The Future of High School Ball
By Jim Charles
(posted 12-27-09)
Four of the very best talents at the grade school level. They are, left to right:
Sabrina Hackendorn (8th grade, Holy Angels), Erin Dodds (8th grade, St. Ann's), Adrianna Hahn (7th grade, Ursuline), and Caroline Davis (7th grade,Holy Angels)
Had Elena Delle Donne played basketball at a college or university outside of the Delaware Valley, the local media might have actually calmed down and turned its collective attention back to the girls playing at the high school level. This website certainly doesn’t have anything against Delle Donne. We accept that she left a huge footprint in the First State. And yes, it would not be an exaggeration to say that she revolutionized girls hoops in Delaware. But, by playing in Newark, Elena has unintentionally kept the local media circus going. It’s like a movie that never ends. Elena Delle Donne has been the Number One story in local girls hoops for seven years now! One of those years, she was the Number One story for not playing! What’s more, she’s poised at the University of Delaware to extend the string another three years to make it a full decade. At DGB.com, we get it. She was/is the greatest female basketball player of all time (if we read her newspaper clippings correctly). But enough already! What about the girls coming up behind her?
A look at the high school scene shows no lack of talent currently existing. There’s Betnijah Laney at Smyrna, who may give Delle Donne’s all-time scoring record a real challenge. She’s played international competition on the USA Junior team, and acquitted herself remarkably well. Telisha TT Turner, point-guard extraordinaire at Glasgow, is an utter joy to watch play this sport. If team ball is more your style, get yourself out to a St. Mark’s, Ursuline or Sanford game. Right now, there’s something for everybody. The state of girls high school ball is very good.
All of which begs the question, for how much longer will it continue to be at this level? Well, a tour around local 7th/8th grade gyms reveals the answer to that question, and that answer is a resounding FOR A LONG TIME YET.
Here are the names you will be getting to know in the next two years, alphabetically by team:
HB Dupont/St. Mary the Assumption
Eighth grader, Jessica Reynolds, as we recently reported, is a player with a real nice approach to the game. Varies her shot selection. Doesn’t overdo a particular scoring scenario.
Holy Angels
The defending CYM Champions are brimming with talent. Standouts include eighth grader Claudia Seemans, a gifted point-guard who’s pushing the maturity level to the max. Great floor reader. Ability to see future passing scenarios that haven’t developed yet. Never gets out-hustled. Complimenting Seemans at point is Renada L’Italien. Just in 7th grade, L’Italien is cool as a cucumber on the court. She is blessed with a very nice, accurate shot, and like Seemans, is a serious threat from three-point land. No review of this team would be complete without mentioning 8th grader Sabrina Hackendorn and 7th grader Caroline Davis – both forwards. These two have devastated CYM and the St. E’s League for a few years already. Because of their age difference, they haven’t played much together until this year. Davis has very refined skills and a disciplined style. Her shooting form alone is worthy of envy. Then there’s Hackendorn. I can’t think of a better player in the state I’d want under the basket if I were a coach. She is the master of the rebound/putback and often turns what would be, for most teams, missed opportunities into 2 points.
Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Spartans are a really fun team with talent that goes far down the bench. If there are any that stand apart, you’d be fair to name Christy McDermott and Lexi Portincasa – both 8th graders. McDermott has a real nice shooting touch and typically plays guard, although it’s probable that she’ll add some more height, which may make coaches want to move her around some. Portincasa is a low post player who is not afraid to shoot the ball and even less afraid still to battle an opponent on the floor for possession. She takes a lot of hits out there, but she keeps getting up and playing. Reminiscent of Annie Rivituso for St. Mark’s in that if she were on a worse team, she’d be a star knocking down a ton of points. But, because she’s on a good team where everyone contributes, she has to settle for a little less. Good high school coaches, however, will know at a glance the value of both Christy McDermott and Lexi Portincasa.
St. Ann’s
For the Mustangs, the guiding force is point-guard, 8th grader Erin Dodds. Dodds, who, with little doubt, is the best passer on the team, is nevertheless relied upon to do most of the scoring herself. Her main weapon seems to be perimeter shooting, however, we think she’d be more effective if she drove the lane more often. On those occasions where she works the ball inside, she usually gets fouled or she makes the shot (or both). If she can add consistent cut-and-slash-to-the-hoop play to her résumé, there’s no telling how much she’ll accomplish. Also at St. Ann’s is tall forward, 8th grader Rachel Salter. In the Christmas Tournament at IHM, Salter displayed a nice shot that got better as the game wore on. A very above average passer and ball handler for a forward. Looks like she could sub in at point in an emergency. Good speed and maturity.
St. John the Beloved
Traditionally,
a major powerhouse in CYM, this year, the Eagles look to be in a
transitional phase. When we saw this team recently, we really liked 8th
grader Paige Lacek (pictured at right) and 7th
grader, Claire Igo. Igo is a real nice point guard with great
speed, an on-target shot, and formidable defensive skills. Lacek seems
to be used as a wing or shooting guard. In the game we saw, she had the
winning shot and was always in the thick of the action.
St. Mary of the Assumption
A year ago, Rachel Liszkiewicz won an iPOW Award playing for Corpus Christi. Well, the Lady Warriors were disbanded for the ‘09/’10 season, with St. Mary’s picking up the lion’s share of talent in the disbursal draft. For Liszkiewicz, she may be wearing a new uniform, but the skills are the same. She is an all-around player who honestly does everything well. Tough as nails and a prolific scorer.
Ursuline Academy
7th grader, Adrianna Hahn, is on anyone’s short list of best grade school basketball players. Hahn plays point for the Raiders and is their most potent scoring weapon. She has great coordination and body control. Can perform moves generally reserved to high school and college players. I saw her score 17 points in 8 minutes of game clock as a 6th grader. And she gets her points in every way imaginable. A showcase player by almost any definition. Fellow 7th grader, forward Miranda Schiccatano is one of the top 3 or 4 posts in CYM, even though this is her first year playing at this level. Schiccatano may lack the flashy, acrobatic moves of some others mentioned in this article, but don’t be deceived. This is a great forward! Her style is a more conventional, “by the book” one. When given the rock, she is a model of efficiency – taking the ball straight in and scoring.
As we continue to find more great players at the grade school level, we’ll bring them to you. In the meantime, print this article out and tuck it away. Pull it out in January 2013 and see how many of these players achieved great things in high school ball. Our guess is the number will be more than a few. Some may even be up there among the all-timers, like Delle Donne, Rushdan, Mills, and Baker.
(The above photo was used on the homepage as a link to this story.)