Good Court Rep More Valuable Than Money
05-24-09
Gary Knox
My Two Cents
Apparently some players have been “putting-in-work”, fine tuning their game. North Tartan’s Sari Noga came to play last weekend at the State AAU Championships. Noga can flat out score. She has the ability to make plays from anywhere on the court, whether it’s running down loose balls or knocking down clutch shots. Another player making noise is North Tartan’s Rachel Banham. Banham’s all-around-game is at an all-time high. The 5’10 combo-guard is playing with confidence and taking players to the hole. But, the most dominant player last weekend was MN Stars’ Cassie Rochel. At 6’4”, her game is like Kevin Garnett’s (pre-injury). Rochel is running the floor, impacting the game on defense, scoring inside and out, and making her teammates better. There is an old saying, “a good reputation is more valuable than money". Rochel’s rep is beginning to travel.
But, don’t sleep on MN Stars’ Aubrey Davis. Davis scored 23 points in an upset win against North Tartan. Then, she led her team to victory in the championship game with a gritty performance from the point.
MN Stars’ Megan Waytashek is a quiet superstar. Look for her game to get loud this season as her rep as a big-time player grows. Teammate Kahla Becken had double figure assists in the semi-finals and can see the floor. She has earned the title as a “Seamstress” for her ability to thread the needle and find teammates for easy buckets. And there is a 6’0” player from St. Peter, AnnMarie Brown, to keep an eye on. She is the total package. Brown can handle the rock, post-up and can shoot from distance. Minnesota Lady Monarchs' Diamond Lane is earning a rep as a lock-down ,on-the-ball, defender and a lights-out shooter from deep. She's a one man press in the back-court and strikes fear in opponents trying to advance the ball. .
There are some young guns making noise, North Tartan’s Tesha Buck, Rebekah Dahlman, Joanna Hedstrom, Whitney Tinjum, K.B. Capers, Whitney Weisz, Katybeth Biewen, MN Stars' Phillis Web, Jade Martin, Metro Stars' Britney Scherber, MN Fury’s Amie Tunheim and Minnesota Lady Monarchs' Kionda Nicks.
But, I must admit. I didn’t watch all the games, I only watched the big games, the championship games, the teams making noise. MN Fury’s Bethany Doolittle made some noise so did Metro Stars’ Anna Smith and Minnesota Lady Monarchs' Tori Rule. Also, keep an eye on Ameshia Kearney from North Tartan. Her game is no joke! And her rep, as a big-time player, continues to grow. Morgan VanRiper-Rose is also making a name for herself so are Alli Hoefer, Apiew Ojula, Jaya Perkins, Sadigah Jihad and Mariah Clarin. Jen Hill has established herself as a big- time player so has Marissa Janning. My All-AAU performers from the State Tournament are:
1st team
Cassie Rochel
Megan Waytashek
Sari Nogi
Kahla Becken
Rachel Banham
2nd Team
Apiew Ojula
Aubrey Davis
Rebekah Dahlman
Katybeth Biewen
Mariah Clarin
That’s my two cents.
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