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As the high school year begins, it is time to take a look into the crystal ball and see what is the next great class in girls basketball. The Class of 2001 is not a bad, there are fine players in it, with plenty of players who should go on and have solid college career. But there are no impact players, they are no players who stir the blood the way Cheryl Miller, Chamique Holdsclaw or Diana Taurasi did. Those players do not exist in the Class of 2001.
But they do exist in the Class of 2002, and they may exist in greater numbers then any other high school class in the history of girls basketball. To make it simpler, I'll divide the top players into two groups. The first five have 'impact' written all over them and are almost guaranteed stardom at the college and later at the professional levels. The next five could reach the same high levels, but have some work to do so. They would rank at the very top of the Class of 2001, but fall just below that level the Class of 2002.
To write about high school girls in these terms is what is done in boys basketball all the time. We write about guys who can turn a college program around, or could play in the NBA right out of high school. It is time to take the same approach with female players -- after all, that's what gender equity is all about.
Shanna Zolman, 5-8 guard, Wawasee High School, Syracuse IN. Shanna Zolman is what you expect the best player from Indiana to be. In a state where basketball is od goddess, Zolman is a Basketball Goddess. She was one of two in her class invited to the USA Basketball Junior World Qualifying Team Trials in Colorado Springs (Seimone Augustus was the other). Zolman has been a fixture in the Indiana basketball for the last several years, but has now burst upon the national scene as one of the very best players in the USA. She's the daughter of a basketball coach and her game shows it. She is truly the complete player. In terms that natives of the Hoosier state understand, she is Larry Bird -- but she is a better athlete.
Ideally Zolman is a combo guard, equally at home as a point or shooting guard, although most coaches would feel more comfortable with the ball in her hands. Zolman possesses great leadership skills that she combines with a total knowledge of the game. She is player who rarely makes mistakes. If you are a basketball purist you have to enjoying watching Zolman play the game.
Nicole Wolff, 5-11 guard, Walpole High School, Walpole MA. If there was a Most Valuable Player award for the entire summer basketball season, then Nicole Wolff was it. She first burst on the national scene during the Boo William's Spring Invitational Tournament held in early April when she led her New England Crusaders to the tourney title. And here's another daughter of a coach -- her father is Dennis Wolff, head men's coach at Boston University.
Wolff is the best pure shooter in high school today. She has a beautiful jump shot from three-point range. She is a great athlete with excellent hang time, is without fear on the court and can score in bunches. She handles the ball very well, and tends to make very good decisions -- but her best decision is to shoot the ball. She is player you never want to tell not to shoot. Wolff is one most exciting players in the game, and as good as she has become, the upside of her game is even greater. In addition to her basketball skills, Wolff is an outstanding student, a factor that will likely play a major role in her choice of a college.
Ann Strother, 6-1 guard, Highlands Ranch High School, Castle Rock CO. Ann Strother was the top freshman in the country two years ago, but then blew her ACL in September of her sophomore year and missed the entire high school season. However, her play this summer has shown that she is all the way back. Strother was the MVP of the championship game at the US Junior Nationals in Washington DC this July, where she led her Colorado Hoopsters to the title. She also led some of her Hoopster teammates to the Roundball Ruckus National 3-on-3 championship held this past Labor Day weekend in Springfield MA.
Strother possesses the ballhandling skills to be a point guard, the shooting abiltiy to be an off guard and the height and athleticism to be a small forward. In other words, she can play all the perimeter positions with excellence. Over the summer, Strother transferred to Highlands Ranch, along with outstanding sophomore Susie Powers. They join Katy Flecky (who has verballed to Notre Dame) on the defending Colorado state champs, and Strother helps make Highlands Ranch one of the top ten high school teams in the USA.
Gillian Goring, 6-7 center, Germantown Academy, Drexel Hill PA. Gillian Goring is the best big player in the country. One reason is she does one thing better then almost any other player of her size and age: she finishes. She also plays the game with an enthusiasm that is often missing among players of her size. So many girls of her size seem to play basketball only because the are tall. Goring plays the game because she likes it. That is a breath of fresh air.
Goring runs the floor with great speed and dexterity. She has good hands and a nice shooting touch around the basket. She is a imposing presence on defense as she is fine shot blocker and intimidator. And she is solid on the defensive end. There were many observers at this summer's Nike Camp who felt Goring was the best player in attendance. With all that said, Goring has a chance to be one of the best big girls ever.
Seimone Augustus, 6-1 guard-forward, Capital High School, Baton Rouge LA. Seimone Augustus has gotten the most press of this class at a very young age, including Sports Illustrated. She, along with Zolman, were the two members of the Class of 2001 that were invited to the USA Junior Team Trials. As we know, neither of them made the team.
Augustus is an exceptionally talented player with great skills. The question is whether all of the attention she received early as had a negative result on her development. The weakest part of her game is her decision-making and judgment. But much of that is beside the point, when one looks at her a player -- Augustus is simply very talented. She runs the floor exceptionally well, handles the ball with ease, and is a good scorer from mid-range. After all the early publicity, she needs to step her game up once again to remain in the top five and be an impact player in college.
Our next five players are a solid group. Each of them have the ability to move up that incremental bit to belong among the top five and they are as good as anyone in the Class of 2001. The reason they are in the second group of five is that they are just a small notch below the very top group, but they are all outstanding.
Mistie Bass, 6-2 forward, Parker High School, Janesville WI. Mistie Bass is a strong big player who has good skills around the basket. She has an ability that is often missing in big women basketball players, and that is the ability to finish. There are some observers who rate her as the best pure power forward in the class. She runs the floor well for a kid her size and has a good feel for the game. An interesting aside is that Bass is Chubby Checker's daughter.
Caitlin Howe, 5-9 guard, Fairport High School, Fairport NY. Caitlin Howe was a sensation at the AAU Nationals in Kingsport TN, where she played up in the 16 & unders with the Rebels. However, Howe missed most of the this summer's action due to an injury, though she will be fully recovered for the high school season.
Howe plays point guard for her high school team, and leads it in all categories. She is a fine shooter, and handles the ball well. She has fine court vision, and in addition to being a good scorer makes the rest of her team better.
Lindsay Richards, 5-8 guard, Barrington High School, Barrington IL. Lindsay Richards in the best pure point guard in her class. When you watch Richards play, you are watching someone who understands the game of basketball. She has great leadership skills to go along with her fine physical skills. Richards is an excellent athlete who can shoot, pass, and handle with the best of them. She has fine range, being very solid from three-point territory, has a good pull-up jumper and goes to the hole with authority. Richards has that court presence that is needed for top notch point guards.
Barbara Turner, 6-1 forward, East Tech High School, Cleveland OH. Barbara Turner is one of the best athletes in her class and is the best player in Ohio. She runs the floor extremely well and has excellent skills. She has good range and has a solid handle. In many ways Turner is the prototype three player. In addition, she plays good defense and make her presence felt on the court at all times. Turner should continue to improve as she gains experience.
Willnet Crockett, 6-3 center, Lynwood High School, Lynwood CA. Willnet Crockett is a strong and agile center who can put the ball in the basket. She is a scoring machine who also intimidates on the defensive end of the floor. For a person of her size, Crockett runs the floor surprisinglt well. In a player-rich state, Cockett is not only the best center of her class, but is the best player of her in California.
10/6/00
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