Full Court Prep

McDonald’s Player of the Year Finalists Announced

By Lee Michaelson

Publisher

Chelsea Gray (St. Mary’s High School – Stockton, CA), Bria Hartley (North Babylon High School – North Babylon, NY, Kaneisha Horn (Ramsay High School – Birmingham, AL), Natasha Howard (Toledo Waite High School – Toledo, OH), Chiney Ogwumike (Cy-Fair High School – Cypress, TX) and Odyssey Sims (Irving MacArthur High School – Irving, TX) are the six finalists for this year’s Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award, McDonald’s announced today. Sims has previously been announced as the winner of the WBCA’s National High School Player of the Year Award.

The annual award, named after DeMatha High School coaching legend Morgan Wootten, who heads the McDonald’s All-American Selection Committee, recognizes the nation’s top boys and girls high school senior student-athletes. In addition to their skills on the court, the winners of the prestigious award must demonstrate outstanding character, exhibit leadership, and embody the values of being a student-athlete, both in the classroom and in the community.

Winners of the award will be announced March 10, 2010. The 2010 McDonald’s All American Basketball Games will be played on March 31 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Girls Game tips off at 5:30 p.m. ET, and will broadcast live on ESPNU, with the Boys’ Game, also nationally telecast, to follow immediately afterward.
Proceeds from the 2010 McDonald’s All American High School Basketball Games will go to Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) of Central Ohio. Millions of dollars have been raised since the first Game was played in 1978.

Photo Caption: Chelsea Gray (St. Mary’s High School, Stockton, CA) is one of six female high school prep stars announced today by McDonald’s as finalists for this year’s Morgan Wooten National Player of the Year Award.

Photo Credit: Full Court/Lee Michaelson

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Sims Named WBCA High School Player of the Year; WBCA High School All Americans Announced

By Lee Michaelson

Correspondent

The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) named Odyssey Sims of MacArthur High School’s (Irving, Texas) Odyssey Sims its 2010 State Farm/WBCA High School Player of the Year.  The WBCA presents this award annually to the top player in each of the five WBCA collegiate divisions (NCAA Divisions I, II, III, NAIA and JC/CC) and high school.

Sims is Full Court’s top ranked point guard in the country, as well as the overall Number 2 recruit nationally.  HoopGurlz.com also ranks Sims as the No. 1 point guard in this year’s senior class. Full Court high school analyst Simmie Colson described Sims as “a great offensive threat” and “one of the best man-on-man defensive guards I have ever seen.” Scout.com and ESPN.com have also ranked Sims as the first and second recruit in the country, respectively.

As a junior, Sims averaged approximately 18.3 points, 7.2 assists and 5.8 steals per game.  For the third season in a row, Sims was named District 7-5A MVP and first team all-district.  She has earned Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and Texas Girls Coaches Association all-state recognitions.  A left-handed point guard, Sims is known for her speed, quickness and ability to play both ends of the floor.

Sims has signed with Baylor University, making this the second year in a row that a Baylor signee has earned the award, as Sims falls in the footsteps of Baylor’s Brittney Griner.

The WBCA also announced the 20 high school seniors selected to participate in its 19th annual WBCA High School All-America Game. The players chosen will be divided into two teams of 10 players and will play during the NCAA Women’s Final Four weekend at 5:30 p.m. Eastern (4:30 p.m. Central) CT on Saturday, April 3, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. (This year’s event will be the first to be played on the same court as the NCAA Women’s Final Four.)

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Full Court High School Top 25: Week of January 27, 2010

By Simmie Colson

Correspondent

The high school season is well under way, with leagues in all states now in active competition. But the task of selecting the best of the best hasn’t gotten much easier, particularly at the top, where the elite teams are busy knocking one another off.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) established itself as the team to beat by defeating St. Mary’s of Stockton to take the title in the premiere Joe Smith Division of the Nike Tournament of Champions. The Ladycats of Brea Olina recently knocked off the Mater Dei Monarchs, however. So why isn’t Brea No. 1? Well, turns out St. Mary’s beat them in the Nike semifinals. So which of these dominant teams is the best? It may take another head-to-head meeting to decide that question.

And why doesn’t another, among the several undefeated teams in the field, ascend to the top spot? Most haven’t faced top-ranked national competition thus far this season. So for now, with plenty room for discussion and debate, here are the Full Court Top 25 high school teams in the country.

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USA Draws Group A for 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship

By Hoopsgal

Publisher

Team USA will compete against France, Canada, Japan, Russia and Turkey Group A of the preliminary round of the inaugural FIBA U17 World Championship for Women, slated to take place in Rodez and Toulouse, France, from July 16-25 of this year. Six other teams—Argentina, Australia, Belgium, China, Mali and Spain Will participate in Group B, based on the draw conducted by FIBA today.

Up first for the Americans, who qualified for the tournament after running the table last summer by 70 point-per-game margins on the way to the gold medal in the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship for Women in Mexico City, is host country France on July 16. The US next meets Russia on July 17, followed by Canada, its closest competitor in the U16 Championships (July 18), Turkey (July 20) and Japan (July 21).

“I am excited about our draw for the tournament,” said Barb Nelson, USA U17 and Wingate University head coach. “Competing against the host team in France will make for an exciting game for the players and the fans. We are familiar with Canada as we played them in the FIBA Americas championship last summer, and Russia, Turkey and Japan typically are very disciplined and well coached. I am excited to watch film on all of the teams as we know very little about them at this point other than we are all striving to win the gold medal.”

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Full Court High School Top 25: Week of January 27, 2010

By Simmie Colson

Correspondent

The high school season is well under way, with leagues in all states now in active competition. But the task of selecting the best of the best hasn’t gotten much easier, particularly at the top, where the elite teams are busy knocking one another off.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) established itself as the team to beat by defeating St. Mary’s of Stockton to take the title in the premiere Joe Smith Division of the Nike Tournament of Champions. The Ladycats of Brea Olina recently knocked off the Mater Dei Monarchs, however. So why isn’t Brea No. 1? Well, turns out St. Mary’s beat them in the Nike semifinals. So which of these dominant teams is the best? It may take another head-to-head meeting to decide that question.

And why doesn’t another, among the several undefeated teams in the field, ascend to the top spot? Most haven’t faced top-ranked national competition thus far this season. So for now, with plenty room for discussion and debate, here are the Full Court Top 25 high school teams in the country.

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Wingate’s Nelson to Head USA Basketball U17 Team

By Lee Michaelson

Publisher

Barbara Nelson, Wingate University’s (NC) head coach, will return to lead USA Basketball’s women’s U17 team in the inaugural 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women, scheduled to be held in Toulouse and Rodez, France this summer from July 16-25. Wingate coached the US U16 squad to a perfect 5-0 record and the gold medal in the FIBA Americas U16 Champion last summer.

Also returning are Wingate’s two assistant coaches from the successful U16 campaign, Mike Armstrong of Perry Meridian High School (Indiana) and Doreena Bingham of Team Alaska AAU.

This coaching team led the US past five opponents from North and South American by an average margin of 70 points per game in Mexico City to capture the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 title and cement a berth in this year’s FIBA U17 World Championship.

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