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Post by coachie on Oct 7, 2003 7:16:09 GMT -5
so what juniors will make a big impact this year... i say Bose and Brit Moore...without a doubt for Perry... Hawthorne could show some of her stuff as well...there could be a couple of other surprises too from last year's reserve team....
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Pavlo
Leading Scorer
Posts: 214
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Post by Pavlo on Oct 7, 2003 7:25:05 GMT -5
Valpo's Cassie Kerns and Lindsay Humes, both 6'2" or bigger, will be starting for the second year after playing key roles as freshmen. Kerns is being recruited by everyone.
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Post by luvtheroundball on Oct 7, 2003 8:39:21 GMT -5
Kris Coner from Indian Creek. Very strong player.
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Southern Man
Junior All-Star
Southern Man's Favorite Cartoon Character
Posts: 391
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Post by Southern Man on Oct 7, 2003 10:36:16 GMT -5
Leah Phillips from Castle and Andrea Fichter from Evansville Memorial. Both are members of the Southern Man's Top Preseason Players To Watch. ;D
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Post by jmd on Oct 7, 2003 10:56:33 GMT -5
Mara Freshour from Brown County is a very good player.
Toni Burney & Jordan Robertson of Greencastle are also very good players. Jordan averaged a double-double last year & was among the top rebounders in the state all last season. Toni participated in the Midwest Explosion at Pike a few weekends ago & had a strong showing.
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GLC
Junior All-Star
Posts: 338
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Post by GLC on Oct 7, 2003 11:46:51 GMT -5
From the South,I like Samantha Johnson(J-ville), S. Lynch & T. Bennett(N-Albany),and T.Miller(N.H.).
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CIC
Leading Scorer
Posts: 102
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Post by CIC on Oct 8, 2003 12:47:23 GMT -5
Make no mistake about it. All the players mentioned above are strong players but there's really only one junior that has a serious shot at the 2005 Miss Basketball title. The distance between Jodi Howell and everyone else in the junior class is roughly the same as the distance between Katy Geralds and everyone else last year. Barring injury, they should just dispense with the formalities and get her fitted for the #1 jersey.
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Post by bulldog on Oct 8, 2003 13:27:39 GMT -5
Jodie Howell is a very good player no doubt....I have seen her play alot the past four years in AAU. I would have to disagree with you CIC that she is the" hands down" front runner for Miss Basketball. I have seen many in the same class that could be in the running as well!
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Post by balla05 on Oct 8, 2003 14:01:51 GMT -5
I think Jernita Moore from ECC will make a great impact on the team.( IF SHE IS NOT HURT) Motsly all the juniors from West Side will help! ( WATCH OUT FOR MICHELLE HAMBLIN) aND WHO COULD FORGET ABOUT SHANAE' BUTLER!
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Post by boilerjay on Oct 8, 2003 14:16:37 GMT -5
While I agree that Jodi Howell is, without a doubt, the best player in the Class of 2005, I don't think it's as great a distance as CIC thinks.
Leah Phillips of Castle is an unbelievable player. She is being recruiting by Purdue, Tennessee, UConn, North Carolina, and Duke.
Southwest Indiana players always seem to be overlooked, but Phillips is one you can't.
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Post by hometown3 on Oct 9, 2003 0:56:20 GMT -5
I know that Jodi Howell has been given so much for being a great player. But putting her in the same class as Katie is wrong! Especially at this point. Jackie Closser helped Jodi to be as successful as she has been. The thing that made Katie so special is that she made everyone around her so much better. So this year will be the real test for Jodi as a leader to see if she can take a team with little talent around her and make it a competitor. If she is able to do that, then she will be the hands down favorite for Ms. Basketball.
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Post by bulldog on Oct 9, 2003 6:38:21 GMT -5
Well stated hometown.
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Post by Bolderdash on Oct 9, 2003 8:42:20 GMT -5
CIC, give it a rest! The Junior class has played only 2 years of their high school career. I think it's this kind of propaganda that people put out that causes everyone to assume it is true. Jodie is a great player and should be one of the leading candidates. But you don't know, there might be someone out there that has improved and developed over the summer and over the next two years proves they are the best player in the class of 2005! Right now it's 2003.
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CIC
Leading Scorer
Posts: 102
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Post by CIC on Oct 9, 2003 9:15:20 GMT -5
Sorry folks, you can be upset with me all you want but take a look at the first, second AND third team AP All-State teams. Not only was Jodi the only sophomore on the first team, she was the ONLY non-senior to be on ANY of the teams. She was also the only non-senior to be on the ICGSA all-state first team. She's been second in the state in scoring her first two years of high school. I could go on and on.
As I stated earlier, the players mentioned, Tara Miller, Leah Phillips, etc. are all exceptional players who will likely sign with prestigious D1 programs. That said, if Jodi isn't injured - I just can't imagine her not winning Miss Basketball. That's my opinion. You don't have to agree with it. Obviously, many of you don't. But, that's why this discussion board is here - to exchange opinions.
By the way, just for the record, I don't live in the Alexandria school district. I've just had the opportunity to watch Jodi develop since she was in elementary school. The kid is incredibly gifted.
And one last point, the comparison to Katie Geralds was based on a specific comment made to me by a Big Ten assistant coach who compared Jodi to both Geralds and Zolman.
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Post by bulldog on Oct 9, 2003 10:08:02 GMT -5
Once again, no one seems to be taking anything away from Jodie, and most would agree that she is a very good player. Many people have differant opinions of what "gifted" means. Could be athletically, or court awareness, shooting, defense,etc...To me, it's not fair to Jodie to compare her to Katie Geralds who has already proven herself as one of the very best in all facets of the term gifted! Scoring is obviously an important aspect of the game, and seems to be what most people determine greatness from. I believe this year will be a true test for Jodie because she will have to create shots for herself more than ever. I wish her the best, but if she doesn't put up the same kind of numbers as in the past, this could lead to unneccessary criticism from people who expect so much from her. She is a great player, but putting her in a class by herself this early may hurt her in the long run! JMO
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CIC
Leading Scorer
Posts: 102
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Post by CIC on Oct 9, 2003 11:07:45 GMT -5
Definitely good points, Bulldog. I would agree that this year will be a test for Jodi. It's the first year she'll be playing without Jackie Closser, an Indiana All-Star in her own right. Alexandria isn't without other players but certainly no one at Closser's level. Teams will now be free to focus all of their attention on her.
Not sure I agree with your opinion about comparing Jodi to Geralds. I think it would be unfair to compare her to someone like Sue Bird or Diana Taurasi (sp?) but Geralds is only a couple of years older and didn't outscore Jodi by a whole lot last year. I know Katie is an exceptional player but I don't think she's beyond compare. Given the fact that a Big Ten assistant coach is making the comparison, I'm obviously not the only one who is thinking the same way.
And finally, I agree with your point about the media and fans putting too much emphasis on scoring. That said, Jodi is an exceptional passer and a tough defender as well. Besides, I don't recall a whole lot of people talking about Geralds or Zolman's passing and defense either. Right or wrong, scoring ability is what gets players noticed.
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Post by bulldog on Oct 9, 2003 11:45:58 GMT -5
Good point CIC about scoring getting kids noticed, particularly for high school recognition. However, I believe,colleges look for differant things from differant players. Many, many athletes currently playing in college and/ or recently have made verbal committments to colleges, are not averaging big numbers(scoring). Jodie will be just fine either way because I know that she is not the kind of scorer for her AAU team that she is for her high school team, which is understandable because she is surrounded by other players with great scoring potential, and the level of competition is much higher game in and game out... which has probably helped her develop a better all around game
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Post by indianabball on Oct 9, 2003 12:00:18 GMT -5
it's seems obvious that cic hasn't seen gearlds or howell play from his observations- in fact, gearlds all around ability is what she is known for. her four year averages were 5.3 steals per game, 6.2 assists per game and 9.1 rebounds per game- i have seen her play tons of times and her passing and defense is what you can always count on-
howell's game differs a little in that she is more of a physical player- which will do her good in college- esp in the rough big ten. i could see she and squire having a cage match in the middle of a psu-pu game.. katie and jodi are very comparable and should make quite a combo, if they do get to play together- every school in the country wants jodi- that should say something about her abilities.
t miller and l phillips will definitely get votes, though, next year as they are awesome players, too- they just don't average as many points- or, haven't so far.. and, don't forget about coner from indian creek, she could be the best player on that team- she's going to make some noise this year.
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Post by bulldog on Oct 9, 2003 12:25:16 GMT -5
Indianabball, couldn't agree with you more in regards to Geralds. I didn't know her exact overall stats, which is why I didn't make the point about her being known as the type of player that "can do it all"! I would be willing to bet that there will be alot of differant players getting votes....should be a fun year!
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CIC
Leading Scorer
Posts: 102
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Post by CIC on Oct 9, 2003 15:32:16 GMT -5
Actually, I've seen Jodi play quite a bit (it's not an accident that my screen name for this messge board is the same as the conference Jodi plays in). I certainly wouldn't describe her game as "physical" at all. In fact, if she does end up going to Purdue, I think her relatively slender physique could be a slight problem. In high school, she's often protected by the refs who have to listen to her dad/coach scream every time Jodi gets bumped or nudged without a call. In the games where the refs have allowed a more physical style of play, I've seen big, athletic defenders throw her off her game just a bit.
When/if Jodi and Squirre face each other in a PSU/PU game, I don't think they'll be banging in the middle. Jodi will be running off screens and creating shots off the dribble. THAT is her game.
As for Geralds, obviously the people who have seen her play understand that she's a tremendous all around player and can do more than score. My point was that the media and the average fan didn't promote her as an all around player. They talked about her scoring. Every time there were highlights of her on the Indy news stations, they showed her scoring.
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