to the U18 trials after her junior year, but did get invited after her senior year and is a finalist for the U19 FIBA World Games team this year.
Barrett averaged 17 points per game for Murrah with nine games over 20 points. She averaged a double-double as a sophomore with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Her skills and energy led Murrah to the Class 5A semifinals as a sophomore and the 5A Championship as a Junior. Murrah ended this year with a five-point loss in the Mississippi Grand Slam Championship to Indianola Gentry, the 4A state champions who went 40-0 and ended up the No. 20 team in the USA Today Super 25 rankings.
RIM SHOTS
Michelle Clark
Krystal Thomas of the First Academy in Orlando was selected Division I Player of the Year and Candace Wood of Victory Christian in Charlotte was Division II Player of the Year as the National Christian School Athletic Association announced its All-America team. Thomas is headed to Duke, while Wood, a junior, is committed to North Carolina. The first-team selections included Thomas, Wood, senior Michelle Clark of Oaks Christian in Westlake Village, Calif.; sophomore Megan Herbet of Shiloh Christian in Springdale, Ark., and Rachel Rentschler of Fort Worth Christian in Fort Worth, Texas. Clark is headed to Purdue, while Rentschler is bound for Texas. The NCSAA's second team included sophomore Anne Marie Armstrong of Wesleyan School in Norcross, Ga.; junior Whitney Hand of Liberty Christian in Argyle, Texas, senior Christian Hunnicutt of Landmark Christian in Fairburn, Ga.; senior Carrie Snikkers of Unity Christian in Hudsonville, Mich.; senior Whitney Zachariason of Central Arkansas Christian in Little Rock, Ark. Senior D'Nay Daniels of Greater Atlanta Christian in Norcross, Ga.; senior Rachel McLeod of HCYA Lady Warriors in Houston, Texas; senior Emily Queen of Rose Hill Christian in Ashland, Ken.; junior Nicole Tucker of Grace Community School in Tyler, Tex., and senior Jill Young of Mitchell Christian in Mitchell, S.D., were third-team selections. ... Yvonne Anderson, ranked 38th in the 2008 class by HoopGurlz.com, is the daughter of Missouri men's basketball coach Mike Anderson, but told HoopGurlz that it's not a given that she will play her college ball at Missouri. At this point, she also says she does not have a list of favorites. ... Talk about clout, the Exodus awards banquet on Monday in New York will feature Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer and Syracuse coach Quentin Hillsman as its keynote speakers. NCAA Compliance cleared the appearances, according to Exodus coach and director Apache Paschall, because the event is an "adult affair." Other Division I coaches who attend will be separated from potential Division I recruits, of which there are plenty in the Exodus program, ala NCAA evaluation tournaments. Exodus, by the way, will be honoring Erica Morrow, headed for Syracuse and the No. 37 prospect in the 2007 class by HoopGurlz.com, and Anjale Barrett, headed to Maryland and ranked No. 46, as its student-athletes of the year.
Discuss This on Our Message Board:
Click Here [1]
Chris Hansen is the National Director of Scouting for Women's Basketball at HoopGurlz.com. He leads the panel that evaluates and ranks girl's basketball prospects nationally for HoopGurlz. Chris has been involved in the women’s basketball community since 1998 as a coach, trainer, evaluator and reporter. He can be reached at chris@hoopgurlz.com [2].
Glenn Nelson is the publisher of HoopGurlz.com. He also founded and coached the Dragons and Northwest HoopGurlz select girl's basketball teams. Glenn previously was the editor-in-chief at Scout.com and a longtime, national-award-winning basketball columnist and writer for The Seattle Times. His work also has appeared in several books and national magazines. He is co-author of "Rising Stars: The Ten Best Players in the NBA" (Rosen Publishing, 2002). He can be reached at hoopgurlz@comcast.net [3].
[4]