The thing is, YouTube does not properly prepare you for the real thing. Griner is not just a dunking machine. She is a 6-foot-7 marvel - a smooth athlete who glides around the floor, doesn't get pushed around, dribbles the ball, shoots it.

I sat by a group of girls in Birmingham, Ala., who refused to believe what they were watching. "Oh she can't be a girl," they squealed.

Griner has that kind of effect on you.

It's hard to believe that she wasn't even a blip on the national radar until the spring. That, because she was hurt (ankle), it took us almost the entire summer to hunt her down and confirm the previous sightings. And, to think, she doesn't graduate until 2009.

So when you talk about breakout players, as we are about to, the list starts with Brittney Griner.

BREAKOUT PLAYERS

Tyler Ash
LaSondra Barrett
Mo Bennett
Cierra Bravard
Lauren Edwards
Adaora Elonu
Angel Goodrich
Liz Lay
Joanna McFarland (09)
Chiney Ogwumike (10)
Monique Oliver (09)
Inga Orekhova (09)
Justine Raterman
Shakara Rucker (09)
Odyssey Sims (10)
Jackie Voigt
Alina Voronenko
Markel Walker (09)

A couple of players on our list - Inga Orekhova and Alina Voronenko - you presumably met in Monday's installment. Suffice to say, if this is a foreign invasion of long-distance shooting, fundamentally sound wings with great size, we wave the white flag and say let's open the borders.

The first two players on our list come from states, Mississippi and New York, that are home to players who were far more heralded than they. Who knew there was a 6-foot-2 point guard in upstate New York named Tyler Ash? And that, in Mississippi, there was a player other than April Sykes who was worth her salt? Yet, every time a big rebound needed to be grabbed or shot needed to be made, LaSondra Barrett was there in summer's biggest moments. And all Ash did was have the best summer of any player from a much-ballyhooed region.

Mo Bennett of Georgia surprised with her strength and explosion and she proved to be one of the top shooting guards all summer. She explodes to the basket and can finish with the best of them. Her success getting to the cup overshadows the fact that she can shoot the rock, too. Ohio's Cierra Bravard was just a big body when the club season began, but all she did was make shots all summer and show an occasional nasty streak on the court that is rare for the girl's game, but will serve her well at her position.

Joanna McFarland is very much a Kansan - a hearty, no-nonsence Middle American. She does everything you'd want from your post. For Chiney Ogwumike looking up to her older sister, Nneka, who is one of the best players in the country, has provided a great example and she’s soaking it up. She is making plays as a freshman that many would dream of making in college. Her combination of size, athleticism, balance, touch and competitiveness have her on the map early as the top player in her class. Mighty Mo Oliver of Las Vegas emerged from the shadow of her very talented club teammate, Kelsey Bone, and established herself as one of the very best of a hugely talented group of 2009 post prospects.

Justine Raterman’s breakout came starting at the Nike Midwest Showdown where her Dayton Hoopstars team was without injured forward Emilee Harmon, which put frontcourt duties that much more on Raterman’s shoulders. She impressed all summer long with her versatility, passing, numerous scoring skills and quickness for her size. Shakara Rucker first impressed this season playing for the Atlanta Celtics in Ohio over Memorial Day Weekend where she was the No. 1 option, bringing the ball up, getting clear outs and showcasing her creative abilities. At the end of the summer in South Carolina she was in a reserve role for the Georgia Metros but still making acrobatic plays, be it blocking a shot up near the backboard, or coming off the break and raising up for her fade-away pull-up jumper. In both roles her raw talent broke through and showed she could be one of the best in her class.

It's no secret why Baylor has tied up Odyssey Sims so early. The 2010 point guard is strong, explosive off the ground and dribble, and no one kept her out of the paint all summer. If she can bridge her three-pointer and eye-popping penetrations with a reliable pull-up jumper, it's game over in the backcourt. Jackie Voigt, a Minnesota commit, sometimes isn't the kind of player who commands tremendous attention. Doing everything by the book is not exactly sexy, but at a solid 6-2, it's a revelation.

We'll make the announcement now, so you all can have time to process the facts, but the best prospect in the Northeast in 2009 is from Philadelphia, not New York, Boston or Wilmington. That would be Markel Walker, a 6-1 dynamo who has great size and tremendous speed with the ball - kind of a Glory Johnson with more meat on her bones (and we Glory's our No. 3 in 2008). Walker can slice up defenses with her slashing from the wings or with her excellent passing and court vision, and is active with her athleticism at the defensive end.

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