Deep South Tip Sheet

By Rebecca Gray
HoopGurlz Columnist
Posted Fri, 04/25/2008 - 05:21 A closer look at some of the notable players among the strong cast at the Deep South Classic in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, N.C.

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STORY BY REBECCA GRAY; PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

RALEIGH, N.C. - Though maybe not as deep as, say, the Boo Williams tournament, the top talent at the Deep South Classic was as good as you'd find anywhere else. The bonus is that there was more size than usual, even among the backcourt players.

Courtney Clifton of the KY X'Treme by way of Florence, Ky., is very fundamentally sound and plays aggresive. She can hit the threes off the dribble, off screens, or in a set shot. A 5- 10 guard out of Lexington, she has deep range and always stays poised and calm, though she can stand to be a little more offensive- minded and stand some improvement with her ballhandling. She is very smooth on the court and rebounds well for a guard. She plays very intelligently and usually makes the smart plays.

Kelly Faris of the Indiana Legends is the total package! Very fundamentally sound when it comes to ballhandling, passing, and shooting mechanics. The 5-11 wing-guard is very explosive, sees the court well, rebounds strong and can create off the bounce. She is aggressive and sets solid screens for other people to get open. Her demeanor never changes and she has a very good attitude.

Emilee Harmon of the Dayton Lady Hoopstars is an excellent shooter when her feet are set. The 6-1 wing always has good positioning on block-outs and rebounds strong. She is aggressive and not afraid to mix it up under the basket. Harmon also rounds off on her shot and shoots off-balance a lot and will need to tighten up for ballhandling to play on the perimeter.

Tayler Hill of the Minnesota NC Heat has a very nice stroke. She can create off the dribble and drives strong to the basket. She wants the ball in game-winning situations and is not afraid to take the big shot. The fast, 5-9 guard would take her game to the next level by playing hard all the time, particularly on the defensive end.

Nikki Newman of the Fairfax Stars is a big, 6-1 guard who plays with a lot of intensity. She is very explosive and strong. Newman finishes well under the basket and she can hit outside shots as well, though her ballhandling can use some improvement. She is a smart player and she sees the floor very well on her passes.

You can’t teach height. Waltia Rolle of the CyFair Houstonians is 6 feet 6, long and has the potential to be a dominant factor on all aspects of the court. She uses her wing-span very well on defense and alters everyone’s shot. On offense, she scores very effectively under the basket and is an easy target to get the ball to with her size. Rolle is very athletic and is capable of being unstoppable when she fills out her body and becomes comfortable with it. She also could improve her stamina and the range on her shot.

Kelli Thompson of the Cal Sparks is very capable of creating off the bounce and drives strong to the basket. She uses the spin move very effectively and can finish when she gets to the hole. She also has a nice stroke and is very explosive on both ends of the court. She doesn't need to get down on herself as much as she does because she is a very good player.

Cierra Warren of the Cal Sparks has a big body in the post and uses the spin move pretty well. She has a long wing-span and she is vocal on the floor. She is strong on rebounds and she is not afraid to mix it up. One thing I really noticed was her hands because she was able to catch any type of pass. Warren can be a little foul prone and tends to flop a bit to draw fouls. I'm not sure about her outside shot.

Nyree Williams of Washington, D.C.-based Team Unique is very athletic. At 6-1, she can run the floor well and is very explosive. She gets off the floor well when she blocks shots and is very scrappy. She can finish strong under the basket and stays active on the floor at both ends. The one thing that concerns me is that she challenged the referees a few times, which is something that can be mis-read.

Jeanne Kenney of Domino’s is a lefty, 5-8 point guard who most people don’t know about yet. She is the floor general for her team and has good court awareness. She can find Theresa Plaisance anywhere on the floor and uses her left hand as an advantage on the drive. She is explosive to the basket, takes charges, and has excellent ball handling skills. Kenney also rebounds very well for a guard and always stays positive.

Theresa Plaisance of Domino’s in New Orleans, La., is a young player who has a lot of potential. She already is doing big-time stuff like baby hooks and swim moves to get open. She can knock down threes as a post player and makes herself big in the paint. Plaisance also sees the court very well and even broke the press one time with the dribble. To develop further, she will need more conditioning and a little more time in the weight room.

Ariya Crook-Williams of the Cal Sparks was my favorite player from the tournament. She is so explosive and hardly anyone can catch her off the dribble. She has excellent vision of the court and I didn’t see anyone steal the ball from her. She made passes that made you think she had eyes in the back of her head, though I think because of her height (she's just 5-7), she does sometimes float her passes over the press. She gets low and plays defense and plays with intensity all game. Crook-Williams just came off her freshman year and will be a force to be reckoned with throughout her career.

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Rebecca "Bee" Gray is a freshman on basketball scholarship at the University of North Carolina. A 5-foot-10, sharp-shooting guard out of Georgetown, Ky., Gray was ranked 47th in the 2007 class and an Honor Roll selection by HoopGurlz.com. She was named Miss Basketball in the state of Kentucky after averaging 25.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 4.8 assists during her senior season at Scott County High School, where she also finished as its career scoring leader with 2,907 points.

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