2013 Midland Hoops 32 Tip Sheet
Allison Valdez surrounded by Caroline Hammond and Lisa Blair
MIDLAND, TX-Midland Hoops 32 was something Coach Eddie Venzant had done on the boys side however he felt a need to include the girls because of the talent that goes unnoticed in his area. That’s all fine and dandy with me because it truly ties in to what I’m about and what I do. Over the years I’ve seen several kids on all types of levels that fall through the cracks, you can’t see everyone but I’d like to think I’ve help put a dent in it in more ways than one. I went down to Midland to cover the event, I knew I had seen at least one player that showed a lot of promise and after arriving I found another I had seen a few years ago, so that sort of gave me a sign on what to expect
Here are some of the standouts that caught my eye and in this article by the Midland paper I said something that should stick in every young players head, don’t count anyone out read more
2015
Gabrielle Jones-Hall-5’7 guard-Irving MacArthur
This young lady was in Austin at Who Got Next and now she’s here, that alone gets some type of mention but her game is what I’m watching evolve. She’s very athletic and anticipates well, not many kids could jump out of a car after five hours and step on the court and do well yet she did. Potential and upside plus determination has me thinking she’s on the verge
Caroline Hammond-5’10 forward-Midland Christian
Nothing like game situation to really show what she could do and after a slow start, Hammond showed me a lot. She can score inside and outside and didn’t mind battling for rebounds. Her size and skill set is something to start with
Daija Stanford-5’2 guard- Midland Lee
Picture a bottle of 5 Hour Energy as a basketball player and that sort of tells you something about Stanford. She caught my eye three years ago and now she’s still catching my eye although it’s a blur. She’s tough, can take it to rack and knock down 15 footers all day. Good ball handler and defender that knows the game
Lisa Blair-5’9 forward-Midland Christian
This young lady came in the gym eager and excited and left with bruises and cuts galore. She also left with a lot of respect from me for her mental toughness and the ability to keep coming back. Oh yeah, she also knows how to put the ball in the basket and was virtually unstoppable the first three minutes of the All Star game
Lindsey Mills-5’5 guard-Midland Christian
She looked good in both the one on one and three on three drills but when the bright lights came up; she took it to another level. She sees the floor well, great IQ and can knock down the long ball
Aroanna Gonzales-5-8 forward-Odessa Permian
This young lady doesn’t take plays off, dives for loose balls, defends, bangs in the paint and fights for every rebound. She hit the 12 to 15 footer all day and knew how to finish while taking a lick
2016
Roeshonda Patterson-5’7 guard-New Way Christian
If anyone received an MVP for the whole day, it would be Patterson. She’s strong, can take it to the hole and finish with contact. She can score from almost anywhere on the court and can turn it on whenever she wants. Once she learns to keep it on, she has a shot at D1
Nia Smith-5-5 guard-New Way Christian
Smith showed signs several times of being able to do whatever she wanted on the court, once she understands this and wants it, she’s going to be hard to handle. When her intensity is up, she makes plays and I’m talking huge plays
Allsison Valdez-5’9 guard-Midland LeeValdez is in very good shape because she’s long, has size, is only a sophomore and can play so playing at the next level isn’t the issue, her destiny is truly in her hands as far as how high. Good mid-range game and can put it on the floor and does a good job defending on the perimeter
2017
Cherlee Collins-5’0 guard-New Way Christian
She’s not 5’0 but she plays better than some over 6’0 I’ve seen recently. One thing you can teach is heart and Collins brings so much energy her teammate’s feed off of it. She can score from anywhere and was battling in the paint with players almost a foot taller