PHOTOS BY ANGELA MCBRIDE
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis is known for its blues, but, this past weekend, it was also about the Jas.
Yes, that's right. Seventh grader Ebony Hayes made her debut by giving some blues - Memphis style - to Jasmine Hassell, a highly regarded high-school junior. The two Memphis giants met up during the first first five minutes of the first game of the evening at the Blue Star South showcase here.
Ebony Hayes
Hayes, a 6-foot-3 post out of Havenview Middle School, in Memphis, dominated the boards, ran the floor, and scored at will while adding a couple of blocked shots during the game's first few possessions. That quickly awakened Hassell and, from that point until the end of the event, it was all about the Jas - Jasmine Hassell.
Hassell showed the fans, her opponents and countless college representatives why she is ranked No. 16 in the HoopGurlz.com Super Sixty for 2009. In one possession, she drop stepped, with elbows high, initiated contact, scored the basket and drew the foul. Just like that, youngster Ebony Hayes quickly realized that Miss Hassell, being four years her senior, would be too much to overcome that game. However, Hayes, the 2013 prospect, still appears to be afuture prototype center.
The Jas played on...in the tune of Jasmine McKinney, a 6-3, 2010 post out of Memphis, and Jasmine Trotter, a 6-3, 2010 post out of Marion, Tenn. From beginning to end, the two were shot-blocking phenoms. A different genre of Jas also emeraged as 5-10 Jasmine Taylor, a 2009 wing guard out of Collierville, Tenn., made the trumpets sound with a sweet mid-range game. Just when we thought we had heard enough Jas, the symphony roared and Jasmine James - JJ to most - a 5-9 2009 guard from Bartlett, Tenn., found he rythym. James is a strong defender who plays the passing lanes well while scoring inside, outside and mid-range.
Once the Jas session ended the Blue Star Showcase hadn't missed a beat.
RIM SHOTS
Sarah Watkins, 6-3, a 2009 wing-forward from Germantown, Tenn., made her presence felt, equally stong on the perimeter as in the paint. She made a great case for herself to break into the HoopGurlz Hundred. ... LaSondra Barrett, No. 12 in the HoopGurlz Hundred for the 2008 class, showed why she was heavily recruited before committing to LSU recently. ... Mary Jackson, a wing out of OakHaven, Tenn., showed tough, aggressive play at multiple positions and tremendous leaping ability with left- and right-hand finishing. ... Candis Clear, a 5-3, 2009 point guard from Memphis, Tenn., is considering Duke, Notre Dame, Middle Tennessee State and Miami. ... Others who impressed were Symone Daniels, 5-11, a 2011 guard from Memphis; Kurstin Meade, 5-9, a 2008 guard from Memphis; Jasmine Newsome, 5-7, a 2010 guard from Millington, Tenn.; Chigozi Okwumabna, 5-10, a 2011 guard from Memphis; Sarah Watson, 6-1, a 2009 wing-forward from Bartlett, Tenn., and Jessica Winfrey, 5-11, a 2009 guard out of Marion, Ark.
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Tyrus McBride has played for Muskogee High in Muskogee, Okla.; Connors State College in Warner, Okla., and the Tyndall Air Force Base in Bay County, Fla. He also has officiated at the high-school, NCAA Division II and Division III, NAIA and junior-college levels, and continues to train and schedule officials. Ty has coached with Finest Basketball Club (FBC) Georgia and Collins Hill High School Fall League for two years, and has coached boys and girls in skills development at all levels, and at several Division I college camps across the nation. He can be reached at ty@hoopgurlz.com [1].
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