Arizona Class of 2013 Collegiate Commitments

Division 1
Dominique Williams (St. Mary's) - UCLA **PAC12
Chantel Osahor (St. Mary's) - University of Washington **PAC12
Sydney Wiese (Pinnacle) - Oregon State **PAC12
Jordan Jensen (Mountain View) - Iowa State **BIG12
Lindsey Leikem (Flowing Wells) - Indiana University **BIG10
Danielle Williams (St. Mary's) - Michigan **BIG10
Katie Werner (Xavier) - Yale **Ivy League
Chloe Johnson (St. Mary's) - San Diego State **Mt. West
Kenna McDavis (Pinnacle) - Boise State **Mt. West
Jazmyn Bartee (Chandler) - UNLV **Mt. West
Sam Young (Boulder Creek) - Cal State Northridge **Big West
Jasmine Hotchkins (Pinnacle) - East Tennessee State University **ASun
Kylie Butler (Desert Vista) - University of Vermont **America East
Kathrine Hamilton (Dobson) - USD **WCC
Olivia Lucero (Highland) - Loyola Marymont **WCC
Kyndall Adams (Hamilton) - Idaho State **Big Sky
Rene Coggins (Mountain View) - NAU **Big Sky
Brandee Walton (St. Mary's) - New Mexico State **WAC
Makaily Worthington (Queen Creek) - Utah Valley **WAC

Division 2
Sydney Lengyuel (Marcos de Niza) - Western Colorado State **RMAC
Savannah Bix (Flagstaff) - New Mexico Highlands **RMAC
Megan Brown (Highland) - California Baptist **PACWest
Alexa Jacobs (Mountain Ridge) - University of Hawaii - Hilo **PACWestKiara Clark (Centennial) - Biola University
Alexa Hogberg (Hamilton) - University of Nebraska - Kearney *MIAA

Division 3
Britta Nordstrom (Pinnacle) - University of Chicago
Maddie Rinehart (Pinnacle) - Cornell College (Iowa)

NAIA
Liz Rudd (Highland) - Concordia College
Rebecca Rudd (Highland) - Concordia College

JUCO D2
Jayla Brown (Desert Vista) - Pima Community
Shaylin Heredia (Tolleson) - Scottsdale Community College
Caitlyn Hetrick (Mountain Pointe) - Glendale Community 
Corii Ramos (Campo Verde) - Glendale Community College

THE SHILPA FACTOR

pictured L-R: Shilpa Tummala, Kenna McDavis

In a highly anticipated rematch between #1 (5AII) Pinnacle and #1 (5AI) St.Marys  much was at stake.  For Pinnacle it would be their right to a claim to fame, solidify themselves as not just a top notch AZ program but a chance at national recognition, recognition for their players and bragging rights.  For St. Mary's it was about pride, tradition, a standard and not slipping another spot in ESPN/Powerade FAB 50.  St.Mary's entered the season ranked as high as #7 nationally but has dropped down to #17 after their recent loss to Pinnacle.  In that first match-up Shilpa un-characteristically fouled out in the first half of play, only putting up three points for the entire game.  Being forced to sit most of the first half and eventually fouling out nullified her ability to be the impact player she is for her team and the factor her opponents have to reckon with throughout the course of the show.  That allowed Pinnacle to stifle St. Mary's offensive prowess with their popular box/diamond and one on sharp shooter Courtney Ekmark. The final score was St. Mary's 58, Pinnacle 68.

Since that first showdown, the rematch has been the talk of AZ's womens' hoops community.  St. Mary's used the forum for breast cancer awareness, calling for a "Pink Out", sported their pink warm-ups and high-glossy pink Nike 2010 Hyper Dunks.  OK, enough with the fashion status, on to the game.  Again like in the first game ShilpaTummala started the game on the bench.  This allowed Pinnacle an effective leverage on SM's. By imploring their diamond/1 and box/1 defensive set, Pinnacle was able to cut down the opportunities of Courtney Ekmark, SM's biggest scoring threat on the floor at the time.  SM's showed patience with the offense but still bewildered on how to score they took many shots that were off the mark.  Just what Pinnacle wanted to get into their transition offense.  Pinnacle quickly went up 8-2, mostly on break away lay-ups.  SM's looked a step slow, matched up in transition poorly and were getting out hustled, out rebounded.  Then entered ShilpaTummala into the game.  Within a minute she made her presence felt with consecutive 3's that tied the game.  Kenna McDavis came down on the other end and connected from long range herself, keeping Pinnacle in the game.  Then Shilpa hit her third straight 3 and quickly the fans caught fire and momentum starting swinging in SM's favor.  SM's found their offense which was allowing their press defense to become affective. When Ekmark started connecting from outside, SM's went on a scoring binge to close out the quarter 20-12.  During the 3rd quarter, SM's started to pick apart the Pinnacle defense with their passing game.  I have yet to see a high school team as patient and score off the pass as well as SM's.  SM's was finding back door cuts off pass feeds by Osahor and the Williams sisters.  SM's suffocating jump defense allowed Pinnacle to score only 7 points in the 2nd.  Numerous Pinnacle turnovers and SM's efficiency gave SM's the upper hand in terms of possession and they converted for 20 points of their own in the 2nd.  SM's took a dominant 40-19 lead into intermission.  

SM's continued their torrid pace into the the 3rd.  Walton's presence inside was keeping drivers at bay and limited Pinnacles second chances.  Pinnacle's only highlight in the half was Weise's relentless attack of the basket that got her to the charity stripe a few times and to the basket on an un-characteristic SM's lack of help defense.  Kenna McDavis was an efficient 2-3 from 3 and showed ability to pull up off the dribble but Pinnacle's in-ability to take care of the ball at times hand-cuffed their offensive weapons.

By the first minute of the 4thQ SM's had gained a 29 point advantage 66-37 and Pinnacle's reserves were entering the game to finish it off.  SM's would eventually coast to a 69-49 victory.  The turning point can be isolated way back in the first quarter when Shilpa entered the game and knocked down 3 consecutive 3's in just three minutes of her being on the floor.  She finished the first half with 16 points and 25 points for the game, always a hard item for opponents to account for when she is doing it like she so often does.  The difference in the game, the X factor, equals the "THE SHILPA FACTOR".  Many girls stepped up and showed their worth and on any given night a dozen or so of the players that played this night can have big games but the night belonged to St. Mary's and the MVP was Shilpa Tummala.

Pinnacle Upsets #11 St. Mary's

L-R: Britta Nordstrom, Kenna McDavis, Sydney Wiese

In a highly anticipated game with lots of local news coverage and college coaches in attendance, Pinnacle did the unthinkable. They took down highly touted, #11 (ESPN/Powerade) ranked St. Mary's Knights. Pinnacle packs a powerful punch behind 6'5 UofA commit Aley Rohde. Behind Aley are three young budding superstars, 5'6(G) Sydney Wiese AZ-13, 6'1(W) Kenna McDavis AZ-13, and 6'(W)Britta Nordstrom AZ-13, who are all garnering lots of DI attention. That's quite a lineup but Pinnacle has shown some inconsistencies and lack of defensive presence at times this year. Add that to how wonderful a team St. Mary's is, with 10 potential DI prospects, a #11 ESPN ranking and not a lot of people were giving Pinnacle a chance. St. Mary's has faced similar challenges against a talented Chandler and Hamilton and beat them both by a combined 50+ points. St. Mary's only close game against another AZ team was a couple weeks ago when Xavier had them within 4pts with three minutes to go. St. Mary's would end up winning that game by 9.

St. Mary's looked flustered early and Shilpa Tummala was in foul trouble. Pinnacle was throwing multiple defensive looks at St.Mary's trying to keep them off balance. After Tummala fouled out early in the game Pinnacle was really able to put the pressure on St. Mary's by taking away their best scoring threat left on the floor, Courtney Ekmark. Pinnacle would implore their smothering box & one and stifle SM's offense. Only up by 4 with less than 4 minutes to go St. Mary's would make some costly turnovers and with Wiese scoring 10 of her 27 points in the 4th quarter, SM's would find themselves behind with time running out. Down the stretch Pinnacle would take control and St. Mary's finding themselves in uncharted territory looked very uncharacteristic faltering to Pinnacle 68-58.

Pinnacle: Wiese 27pts, Rohde 17pts, McDavis 13pts
SM's: Dickson 14pts, Ekmark 10pts

HIGHLAND THANKSGIVING BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Final Four All-Tournament Selection

First Team:

• Alyssa Heeman (pg) 5'4, Highland (2011) At 5'4 and not necessarily fastest or quickest with sick handles, Alyssa will not wow anyone out of the gym but simply put she gets the job done. She gets by her defender cutting off the their angle and getting them off balance using a stop&go again dribble. She has the capability of lighting it up from outside. She plays with a lot of poise and discipline. She makes the right, simple pass. She makes the right reads and controls the games tempo. Even without flashy handles she knows how to get into the paint and create for her teammates, always with her eyes up making smart plays. Alyssa is already a senior and doesn't have the luxury of years to work on a whole lot. She is better suited for smaller colleges.
• Kenna McDavis (sf) 6'1, Pinnacle (2013) Kenna is probably the most pure shooter on the court this weekend. She possesses a silky smooth stroke and with her size can get it over most guards. She is extremely athletic and plays with a lot of moxy. Love to watch her play because she just has that 'it'. One never knows when she will catch fire and start dropping bombs from beyond the arc every trip down the court. Kenna possesses all the natural qualities to become great but will become even more versatile and dynamic as she gets a better economy of motion on her drive. Her first step tends to be too wide of an angle. Shorten that angle and she will get to the basket quicker and in better position to finish or create for others. She is just coming into her game at the perimeter having mostly played a post on her club teams at a younger age. Kenna is going to continually grow as she learns to become a more versatile wing & develops more perimeter skill set. Right now she sometimes falls into a rut and becomes too one dimensional as a shooter but with her athleticism and height she can be much more.
• Syerra Davis (g) 5'8, Tolleson (2011) Already signed with UTEP this fall. Had an offer from ASU but ASU rescinded. Syerra has a smooth game, a great mid-range pull-up where she rises high above defenders to get off. She is very gifted athletically and can be a great defender. Syerra's problem is she doesn't always show how good she is or can be. She often feels too content to play in the shadows even when she should be the one shining and taking over for her team. It seems she has to hit some big shots to get going and turn it on rather than just pouring it on from the get go till it gets right. I hope Syerra finds that swagger and confidence. Tolleson is going to need it this year from her and she will need it in college.
• Kaile Magazzeni (f) 6'1, Highland (2011) When the ball touches Kaile's hands good things happen. She is a fierce competitor. She is Highland's director and leader on the court. At only 6'1 she doesn't back down from bigger centers and will post aggressively herself. She is very difficult to guard in the low post because she gets great position. She goes at her defenders quick and early on the low block, gets opponents in foul trouble by getting great position and going up strong to the basket. She doesn't have an array of moves with her back to the basket, mostly relies on good positioning. She does however have a great turnaround jumper that she hits with precision. It is her go to move. She has range at about 15ft but definitely needs to increase her range out to the arc. She is a great defender against multiple positions and anticipates off the ball well, reading passing lanes. Oh, by the way, she is a fierce rebounder and slick passer. To be a strong DI prospect she is just going to have find a better perimeter game and face up more.
• Aley Rohde (c) 6'5, Pinnacle (2011) Already committed to UofA Aley has a lot of upside. She is a south paw 6'5 post and has always conjured up a lot of interest from college recruits. She does show a lot of capability when her team finds her. She likes to get the ball on the low left block and go to her left hand baby hook shot. Sometimes shots come to easy to Aley whether she is on or off and I rarely see her go to an array of counters that might get her a higher percentage shot. She does have a nice release on her jumper which she is capable of hitting from 10-15ft and occasionally might knock down a 3 but does have somewhat of a hitch to her shot. Confidence is key for Aley and possibly with maturity and in the right environment she will flourish. My advice to Aley to have a successful college career would be to forget she is 6'5, train like a under 6'3 post, get stronger, get the advantage by playing for position before she gets the ball and demand the ball, make good things happen.

Second Team:

• Anne Marie Holter (pg) 5'8, Seton Catholic (2013) Anne shows high basketball IQ and is an exceptional passer. She finds open players and gets them the ball where they can score. She does a great job of controlling the tempo of the game and displays a lot of poise. Is not going to wow anyone with her skill set but knows how to use what she has to get the job done. Really does a good job of getting the ball up the court, dribbles N-S and doesn't over dribble.
• Kayla Bustos (g) 5'4, Seton Catholic (2011) Kayla heated up from outside this weekend and scored 27pts against a very tall athletic Pinnacle high school. She gets her shot off quick but defenses might be able to control her ability to get open looks by putting taller defenders on her. Not sure she has the ability to create her own shot.
• Sydney Wiese (g) 5'8, Pinnacle (2013) Sydney can be one of Arizona's deadliest shooters from outside. She has unbelievable range but Pinnacle has to use her as their primary point guard limiting their chances to get her open looks in transition in open court. She has a little razzle dazzle to her ball-handling abilities but tends to over dribble, dribbles with her head down and her lack of strength allows her to get bumped farther out of the driving lane forcing her to take much more difficult lay-ins. She often fails to see traps coming and forces turnovers because her head is down and she tries to engage the defender with too much dribbling. She is also very predictable which is why she probably gets picked off so much. Over the three games I have watched her play this fall she is averaging near 10 to's a game. Not a good stat to have. As advanced as her offensive game is her ability to lock down other guards is hazardous and led to many open looks on the perimeter for the opposition because of the penetration allowed. Also Pinnacle's bigs tend to get in foul trouble a lot which can somewhat be attributed to the lack of perimeter defense. Sydney no doubt has a lot of up-size and will go very far but definitely has some kinks to work out which have been exposed as of late. Sydney's offensive skill set easily has her on my 1st team but her turnovers lack of control of team's offense and defense puts her on the second team.
• LaQuese Garrett (f) 5'11, Tolleson (2011) LaQuese plays with great energy, plays bigger than she is and can still step out and put it on the floor for the take. She is extremely athletic and poises problems for bigger slower forwards guarding her on the perimeter. Her shot is in need of some desperate help. I say it like that because if she were a sophomore or maybe even junior, one can look at working on it but high school season has already started and this is her final season.
• Theresa Wirth (sf) 5'11, Seton Catholic (2011) Theresa is more suited for a perimeter game and as such is an exceptional shooter but for her high school she has to take the load of the work inside. She has a nice athletic build, is no doubt dedicated to being in shape and did a great job of rendering 6'5 Aley Rohde ineffective in their match-up. I was shocked to when I saw Theresa have to handle the ball in the open court. Her handles are very inferior of where they should be at her level and other abilities. She no doubt is an exceptional guard/sf but really needs to sharpen her ability to handle the ball even to play in the SunBelt conference which is where she will be next year for University of Denver.

All-Defensive Team:

• Anne Marie Holter (pg)
• Cassi Damyanovich (g)
• Britta Nordstrom (f)
• Theresa Wirth (f)
• Kaile Magazzeni (f)
• LaQuese Garrett (f)

Best of the rest:

Briana White

Susan Spinner

Madi Rinehart

Emily Wahlberg

Jordan Hagen