Published: 1/03/2014
Author: Bob_Richards
© Old Gold Free Press Columnists
New 2017 on watch listA new name in the class of 2017 Purdue seems to be keeping an eye on is Hailey Brown of Hamilton, in Ontario Canada. The 6'2 freshman forward plays for St. Thomas More and has plans to play in the NCAAs, and is getting looks from high major Division I programs. This past summer, Brown was named a first team all-star at the 15U Canadian Girls National Championships, scoring 15 points and 7 rebounds in the championship game against Team Quebec. Brown was also the youngest member of the U16 Canadian Women's National team that won a silver medal in the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship for Women this past June.
The Canadian scouting site "Get Recruited Can:letes" had this scouting report posted for Brown:
"Brown is an intriguing prospect when you first see her in the court. Her length and athleticism cannot be undermined as there is rarely a time in a game when she is not being double or triple teamed. She is a player that has a huge future ahead of her considering the fact that she can move extremely well for her size, and already possesses what coaches would call a motor. With virtually nobody her size to stop her, she has shown the ability to score in bunches under the basket and can be a defensive stopper.Strength: Hailey is a good defensive rebounder, but a determined offensive rebounder. Had stats been taken in games, Brown would be averaging nearly 15 a game. The 12 yr. old prospect is also a great free throw shooter, she displays good mechanics as she releases the ball from her shooting slot and has great rotation that will help her develop into a solid shooter.
Weakness: Brown lacks strong offensive moves to get quality shots up, but it also needs to be taken into consideration that when she gets the ball, she is immediately swarmed. Hailey has shown the ability to rebound and start a break, but is not fully comfortable with defenders around her, as she has a habit of quickly picking up the ball to look for an open teammate. Brown also needs to learn to maintain her composure when teams make runs against Stoney Creek, she is someone that needs to be a leader on the court at all times.
Hailey Brown has been added to the list of 2017 prospects, which also includes 6'4 Kenosha post Sidney Cooks and 5'7 South Bend point guard Daly Sullivan.
Thome out for season with ACL
Class of 2015 prospect Hallie Thome had surgery to repair her ACL on December 27, after suffering a season-ending injury a week before Christmas. Thome was averaging 20 points per game, and scored a school record 49 points on November 23rd. Thome recently stated she is not close to making a college decision, and said college coaches that stop recruiting her as a result of the injury will just act to help her narrow her list. She has made six visits, known to be Purdue, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Vanderbilt.
Honors for Nicole Ekhomu
Nicole Ekhomu, of Joliet (IL) Catholic, was named the MVP of the Hillcrest Tournament and also the Herald-News Girls Basketball Player of the Week. Ekhomu, class of 2016 guard, averaged 16.8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3.5 steals over four games to lead her team to the Hillcrest Holiday Classic championship. In the title game, she finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Big Ten Recruiting
Michigan has received verbal number four for the class of 2015. Sam Trammel, a 6'1 power forward from Apple Valley, Minnesota, chose the Wolverines over interest from fellow Big Ten member Iowa, along with Valparaiso, Denver and Wake Forest. Prospects Nation has Trammel at no. 40, and ESPNW has Trammel listed as a three-star recruit on the site's top 100 watch list. She averaged 13.8 points per game as a sophomore.
Injury-plagued junior guard Camille Glymph has left the Michigan State program. Glymph transferred in from Auburn and sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Ohio State picked up not one, but two transfers. Georgetown freshman forward Shayla Cooper announced her intent to transfer in late November, and Duke freshman guard Kianna Holland announced she would leave Duke on December 15th. On December 23rd, word come that both had landed at Ohio State. Cooper, a 6'2 forward originally from Norcross, Georgia, left the Georgetown program in good standing according to the Georgetown athletic department. In the only two games she played this season, she averaged 16 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 5 turnovers in 32.5 minutes per game. Cooper is most notable for throwing her shoe to try to block a perimeter shot against Richmond. The refs seemed the only people in the gym that didn't see it, and it ended up being a factor in the four-point Georgetown win. Holland, a 5'9 point guard from Seneca, South Carolina, originally grabbed a scholarship offer from former Ohio State head coach Jim Foster while recovering from an ACL injury. Later that summer, she backed out of the Ohio State offer and ended up at Duke. Her first year at Duke was spent on the bench, suffering from compartment syndrome in her leg. Duke did not apply for a medical redshirt. Both players will be eligible spring semester 2015.
READ MORE: Big Ten Recruiting: Commitments
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