STORY BY MINDI RICE; PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON
Laura Murray of Capitol Region AAU.
RICHMOND, Va. – Among the 114 teams at the 2008 Blue Chip Pre-Season Challenge, many strong players stepped up for their teams to impress spectators and college coaches alike. With teams from many of the Northeast states, more players from Pennsylvania nabbed the spotlight than anywhere else, but girls from Connecticut and New York also drew notice.
Hanah Geedy of Capitol Region.
Hannah Geedy, Capital Region AAU Stars (Lewistown HS, Penn.), has a strong dribble to the left and right and can push through the defense no matter which direction they send her. The 5-7 point guard’s passes are all over the court but dead-on to her teammates who have learned to always be on the lookout for one. Her court sense also is on display on defense, reading opponents passes often before they throw them and finishing the fast break with solid speed.
Alyssa Sutherland, Unity Wildcats Elite (West Genesee HS, Syracuse, NY), had the sweetest looking jump shot of the entire tournament. An impressive passer at 6-1, she doesn’t crash the boards as much as she could with her size, but when the opponents get a rebound, she’s already waiting for them at the other end of the court to throw down on defense.
Sophia Aleksandravicious, WBA Lady Knicks 16 Black (Holy Child, Pound Ridge, NY), is a presence inside at 6-5, with a knack for knowing where the rebound would fall and an ability to create steals in a half-court situation. She had a good inside spin move and was able to use her body well to block out other rebounders.
Alyssa Sutherland of Unity.
Porsha Postell, WBA Lady Knicks 16 Black (Woodlands HS, White Plains, NY), was all about hustle, getting up and down the court as quickly as she could, which beat out most opponents in the top bracket. The 5-10 guard had good penetration, working the ball inside well, but was a bit susceptible to steals in traffic.
Megan Finn, Lady Runnin’ Rebels Justice (Perkiomen Valley HS, Collegeville, Penn.), will impress, especially for those with a soft spot for solid but petite point guards. At 5-4, she can dribble in on defenders and find the open player on the floor with a nice-looking pass. She sees the floor well on the fast break and in a half-court set and hustles back on defense.
Alysha Womack, Lady Runnin’ Rebels McDonough (Cardinal O’Hara, Springfield, Penn.), is a 5-8 guard with good speed and a nice shooting touch. The Rebels’ leading scorer for the tournament, she brings a nice hustle up and down the court to the team that gets her teammates to pick up their pace as well.
Laura Murray of Capitol.
Casey Dulin, Connecticut Gold (Law HS, Milford, Conn.), is an impressive point guard who plays taller than her listed 5-10. This helps her create a strong inside game to compliment her passing abilities. She showed good hustle getting back on defense, often the first defender on fast breaks.
Laura Murray, Capital Region AAU Stars (Trinity HS, Harrisburg, Penn.), had impressive long-range shooting, missing very few of her many attempts from near the arc in five games. The 5-9 guard also showed good penetration off the dribble to create room for herself or a pass if the defenders collapsed on her.
Kerry Wallack, Connecticut Gold (Daniel Hand HS, Madison, Conn.), works well with Dulin, her point guard, as a 5-11 two-guard. Using her size and strong ball-handling skills, she was able to spin by defenders for a few inside baskets, but appeared to be more confident in her solid outside shooting.
Monica Wignot, Firm A.C. Walker (Holy Redeemer, Dallas, Penn.), surprised from first glance, running the point for her team despite her 6-1 frame making her one of the tallest on her team. She had good court sense with her team and was able to use her size inside as well.
Emily Fazzini, Lady Runnin’ Rebels Blatt (Conestoga HS, Wayne, Penn.), a 5-10 wing showed good ball-handling skills and a knack for defense. She also had good hustle to both ends of the court, getting back on defense or up on fast breaks.
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Mindi Rice works part-time as a sportswriter at the Tacoma News Tribune and as a barista at Starbucks. She grew up in Seattle, where she attended Roosevelt High School and first found her love for girls basketball by covering the Roughriders for the student paper. Mindi graduated from the University of Oregon in June 2004 with a degree in journalism. She is a member of the Association of Women in Sports Media and the Native American Journalists Association. Her favorite sports to play and cover are basketball and softball and she considers herself a statistics nerd. Mindi can be reached at mindi@hoopgurlz.com [1].
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