Prospect Watch - May 9

By ESPN HoopGurlz

Posted Fri, 05/09/2008 - 09:01 Our weekly tour of the national recruiting scene features Alexis Jones and notes on Taber Spani, Blanche Alverson, Devon Kane, Kelsey Smith and Zoe Rogers.

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PHOTOS & GRAPHICS BY GLENN NELSON

From Clay Kallam:

Alexis Jones is one of those players who simply is too good for her level - not only are her skills way above her U13 classification, so is her basketball IQ.

This means the rising freshman at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, won’t be playing for the DFW Elite U13s much longer, but while she does, she’s a classic archetype. At 5 feet 8, in this age group, she can play guard or post. Defending on the perimeter, her quick left hand produces steal after steal; in the paint, her explosiveness makes it hard to enter the ball, and once there, to get the shot off.

On offense, Jones' court vision is superb. Unlike so many young players who have to use all their focus to control the ball and gain their balance, Jones is looking for a teammate almost as soon as the ball touches her hands. Unfortunately, her passes often wind up not being converted into layups, which is again a classic outcome when a superior player is playing a level too low.

There are some things Jones needs to work on: She’s so in control at this age level that the lefthander relies exclusively on her left hand. She also takes plays off, and relies too heavily on her physical ability - but when she turns it on, no one can stop her.

Most likely, Jones will rise to the challenge as she starts competing against older, stronger players, but for now, as an U13, she’s one of those elite talents who only uses her gifts intermittently - but they are so spectacular that it’s hard to even complain.

Glenn Nelson's Rim Shots:

One of the more quiet recruiting tug-of-wars you'll ever see taking place between Connecticut and Tennessee is only because its object - Taber Spani of Lee's Summit, Mo. - has been flying a bit under the radar nationally. That won't last long. Neither will her No 38 ranking in the HoopGurlz Super Sixty for 2009. Spani is 6-1, long and strong, aggressive with the dribble, with good shooting form to beyond the arc. Both UConn head Geno Auriemma and Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt were out to see her during a season when the lefty averaged 29.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.0 blocks and 2.4 steals for Metro Academy. Both the big guns, Connecticut and Tennessee, are in Spani's final three, but so is Kansas State. Don't discount the Wildcats, as her older sister, Shalin, plays for them and father, Gary, is a former K-State All-American. ... For the second time in three years, Auburn coach Nell Forner has snared a player nationally ranked by HoopGurlz.com. Two years ago, it was Alli Smalley, who was named a Young All-American this past season by Gballmag.com. Just this week, it was Blanche Alverson, a 6-3 forward with a great stroke for whom similar honors can be imagined. The Buford, Ga., native had also considered Arkansas, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Oregon, Penn State, Virginia and Virginia Tech . ... One player we're sure to keep an eye on this weekend at the Nike Regional Skills Academy in Philadelphia is 5-9 point guard Devon Kane. Ranked No. 51 in the Super Sixty for 2009, Kane suffered an ACL during the national AAU semifinals last summer, had surgery in August and, remarkably, was back on the court in six month. She has offers from Louisville, St. Joseph's and Villanova , as well as strong interested from Notre Dame, Stanford and Penn State. ... We've already established that 2009 is the Year of the Post and one of the prizes, 6-4 Kelsey Smith of St. Charles, Ill., still has a 12-strong, national posse in pursuit. According to Smith, they are Arizona State, DePaul, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Michigan State, Pitt and Wisconsin. ... Inside-outside threat Zoe Rogers, a mainstay for national power Bellaire in the Houston area, has committed to Rice. A smooth, 6-1 lefty, who was MVP of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Basketball Tournament, Rogers had taken unofficial visits to Rice, Georgetown and Miami before deciding to stay close to home, where both parents are Rice alums.

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Clay Kallam is the publisher of Full Court Press (www.Fullcourt.com), an online magazine devoted to women’s basketball. The author of the book “Girls Basketball: Building a Winning Program (Wish Publishing, 2002), Kallam has written about the women’s game for several national publications and is a voter for the McDonald’s All-American team, the Parade All-American team, the All-WNBA team and the Wooden Award. He is the coach of the Campolindo High School varsity basketball team and formerly wrote for the Contra Costa Times newspaper chain. Clay can be contacted via our Contact form (click "Ask Clay Kallam").

Glenn Nelson is the founder and publisher of HoopGurlz.com. He is a member of the McDonald's All-American Selection Committee and SportsShooter.com (Click for Porfolio), Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, National Press Photographers Association and Online News Association. Glenn also founded and coached the Dragons and Northwest HoopGurlz select girl's basketball teams and previously was the editor-in-chief at Scout.com and a longtime, national-award-winning basketball columnist and writer for The Seattle Times. His work has appeared in several books and national magazines. He is co-author of "Rising Stars: The Ten Best Players in the NBA" (Rosen Publishing, 2002). For more on Glenn's World, click here. Glenn can be reached at glenn@hoopgurlz.com.

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