2008 Girls High School Summer League

Championship Games Coverage

 

Consolation Division

A.I. DuPont 34, St. George's 20

 

Championship Division

Delcastle 57, Glasgow 48

 

Above:  The 2008 Summer League Champions, Delcastle High School Cougars

 

The 2008 edition of the Girls High School Summer League was the most interesting and enjoyable one in recent times.  Perhaps this is because girls ball in Delaware is truly at the beginning of a new era.  For the first time in half a decade, there is no Elena Delle Donne playing.  Moreover, her supporting cast at UA has largely graduated out as well.  Over at rival St. E’s, most of the major pieces of their own basketball machine have moved on.  And while summer league can, for a variety of good reason, never be looked at as a serious, scientific predictor of what will happen the following winter, the Vikings and Raiders went a combined 7 – 11 during the “regular” summer season – neither team playing .500 or better basketball. 

 

Replacing the perennial powerhouses are fresh, talent-laden rosters from unlikely places such as Delcastle and Hodgson.  Joining them are teams that almost always put quality on the floor, Glasgow and St. Mark’s.  Together, these four schools went 30 – 6 in summer league regular season!  It’s a new day.  And it’s about time.

 

In 2006, 18 teams, total, participated.  Last year and this, 24 teams suited up.  The interest level for the league is at a peak.  The only disturbing note was the high number of forfeits and near-forfeits due to teams not showing up or not bringing enough girls to a game.  While a coach or AD cannot always predict this kind of thing in May or June when they enter the league, they should make every effort to find out from their players if there will be a minimal commitment level put forth.  If not, they should withdraw their team.

 

For the league’s part, charging teams a “service fee” or surcharge to turn the air-conditioning on would be a positive step.  So would going back to distributing league jerseys in different colors, rather than the all blue & white concept that prevailed in 2008.  “Penny wise and pound foolish” pretty much describes what’s going on regarding both issues.

 

Enough preamble!

 

On Thursday night, July 31st, Delcastle won the Summer League Title.  To achieve this accomplishment, they had to conquer both Hodgson Vo-Tech and Glasgow in the space of three days.  Combining the scores of both games:  Delcastle 103, HVT/GHS 83.  Taking not a thing away from the Lady Dragons or the Silver Eagles -- teams that bring it and will go far in the State Tournament this coming winter -- Delcastle simply looked stunning over the course of Summer league.  Counting regular season through finals, Delcastle won 11 while losing only 1.  No other team had a better overall record.  How can they not be on anyone's short list to be our next State Champions?

 

In the actual game against Glasgow, Jaquetta May sent a message.  This senior team leader racked up a game-high 25 points and was right in the middle of things at both ends all night.  Karena Puckham turned in a strong 14 herself, including three 3-pointers.  Ashley Robbins chipped in 7 while Bianca Parker tallied 6.

 

For Glasgow, the magic ride they were on came to an end.  But still, a 10 - 2 overall summer league record in a tough division is nothing to sneeze at!  With Glasgow, much of what they do on the court originates out of phenom point guard, Telisha Turner.  And make no mistake -- Telisha put the "point" in point guard.  In the Title Game, she had 21, including three threes and an 8-for-10 performance on the line!  What a great touch she has!  Carlise Brown, who's been very steady of late, contributed 11 to the cause, while Jazzlyn Grimes tossed another 7 onto the pile.

Delcastle Coach, Thom Quann:

I thought our girls played very well at times, lead by the experienced, State Tournament-tested upper classmen. Everyone on the roster contributed to the TEAM championship. When 6 of the top 8 players were away playing in the National AAU Championships, the girls that don't always get as much playing time as they'd like, or don't have the same notoriety as the starters, came through. We were 11-1 with the only loss being a forfeit. Jaquetta May, Ashley Robbins, Bianca Parker, Karena Puckham, Lindsay Hsu, Maria Talarowski, Neysa Gregory, Shakeera Wooten, Kira Williams, Nikki Lyles, Jnay Spady and Krista Hsu all played like champions when called upon. Joseph Hussey, Joe Hussey and Kareem Ali make up a great coaching staff that provides the girls with the academic and athletic guidance that they need, when they need it. St.E's, Hodgson and Glasgow are all formidable opponents where the results could have gone either way. Delaware girls basketball is played at a high level and it's a pleasure to be part of the competition. Go Cougars !!!!!!

In the Consolation Bracket, the Lady Tigers of A.I. DuPont won the title of their division rather handily over the upstart St. George's Hawks, 34 - 20.

 

Clearly displaying the team play that got them there, eight of the squad's ten players scored.  In typical A.I. fashion, the scoring was spread out across many of the girls.  Aimée Bouie led the way with 10.  Natalie Stanek had a good game offensively with 6, while Natalie Hyatt and Jamie Crawford had 5 each.  Myesha Jones had 4.  Perhaps no two teams in either division demonstrated deeper, more "evenly skilled" rosters than St. George's and A.I.  It was fitting that they both played for the title.

 

For the Hawks, Kee Smalls had 8, Chardi Watkins 5, and Casey Thomas 4.  DGB.com will definitely make it a point to cover a St. George's game this winter.

 

Random Notes

There was a time, not so long ago, when hoop fans in the Greater Wilmington area could go to a girls high school summer league game four nights a week!  My memory might be a little hazy, but if I recall, Stormin’ Norman’s ran on Mondays and Wednesdays while the Val Whiting/Crozier League took Tuesdays and Thursdays, or vice-versa.  Many (but not all) of the girls played in both leagues.  And each league had a lot going for it. 

 

Val Whiting/Crozier was important for allowing winter high school teams court time to work on their chemistry and teamwork.  Stormin’s, on the other hand, provided something completely different:  An all-star environment where each coach drafted out his roster, player by player.  The News Journal provided coverage (with photos) of Draft Day and the Championship Game at the end of the season.

 

Unfortunately, Stormin’s fell by the wayside after 2001 (after its 21^st season).  John Armstrong, to his great credit, tried to keep a Stormin’s-like league going for a year or two after the actual league folded, but it just wasn’t the same.  Perhaps the time is right for someone to revive the old Stormin’ Norman concept for the summer of 2009.  Maybe this would be a fantastic joint project for several of the State’s AAU clubs to organize and promote.  There are some great basketball people involved in these clubs.  Imagine if they combined their talents and resources!  I, for one, would welcome such an initiative.

 

Random Notes, II

At the end of the night at Hockessin PAL, while Tom and I were busy processing out our three iPOW winners, we were given "the bum's rush" by the caretaker/custodian/summer league official who was closing up the place.  This is not the first time or place where this has happened, unfortunately.  The whole thing was going to take 10 minutes at the most, and we were going as fast as we could.  (The three girls had to be interviewed, presented with their shirts, and photographed.)  When we're trying to do something good and positive for these young players that make us so proud, would it kill people like The PAL Dude to give us the extra couple of minutes?  Can a person like that for once get out of clock-watcher mentality and just chill out?  Was it really gonna make a difference in his life if he got home at 9:40 rather than 9:30?  Hey, Tom and I both have to be at work early in the morning, too.  It's one night out of that guy's life, and yet, it's an important one for the three girls.

 

It has to be noted that in similar situations, when DGB.com was honoring individual players, Archmere and Ursuline administrators and staff went the extra mile.  They recognized that we were doing something for their kids and they (UA: Sue Heiss;  Archmere: Sheila DiNardo & the AD, whose name escapes me) helped us in every way possible.  T'would be a welcome thing if more people showed kindness and understanding rather than kicking us out the door.

 

Ashley Robbins goes in for an uncontested layup.

 

What does a concentrating Cougar look like?  Kinda like Lindsay Hsu does here.

 

A lone Cougar (Bianca Parker) battles many Dragons!

 

Action underneath in the Glasgow/Delcastle game.  Carlise Brown goes up with a shot, but Jaquetta May (#3) and Ashley Robbins (in Carlise's face) have other ideas!

 

In this frozen moment, it looks as if the two Delcastle defenders, Parker & Robbins, are politely giving the Glasgow player room to shoot.  In truth, the Delcastle players had just arrived on the scene after a long Glasgow upcourt pass to this open shooter.

 

Morgan Figliola puts up an attempt for A.I. in the Consolation Bracket Finals.

 

A.I.'s Jamie Crawford puts the finishing touches on a lucrative product endorsement deal with her agent.

 

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