2008 Basketball Preview

(September 14, 2007)

Well, everybody, by my calendar, it's late September.  At area high schools, basketball open gyms will be starting soon or have already begun.  It's amazing how fast a year goes by!

In women's basketball on a large scale, the sport would seem to be as strong as ever.  The WNBA level of competition has never been sharper.  And while the same old schools continue to dominate at the Division I NCAA level, we are nevertheless seeing signs - baby steps, if you will - of change. 

I guess the big story out of the 2008 summer off-season had to be the signing of Elena Delle Donne to UConn.  I hoped that she would've considered going to a "dark horse" school where she could help build a team to dominance, but, she took the more predictable path - as so many other top-flight prospects do - of going with a "name" program.  By doing this, she helps prolong the time it will take to bring anything like parity to Division I.  In fairness, Khadijah did the same thing by also casting her lot with a marquee program.

I think this year, I'll only do a "Top Five" pre-season prediction rather than a Top Ten.  With all due respect, who really cares about slots six through ten?  There's no trophy for them and they don't even get to play at The Bob like the first four teams do.  So, with a Top Five, you get my Final Four picks and an Honorable Mention.

I plan to cover CYM 7th & 8th graders again this year.  I wish, in the name of developing the talent, that CYM would add more games - a 12-game regular season instead of a 10-game one.  It would also be a welcome improvement if they would go with 7-minute quarters (like the states around us do) instead of 6-minute quarters.  After every two games, the kids are cheated out of a full-length high school quarter's worth of playing time.  ...And we wonder why the out-of-state high school teams are so much better.  It all goes back to grade school/middle school and the set-up that the players get.  CYM's response to this goes something like this, "We have so many teams that we have to have short games in order to get all the teams in on a weekend."  This philosophy leads me to another positive suggestion:  Do like they do in Pennsylvania (and like Delaware did decades ago) and limit each school/parish to one varsity and one JV team, boys and girls (4 teams total).  By eliminating all these 2nd, 3rd, and 4th teams that some schools have in just one skill and age level, the entire league schedule would be freed up!  Games could be longer and more games per year could be played.  As far as the players that make up the secondary teams go, they would always have YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, and other area rec league teams to play for.  Only in Wilmington does CYM feel they owe every kid who signs up a program.  Oh well.  I don't delude myself that I will ever see even one of these changes.  And for all my criticism of CYM, let me be clear:  There is no superior 7th/8th grade girls program in the State of Delaware.  And, it's mostly adult unpaid volunteers that put it together.  Coaches, athletic association officers, parents who help out in various ways - all volunteers.  My hat's off to them.  They do a fantastic job.

It's good to be back again.  As always, if you have something to say, let me know!  Agree, disagree, or if you think I'm completely off my rocker, send me an email and (if you're agreeable) I'll post your response on this site.

That's all for now!

Jim Charles - DelGirlsHoops@aol.com