What a weekend!  The 7^th annual Windy City Classic had 272 teams, nearly 200 colleges & over 280 college coaches in attendance.  It has been a whirl wind tour for me upon my arrival from Arizona State (if you weren’t aware – click here).  Needless to say, the boxes are still in the basement & the week leading up to the tournament I saw 4:00 am on my office clock on three different occasions.  After all the work and late nights, it seems we were able to pull off another successful weekend.

As the staff was putting everything together leading up to Windy City, we were reminiscing about the first year it started in 2006.  I had just left the University of Illinois the summer before where I envisioned a spring event in this region.  I wanted to provide another option to the club teams besides flying out of the area to get exposure in the Midwest.  We had 70 teams that first year & for all intents and purposes – 70 teams and over 70 college coaches is a great accomplishment for a first year event.  To see expansion every year is flattering but more so this year as I stepped away for eight months to coach again & STILL saw 50+ team growth which is incredibly humbling.

As one of the leaders in grassroots girls’ basketball, I spent some of my winter discussing ideas with the club community to make the environment better for the young athletes.  We came up with this new piece to our event structure and we unveiled it at this event:   Teams/Coaches shaking hands of sportsmanship & wishing ‘good luck’ BEFORE the tip off of the games instead of at the end of a game.  The feedback I received has been very positive.  Our logic was twofold, first it takes away the end of game tension that sometimes gets to coaches after a heated game & doesn’t put them in a situation for potential volatile exchange.  Secondly, this allows the teams time the few minutes after the game to be used to clean up their bench areas & show sportsmanship in that manner (not sure how many followed through on this aspect).

Unfortunately I personally did not get to enjoy many of the games having to be the ‘wizard behind the curtain’ posting all of the online schedule/pool/bracket updates throughout the day.  When I did get to peek my head out – I was able to witness about half of a great battle between NE-Cornhuskers Shooting Stars vs. OH-Sports City U.   If you haven’t watched this Nebraska program, try to get a look at them this coming summer – they won’t win the ‘eye test’ during warm-ups, but they will win your heart by the time the game ends with their passion and toughness.

The event saw the unveiling of the new Colorado Mile Hi Rockies organization – bringing our Blue Star travel team: Boulder Rockies & Carl Mattei’s Mile Hi Magic together and solidifying their presence in the Rocky Mountain state.  Plus we were able to welcome a number of new organizations to our event such as Dave LaGrande’s Michigan Monarchs, and Greg Mason’s Indiana Flight just to name a couple.

We want to thank everyone for the kind emails upon my return, and at the conclusion of the event.  It is nice to know that hard work is still appreciated and that people realize that these events don’t run flawlessly by accident.  Over 590 games using 33 courts within six venues in a 2 ½ day span – nice to be back home doing what I know I was called upon to do for our sport.

You can find all USJN post event information in the left hand column of our home page – http://www.usjn.com

But the direct link for the Windy City post event page  – Click Here
Link to see the final results of this event - Click Here
Link to see the college coaches that attended – Click Here

In Indianapolis, there was a tremendous amount of talent at this year's Nike Skills Academy.  The Midwest site was filled with student-athletes from Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Missouri all representing 3 graduating classes:  2012, 2013 and 2014.  One thing of interest in terms of the 12 Illinois invitees:  9 of them were from either Whitney Young HS in Chicago or Bolingbrook HS in Bolingbrook.  I guess it's no surprise that those 2 schools are winning the state championship and being among the Top 10 or so teams in the country according to the USA Today every single year.  The instruction these future college stars received came from some of the very best and most respected girls basketball coaches in the entire country, including Dr. Tony Pappas from Iowa, Dan Rolfes from Missouri and Stan Benge from Indiana.  Not only have these 3 won multiple state championships, but have also been honored as coach of the year in their respective states on several occasions.

The talent level of the Class of 2012 was pretty high and was led by unanimous Top 20 national recruit Morgan Tuck from Bolingbrook HS.  This 6'2 UConn commit plays inside most of the time but at this event she worked with the guards during positional breakdown drills.  She needs to fine tune her ball-handling and explosiveness from the wing, but there's no doubt she possesses the athleticism and talent to become an elite guard to go along with her All-American post abilities.  Another player that impressed was the Maryland verbal commit, 5'9 guard Chloe Pavlech from Ohio.  Her ball-handling and complete offensive skill set will make her a dominant player in the ACC when she gets there.  Taylor Manuel, a Purdue commitment, from Incarnate Word Academy in Missouri showed excellent foot work as well as a very soft touch around the basket.  Once she gets into a little better condition, she has potential to be a force in the Big Ten.  Lastly, one player of note is Nariah Taylor, the 6'4 post from North Central HS in Indianapolis.  Her offensive skills need some work, but her thick frame make her a very tough opponent at both ends of the floor.  With some hard work, she has potential to be a good to very good player at the next level.

There were not a ton of standouts in the Class of 2013, but one player certainly jumped out and that was Stephanie Mavunga, the 6'2 post player from Brownsburg HS in Indiana.  She was very aggressive, showed explosiveness, great footwork on the block and a solid work ethic.  She didn't finish as well as I'm sure she'd like, but once that comes she has all the potential to be an elite player at a Top 20 program.  Another player that stood out as the weekend concluded was Taylor Agler, the 5'10 point guard and daughter of Brian Agler, coach of the Seattle Storm.  She has a slight frame but plays with a ton of heart, showed the ability to pass with both hands, hit 3's from deep and knew how to set up her teammates.  When you add that to a motor that never stopped, you have yourself a player that makes your entire team better.  One player who showed marked improvement and a big jump in her game was Linnae Harper, the 5'6 Whitney Young (IL) guard. Her frame has filled out and this strong lefty showed great explosiveness with the ball as well as a pull-up jumper.

The Class of 2014 was very well represented from all the states.  One of the most impressive players at the Academy was Asia Doss, the lanky 5'6 PG from Detroit (MI) Country Day HS.  She showed tremendous quickness, excellent handles, good passing ability and explosiveness to get to the rim or pull up for a jumper.  Up next is Erica Moore, an impressive 6' post player from Fishers, Indiana.  This thick and strong bodied player showed very strong and powerful moves, finished very well, displayed a fadeaway from the block and played very physical.  No question she has the potential to be an elite player in the college game.  Another player of note was a 6'1 guard from Fairmont HS in Ketttering, Ohio, Kathryn Westbeld.  She was surprisingly agile and showed that if you left her open in the slightest, she would nail the shot every time.  With a couple more years of high school, she will develop into a high level recruit.  It also helps that her high school teammate, 6'2 Makayla Waterman is at a high level and showed the physical tools to be a high level player as well.

All in all, it was a great event with several of the top players in attendance.  Nike once again put on a high level event and showed they are still a leader when it comes to the commitment to developing the future of women's basketball.

Jody Benner - National Evaluator

We hear in real estate that the most important sales characteristic is – location, location, location! Well, the same held true this past weekend in Suwanee, Georgia for the Nike Skills Camp. Over 62 athletes came together to get trained by the likes of Joe Ciampi, Dee Brown, Fred Williams, and Jeff House. The athletes did not disappoint in the hours of skill development, SPARQ training, and of course competition.

By far, the post players were truly represented in every class:

2012 – Rachel Hollivay – 6’5’’
The old adage, “you can’t teach height”, holds true to Hollivay. However, in her instance, it should be “you can’t teach height, length, and athleticism.” There are not many post players that have all three. Hollivay’s ability to run the floor and finish so well in transition gives her an immediate edge. But she also has the explosiveness to explode over her defenders and affect every shot that comes into the lane. Hollivay’s growth will come with strength and footwork. Her skills today allow her to do the basics on the blocks but with the addition of a couple of counters and some footwork to create an advantage, Hollivay will be unstoppable and the top post player in the country. She is already around the rim with her length, size, and explosiveness and that is good enough majority of the time. However, if the strength of her upperbody and core grows – add “and 1” to Rachel’s nickname because no one will be able to contain her.

2012 – Ariel Butts – 6’2
It is hard to find a player that just goes so hard in both drills and games that it looks scary. This is the case with Butts and her skill has grown so much with her body. Butts ability to create space and finish with contact is unlike any other in her class. She has the footwork and athleticism necessary to go by any big post player and the strength to go through an undersized post. The question for Butts will be her ability to create range and consistency with her shot. She can knock down the 10 to 15 footer fairly well but that’s about it. Butts ‘is the ultimate power forward and does all the small things that make a big impact on the game. She is always around the ball and all over the glass which is every coaches dream.

2013 – Ronnie Williams – 6’2’’
Post might start an argument to Williams true position. Her future lies in the swing forward position because of her versatility and skill set. Williams is a smooth long player that can do it all. You find her constantly around the ball and when she scores she does it in many different ways. Williams has taken her range and added consistency to the line of descriptors. She consistently was able to create and knock down 15ft jumpers with solid defenders challenging. Williams strength lies in her work ethic and attitude, as she is a teammate and coaches’ dream. Her length and body definitely could use strength so that she could add power moves to her resume when small defenders decide to guard her. However, Williams better have unlimited minutes because April 1st next year – her phone will be ringing off the hook.

2014 – Nasheema Oliver – 6’4’’
Power is the first word that comes to mind but when you see this big framed strong post. At her age, Oliver is a woman amongst girls on the floor but her personality definitely shows that she is a freshman! Oliver’s energy on the floor is contagious and her athleticism is incredible for her size. Her ability to grab any board within 3 feet and start the break is something you do not see at her age. However, Oliver’s biggest strength is her hands. They are soft, big, and you can add this to her great ability to pass. Oliver was impressive in drills but it definitely showed that footwork and post development would be the key to see if Oliver is a top 15 or top 50 player. However, its true – guards rule! Nike Skills Atlanta was filled with top guards in the country and it was obvious watching by the way they worked. Here are a few that stood out with both BIG AND SMALL guards:

BIG GUARDS 2012 –

Breana McDonald – 6’0
This long athletic guard was impressive when competition started. It seemed like the engine kicked in gear and blew the competition out of the water. McDonald’s ability to rise over anybody in the gym allowed her to get to the cup whenever she wanted. More importantly, she could finish over the bigs because like them – she was at the rim. McDonald has taken her midrange game and made it a big part of her game. But consistency from behind the arc is where this guard will grow and be a major force at any major program in the country. 2012 – Alexis Prince – 6’2’’ Although the royal wedding happened on Friday – the only Prince that was being spoke about was Alexis Prince from Edgewater, Florida. Early in the process, many used the word potential to describe Prince. However, potential has become reality. Prince’s size and skill is already at the level to compete at a major program. Prince is smooth in her release from any distance on the floor. Her instincts and ability to pass in transition was impressive this weekend. Prince can really do it all and her growth will be on the defensive end of the floor. Many watch Prince and talk about her effort but she is just smooth and does not play with a large amount of emotion. The Nike Skills’ coaches loved her and many said “she has just scratched the surface” – so I guess the next potential is becoming unstoppable.

2014 – Aja Wilson – 6’2’’
WOW – the only word that comes to your mind when you see this youngster. Wilson will be a national player of the year candidate in her class. Her size is incredible but her athleticism is matching. Maturation will be key to develop strength and fill out her body’s long arms and feet. Wilson ran the floor – finished with contact – created off the dribble – and consistently knocked down shots from 10 to 22 ft consistently all weekend. Wilson’s work ethic and happy-go-lucky attitude helps to understand why she will be a special player. The hope is that she spends the majority of her time in the weight room, focusing on ball handling, and becoming more fluid with the ball in her hands. However, just sit back and watch this kid dominate players that are older and younger.

SMALL GUARDS

SEC commits Majorie Butler and Andraya Carter were terrific all weekend. They led in almost every drill and their ability to do drills at the highest level all weekend was impressive. There were, however, some young guards that really showed that they belong in the same sentence.

2013 – Alexis Brown
Brown was impressive all weekend but more importantly she was one of the few who hit shots behind the arc consistently. But she is not just a shooter. Brown’s instincts and IQ is ahead of her time. She makes all the right decisions with the ball and can create for not only herself but others.

2013 – Kianna Holland
Holland impressed everyone at the gym with her ability to rise up over defenders and show off the lost art of a pull-up. Her ball handling is terrific especially in the half court. Holland changes direction and speed better than anyone in the country. This was great to see after she spent a year off the court with a knee injury. As Holland comes back, she needs to continue to work on her consistency beyond the arc and her ability to create for her others.

2013 – Tarynn Griffey
Small but explosive. Griffey gave us a little bit of everything this past weekend. Her ability to get her shot off in traffic is terrific especially because she can get by any defender in the country. Griffey’s open floor decision-making and instincts with the ball helped to separate her from the group in skill work and competition. The great news is that Griffey can knock down open shots fairly consistently. Blue Star National Evaluator - Patrick Klein