The Jordan Brand Classic game is Friday and Hosey and Higgs will be playing but on different teams. Starts at 2:30 ct will be on ESPN 3 I think.
For those who get to watch today, pay attention to the builds/frames of the guards and forwards. In the McDonald's game, I noticed how much "thicker" the other players were than Lashann Higgs and Jordan Hosey.
I really don't care about that, it's basketball not football. They also will have the ability to get bigger when they get in the s&c program next year.
That's kind of my point. I couldn't believe the builds of the majority of these elite high school players already, before even getting involved with a college weight training program. Don't recall that being the norm in the past.
Watching the game at the half, Lashann has struggled offensively with some turnovers and a couple of missed layups and shots around the rim. But she's also played really good defense. Jordan has played really well, she's rebounded the ball well and has also shown some solid offensive ability.
been watching for a few minutes, LaShann has made a couple of buckets and got a steal, she looks pretty fast. The UCONN recruit Collier is pretty skinny too but she looks pretty good! Another post player, Anigwe has impressed me. I thought she was the best center in the McD AA game.
Yes, Lashann played much better in the second half. She continued to play very good defense and got to the rim with ease. On one play, she just blew by the defender and exploded to the rim and finished with her left hand and she made it look so easy. Jordan didn't have as good of a second half, but overall she played well.
East wins 76-75, good finish to the game. Stephanie Watts hit two 3's in the closing seconds to give them a one point lead and the win. I think she is a North Carolina signee but I could be wrong.
I liked both Higgs' and Hosey's games. For those who didn't see it, Higgs played point guard and was more concerned with distributing the ball than scoring herself. I was impressed. She is both fast and quick, had good court vision, and set up other players for some good looks. Unlike most of the players, she did not make any forced shots. She only pulled up for one outside jumper, which didn't go in, but made three beautiful driving baskets. She looked very much in command, and I think will see a lot of playing time very quickly. Like in the McDonald's game, Hosey didn't get that many minutes, but I liked what I saw. She stayed down low mostly and didn't get many touches. I think she put up two shots. One was a smooth move to the basket from a tough angle which was so quick no one could respond. Her defensive instincts looked good, though it could be hard for her to deal with some of those big bodies inside. She drew two charges and should have gotten another, but it was called the other way. I think she will also get a lot of playing time quickly. Man, there were a lot of good players. The two bigs going to Baylor are impressive. Taja Cole, headed to Louisville, couldn't miss, floaters and jumpers from all over the place. Stephanie Watts, going to North Carolina, made two three-pointers in a row in the last minute to give the East the win. If anyone wants to see it, you can watch it as a replay on espn3.
Wild prediction. By the end of the year, I think our starters/prime line-up will be: Imani/Kelsey, Brooke, Ariel, Lashann, and Jordan. Celina, Empress, and Breanna will be used more selectively. We may get some great stuff from the new Hattis. Don't know what to expect from Christina.
That has the potential to be a pretty exciting lineup; it will be interesting to see how quickly Lashann and Jordan adapt the to the collegiate game, and how much improvement we see from Ariel and Brooke in their second season with the program. Based on what we saw from the latter two this year, I expect great things from both next season. I wouldn't count out Brianna, though. She was arguably our most improved player this year, based on where she started as a frosh. The injury derailed her a bit, but I look for her to be a major factor these next few years. Finally, Empress is someone I hope does special things in her final campaign with the Horns. I know I've said this before, but there are times when she does things with the ball no one else is capable of. Perhaps she won't ever be the consistent offensive threat I feel she's capable of being, but I'm hopeful she plays a significant leadership role this coming year.
Here's the box score link if anyone's interested... Boxscore in PDF: http://jordanbrandclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Box-Score-All-American-Girls-Game.pdf
