Full Court Prep

Future of Women’s Basketball on Display in WBCA All-America Game

By Lee Michaelson

Publisher

Sixteen of the top high school girls’ players in the nation took center stage at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday evening to entertain a crowd of several thousand coaches and fans at the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s (WBCA) High School All-America Game. The event was part of the Final Four festivities of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament and the WBCA’s annual convention which is being held in San Antonio from April 2 through April 6.

Twenty female high school seniors were named to the WBCA’s All-American teams, which were divided into Red and White squads for the game. Unlike the McDonald’s All-American Game, which divides squads geographically into East and West regions, the WBCA’s All-American Selection Committee endeavors to divide the talent equitably between the two squads in an effort to create teams as evenly balanced as possible, without regard to geography or the players’ current or future schools.

In this case, it appears that the Selection Committee did a great job of choosing the talented teens who were honored as All Americans, but missed the mark in terms of balancing the teams. Though the White Team struck first blood on a free throw (one of a pair) by 6-5 center Karla Gilbert (A&M Consolidated High School, College Station, Texas), the Red Team dominated much of the game from the early going, leading 48-37 at the half and ultimately breezing to a 101-81 win.

But for the players, the honor of being there, plus the intensity of the environment, meant more than who won or who lost.

“It was such an unbelievable honor to be on the Final Four court for the first time and be in the midst of great players and have such high competition, said Stanford-bound Chiney Ogwumike (Cy-Fair High School, Cypress, TX), the White Team MVP, who described herself and fellow All-Americans as “starstruck” at being in the presence of players such as Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Jayne Appel and Kelsey Griffin. Though the prep stars didn’t get much of a chance to interact with the elite collegians, simply passing them in the corridor and knowing they were playing on the same court that would decide the NCAA National Championship this weekend was more than enough, Ogwumike, and Red Team MVP Chelsea Gray (Saint Mary’s High School, Manteca, CA), a Duke signee, agreed.

“It may not have been demonstrated on the score board, but we worked hard and learned a lot by playing through adversity and trying to come back. This game was definitely a memorable experience for me.”

Photo Caption: Odyssey Sims (Irving MacArthur High School, Irving, TX) receives the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association National High School Player of the Year Award from the WBCA CEO Beth Bass (right). Though Sims, who is headed to Baylor next year, was named to the WBCA’s High School All-American Team’s White squad, she tore her ACL in late February and was unable to play.

Photo Credit: Courtesy WBCA/Kelly Kline

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McDonald’s Girls’ High School All-American Game: They’re All Winners!

By Lee Michaelson

Publisher

It was a big night for Texas girls’ prep basketball in Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday, as the West beat the East, 84-75, in the McDonald’s All-American Girls’ High School Basketball Game.

Texas was represented on the West squad by an unprecedented five players, including 6-2 forward Chiney Ogwumike (Cy-Fair High School, Cypress, TX), the recipient of this year’s Morgan Wooten Award as the girls’ National Player of the Year; 5-9 guard Meighan Simmons (Byron P. Steele II High School, Cibolo, TX), who was honored as MVP of the West squad; 6-5 forward Karla Gilbert (A&M Consolidated High School, College Station, TX), who put up 15 points for the winning side; 5-10 forward Tiffany Moore (Frisco High School, Frisco, TX), who didn’t score that much but dished out four assists and grabbed a steal in her 20 minutes on the floor; and 5-8 guard Odyssey Sims (Irving MacArthur High School, Irving, TX).

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Chiney Ogwumike Named McDonald’s All-American Player of the Year

By Lee Michaelson

Publisher

Chiney Ogwumike was named this year’s recipient of the Morgan Wooten Player-of-the-Year Award for her accomplishments on and off the court, McDonald’s and Coach Wooten announced Wednesday. 

Ogwumike, a three-year all-state selection from Cy-Fair High School in Cypress, Texas is the ninth annual female winner of the award, joining such women’s basketball stars as Maya Moore (2007), Tina Charles (2006), Candace Parker (2004) and Ivory Latta (2003). Ogwumike was selected from a group of finalists that including Odyssey Sims (irving MacArthur High School, Irving, Texas), winner of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Player of the Year Award, as well as Bria Hartley (North Babylon High School, North Babylon, New York), Kaneisha Horn (Ramsay High School, Birmingham, Alabama), and Natasha Howard (Toledo Waite High School, Toledo, Ohio).

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Chiney Ogwumike Named McDonald’s All-American Player of the Year

By Lee Michaelson

Publisher

Chiney Ogwumike was named this year’s recipient of the Morgan Wooten Player-of-the-Year Award for her accomplishments on and off the court, McDonald’s and Coach Wooten announced Wednesday. 

Ogwumike, a three-year all-state selection from Cy-Fair High School in Cypress, Texas is the ninth annual female winner of the award, joining such women’s basketball stars as Maya Moore (2007), Tina Charles (2006), Candace Parker (2004) and Ivory Latta (2003). Ogwumike was selected from a group of finalists that including Odyssey Sims (irving MacArthur High School, Irving, Texas), winner of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Player of the Year Award, as well as Bria Hartley (North Babylon High School, North Babylon, New York), Kaneisha Horn (Ramsay High School, Birmingham, Alabama), and Natasha Howard (Toledo Waite High School, Toledo, Ohio).

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