UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - As the July NCAA college evaluation period opened, 256 Club teams descended upon Happy Valley for the 2007 Blue Chip USA Invitational at Penn State University. This well-organized and well-run annual event showcased a wide range of spirited basketball talent that included Division I “verbals” to solid Division II players to future contributors at highly respected Division III programs. These athletes were able to display their hoops acumen to coaches from more than 210 colleges.
The club teams were made up of mostly 16U players, with several 15U and 14U teams sprinkled throughout the competition. The teams were separated into 16 pool brackets consisting of 16 teams in each pool. The first-place finisher of each of the pools went on to the “A” Championship Playoff Bracket; the second-place finishers went on to the “B” Playoff Bracket; the third-place finishers went to the “C” Playoffs, and so on. Thus, by the tournament’s conclusion, only one team goes undefeated: the “A” Bracket Champion has a clean 8-0 slate.
And the 2007 edition of the Blue Chip USA Invitational “A” Playoff Champions, Lessons Learned Hoops out of Northern Virginia, is a most special team on a deeply moving mission. But, more on them - and their emotional journey - later.
Game One Highlights
Best Game of the Day: The Lady Runnin Rebels vs. The Downingtown Blitz; “A” Championship Bracket Playoffs; The Round of 16: The Blitz gave their regional counterpart all they could handle for three quarters before the Rebels turned a precarious 31-26 lead, with 10:30 left in the game, into a 59-36 resounding victory. The Blitz play a tough, physical brand of team defense in the image of their feisty coach, Tina Nicholson - the former Penn State great. Rebecca Guman (’09), a tough 5-foot-7 guard out of Allentown, PA, spearheaded The Blitz’s gritty defense.
However, in the end, the uber-talented Rebels, picked by most hoops pundits as the odds-on favorite to win the event, simply turned on the after-burners. Led by Renee Womack (‘08), Emily Suey (‘08 - verbal to Villanova), Rosie Tarnowski (‘08), Shante Evans (‘09), Sarah Thorn (‘08), Lindsay Corcoran (‘08), and Laura Sweeney (‘08 - verbal to Villanova), the Rebels continued to push tempo and hit the offensive boards; eventually wearing down their gutsy opponents.
Pool Splashes - A look at some of the best of pool play on pool play’s final day of competition:
Terran Quattlebaum of
DC Heat
DC Heat vs. GTS Aces, battle for 3rd place in their pool: These two Washington, D.C., area teams locked into a classic battle, as The Aces led at the half, and were up 43-40 with 4:41 to go in the game, thanks in large part to the all-around play of guard Melissa Furr (2008). Furr stroked the trey, and used jabs and ball fakes to set up her sweep through baseline drives; but the DC Heat rallied in the game’s final minutes because the trio of Tarik Hislop (‘09), Terran Quattlebaum (‘08) and Keyona Bryant (‘08) turned up the intensity on defense, and Hislop penetrated and pitched to Quattlebaum, who scored all 13 of her points after intermission, for two clutch three-pointers. The Heat took the game, and the accompanying “C” playoff bracket slot, 50-47.
BWSL/Notre Dame Academy vs. Fencor (Martinez), battle for 3rd place in their pool: The scrappy, smallish Fencor squad battled, shared the ball, and played fundamentally sound basketball versus the bigger and more athletic Notre Dame team. Fencor was led by sharp-shooting guard Chantel Mattiola (’08) and the poised floor leadership of guard Ryann Gallagher (‘08); however, Notre Dame was too much to handle as they clinched the “C” slot of their pool behind the athleticism & shooting of Jossette Campbell ('08), the coach on the court mentality of Morgan Wrightson ('08), and the size & strength of Holly Havenstein ('08).
Standout Players of Day One:
Alex Chili (’08): This sharp-shooter hit for 13 of her team’s 26 2nd-half points in The Metro Stars Round of 16 “C” Playoff victory; three of Chili’s treys were from deep, deep NBA range.
Rebecca Cox (’08): The smart, pure point guard of The Maryland Hurricanes - she did a little bit of everything in her team‘s Round of 16 “A“ Championship Playoff win; she simply makes that team go.
Shante Evans of Lady Runnin Rebels
Shante Evans (‘09): This modern Moses Malone-type started to raise some eyebrows with her physical play, her ability to seal on the block, & her soft touch around the rim; The Runnin Rebels will make some noise this Summer with her presence.
Melissa Furr (’08): Smart, tough, high basketball IQ, can shoot with range, and finish in physical traffic; she did everything she could to get her GTS Aces team into the “C” Playoff Bracket - and almost pulled it off.
Kandice Green (’08): The athletic forward gets up & down the court for The Maryland Hurricanes; she was an offensive rebounding machine in her team’s Round of 16 “A” Championship Playoff win.
Tarik Hislop (’09): Calm, cool and collected, Hislop led her DC Heat team on both ends of the floor; she never stopped battling during her team’s rally for the the “C” Playoff slot.
Emily Suhey (’08): This Lady Runnin Rebel sticks the deep J, can finish her drives in traffic, and she doesn’t back down from physical play.
Renee Womack (’08): Got to the rim and finished in transition, finished in the quarter-court, and finished off the glass in the “A“ Round of 16 Championship playoff victory; makes it look so smooth & effortless for The Lady Runnin Rebels.
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Veronica Algeo coached Fencor to three straight AAU National Championship Game appearances, winning in 2004 and 2005. She served as a varsity assistant coach for nine seasons at Lansdale (Pa.) Catholic High School, which won five conference titles during that period. Veronica also coached junior-high basketball at St. Michael Indian School, on the Navajo Reservation in St. Michaels, Ariz., for two season, taking a previously winless program and helping them to an undefeated league championship in her second year. She played collegiately at Division III Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa., where she was among the nation's assist loeaders through her senior season and finished as the school's all-time leader in assists for both career and season.