Elite Prospects Games
All I can say is blame it on football as my excuse for the tardiness of this blog about last Saturday’s PassThaBall and Project Basketball Elite Prospects Games at Contra Costa College.
Then or now really doesn’t make much difference, because the way Gabby Green (St. Mary’s, Berkeley) is playing is news, period.
And while others saw and reported on her in The Leaders marquee game of the Elite Prospects Games, only yours truly had the up front seat at the scorers table as the announcer of that and the other two games
Since returning from a successful Gold Medal winning performance as one of the youngest players on the USA U19 team, Green’s game has gone viral.
“Adjusting to how competitive the older girls and college players are on the court, and how intense they play all the time,” was Green’s response to her biggest challenge on the international stage this summer.
After seeing her last Saturday, the 6-1 guard that is still choosing between Cal, USC, Baylor, Tennessee, Rutgers, Washington and Penn State, has made the adjustments. She looks matured, her intensity level is notched up, she’s stronger, faster than ever, but still displays that infectious smile.
Green even showed some real range, finishing with 17 points (eight rebounds, five steals, five assists), including two long 3-pointers. She earned MVP honors in the Orange team’s 76-54 win over Blue.
For Blue, Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland) point guard Asha Thomas had a game-high 19 points, and answered the naysayers that said she isn’t a long-range shooter. All but one of her points came on six 3-pointers, with a couple from NBA range.
Another girl whose game has come on strong this summer, and will give Berkeley St. Mary’s one of the top guard combinations in the state, is Cal-bound Mikayla Cowling. She had eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Recent Nevada Las Vegas-commit Simone Sheppard (Sacramento) added 13 points Desire Finnie of Berkeley chipped in with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Look for another blog over the weekend about other girls that shined at the event and some real little ones (how about two fourth-graders) that can handle the rock.
