Back in the seventh grade, Bravard's school lost to an arch-rival - again - by five points. She was 0 for 11 from the free-throw line.

"I thought about it every day," Bravard said.

So she started showing up to practices early and staying late. Shooting, shooting, shooting. Last season, Bravard made 78 percent of her free throws for Perkins High School in Sandusky, Ohio. She also averaged 23 points, was state Division II co-player of the year and a Miss Basketball finalist. Plus Bravard made game-winning foul shots for her club team, SMAC, this past summer.

But Bravard is a risk-taker, the extent to which is not common among high-school girls. "She's the most courageous person I know," says her mother, Laura Oliver. She also blossomed into the No. 7 player in the entire 2008 class, according to HoopGurlz.com.

"I think it feels 10 times better when you accomplish something you put your mind to," Bravard said. "I try not to listen to what other people say and just keep an open mind."

Adding to the degree of difficulty is her height, which often can be a source of shame for girls. Being taller than her kindergarten teacher, Bravard had some time to grown into her size.

Still, even when she turned to basketball in the third grade, it wasn't easy.

"I was so bad," Bravard said. "I had no basketball skills. I couldn't shoot the ball."

That certainly has changed. Bravard is visiting Maryland this weekend. She already has visited Florida State and will trip to Ohio State and Pittsburgh. She could add either Kentucky or Miami.

"Basketball has given her a lot of self-esteem," Oliver said. "She has reason to be proud to be taller."

Try as they might, opposing student sections have been unable to shoot down that pride.

"Giant," they taunt.

Which only makes Bravard giggle.

"I think it's funny," she said. "I wish I were a giant. I'd be a much better player then. I love being tall. I wish I were even taller."

And the taunting? It's difficult to get into Bravard's head. The oldest of four sisters who lives with mother Oliver in Sandusky, Ohio, she is accustomed to mind games and power struggles.

Taunting tends to backfire.

"I keep the things people say in the back of my mind," Bravard said. "When I get a chance to get back at them, I’ll stuff it down their throats."

Payback can be a you-know-what. A giant one at that.

RIM SHOTS

We are going to be in the Chicago area next week and can't wait to see the new club team that is the product of merging Full Package (former home of elite high-school stars Amy Jaeschke and Sarah Boothe) with the Illinois Lady Lightning. The merger will team Full Package's Ashley Wilson, the 6-foot powerhouse ranked 43rd in the HoopGurlz Super Sixty for 2009, and young stars Michala Johnson and Trisha Liston from the Lightning. Johnson is 6-3 and from Lombard, Ill., where she plays at Montini Catholic, may play the wing at the next level and already is good enough as a 2010 prospect to have attracted offers from DePaul, Purdue and Wisconsin. ... Janisha Gearlds, a 5-6 guard from Broadview, Ill., is deciding between Saint Louis and Southern Illinois. ... Tailor Jones, a 5-11 guard who could play some at the point, has committed to Florida. Jones is from Lake Mary, Fla., but played last year at Whitney Young in Chicago, but transferred back for her senior year at Lake Mary. ... Another Jones, Eryn, the funkified point guard from Lynnwood, Wash., who has hit a ton of big shots during her high-school career at Meadowdale, has verballed to Portland State. ... Tarik Hislop of Burtonville, Md., is an athletic, slashing guard who plays much taller than 5-7. The 2009 prospect has developed interest in Dayton, Clemson, George Mason, Georgetown and Radford. ... Arieal Johnson of Havelock, N.C., is a 2010 prospect who has a lot of people excited because she is 6-4 and mobile and skilled enough to play forward. She has transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, the much-ballyooed boarding school.

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