Has a nice release from the baseline, and shows good range for a girl of her height.
Not afraid of drawing contact, although her aggressiveness also resulted in Natasha's
having several of her shots blocked. Not fluid at faking.
#72: ELISE MORRISON, Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, MI) - 6'3" PHOTO
Fundamentally sound player who waves her hands to call for the ball, both when she's
open for the shot and when she's in position to make the good extra pass. Very mobile
for a "big girl". Shot-blocking machine who can "sky" for rebounds. Wills her way to
the hoop when guarded, and can score from the corner. Since her high school is not
in a conference, the team plays whichever opponents it can schedule. Told Bob that
the fact Michigan is one of the few states with fall prep basketball has been good
for exposure, as the season falls within an NCAA "window period" which allows college
coaches to attend her games. Has made unofficial visits to Northwestern (where
sister Suzanne plays), Illinois, and Vanderbilt. Also considering Indiana, Purdue,
Harvard, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Says she developed a good relationship with
Brenda Frese when the coach, now guiding the Maryland program, was employed by
Minnesota. Elise, who says her college choice will be determined more by what a
school can offer academically than what it promises athletically, is considering
majoring in business or journalism. She engagingly and articulately describes herself
as a finesse player who likes hook shots. Elise admits her relative lack of strength
sometimes limits her options on the court, but that she's working on overcoming that
deficiency. She's a "good interview", and will be a good interviewer if she chooses
a career path that requires her to ask the questions.
One of the best of the "big, big girls". Looks to shoot when near the hoop, and has
range out to the high block. Has decent form on free throws. Indeed, it seemed as if
every one of her scoring attempts succeeded. Good rebounding technique. Especially
aggressive on the defensive board, though her penchant for swinging her elbows could
get her in trouble. All in all, though, an All-Nike Camp pick.
Although virtually everyone showed at least a few flashes of brilliance, Brittany was
one of the few consistently excellent players at camp. Extremely athletic for her size,
she has a knack for turning a seemingly difficult shot into an easy deuce. Takes it
strong to the basket, and finished in traffic more consistently than any other post in
attendance. Sees the floor well, and completed several high-low passes when she drew
double and triple-teams. Battles for rebounds, and gets more than her share as she
gains position by using her body extremely well. Good shot-blocker. Considering Duke,
UConn, Tennessee, Texas, Purdue, Louisiana Tech, Florida, Ohio State, and LSU. Intends
to major in communications or journalism. Dream job would be announcing games for
ESPN. Has visited Purdue, Duke, and Cincinnati. Brittany plays the post in high
school, but realizes she will have to develop more finesse as she moves to the wing
in college. She's confident, however, that the experience of being expected to lead her
team in rebounds will allow her to have continued success on the boards at the next
level. The fact that she also plays with a rare combination of intensity and maturity
makes her a good candidate to start her first game as a collegian, and to remain in
the opening lineup throughout her NCAA career.
Showed determination whether taking the ball to the hoop, rebounding in order to score
on a put-back, or hustling to track down an errant pass. Drew many fouls with her
strong moves to the basket.
Didn't get good position for rebounds in one game, but was commanding on the boards
in another contest. Scored off a good fadeaway move in the lane. Handles and passes
the ball quite well for a player of her size.
#78: Ashley Gonnerman, Oregon City (OR) - 6'1" (2003)
Displayed a mature, workwomanlike attitude while on the court. Never made a bad
move. Had an especially nice put-back from the middle of the lane.
#79: CANDACE PARKER, Naperville Central (Naperville, IL) - 6'3" (2004) PHOTOPHOTO
College coaches are, by and large, a hard lot to impress. So when an athlete makes
representatives of so many top staffs go "Ooh!" and "Wow!", she obviously has
something. Candace, who has hang time on her hang time, gives off an air of feeling
entitled to the paint. She elevates so effortlessly that it's easy to overlook how
high off the floor she gets. At least once, she leapt, caught a pass, turned around
while still in mid-air, and scored. Cat-quick, she can make a breathtaking cut to
get into position to receive a pass, then catch and shoot the ball before any
opposing defender can react. Candace can also legitimately guard the speediest of
perimeter players. She needs a bit more muscle, grace, and overall consistency
before she can be said to have surpassed Brittany Hunter. Still, Candace's
infinite "upside" makes it easy to see why she's so coveted by so many. She said
that this was her second Nike Camp, and that she enjoyed the experience more in 2002
because she knew what to expect. Among the personal goals she has set for herself
are "to play with great heart and effort at all times" and "to develop a 'take no
prisoners' attitude on the court". She hasn't thought much about college, but
plans to start examining her options this fall.
#80: Tiffany Green, Indian River (Chesapeake, VA) - 6'0" (2004) PHOTO
Very powerful player who takes the ball to the hoop with authority. When she was
allowed to set up on the low block, nobody could stop her from muscling in for
a basket. Also displayed some finesse by hitting a "mini-hook shot".
Although she appears to have lost quite a bit of weight since last summer, Alison
can still "eat space" horizontally as well as vertically. Even though she's improved
her speed and overall ability to run the floor over the past year, however, she's
still more fluid than she is fast or quick. Alison possesses good hands, a nice
shooting motion, a soft touch, and decent range. Nevertheless, even at the
proverbial "next level", she'll probably be asked to try to do most of her scoring
as close to the basket as possible in order to take optimum advantage of her
frame. The question of which program she'll sign with is still very much "up in
the air", as is the field in which she'll major. She says that geography won't be
a factor in determining which school she attends. Alison feels Ohio players, as
a group, represented themselves well at the camp. She's proud of the fact that
she's working on her all-around game, and can shoot, pass, and run the floor
instead of simply relying on being a "big girl".
Active player who never stopped hustling. Scrapped for loose balls and rebounds
alike. Also demonstrated three-point range, and threw the outlet pass well. One
of the "sleepers" of the camp.
Before an ankle sprain curtailed her activity, she showed an ability to use her
height and bulk to dominate whether shooting or rebounding. When interviewed, Liz
said she was hoping to get healthy in time to help her AAU team later this summer.
She does not feel that her eventual college choice will be affected by any other
high-profile player's decision (e.g. former high school teammate Ann Strother's
matriculation at UConn). Liz insists the field of programs vying for Sherwood's
services is "still wide open".
Good passer, but not much of a scorer. Had a tendency to over-penetrate, then get
stuck under the basket with nothing to do. When she did put the ball up, she was
usually short on her shot, even from the foul line. If basketball employed
football's strict platoon system, however, Erica could be a defensive starter
now for almost any college program. Especially excellent in the open court, she
parlayed her ball-hawking stance, determination, and general omnipresence into
many steals, some of which she cashed in for layups. Erica particularly vexed
taller, slower players, whether she was swiping the ball or battling for rebounds.
Reminiscent of incoming Boiler Sharika Webb.
Maddeningly inconsistent. Runs the floor well, and is remarkably graceful, for
someone of her height and 190-pound build. Has good form on the boards, and is
able to control rebounds in traffic. Displayed a good touch as long as she stayed
near the rack and/or was set up by her teammates. Tentative, and seldom successful,
when required to create her own shot. Did better when zone defense was employed
than when man-to-man was mandated. Hit the board from underneath with a put-back
attempt the second day. Had the ball stripped from her after grabbing a later
rebound. Failed to grab one carom despite a decided height/position advantage.
Missed badly from both the floor and the charity stripe. In short, looked
ungainly and outclassed. Will the real Kalee Carey please stand up?
ALL-NIKE CAMP TEAMS (players listed alphabetically, and without specific regard to
position)
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