The 5-foot-11 Sykes, from Crawford, Miss., has a seven-school list that includes Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, LSU, Mississippi State, Rutgers and Texas.

April Sykes shoots over Tiffany Hayes

Sykes is taking a very professional approach to her recruitment. She has a binder in which she charts out each school from their style of play to her connection with the coaches. She plans on having the list down to 3-5 schools by the end of the summer so she can plan her official visits in the fall. She has participated in the Elite Camps of both LSU and MSU and has made unofficials to both as well and plans on visiting Texas this summer if possible.

She's put an emphasis on getting to know the coaches. Of new LSU coach Van Chancellor and his experience in the WNBA Sykes said, "That's what seperates him from the other coaches." She said of UConn's Geno Auriemma, "I think he's a coach that can really push me to get better," while acknowledging the allure of the team's history and prestige. Of Rutger's C. Vivian Stringer she said, "She's a great self esteem builder. She's a great person outside of basketball too."

Sykes added of Texas' Gail Goestenkors, "I am really impressed with what she did with the defense at Duke and I know she's going to build (Texas) the way she built Duke's program." She was excited about Mississippi State and the ability to put her homestate team on the map. She's also up on their recruiting noting that they have the top ranked JUCO players in the country coming in. Of Georgia's Andy Landers, she said, "He's a unique coach, a nice guy off the court and he his drive for the game is great." As for Illinois she said she's not afraid to go away from home and she's gotten to know the new coach from their time at Rutgers.

Off Sykes' last list are Baylor, Duke, Louisiana Tech, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Sykes is having a great showing at the Academy despite her bruised thumb. She is handling the ball well, shooting it well and working hard in the drills. The drill work is definitely showcasing her advanced skillset that is often overlooked because of her size and ability. Whomever lands Sykes is getting a potential WNBA player.

Day 3 Action

In mini-game action the White team of LaSondra Barrett, Skylar Diggins, Lynetta Kizer, Nneka Ogwumike, Brooklyn Pope and Samantha Prahalis beat Kelsey Bone, Alyssia Brewer, Alicia Manning, Sykes, Taylor Turnbow and She'la White 16-7. The games on Monday were emphasizing more team play and utilization of the pick-and-roll which they worked on during the drill sessions. The White team also beat the second blue squad of Caroline Doty, Briana Gilbreath, Destini Hughes, Glory Johnson, Chelsea Lee, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt and Chay Shegog 17-14. White stormed out to an early 6-0 lead in both games and survived the late burst from Blue in the second game.

Two players were limited by injuries today. Ayana Dunning fell and injured her knee in game action on Sunday as the defender fell on her. She is day-to-day, and fellow post Kesley Bone had some swelling in an ankle she sprained last week, stayed off of it for the morning session but looked pretty good in the evening session.

Prahalis got her game going, showing some flash and dash and, with Diggins on her team, was able to sprint out on the sideline in transition and score more. Speaking of flash, Gilbreath showed some dribble moves with some funk - a side of her you don't always get to see. She started the break, gave some shoulder action to the defender before crossing them up and knocking down a pretty pull-up jumper. Doty continues to impress both in drill work and in the scrimmages. There may not be anyone here as polished as she is, and nobody applies what is learned in the drills more than she does.

Tomorrow the Academy concludes with two more workouts and the final installment of mini-games before the kids head to the cities where their first viewing period games are being held. Some of the players are lucky enough to be playing in the End of the Trail in Oregon City and will get a few days off to rest without having to travel anywhere.