The IHSAA has released the official dates for the girls basketball season, with no real surprises.  However, one eyebrow raiser is the "TBA" listing for the site of the state finals on March 3.  Last season's final could not be held at Conseco Fieldhouse due to a conflict with the women's Big Ten Tournament.  Much discussion took place afterwards about adjusting the Big Ten Tournament schedule to allow the IHSAA to use Conseco on that Saturday in question.  The feeling was that two audiences would be served and could possibly complement one another for both weekend events.  Guess the details haven't been finalized yet.  Hopefully that idea will get off the ground and the girls will get an opportunity to play in one of the nicest arenas in the country.  Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler was a nostalgic setting for last season's event, but left a lot to be desired for both teams and fans.  In any event, here are the official IHSAA girls basketball dates for the 2000-2001 season:
   
October 16 - First Practice Date
November 6 - First Contest Date
February 5 - Tournament Draw
February 13, 16 & 17 - Sectionals
February 20 or 21 - Regionals
February 24 - Semi-State
March 3 - State

Zionsville 2000 grad Mindy Tilford, a 5'4 guard, has signed a scholarship to play for Danville Area Community College in Danville, Illinois.

It's almost over. College coaches will have through today to observe high school players around the country, and then through Friday to observe players at the AAU Junior Olympics in Florida.  They will be catching a huge collective breath on Saturday after a fast-paced, cross-country marathon recruiting session.  From Las Vegas to D.C. and every point in between, the college coaching staffs of hundreds of women's programs from around the country have been evaluating and comparing basketball talent for their teams during the past three weeks.  The big coaching names in women's college basketball have also been making "appearances" and "shows of interest" to vie for those golden recruits who are considered the cream of the crop.  As coaching staffs get back to their schools and sort out all the possibilities, we should be seeing an increase in verbal commitments for rising seniors.  Also, beginning September 1, rising juniors will find out who truly holds their basketball talents in high regard.  That is the day juniors may begin receiving unrestricted mail from college women's basketball programs.

By the way, if you didn't catch it on our home page, we have updated the information on the Notre Dame Indiana's Best All Star camp with a complete list of attendees.  Nine NWI players who attended the camp include Amanda Autrey, Lauren Hansen and Nicole Dearing of Portage, Jenny DeMuth of Highland, Jamie Gutowski of Andrean, Lauren Bechtold of Hebron, Alex Webster of Crown Point, LaSharon Watson of Gary Roosevelt, and Heather Hutton of Valparaiso.  You can get to the article with the complete attendee list from here...

The 15U AAU Nationals finished up over the weekend, and the highly regarded 15U Indiana's Finest team, with Katie Gearlds (Beech Grove), Sharika Webb (Cathedral) and a host of other rising sophomores and juniors, made a very respectable showing with a 5th place finish.  Of note was the 15U Ohio Hoopstars, which features Connersville rising junior Missy Taylor (6'2 G/F), who won their third straight AAU National Championship this past week in Amarillo, Texas.  Taylor was the Ohio player of the year in her AAU age group last summer.  The Connersville News-Examiner had a piece on Taylor and her team's success in Amarillo. 
   
The only tournament not yet completed is the AAU Junior Olympic Games, which is taking place this week in Orlando, Florida.  The only team from Indiana participating in that tournament is The Family 16U team, featuring Ben Davis standouts Shyra Ely and Ashley Allen.  As of their game today, which was an overwhelming 91-54 win over the North Carolina Phantoms, The Family has moved into the Sweet Sixteen.  Traditionally, the first and second place teams in the 16U Indiana state tournament have the option of representing Indiana at this tournament.  Second place 16U finisher Mohr Magic chose not to attend the Junior Olympics due to the majority of its team members playing with Indiana Force at the recent Washington, D.C. and Chicago, IL Junior Nationals.  Another conflict with this tournament is the beginning of the IHSAA practice season for fall sports, which began today for soccer, cross-country and volleyball.  The AAU Junior Olympics runs through Friday, August 4.  You can view the complete list of teams competing in the AAU Junior Olympics at the national AAU website.
  

All in all, Indiana made a pretty good showing this summer at the AAU Nationals in all age groups.  The following is a complete list of the nine Sweet Sixteen finishers from Indiana, as well as the five 16U thru 18U players who were named AAU All Americans.

Speaking of the Indiana Force, a combination team of some of the best high school players in Indiana, Full Court Rap has a game recap with some pix of the Force's semi-finals game against the Pittsburgh Hoopsters.  The Force finished third in the D.C. Junior Nationals.  Developed and coached by the father-daughter team of Glen and Stacie Shepherd, Force team members include:
   
Katie Boone - Center Grove (Valparaiso)
Alissa Kirby - Mt Vernon
Sara Riedeman - Greensburg (Western Kentucky)
Jenny DeMuth - Highland (Indiana)
Kate Endress - Evansville Memorial
Jill Corbett - Cathedral (Cornell)
Kristen Weddle - Terre Haute South (Toledo)
Jenny Pfeiffer - Jennings County
Shanna Zolman - Wawasee
Brooke Gutzwiler - Batesville
Miranda Eckerle - Franklin County (Eastern Kentucky)
Ebba Gebisa - West Lafayette
Teran Warner - Shenandoah
Mandy Sichting - Martinsville

More news of players on the summer circuit appears in some excellent coverage at Bob Richards' Purdue recruiting site.  Besides a player-by-player evaluation from the prestigious Nike camp held at IUPUI (including write-ups on Shyra Ely and Shanna Zolman), Richards' also passes on a link to an article in the North Jersey Herald News about Purdue recruit Nicole Louden of New Jersey.  Besides info on Louden, the article gives a very interesting look at the Nike camp itself and the daily activities of players participating in that event.

Vicki Hammond-McDonald, a former Edinburgh player, has been named to her first coaching job as the girls varsity basketball coach at Edinburgh.  Hammond-McDonald is a 1999 Butler University graduate, where she participated on the women’s track team. She is a science teacher at Edinburgh.

Rick Ashmore of the Dunes Volleyball Club out of Michigan City, Indiana, tells us that Penn basketball player Kristin Widmar (6'0 C) has committed to Indiana State University on a volleyball scholarship.  Penn will enjoy Widmar's services for one more season on the hardcourt before she heads to ISU.  Widmar's role will most likely be expanded this season with the graduation of post player Jessica Reiter, who has moved on to the women's basketball program at Ball State.  With the fall high school sports season upon us, just thought we'd pass on the Dunes Volleyball Club link (www.dunes.org) to those who follow girls high school volleyball.  It's a nice site that follows Dunes participants during the high school season.

We're baaaacck!  After nearly three weeks on the road in Chattanooga at the 16U AAU Nationals and a quickie vacation in Calgary, Canada, the RRR is back and ready to roll.  Here is a quick attempt at bringing everyone up to date (including ourselves) on the latest Indiana girls basketball news.
   
More Indiana players have verbally committed or signed during the past few weeks.  As usual, the entire list can be found on our College Signings & Commitments page. 
     

As we reported on our message board last week, Jenny DeMuth of Highland has verbally committed to Indiana University.  The Times confirms DeMuth's college choice in an article with Highland head coach Chris Huppenthal.  DeMuth was recently named a 16U AAU All American and is currently playing in the US Junior Nationals in Washington, D.C., with Indiana Force.  From what we can ascertain, the Force was undefeated through yesterday's games at the tournament.  For those of you who are interested, the Full Court Rap website is carrying some coverage from the USJN in D.C.
   
Relentless competitor Jill Corbett of Indianapolis Cathedral (5'8 G/F) will attend Cornell  University in New York on a full scholarship.  Corbett will join Columbus East graduate and AAU teammate Karen Force there next year.  Corbett also received offers from Ohio University, Valparaiso University, Kent University, Indiana State, and Cleveland State, and was being recruiting by several other MAC and MCC schools, as well as Creighton, Colgate, and Furman.  Corbett has racked up two state championship appearances and one state championship through her junior year.
   
Martinsville 6'0 forward/center Kristen Pflum will play for DePauw University in Green Castle next season.  Pflum played with 17U Lady Mac Magic this summer and attended the 17U AAU Nationals in Clarksville, Tennessee.
   
Glen Oaks Community College in Michigan has signed two Indiana high school graduate players in Donisha Williams (5'7 G) of Elkhart Central and Stephanie Shirk (6'1 F/C) of Hamilton Heights.  (Side note:  You might remember that Glen Oaks had made a plea on the RRR guestbook and through our news for leads on recruits after their research time was cut short due to a coaching change.  In response to their request for interested players, these two young ladies will now receive scholarship aid next year.  We will be happy to accommodate any interested colleges in their search for Indiana players in the future.  Just ask!)

Here are a few NWI news items that took place during our recent absence from the RRR.  Better late than never!
   
 Kristen Peterson, a former point guard at Valparaiso High School and Stetson University, was chosen to replace outgoing Hobart coach Phil Misecko (who recently left Hobart for the opening at Wheeler) to lead the Brickies program next season.  At 27-years-old, Peterson will be the youngest coach in the tough Duneland Athletic Conference.  The Times - 7/7/00
   
Griffith graduate Sarah Bacan was named The Times Athlete of the Year after an amazing senior season that will go down in Griffith girls athletic lore.  The 5'9 forward saw her teams in basketball, volleyball and softball advance deep into the IHSAA tournaments in each sport.  Bacan averaged 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds during her senior season and will play basketball at Purdue Calumet.  The Times - 7/15/00
   
Denny Foster has decided to leave Hanover Central to return to the boys' side of the game, but this time at a high school in South Carolina.  Before his successful two-year run at Hanover Central with the girls program, Foster was also a successful head boys coach at Porter County Conference rival Hebron.  Foster's departure makes the fifth girls basketball coaching change in the PCC since the 1999-2000 season.  The Times - 7/11/00
   
Lake Station girls coach Bill Haas has retired to spend more time with his family, especially to watch his son play minor league baseball for the Schaumburg (IL) Flyers.  Haas will be replaced by Lake Station rookie boys coach, Scott Baker, who spent several years coaching girls basketball as an assistant under head coach Gary Hayes at Purdue Calumet.  The Times - 7/13/00

The 17U AAU Nationals finished up this past weekend, and two Indiana players were named 17U AAU All American.  Abby Scharlow of the Mohr Magic Pride and Courtney Koester of Eastern Indiana Wolfpack both were honored in their last high school career hurrah.  Both Mohr Magic and EI Wolfpack represented the Hoosier State well with 5th and 9th place national finishes, respectively.  You can see the complete 17U Sweet Sixteen Results and the 17U All American list at the AAU National website.
   
Also, in the 18U AAU Nationals, which were held concurrently with the 17U competition in Clarksville, Indiana's Miss Basketball Sara Nord of the 13th place finisher Jabokis, was named an 18U AAU All American.  You can also view the entire 18U All American list and 18U Sweet Sixteen at the AAU National website.

The Gold & Black website has been carrying a lot of news about Indiana high school players who are being recruited by Purdue.  One of the most interesting was a recent article about Shanna Zolman in which she reveals that her top school choices right now are Tennessee, Duke and North Carolina.  Also of interest was the information regarding the NIKE Camp held in Indianapolis recently.  Seems that there was a battle of sorts between coaches from two of the top programs in the country with regard to rising senior Shyra Ely.  The NIKE Camp is simply an opportunity for college coaches to show how interested they are in these top players, none of whom is in jeopardy of being left off of anyone's D1 list.  Seems that Tennessee's Pat Summit would not be outdone in a "show of interest" by Purdue's Kerry Cremeans, who was very visible during one of the games.  Read the article for the whole story.  It's some interesting and fun reading.  
Zolman a long shot - 7/25/00
NIKE Camp's top players - 7/18/00
Athlete likes Boilers (Jackie Batteast) - 7/18/00
NIKE notes - 7/16/00

Rising senior Manchester forward Jessica Hicks (5'11) recently attended the University of Tennessee Lady Vols camp and was named a Camp All-Star. She also attended the Blue Star Midwest Camp held at Indiana State University from July 9-11, and was named a Blue Star Camp All Star as well. 

Coach Muffet McGraw of Notre Dame recently held a one-day all star camp, inviting 50 of Indiana's top high school players for a full day of instruction, high-level competition and fun.  The Region Roundball Review was there, and we give you our take on this novel one-day idea.  Go there... 

Former Hobart Brickie coach Phil Misecko has accepted the head coaching position at Wheeler High School.  According to The Times (one-day link), Misecko will pick up where departing coach Dennis Spoor left off with the Bearcat program.  Wheeler has all five starters returning from last season and will challenge Hebron and Hanover Central for the Porter County Conference regular season and tournament championships.

The college recruiting evaluation period begins this weekend on July 8 for three weeks through July 31.  For those of you not yet familiar with official NCAA recruiting language, evaluation period is defined as when it is "permissible for authorized athletics department staff to be involved in off-campus activities to assess academic qualifications and playing abilities..."  (NCAA definitions)
     
This summer's three-week observation period is a shortened version of those allowed by the NCAA in the past, which will have college coaching staffs scrambling more than usual to distant and disparate parts of the country.  The shortened period will be putting all college recruiting staffs in high gear, trying to cram what they normally achieved in four weeks into three.  Pat McKee of the Indianapolis Star gives some insight into the difficulties facing the coaching staffs from Purdue, Indiana and Ball State.

Speaking of the summer observation period, the 16U, 17U and 18U AAU Nationals Tournament draws are now available at the AAU National website.  The 16U tournament begins this Saturday in Chattanooga, Tennessee, while the 17U and 18U tournaments will be held concurrently in Clarksville, Tennessee, from July 14-22.  Individual draws (and results once the tournament begins) can be accessed immediately above at our Important Upcoming Dates.  The following teams will be representing Indiana in the following age group tournaments during the next two weeks (NWI players in bold):
     

Tippecanoe Valley's Tabitha Pratt was on a roll at the beginning of her sophomore year, when a break to her left fibula during the fifth game of the season sidelined her for 1999-2000.  At the time of her injury, Pratt was averaging 22.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and after her injury, the TV Vikings struggled greatly without her.  Pratt's recovery has been slow, and although she is playing summer basketball, it is in a limited capacity.  The Rochester Sentinel recently featured Pratt and her long road to recovery.  She is making progress and is happy to be playing.  Despite a difficult last season, Coach Gary Teel has to believe that the future looks bright for TV.  Not only is Pratt expected to be back to 100 percent by October, the Vikings will also have the services of incoming freshman Rebekah Parker and Minnesota move-in junior Jo Rosenstiel.  Both are considered impact players that will give TV a very different look from last season's team.  Expect Tippy Valley to be making some noise next season in the Three Rivers Conference and in 3A against some of the better teams, such as Plymouth, Rochester, Twin Lakes and Kankakee Valley.

Indiana State's Kourtney Mennen (Clinton Prairie) has been spending some time away from home this summer.  The former Indiana All Star and freshman starter for the Sycamores has been touring Europe with an all star team.  You can read about her experiences in the Terre Haute Tribune Star. 

The Connersville returning lineup will be minus an inside offensive threat now that Connersville boys coach Howard Renner is moving out of the area.  He is leaving to take new teaching and coaching assignments at Decatur Central, including stints as an assistant girls basketball coach and girls cross country coach.  According to the Connersville News-Examiner, daughter Maria Renner, who was an outstanding and scrappy 5'11 performer for the Spartans the past three seasons, will be moving with her family nearly half a state away to enter the DC lineup as a senior.  Renner averaged 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season for Connersville.  Decatur Central will welcome Renner, who will help boost the Hawks' offense after the graduation of second leading scorer Mary Blessing, who is moving on to Toledo University.  The addition of Renner to the DC lineup could mean trouble for Conference Indiana.  Decatur Central has four returning players that scored in or near double figures in 1999-2000.

Last week, the South Bend Tribune reported on the summer basketball activities of a number of South Bend area players, which includes competitive play in the Metro Basketball League at the Michiana Basketball Academy.

Draws for the upcoming July AAU National Tournaments in all age groups are becoming available on the National AAU website.  This past Saturday, the 11U Nationals got underway in Lafayette, Indiana.  If you are interested in catching a few games of the rising talent from around the nation, you can get a complete schedule on the 11U Draw page at the National AAU website.  You can also get additional general information at the 11U National Tournament website.  The Lafayette Journal & Courier is giving some good coverage to the event as well with the following:
   
"Junior Bronchos thrilled to host AAU tournament" - 7/3/00
"Hoop Hysteria" - 7/2/00

Eastern coach Don Walker left Indiana for Colorado last week, and the Kokomo Tribune has a tribute to the 14-year varsity coach of the Comets.  Included in the article are comments from former Kokomo coach Mike McCroskey and former Eastern players Heather Hord ('87) and Jenny Childs ('99).

The Corydon Democrat has one last article on the Indiana All Stars sweep of Kentucky.  The article focuses on Corydon's Lynne Johnson and her experiences in the last game.

Two assistant coaching positions in the college ranks were formalized last week.  As we reported in our news for June, former IU assistant coach Jennifer Jacoby (Purdue/Rossville) is now with Miami University in Ohio.  Her appointment was made official last week, as evidenced by the announcement on the Miami women's basketball website.  Jacoby's primary duties will include recruiting, travel, scouting, conditioning and working with perimeter players. Connected to the hiring of Jacoby is the announcement by Butler University of the hiring of Vickie Henson as a first assistant coach. According to BU athletic website, head coach Wendy Gatlin tabbed Hanson for her outstanding recruiting ties to the Midwest.  Henson comes to the Bulldogs from Miami (Ohio), where she was responsible for recruiting two top-notch classes there.

The Indiana Fever claimed the losing side of the scoreboard for the tenth time in 11 games yesterday, losing a close one to the Miami Sol 54-52.  A frustrating situation for the team, but an even more frustrating situation for touted star Stephanie McCarty, who is experiencing a slump.  According to the Lafayette Journal & Courier, the former Purdue standout averaged 13.5 points in the first six Fever games, but has only been able to muster 12 points total in the past three games, all winnable games against three tough opponents.  McCarty is trying to keep the faith and, if her performance history is any indication, should be climbing out of that slump soon.  She will get three opportunities this week when the Fever play Portland at home today, Orlando on Thursday, and Phoenix on Saturday, the last being televised nationally on NBC at 1:00 CDST.

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