Goes for 11 and 13 points over last weeks 2 games
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
SA Girls Basketball Class 5A Rankings Ending 11-27-13
After about 3 weeks in action going into Thanksgiving break, everything might seem more uncertain than when the season started.
A couple of things I look at when a team loses, is what they do to bounce back and how close did they lose by and the quality of teams they are playing.
Quality of teams can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.
Coaching has a lot to do with the large picture but who has the main guns that can take over a game at a moments notice. Who has the kids that can go to work when the game is on the line?
Brennan is the top team in the area in any classification because they simply have more attributes that make up a good/great team. It makes it hard for a team to capitalize on a teams weaknesses when they don't possess many.
So you can also turn it around and say what weaknesses and how many does a team possess to gauge how good they really are?
Coaching, go to players, skilled and talented players, experience for both coaches and players, inside presence, outside shooters, ball handlers, chemistry, overall team athletism are some strengths and/or weaknesses in no particular order.
If I focus on the strengths and/or weaknesses of teams on paper and what I have seen, I come up with the following rankings.
Honorable mention: Roosevelt, Jay, Southwest, Madison
10) Clark- Has two loses to Churchill and a win over Johnson. Who is the go to player on this team? Come District time, is the coach going to depend and wait for someone to get hot? A lot of depth, but it might get tough in a close game if the team is waiting for someone to step up and get hot.
9) OConnor- Dropped down with loses over the weekend and (not a good showing) loss to Johnson. They are lacking depth in the bench. They are a fun team to watch. You get the feeling something is going to happen at any moment. Maybe good, maybe bad.
8) Stevens- Had a close loss to Judson after a good weekend tournament showing in West Texas.
7) Brandeis- Took care of business in Floresville Tournament with relative ease. Beat Madison pretty handily. Shook off back to back losses from last week.
6) Churchill- They are slowly but surely building confidence. Their schedule has been soft but are still taking care of business. Thats what good teams do.
5) Wagner- Had a close loss to Brennan. Not much action.
4) Johnson- Beat OConnor pretty handily but turn around and get beat by Clark. If they can play the way they did against OConnor, they are tough to beat. They hit both offensive and defensive boards with reckless abandonment and attacked the basket with the same determination.
3) Reagan- Have a loss to Steele but win against Jay.
2) Judson- Beat Johnson and Stevens. They control the tempo with their rebounding and defense. You need to be patiently aggressive to beat their press and zone coupled with some timely shooting to beat this team.
1) Steele- They beat Reagan. Not much action. Gearing up for a good showing in December when they play some of the top teams.
A couple of things I look at when a team loses, is what they do to bounce back and how close did they lose by and the quality of teams they are playing.
Quality of teams can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.
Coaching has a lot to do with the large picture but who has the main guns that can take over a game at a moments notice. Who has the kids that can go to work when the game is on the line?
Brennan is the top team in the area in any classification because they simply have more attributes that make up a good/great team. It makes it hard for a team to capitalize on a teams weaknesses when they don't possess many.
So you can also turn it around and say what weaknesses and how many does a team possess to gauge how good they really are?
Coaching, go to players, skilled and talented players, experience for both coaches and players, inside presence, outside shooters, ball handlers, chemistry, overall team athletism are some strengths and/or weaknesses in no particular order.
If I focus on the strengths and/or weaknesses of teams on paper and what I have seen, I come up with the following rankings.
Honorable mention: Roosevelt, Jay, Southwest, Madison
10) Clark- Has two loses to Churchill and a win over Johnson. Who is the go to player on this team? Come District time, is the coach going to depend and wait for someone to get hot? A lot of depth, but it might get tough in a close game if the team is waiting for someone to step up and get hot.
9) OConnor- Dropped down with loses over the weekend and (not a good showing) loss to Johnson. They are lacking depth in the bench. They are a fun team to watch. You get the feeling something is going to happen at any moment. Maybe good, maybe bad.
8) Stevens- Had a close loss to Judson after a good weekend tournament showing in West Texas.
7) Brandeis- Took care of business in Floresville Tournament with relative ease. Beat Madison pretty handily. Shook off back to back losses from last week.
6) Churchill- They are slowly but surely building confidence. Their schedule has been soft but are still taking care of business. Thats what good teams do.
5) Wagner- Had a close loss to Brennan. Not much action.
4) Johnson- Beat OConnor pretty handily but turn around and get beat by Clark. If they can play the way they did against OConnor, they are tough to beat. They hit both offensive and defensive boards with reckless abandonment and attacked the basket with the same determination.
3) Reagan- Have a loss to Steele but win against Jay.
2) Judson- Beat Johnson and Stevens. They control the tempo with their rebounding and defense. You need to be patiently aggressive to beat their press and zone coupled with some timely shooting to beat this team.
1) Steele- They beat Reagan. Not much action. Gearing up for a good showing in December when they play some of the top teams.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
2016 Alexia Torres with some Highlights
SA Islanders 2016 Alexia Torres Highlights from Floresville Basketball Tournament helping her team, Incarnate Word HS, reach the Championship game.
Click link below
SA Islanders 2016 Alexia Torres
Click link below
SA Islanders 2016 Alexia Torres
Monday, November 18, 2013
San Antonio Girls Basketball Class 5A Rankings Week Ending 11-17-2013
So after 2 weeks, what have I learned? There is still plenty of basketball left in the season.
Team A beats Team B handily. Team B beats team C handily. So naturally Team A should beat Team C handily. Wrong.
That's the beauty of the Game. A lot of contenders that can beat each other any given night.
Let's start with giving Brennan a whole lot of RESPECT and CREDIT. They beat Steele and followed that feat by beating Judson this week alone. Last week they beat OConnor by over 50 POINTS in the Northside Tournament Championship! Those are my Top 3 teams in Class 5A...... Wow.....
Plus they already beat Stevens and Reagan as well. That's 5 of my Top 10 teams.
The only reason I haven't ranked Brennan is that they are 4A not 5A and they will not be able to play 5A teams in the playoffs to see who is the best in the city. Winning a State Championship will solidify that claim though.
This is getting complicated. Look at the top paragraph.
Honorable mention- Roosevelt (ready to crack Top 10 by beating Brandeis but loose to OConnor and Clark) Southwest (Only lost to Roosevelt but all other wins to non Top 10 teams) Madison (Losses to Brennan and Clark)
Tie for 10. Clark- Unchanged with wins over Brackenridge and Madison. Good young team that is playing for District and playoffs.
10. Jay- Drop down with losses to Judson, Wagner and Johnson. Make a good run in the Southside Tournament.
9. Churchill- I was impressed with the improvement from game 1 in the season. They beat Clark and lost to OConnor in the SAISD Tournament Championship. Need more inside presence to make a huge run at District.
8. Brandeis- Drop down with 2 losses in a row against Johnson and Roosevelt. Having trouble with athletic teams. I was surprised how much trouble they had against Johnson. Johnson primarily played with 5 guards the whole game. Spacing was a problem as well as overall intensity in the game that I saw them. Almost felt as if they were just going through the motions. Still though, a lot of talent in the Roster. Can rebound quickly. Let's see if they do.
7. Stevens- They have a tough loss to Reagan with losses to Wagner and Brennan
6. Johnson- They made it seem somewhat easy in beating Brandeis. Maybe when you have Gabby Bowie and Erica Sanders, it seems that way. Add 2016's Tara Molina and Sandy Ramirez ability to handle the ball, drive to the basket and score in opportune situations with steady shooting from 2015 Amy Jungbluth, you have 5 capable guards that can match up with many teams, guards for guards.
5, Reagan- They beat Stevens. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Reagan after losing a lot of seniors last year. One reason I didn't have them in my Top 10 in my initial ranking is that they are real young. But that has been a strong point. 4 of their top 5 players are 2016's. 6 of their Top 9 scorers are 2016's. Another Coach that deserves some major CREDIT! 7 straight wins after losing opening night to Brennan.
4.Wagner- Beat Antonian, the best Private School in the city pretty handily. Big game coming up with Brennan.
3. OConnor- Wins SAISD Tournament by beating Roosevelt and Churchill. 2016's Kasey Saldana and Victoria Pena are contributing nicely. They are not underrated anymore. Let's see how they handle being a contender as the days and weeks come by.
2. Judson- Beat Jay and lose to Brennan. Not an excuse, but were missing a key player when they lost. They will be in any game simply cause they play tough defense and are a great rebounding team.
1. Steele- Yes, they lost to Brennan. But maybe that is what they needed to stay focus. Reagan is up next. Let's see how they respond against a good team.
Games to watch this week: Tuesday 11-19-2013
Wagner vs Brennan
Steele vs Reagan
Judson vs Johnson
Team A beats Team B handily. Team B beats team C handily. So naturally Team A should beat Team C handily. Wrong.
That's the beauty of the Game. A lot of contenders that can beat each other any given night.
Let's start with giving Brennan a whole lot of RESPECT and CREDIT. They beat Steele and followed that feat by beating Judson this week alone. Last week they beat OConnor by over 50 POINTS in the Northside Tournament Championship! Those are my Top 3 teams in Class 5A...... Wow.....
Plus they already beat Stevens and Reagan as well. That's 5 of my Top 10 teams.
The only reason I haven't ranked Brennan is that they are 4A not 5A and they will not be able to play 5A teams in the playoffs to see who is the best in the city. Winning a State Championship will solidify that claim though.
This is getting complicated. Look at the top paragraph.
Honorable mention- Roosevelt (ready to crack Top 10 by beating Brandeis but loose to OConnor and Clark) Southwest (Only lost to Roosevelt but all other wins to non Top 10 teams) Madison (Losses to Brennan and Clark)
Tie for 10. Clark- Unchanged with wins over Brackenridge and Madison. Good young team that is playing for District and playoffs.
10. Jay- Drop down with losses to Judson, Wagner and Johnson. Make a good run in the Southside Tournament.
9. Churchill- I was impressed with the improvement from game 1 in the season. They beat Clark and lost to OConnor in the SAISD Tournament Championship. Need more inside presence to make a huge run at District.
8. Brandeis- Drop down with 2 losses in a row against Johnson and Roosevelt. Having trouble with athletic teams. I was surprised how much trouble they had against Johnson. Johnson primarily played with 5 guards the whole game. Spacing was a problem as well as overall intensity in the game that I saw them. Almost felt as if they were just going through the motions. Still though, a lot of talent in the Roster. Can rebound quickly. Let's see if they do.
7. Stevens- They have a tough loss to Reagan with losses to Wagner and Brennan
6. Johnson- They made it seem somewhat easy in beating Brandeis. Maybe when you have Gabby Bowie and Erica Sanders, it seems that way. Add 2016's Tara Molina and Sandy Ramirez ability to handle the ball, drive to the basket and score in opportune situations with steady shooting from 2015 Amy Jungbluth, you have 5 capable guards that can match up with many teams, guards for guards.
5, Reagan- They beat Stevens. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Reagan after losing a lot of seniors last year. One reason I didn't have them in my Top 10 in my initial ranking is that they are real young. But that has been a strong point. 4 of their top 5 players are 2016's. 6 of their Top 9 scorers are 2016's. Another Coach that deserves some major CREDIT! 7 straight wins after losing opening night to Brennan.
4.Wagner- Beat Antonian, the best Private School in the city pretty handily. Big game coming up with Brennan.
3. OConnor- Wins SAISD Tournament by beating Roosevelt and Churchill. 2016's Kasey Saldana and Victoria Pena are contributing nicely. They are not underrated anymore. Let's see how they handle being a contender as the days and weeks come by.
2. Judson- Beat Jay and lose to Brennan. Not an excuse, but were missing a key player when they lost. They will be in any game simply cause they play tough defense and are a great rebounding team.
1. Steele- Yes, they lost to Brennan. But maybe that is what they needed to stay focus. Reagan is up next. Let's see how they respond against a good team.
Games to watch this week: Tuesday 11-19-2013
Wagner vs Brennan
Steele vs Reagan
Judson vs Johnson
Monday, November 11, 2013
San Antonio Class 5A Girls Basketball Rankings
Of course, this is my personal rankings, just for fun.
Everything is only going to matter at the end when the most interesting and intriguing aspect of all this is if any team is going to be able to knock off Steele.
This is where I feel teams are right now after 1 week of action. It is still very young in the season and teams can drop in and out of my Top 10.
Reagan and OConnor making big jumps with their performances.
Honorable Mention: Madison(Dropping out of Top 10), Smithson Valley (Nice showing in Corpus Tourney), Churchill (Yet to play a top team) Southwest (Yet to play a top team)
10. Clark- Yes they got beat by the Top Team in the city, Steele, but remain unchanged.
9. Jay- It is hard to get a good feel for this team. I watched them play and it seems to me they are still looking for an identity. They lost to Wagner and Johnson.
8. Johnson- The lack of experienced Posts forced the coach to practically play all guards the whole game. Yet when I watched them play, they seemed out of rhythm with all that ball handling, speed and athleticism on the court. Had to come from behind to beat Jay.
7. Reagan- Makes a jump into the Top 10 by winning the Corpus Tournament. They also played tough against State 4A Ranked #1 Brennan
6.Stevens- Had a nice run in Northside Tourney coming within 4 points of State 4A Ranked #1 Brennan. It is only get better as the season moves on.
5. Wagner- Had a good showing in the Northside Tourney. You can never count this team out against anyone. They beat Stevens, Jay. Losses to OConnor and Stevens
4. OConnor- No matter they lost to Judson and Brennan, they beat a team that many thought were way better than them. When you beat teams you are supposed to beat is one thing, when you beat teams and surprise many, then you accomplish a lot.
3. Judson- Had a win against OConnor and had a nice run in Temple Tournament. Do they have enough shooters to beat the top two teams.
2. Brandeis- Inside game is strong offensively and defensively. Guards have the capability to drive and shoot beyond the arc. Had a real good run in Temple losing by 1 for their only loss. Team is still growing.
1. Steele- Had 1 game against Clark which they won handily. They have a showdown with Class 4A #1 Ranked Brennan on Tuesday.
Games to watch: Tuesday 11-12-2013
Johnson vs Brandeis
Stevens vs Reagan
Judson vs Jay
Steele vs Brennan
Everything is only going to matter at the end when the most interesting and intriguing aspect of all this is if any team is going to be able to knock off Steele.
This is where I feel teams are right now after 1 week of action. It is still very young in the season and teams can drop in and out of my Top 10.
Reagan and OConnor making big jumps with their performances.
Honorable Mention: Madison(Dropping out of Top 10), Smithson Valley (Nice showing in Corpus Tourney), Churchill (Yet to play a top team) Southwest (Yet to play a top team)
10. Clark- Yes they got beat by the Top Team in the city, Steele, but remain unchanged.
9. Jay- It is hard to get a good feel for this team. I watched them play and it seems to me they are still looking for an identity. They lost to Wagner and Johnson.
8. Johnson- The lack of experienced Posts forced the coach to practically play all guards the whole game. Yet when I watched them play, they seemed out of rhythm with all that ball handling, speed and athleticism on the court. Had to come from behind to beat Jay.
7. Reagan- Makes a jump into the Top 10 by winning the Corpus Tournament. They also played tough against State 4A Ranked #1 Brennan
6.Stevens- Had a nice run in Northside Tourney coming within 4 points of State 4A Ranked #1 Brennan. It is only get better as the season moves on.
5. Wagner- Had a good showing in the Northside Tourney. You can never count this team out against anyone. They beat Stevens, Jay. Losses to OConnor and Stevens
4. OConnor- No matter they lost to Judson and Brennan, they beat a team that many thought were way better than them. When you beat teams you are supposed to beat is one thing, when you beat teams and surprise many, then you accomplish a lot.
3. Judson- Had a win against OConnor and had a nice run in Temple Tournament. Do they have enough shooters to beat the top two teams.
2. Brandeis- Inside game is strong offensively and defensively. Guards have the capability to drive and shoot beyond the arc. Had a real good run in Temple losing by 1 for their only loss. Team is still growing.
1. Steele- Had 1 game against Clark which they won handily. They have a showdown with Class 4A #1 Ranked Brennan on Tuesday.
Games to watch: Tuesday 11-12-2013
Johnson vs Brandeis
Stevens vs Reagan
Judson vs Jay
Steele vs Brennan
Friday, November 1, 2013
San Antonio's 2016 Basketball Class, "NO QUE NO"
Nobody can doubt the rich Hispanic culture that is embedded in the city of San Antonio. And nobody can deny the support the city gives to its NBA San Antonio Spurs. And one thing for sure is that no matter what his performance was in last seasons NBA finals against the Heat, Manu Ginobili is a beloved player here in San Antonio. His skills and talents aside, being Hispanic doesn't hurt from the predominantly Hispanic base here in San Antonio. Since the city is comprised of about 60% Hispanic, a lot of people can relate to Manu and bestow a cultural sense of Pride in him. A sense that he is part of them even though he is from Argentina.
Speaking of my own experiences when I was growing up, the Hispanic culture around me almost predicated young females to grow up tending to their Husbands and family. It can be a noble venture, my mom was my hero for doing everything for her kids and family under adverse situations all the while doing it with grace and relentless determination.
But as society changed, College has come to the forefront in aspirations parents have for their kids no matter if male or female. Maybe more so for females for a variety of reasons.
Many college aspirations for young Hispanic females are coming in terms of academics. But now more than ever, scholarships for female Hispanics are becoming a reality. Something in my time and age that would probably been unthinkable.
And if you look around the city, you will find more and more Hispanic young ladies making names for themselves in the sporting world.
One Basketball class in particular stands out to me more than any other, maybe cause my daughter belongs in it, the 2016 Girls Basketball Class in San Antonio.
From top to bottom, the 2016 Class is producing some real good players of Hispanic descent. And a lot of them will have an opportunity to go to college because of BASKETBALL! Unheard of when I was growing up.
Many moons ago, the possibility of a young kid from Argentina making it to the NBA and/or the probability of a young Hispanic female going to College on a basketball scholarship would have its fair share of detractors. There would be a good amount on naysayers, abundance of doubters and a significant amount of people accepting the status quo as permanent.
But in an ironic twist, in the same manner my Proud Hispanic mom (like many others like her) embraced the status quo, they also enabled and paved the way for next generations to break from it.
If she would look at all the young Hispanic ladies that comprise of San Antonio's basketball class of 2016, she would take a line from George Lopez himself aimed at all the detractors, naysayers and doubters...... Proudly Stating......
NO QUE NO!
Speaking of my own experiences when I was growing up, the Hispanic culture around me almost predicated young females to grow up tending to their Husbands and family. It can be a noble venture, my mom was my hero for doing everything for her kids and family under adverse situations all the while doing it with grace and relentless determination.
But as society changed, College has come to the forefront in aspirations parents have for their kids no matter if male or female. Maybe more so for females for a variety of reasons.
Many college aspirations for young Hispanic females are coming in terms of academics. But now more than ever, scholarships for female Hispanics are becoming a reality. Something in my time and age that would probably been unthinkable.
And if you look around the city, you will find more and more Hispanic young ladies making names for themselves in the sporting world.
One Basketball class in particular stands out to me more than any other, maybe cause my daughter belongs in it, the 2016 Girls Basketball Class in San Antonio.
From top to bottom, the 2016 Class is producing some real good players of Hispanic descent. And a lot of them will have an opportunity to go to college because of BASKETBALL! Unheard of when I was growing up.
Many moons ago, the possibility of a young kid from Argentina making it to the NBA and/or the probability of a young Hispanic female going to College on a basketball scholarship would have its fair share of detractors. There would be a good amount on naysayers, abundance of doubters and a significant amount of people accepting the status quo as permanent.
But in an ironic twist, in the same manner my Proud Hispanic mom (like many others like her) embraced the status quo, they also enabled and paved the way for next generations to break from it.
If she would look at all the young Hispanic ladies that comprise of San Antonio's basketball class of 2016, she would take a line from George Lopez himself aimed at all the detractors, naysayers and doubters...... Proudly Stating......
NO QUE NO!
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