Wilmington Tigers 16U Poised to Return to Nationals in 2007

March 26, 2007

Easter eggs, baseball, tax return deadline day – these are some of the typical harbingers of Spring. So, too, is AAU basketball. AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) Basketball is a mammoth, coast-to-coast off-season basketball program that develops and polishes player skills in a highly competitive, four games-per-weekend tournament environment. In the very strong Middle Atlantic District, of which Delaware clubs are a part, the cream of the crop elite teams tend to hail from the Philly area. Delaware’s reputation is more that of a backwater, guard-rich but forward-starved "mini-region." Some teams, though, are trying their hardest to turn all that on its ear.

Any knowledgeable observer would have to rank the Wilmington Tigers 16U team at the top of the pack when it comes to First State AAU squads. For the previous six seasons, they competed as part of the Delaware PAL Wildcats organization. In 2006, they finally achieved the goal of qualifying for A-bracket Nationals. This feat would send them to pursue a national title in Monroe, Louisiana. While they came up short in that particular effort (the competition at Nationals is fierce), all the players learned much from the experience. So did Head Coach, Dennis Leizear, who has been at the helm of this team since its beginnings in 2001. The team is focused on returning to Nationals and accomplishing more there than last year.

Coach Leizear’s roster reads like Who’s Who of Delaware Catholic Conference high school basketball. Among the players you’ll find are standouts like Kelley Doogan (Ursuline Academy), Amanda Craig (St. Elizabeth), and a powerful contingent from Padua Academy including Kelly Johnson, Erin Pitcher, Katey Briggs, Katie Shields, and Katie Jezyk. Rounding out the team are the multi-talented veteran, Jessica Cook, Brittany Benjamin (Tome School, MD), and newcomers Monica Celli (St. Mark’s) and Rebecca Washco. Rebecca attends Archbishop Predergast and is one of a couple of girls on the team that hail from Pennsylvania.

This past weekend, the team played in its first 2007 tournament. After losing the first game by a competitive score, they turned around and took the next three in a row rather handily. Billie Jo Benjamin, Brittany’s mom, chalked up the Game 1 loss to rust and cobwebs. There was also the rookie factor to contend with as four of the girls are in their first year with the team. Sometimes, it takes a couple of tournaments for everyone to learn each other’s moves and on-court tendencies.

According to their coach, "We had a pretty successful weekend.  The girls are starting to get our offensive and defensive schemes.  We will continue to work hard as we head towards Regionals. KJ stepped up after the first game and played great, really leading the team.  Doogan is a threat from anywhere on the court.  This past weekend, she hit several threes and worked for many points in the paint.  The injuries to Amanda and Katey really hurt us this weekend but Katie Jezyk stepped in and played great.   She's just one of a number of new girls who contributed this weekend.  I think we have a strong 11-girl team.  Any one of them can take over a game and set the tone.  It's gonna be a fun ride."

All things considered, the 16U Tiger team is positioned well to earn another trip to AAU’s Big Dance.

DelGirlsHoops@aol.com

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