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MySA story on the SA Islanders
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Saturday, August 24, 2013
SA Islanders Hannah Murray
What would you say is the most important thing about playing the game of basketball? Defense, offense, rebounding, steals, shooting etc.
Somehow the teams that can do the most of the above mentioned points and are proficient in a lot of wide array of basketball skill sets, are the teams that are most consistent in winning on the court.
But to win in the game of life, players have to take lessons learned on the court and apply them to life. Sometimes players have a unique sense of bringing what has been learned and taught in life, by parents and family, to the game and to the team.
Hannah Murray is one such player. Let's talk about Respect. Hannah brings to the game an out most respect for her teammates and Coaches. Everyone respects her as a Person and in turn she is continuing to work hard in her game to gain Respect in her skills and abilities. Respect the game, your opponents, the referees, the fans and your teammates.
Let's move on to Attitude. Hannah brings to the game an unselfish mindset and a teammate first mentality. She sets the bar high with her team that it takes everyone to contribute one way or another to be successful. Some players have larger roles than others but everyone is just as important. If you have a car with the best engine, what good is it if you don't have a steering wheel than can take you where you want. She always cooperates with Coaches and teammates and contributes in any way she can.
What about Character? Hannah Murray is the sweetest kid you ever going to meet. She is humbled, shy and modest. Yes to be successful in any sport, you have to have a killer instinct without a doubt. But Hannah's unyielding demeanor can be learned by a lot of "Hot Dog" athletes in this day of age as well. Learn to Win or Lose graciously. What does it matter if you are the "Best" at what you do and nobody CARES!!!
She possesses a certain Persona that radiates a Positive outlook on what seems everything in Life, no matter what.. She never complains and is always complimenting no matter how big or how small ones accomplishment.
And in turn she is one of the most respected players in the Organization. She primarily plays with the White team but is willing to help out the Black team at a moments notice. She has taken the White team on her back at different key points during the season and has shown signs of down right "Not in my House" Attitude in helping the Black team. When it comes to Playing, her character and persona remain the same. I have seen her in many occasions stuff or block a shot straight back to a players face practically making the player swallow the ball and at the same time use her same hand to cover her mouth as to say "Sorry, did I just do that" and then turn around right back and stuff that same player again. Seconds anyone.
Her role was important in that all these attributes she possesses solidified the team that was competing for the PrimeTime Sports National Championship. A team that easily could have been a collective group of one man shows, was instead a team of full of players playing for something greater than themselves. Hannah Murray, true to herself played hard, never complained, served lunch to a couple of players and then some, all with Class and dignity.
Only time will tell how much and how far basketball will take Hannah Murray. But I can tell you that with the skill set she has acquired in the Game of Life, she will go far in her endeavors.
Hannah Murray doesn't live for the stats in the Sports pages, but it won't surprise me that one day in the future you will be reading about her on the Front Page news about her great accomplishments!
Hannah Murray helped this Islanders team be complete and in turn make it a special group of young ladies.....
Somehow the teams that can do the most of the above mentioned points and are proficient in a lot of wide array of basketball skill sets, are the teams that are most consistent in winning on the court.
But to win in the game of life, players have to take lessons learned on the court and apply them to life. Sometimes players have a unique sense of bringing what has been learned and taught in life, by parents and family, to the game and to the team.
Hannah Murray is one such player. Let's talk about Respect. Hannah brings to the game an out most respect for her teammates and Coaches. Everyone respects her as a Person and in turn she is continuing to work hard in her game to gain Respect in her skills and abilities. Respect the game, your opponents, the referees, the fans and your teammates.
Let's move on to Attitude. Hannah brings to the game an unselfish mindset and a teammate first mentality. She sets the bar high with her team that it takes everyone to contribute one way or another to be successful. Some players have larger roles than others but everyone is just as important. If you have a car with the best engine, what good is it if you don't have a steering wheel than can take you where you want. She always cooperates with Coaches and teammates and contributes in any way she can.
What about Character? Hannah Murray is the sweetest kid you ever going to meet. She is humbled, shy and modest. Yes to be successful in any sport, you have to have a killer instinct without a doubt. But Hannah's unyielding demeanor can be learned by a lot of "Hot Dog" athletes in this day of age as well. Learn to Win or Lose graciously. What does it matter if you are the "Best" at what you do and nobody CARES!!!
She possesses a certain Persona that radiates a Positive outlook on what seems everything in Life, no matter what.. She never complains and is always complimenting no matter how big or how small ones accomplishment.
And in turn she is one of the most respected players in the Organization. She primarily plays with the White team but is willing to help out the Black team at a moments notice. She has taken the White team on her back at different key points during the season and has shown signs of down right "Not in my House" Attitude in helping the Black team. When it comes to Playing, her character and persona remain the same. I have seen her in many occasions stuff or block a shot straight back to a players face practically making the player swallow the ball and at the same time use her same hand to cover her mouth as to say "Sorry, did I just do that" and then turn around right back and stuff that same player again. Seconds anyone.
Her role was important in that all these attributes she possesses solidified the team that was competing for the PrimeTime Sports National Championship. A team that easily could have been a collective group of one man shows, was instead a team of full of players playing for something greater than themselves. Hannah Murray, true to herself played hard, never complained, served lunch to a couple of players and then some, all with Class and dignity.
Only time will tell how much and how far basketball will take Hannah Murray. But I can tell you that with the skill set she has acquired in the Game of Life, she will go far in her endeavors.
Hannah Murray doesn't live for the stats in the Sports pages, but it won't surprise me that one day in the future you will be reading about her on the Front Page news about her great accomplishments!
Hannah Murray helped this Islanders team be complete and in turn make it a special group of young ladies.....
Friday, August 23, 2013
SA Islanders Essays on Female Minority Leaders
Players for the SA Islanders AAU basketball teams were asked to write a essay on any Minority Female Leader in any field like politics, sports, business, film and art, etc.
This gave them a chance to broaden their horizons and expand their knowledge on a variety of fronts concerning personal struggles, overcoming adversity, dealing with highs and lows, inspirations, dedication and life lessons.
And maybe in the process, they could get a better understanding that a lot of the Female Leaders they look up to today, were at one point in their lives just ordinary kids like themselves with dreams and goals for the future.
All the girls in the team that contributed with essays did a great job of hitting home what was asked of them. Two Essay papers stood out from all.
April Matthew's paper on Marie Ferdinand-Harris took top Honors. Brianna Lane's essay on Ileana Ros-Lehtinen took runner up.
Here is some excerpts from April's essay:
Following is a picture of the SA Islanders after a long hard practice. Kneeling in front, from left to right is Brianna Lane, Coach, April Matthews.
Great job ladies!
This gave them a chance to broaden their horizons and expand their knowledge on a variety of fronts concerning personal struggles, overcoming adversity, dealing with highs and lows, inspirations, dedication and life lessons.
And maybe in the process, they could get a better understanding that a lot of the Female Leaders they look up to today, were at one point in their lives just ordinary kids like themselves with dreams and goals for the future.
All the girls in the team that contributed with essays did a great job of hitting home what was asked of them. Two Essay papers stood out from all.
April Matthew's paper on Marie Ferdinand-Harris took top Honors. Brianna Lane's essay on Ileana Ros-Lehtinen took runner up.
Here is some excerpts from April's essay:
I chose Marie Ferdinand-Harris as my role model because she is a humble woman who plays basketball, has a strong love for God and gives back to the community. Her life story inspired me because I love her work ethic. I love how she never gave up. I love how she is always positive. I love how she always wanted to get better. I like that she would spend hours and hours in the gym working on her weaknesses, making her weaknesses her strengths. I like how she always balanced her time between God, Family, basketball and education. The main thing I like about her other than basketball is her strong love for God. She reads her Bible and prays every day. Marie acknowledges God for everything he has done and is thankful for everything.
I am blessed and honored that I got to meet one of my role models. Meeting her made me think about life and how I should always stay positive and let God do his job to make me a better person. She taught me that not only in basketball you learn how to play and become mentally and physically tough, but that you learn how to grow, open your mind and to have self confidence. Marie Ferdinand-Harris is a true role model and leader. I'm so glad I got to know her and do my paper on her. But who knew that doing a research paper on a role model can have a life experience for the better?Following is some excerpts from Brianna's essay:
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is a role model to me because she started off her life kind of in a difficult spot. with her parents having to move because of Castro's communism and having to start their lives all over again and be taught as an American.
Another reason Ileana is a good role model is because she not only helped out where she came from but she also helped out the other parts of the United States. As her being part of Congress, she was helping out more like how the president would be helping the world. Ileana was helping solve problems that couldn't be fixed for years and now she is fixing them in less time, than it would take for them to figure out the problem.
What I have learned from this project and from Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is that, you may think you know what you want to do for the rest of your life but, one little event in your life can change your mind on everything that you thought that you wanted.
What I have learned from this project and Ileana, I am going to take the lessons that she faced and I learned about and use them to help me understand and see life in a different perspective. This makes me rethink what I had already planned for my life already. It has made me want to see the world in a way where I can make the world a better place or find a way to help a person with a problem that I can fix.
Ileana is a role model and inspiration but she has also helped me open my eyes and see the problems that were going on in this world. From this day froward Ileana is my new role model and I will live by her inspiration and use her lesson for my use. Ileana started off with nothing and started off in a bad spot as a child and worked hard to be a member of Congress. There is no better role model than the first Hispanic woman to be in the US House of Representatives, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
Following is a picture of the SA Islanders after a long hard practice. Kneeling in front, from left to right is Brianna Lane, Coach, April Matthews.
Great job ladies!
Monday, August 12, 2013
SA Islanders Bri Soliz
To the best to my knowledge and recollection, one day out of the blue around September of last year I received an email from a dad from Eagle Pass inquiring about tryouts for our girls basketball team. Now to be honest and no offense to my wife, the first thought that came to my mind was "Eagle Pass?", is this a joke from someone we know. Needless to say I replied with a phone call within minutes of reading the email.
The conversation was short and one that I have had with parents plenty of times. Hey coach, I have a daughter, looking for a team and when are tryouts?
Little did I know, unlike the conversation, the Total Package Bri Soliz displayed in our first encounter was Huge. But right away I knew that I had a challenge in front of me. Anyone that sees Bri Soliz on the court will come around with the same conclusion, that kid has a lot of potential.
How many times have you heard that statement, "Full of Potential"? Yes that is great but how do you make her great and live up to that potential.
It starts with the Parents. And in Bri Soliz, her dad is an integral part of her life and basketball. She lives in San Angelo and used to play with a team that she clearly was the dominant player.
I didn't know that our paths had crossed before. The setting was in Frisco 2012, when the Islanders were making a run at the Nationals Championship. Bri Soliz and her dad were there. She played great for her team but her team came up way short. Instead of leaving home after her team was eliminated, they stayed to watch and learn as the tournament played out.
Aaaahhhh, which brings me to another ingredient in fulfilling potential. Sometimes you can't Play yourself into a player, you have to patiently Watch and Learn, Feel the emotions, Absord Knowledge, Get Hungry....
That's what exactly what Bri Soliz and her dad did watching the Islanders make it the title game.
And in the process, their game plan for the future changed and in turn, it made the future Islanders team a better, stronger team.
Anywhere and for any team Bri Soliz played in San Angelo, she was going to be the Main Gun. She was going to score her 20 points.
But that was not good enough for her and her Dad. Sacrifice, commitment and dedication are the next ingredients of fulfilling Potential. How many Parents will drive from Eagle Pass to San Angelo and back to San Antonio for practices!?!?
Bri Soliz and her Dad are great examples of what make the Islanders a special place.
Bri Soliz quickly bought an infectious upbeat demeaner to the teams. She is very strong spiritually and has a very strong Work Ethic. Again ingredients to fulfilling Potential. But its still not the final piece. Oh no, by no means.
Mental Toughness..... not only for the players but for the Parents as well.
I pushed Bri Soliz like no other. She is the second youngest of any player in the Organization. Yet she received a lot of tough love from the coaches especially from me. A lot of Parents driving all that while, used to their daughter being pampered and cuddled up to could have said and done a lot things detrimental to the team. I remember having a conversation to Bri Soliz's dad about what I planned to do to help her grow and develop. A lot of Parents would see it as demotion moving their daughter to another team in the Organization, Bri's dad saw it as an Opportunity.
As I pushed her tougher and harder, things could have gotten sour quickly.
Looking and Focusing only at Potential does just that. Focusing on commitment, dedication, sacrifice and work ethic will get you Results!!!
At PrimeTime Nationals, Bri Soliz was the youngest on the team. As an 8th grader she was playing against 9th/10th graders. Not an easy feat to accomplish. Along the way she held her own and displayed a maturity beyond her age. To top it off, she led the team and blew up and scored 20 points in one game. Which led all scorers in any of the 8 games played. That's impressive when you have the likes of Belle Tovar and Lexy Torres as your teammates. That's also impressive being only an 8th grader playing like she is in 10th grader.
But what is more impressive is that she could have Potentially played with her former team and possibly score 20 points a game and come up way short again, but she and her dad chose to sacrifice and play with a team they were cheering on just a year ago. Resulting in helping that very same team,the SA Islanders, get over the hump winning the Championship Title.
Because of Bri Soliz, her commitment, her dedication, her sacrifice, her work ethic, her mental toughness, I wouldn't mind if she tells everyone back home or anyone else for that matter that she plays for the SA Islanders, the San Angelo Islanders that is.
Bri Soliz is another example of what makes the Islanders a special group of ladies.
The conversation was short and one that I have had with parents plenty of times. Hey coach, I have a daughter, looking for a team and when are tryouts?
Little did I know, unlike the conversation, the Total Package Bri Soliz displayed in our first encounter was Huge. But right away I knew that I had a challenge in front of me. Anyone that sees Bri Soliz on the court will come around with the same conclusion, that kid has a lot of potential.
How many times have you heard that statement, "Full of Potential"? Yes that is great but how do you make her great and live up to that potential.
It starts with the Parents. And in Bri Soliz, her dad is an integral part of her life and basketball. She lives in San Angelo and used to play with a team that she clearly was the dominant player.
I didn't know that our paths had crossed before. The setting was in Frisco 2012, when the Islanders were making a run at the Nationals Championship. Bri Soliz and her dad were there. She played great for her team but her team came up way short. Instead of leaving home after her team was eliminated, they stayed to watch and learn as the tournament played out.
Aaaahhhh, which brings me to another ingredient in fulfilling potential. Sometimes you can't Play yourself into a player, you have to patiently Watch and Learn, Feel the emotions, Absord Knowledge, Get Hungry....
That's what exactly what Bri Soliz and her dad did watching the Islanders make it the title game.
And in the process, their game plan for the future changed and in turn, it made the future Islanders team a better, stronger team.
Anywhere and for any team Bri Soliz played in San Angelo, she was going to be the Main Gun. She was going to score her 20 points.
But that was not good enough for her and her Dad. Sacrifice, commitment and dedication are the next ingredients of fulfilling Potential. How many Parents will drive from Eagle Pass to San Angelo and back to San Antonio for practices!?!?
Bri Soliz and her Dad are great examples of what make the Islanders a special place.
Bri Soliz quickly bought an infectious upbeat demeaner to the teams. She is very strong spiritually and has a very strong Work Ethic. Again ingredients to fulfilling Potential. But its still not the final piece. Oh no, by no means.
Mental Toughness..... not only for the players but for the Parents as well.
I pushed Bri Soliz like no other. She is the second youngest of any player in the Organization. Yet she received a lot of tough love from the coaches especially from me. A lot of Parents driving all that while, used to their daughter being pampered and cuddled up to could have said and done a lot things detrimental to the team. I remember having a conversation to Bri Soliz's dad about what I planned to do to help her grow and develop. A lot of Parents would see it as demotion moving their daughter to another team in the Organization, Bri's dad saw it as an Opportunity.
As I pushed her tougher and harder, things could have gotten sour quickly.
Looking and Focusing only at Potential does just that. Focusing on commitment, dedication, sacrifice and work ethic will get you Results!!!
At PrimeTime Nationals, Bri Soliz was the youngest on the team. As an 8th grader she was playing against 9th/10th graders. Not an easy feat to accomplish. Along the way she held her own and displayed a maturity beyond her age. To top it off, she led the team and blew up and scored 20 points in one game. Which led all scorers in any of the 8 games played. That's impressive when you have the likes of Belle Tovar and Lexy Torres as your teammates. That's also impressive being only an 8th grader playing like she is in 10th grader.
But what is more impressive is that she could have Potentially played with her former team and possibly score 20 points a game and come up way short again, but she and her dad chose to sacrifice and play with a team they were cheering on just a year ago. Resulting in helping that very same team,the SA Islanders, get over the hump winning the Championship Title.
Because of Bri Soliz, her commitment, her dedication, her sacrifice, her work ethic, her mental toughness, I wouldn't mind if she tells everyone back home or anyone else for that matter that she plays for the SA Islanders, the San Angelo Islanders that is.
Bri Soliz is another example of what makes the Islanders a special group of ladies.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
SA Islanders Belle Tovar
Perception is a funny thing.
My first remembrance of Annabelle Tovar was in Oklahoma Nationals back when the girls were still in elementary going to 6th grade. Her style of play and her demeanor was very intimidating to me much less than the young girls that had to face her.
As a youngster all the way to middle school, her AAU team, the Lady Hoops, were a juggernaut. The Lady Hoops were National Champs in Florida in elementary. Imagine that much success as a youngster.
The team went on to make a run as one of the most successful around the state. If they lost, it was because they didn't have their full roster or it was in a big time National event. You can probably count in your hand how many games they lost in 3 to 4 years.
Perception might be that Belle Tovar being a product of that environment and her former teams success is that of being brash, trash talker, bragger, uncoachable etc. How many players and Parents if experiencing that same success wouldn't be. Heck I have seen players and Parents with less than 10% accomplishments than Belle Tovar be just that.
Reality is the Belle Tovar in spite of all that success and glory is comfortable in her own skin, a leader, modest, nice and very coachable.
When she joined the team over 2 years ago, she and her Parents didn't have any demands. How many players and Parents in the AAU world with her Resume wouldn't?
She wanted an opportunity to earn playing time and to prove herself to her teammates and coaches.
When she came aboard, the team roster was heavy in players. She never complained about playing time. She just took upon herself to work twice as hard.
At one point her dad offered for her to play with the Islander team still developing. Sacrificing for the better of the team. Her dads words were "It doesn't matter what team she plays with at this point, Belle has to prove what she can do'"
Imagine a kid with this extensive Resume having to prove all over again for the betterment of the Organization.
Sacrifice....
That's what makes this team special.
Belle Tovar has taken full advantage of her opportunity and earned her place as an Islander.
She didn't do it by telling people how good she is, she let her game do all the talking All Summer Long!
Perception might be one thing, but Reality is Belle Tovar with hard work and strong work ethic has earned recruiting letters and interest this summer from Nebraska of Omaha, Wichita State, New Mexico, Tulsa, Houston Baptist, Rice, University of Washington to name a few. And that is just to start.
Perception might be that's good...... but somewhere you will find Belle continuing to work twice as hard to prove herself.
That's what makes Belle Tovar special.
My first remembrance of Annabelle Tovar was in Oklahoma Nationals back when the girls were still in elementary going to 6th grade. Her style of play and her demeanor was very intimidating to me much less than the young girls that had to face her.
As a youngster all the way to middle school, her AAU team, the Lady Hoops, were a juggernaut. The Lady Hoops were National Champs in Florida in elementary. Imagine that much success as a youngster.
The team went on to make a run as one of the most successful around the state. If they lost, it was because they didn't have their full roster or it was in a big time National event. You can probably count in your hand how many games they lost in 3 to 4 years.
Perception might be that Belle Tovar being a product of that environment and her former teams success is that of being brash, trash talker, bragger, uncoachable etc. How many players and Parents if experiencing that same success wouldn't be. Heck I have seen players and Parents with less than 10% accomplishments than Belle Tovar be just that.
Reality is the Belle Tovar in spite of all that success and glory is comfortable in her own skin, a leader, modest, nice and very coachable.
When she joined the team over 2 years ago, she and her Parents didn't have any demands. How many players and Parents in the AAU world with her Resume wouldn't?
She wanted an opportunity to earn playing time and to prove herself to her teammates and coaches.
When she came aboard, the team roster was heavy in players. She never complained about playing time. She just took upon herself to work twice as hard.
At one point her dad offered for her to play with the Islander team still developing. Sacrificing for the better of the team. Her dads words were "It doesn't matter what team she plays with at this point, Belle has to prove what she can do'"
Imagine a kid with this extensive Resume having to prove all over again for the betterment of the Organization.
Sacrifice....
That's what makes this team special.
Belle Tovar has taken full advantage of her opportunity and earned her place as an Islander.
She didn't do it by telling people how good she is, she let her game do all the talking All Summer Long!
Perception might be one thing, but Reality is Belle Tovar with hard work and strong work ethic has earned recruiting letters and interest this summer from Nebraska of Omaha, Wichita State, New Mexico, Tulsa, Houston Baptist, Rice, University of Washington to name a few. And that is just to start.
Perception might be that's good...... but somewhere you will find Belle continuing to work twice as hard to prove herself.
That's what makes Belle Tovar special.
SA Islanders Tara Molina
Tara Molina has been an Islander since day 1 back when the girls were incoming 6th graders.
I first briefly laid my eyes on her when she was trying out for a team that my daughter played on before the formation of Leaders Express Organization. At the time I was hoping she joined that team. She didn't, which was good for the future of the Islanders.
I next saw her play against the Lady Hoops team. If anybody knows anything about girls AAU basketball, then you will know that Lady Hoops team was filled with the best players for their age group and then some. It was only when Tara was in 5th grade, but you could see her showing her tremendous skill set. It was if it was 1 player against 5,6,7,8 players if you counted the Lady Hoops bench.
Her skill set at 5th grade was higher than most High School girls is right now. Let me repeat that in case in didn't sink in. HER SKILL SET AT 5TH GRADE WAS HIGHER THAN MOST HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS RIGHT NOW!
When she joined the Islanders, it cemented our success for the future.
But not everything was perfect. Due to UIL restrictions, she couldn't play with the Islander team she was supposed to play.
She willingly sacrificed for the betterment of the Organization and played for the Islander team that had players still honing and developing their skills. She did this, all the while, with her trademark smile. And in doing this she had some spectacular performances against the likes of the Finest, Sophia Young, Jayhawks, Crossfire, Push the Rock and none more better than against the Lady Hoops.
The setting is a couple of years ago, in North Dallas. The Lady Hoops had combined with the Dream Team to form a National team. There was at least 7 D1 kids in that teams roster including our very own Belle and Vikki. We had a scrappy hard working team led by Tara and Sandy Ramirez.
What Tara Molina did in that game was one of the best AAU performances I had the joy of Coaching and seeing. It was in short.... wait for it...... wait for it....... LEGENDARY!
After there was no issue regarding UIL restrictions, she still had to wait for her time even after all those performances.The team was real guard heavy and she had to come off the bench for limited action.
On top of that, I was real hard on her to get better and not settle.
Any other player could have seen it differently. She could have gone and played with Any Team and probably started and received a lot more glory.
Tara Molina just wanted to be an Islander....
That's what makes this team special.
So fast forward to PrimeTime Nationals 2013.
She helped jump start the team by leading the team in scoring the first couple of games. And Yes I am still hard on her to push her to get better, and Yes she is still shy and way too modest about her game and Yes after winning the Championship, I could see her with her trademark smile.......
Almost as to tell the whole world,
Its Good to be an Islander!
I first briefly laid my eyes on her when she was trying out for a team that my daughter played on before the formation of Leaders Express Organization. At the time I was hoping she joined that team. She didn't, which was good for the future of the Islanders.
I next saw her play against the Lady Hoops team. If anybody knows anything about girls AAU basketball, then you will know that Lady Hoops team was filled with the best players for their age group and then some. It was only when Tara was in 5th grade, but you could see her showing her tremendous skill set. It was if it was 1 player against 5,6,7,8 players if you counted the Lady Hoops bench.
Her skill set at 5th grade was higher than most High School girls is right now. Let me repeat that in case in didn't sink in. HER SKILL SET AT 5TH GRADE WAS HIGHER THAN MOST HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS RIGHT NOW!
When she joined the Islanders, it cemented our success for the future.
But not everything was perfect. Due to UIL restrictions, she couldn't play with the Islander team she was supposed to play.
She willingly sacrificed for the betterment of the Organization and played for the Islander team that had players still honing and developing their skills. She did this, all the while, with her trademark smile. And in doing this she had some spectacular performances against the likes of the Finest, Sophia Young, Jayhawks, Crossfire, Push the Rock and none more better than against the Lady Hoops.
The setting is a couple of years ago, in North Dallas. The Lady Hoops had combined with the Dream Team to form a National team. There was at least 7 D1 kids in that teams roster including our very own Belle and Vikki. We had a scrappy hard working team led by Tara and Sandy Ramirez.
What Tara Molina did in that game was one of the best AAU performances I had the joy of Coaching and seeing. It was in short.... wait for it...... wait for it....... LEGENDARY!
After there was no issue regarding UIL restrictions, she still had to wait for her time even after all those performances.The team was real guard heavy and she had to come off the bench for limited action.
On top of that, I was real hard on her to get better and not settle.
Any other player could have seen it differently. She could have gone and played with Any Team and probably started and received a lot more glory.
Tara Molina just wanted to be an Islander....
That's what makes this team special.
So fast forward to PrimeTime Nationals 2013.
She helped jump start the team by leading the team in scoring the first couple of games. And Yes I am still hard on her to push her to get better, and Yes she is still shy and way too modest about her game and Yes after winning the Championship, I could see her with her trademark smile.......
Almost as to tell the whole world,
Its Good to be an Islander!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
SA Islanders Erin Wimberley aka "Winner"
Erin Wimberley aka "Winner" has been an Islander from day 1 of the Organization's inception.
She is an epitome of what makes this Organization go. And in turn, the same Organization is living up to its name of Leaders Express!
Besides working hard at her academics, her GPA is through the roof, she has patiently worked hard for her opportunity.
She has battled through a lot of injuries and worked hard towards attaining goals. She was coming off the bench the last two years behind one of South Texas most dynamic posts.
This season, she finally had her opportunity to start.
I challenge anyone to show me a better team player. Never worrying about stats or publicity, just trying to do her Best for her teammates, her coaches, her friends, her family and Parents and more importantly for herself.
If Patience is a Virtue, then Erin "Winner" exemplefies what Leaders Express is about.
click below
Erin "Winner" piece in GirlzPrepReport
She is an epitome of what makes this Organization go. And in turn, the same Organization is living up to its name of Leaders Express!
Besides working hard at her academics, her GPA is through the roof, she has patiently worked hard for her opportunity.
She has battled through a lot of injuries and worked hard towards attaining goals. She was coming off the bench the last two years behind one of South Texas most dynamic posts.
This season, she finally had her opportunity to start.
I challenge anyone to show me a better team player. Never worrying about stats or publicity, just trying to do her Best for her teammates, her coaches, her friends, her family and Parents and more importantly for herself.
If Patience is a Virtue, then Erin "Winner" exemplefies what Leaders Express is about.
click below
Erin "Winner" piece in GirlzPrepReport
Monday, August 5, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
SA Islanders make Premier Basketball Media Girls News
After all the hard work, it is nice to hear kind words about our players. Keep working Ladies! Thanks @MartyMackPBR
Click following:
PrimeTime Nationals: Inside Look
Click following:
PrimeTime Nationals: Inside Look