4 Elite-Daniels 2012 players are in the Top 100 at their position.

Top Tennessee 2012 (Combo) Guards rated by ESPN Hoopgurlz:

NAME                                    OVERALL National                          SCHOOL

                                    “Position” Ranking

1. Danielle Ballard                  #7                                            Memphis Central

2. Chandler Cooper                 #9                                            Clarksville H.S.

3. Cornelia Fondren                #23                                          Overton H.S.

4. Destiny James                     #79                                          Bartlett H.S.

5. Maria Foust                         #119                                        Campbell County H.S.

6. Ariel Hearn                         #147                                        Arlington H.S.

Notables:  Danielle Ballard has been working hard during the month of June and ready to show the country why she should be a top contender as a McDonald All American participant.  Destiny James is tabbed as “Memphis’ Best Kept 2012 Secret” who breaks into the Top 100 despite sitting out last summer.  James has been on fire in the month of June & poised to up her stock in July.

Top Tennessee 2012 (Point) Guards rated by ESPN Hoopgurlz:

NAME                                    OVERALL National                          SCHOOL

                                    “Position” Ranking

1. Chardarryl Clay                  #11                                          Girls Prepatory School (Auburn)

2. Majorie Butler                     #13                                          Knoxville Webb (Georgia)

3. Alicia Payne                       #40                                          White Station H.S.

3. Jessy Ward                          #40                                          Clarksville H.S.

5. Tiasha Gray                         #83                                          Clarksville H.S.

Notables:  Alicia Payne (nickname Red) is poised to dish out assists to a loaded Elite-Daniels team that will surely turn heads of scouts all over the country.  “Red is ready.”

Top Tennessee 2012 (Wing) Guards rated by ESPN Hoopgurlz:

NAME                                    OVERALL National                          SCHOOL

                                    “Position” Ranking

1. Aaliyh Whiteside                #3                                            Memphis Central (Georgia Tech)

2. Shacobia Barbie                  #11                                          Riverdale H.S.

3. Lauren Douglas                #23                                          Briarcrest Christian H.S.

4. Cheyenne North                  #62                                          Station Camp H.S. (Belmont)

5. Blake Jenkines                    #63                                          Kenwood H.S.

Notables:  A strong July could propel Lauren Douglas into the Top 10 at her position nationwide at her position.  A host of colleges have fallen in love with the shooting touch of the 6’3” long rang bomber.

 Destiny James                                             Danielle Ballard                Lauren Douglas

Video Clips of Destiny James (2012 /Guard)

Destiny James #20

Destiny shooting the 3.

Contact information:

The unavoidable question...."Sexual Orientation Consideration"

ESPN.com Illustration
While coaches denied that sexual preference would be a deciding factor in recruitment, it often comes up during the process.

When one head coach at a mid-major school discovered that a prospect slept with one of her current players during an official visit, the recruitment of that prospect ended immediately.

"I've been in situations as a player and coach when teammates have been in relationships with each other and it's all bad," the coach explained. "I would never not recruit a kid because of sexual orientation, but I don't want what I call 'inbreeding' on my team. I talk about it with my kids. I don't care who they date as long as it's not a teammate. It just never ends well and affects the team."

As in the previous discussion about race, coaches did not want to think that sexual orientation is an issue in recruiting, but it is at the very least a consideration, albeit one that depends on situation and context.

When ESPN HoopGurlz asked more than 20 college head and assistant coaches or recruiting coordinators whether a prospect's sexual orientation should be a factor in her recruitment, all were adamant that it should not be. Yet, when the discussions progressed, it turned out that sexual orientation, in some situations, could have an impact.

Click below for complete story

Sexual Preference Consideration

The Journey Begins!

For former Memphis Elite players Hasina Muhammad (Auburn), Symone Daniels (Drake), Ann Jones  (Memphis), Jasmine Settles (Alabama St.) and Brittany Chisholm (Birmingham Southern) their days as Collegiate Student/Athletes begins. Updates/Pictures on their journey will be posted in the upcoming days.

Hasina's Locker tag

Hasina and Family with the Auburn BBall Team

Ann and Coach Eric at U. of Memphis Team Camp

Symone doing Community Service with her Drake teammates

More Pictures of Jasmine and Brittany to come!

Getting it together for July

What an athlete needs to do in July in front of the college recruiters is actually pretty simple: Play your game, play hard and offer only your best every time out. There's no guarantee that formula will produce the results and scholarship offers that a prospect is looking for, but it puts them in the best position to let coaches know what they can do on the floor.
There are also several things an athlete should avoid doing; things that will quickly dampen the enthusiasm any recruiter might have had. "Thou shall not" might be a little heavy handed for recruiting advice. But consider the Ten Commandments. Seven of them have the word "not" in them. So we offer the following advice:
• Don't play outside of your game. We see it time and again. When college coaches are in the gym, point guards suddenly aren't giving it up; forwards and posts think they're ball handlers and wander around on the wings; while the shooting guards completely forget any definition whatsoever of "good shot selection." Probably the quickest way to lose the attention of any coach is to try and impress them. So forget they're there and do what you do and do it well. They know what they're looking for; they certainly don't need you to go out of your way to try and prove something.
• Don't coast or quit. Probably nothing ever stunned me more than to see athletes who take plays off or roll over when the score has gotten out of hand. Actually, one thing has opened my eyes more and it's that there are athletes who are actually willing to shift into cruise control while there are college recruiters watching. First off, if you really want to be the best player you can be and get the most from your potential and hard work, you play one way. Sure, you get tired and often the games get frustrating. But never forget that recruiters are looking to see how you handle that situation and if you're the kind of player who they can count on when the going gets tough. The best players only know how to go all out and they don't understand any other way. Up 20 or down 20, third game of the day or even final day of your fifth tournament in July; play as if it's the most important game of your life. Depending on who's watching, it just may be.

• Don't fail Communication 101. Whether it's with teammates, coaches, the officials or even opponents, your communication skills are going to say something to college coaches about you.


Click below for full story
Getting it together for July
Courtesy of Mark Lewis (Hoopgurlz.com)

University of Memphis Melissa McFerrin gets a 1 year contract extension

Photo by The Commercial Appeal files

For that, McFerrin received a one-year contract extension through the 2015-16 season. Her base pay will remain at $180,000.....

.....McFerrin has compiled a 53-45 record in her three seasons at the UofM. The Tigers are coming off a 21-13 campaign that included wins over Southern Miss and No. 3 seed Rice in the C-USA tournament and a bid to the WNIT, where the Tigers lost a first round game to Alabama.

"It's important for a lot of reasons," McFerrin said. "No. 1, it's important for recruiting. The young people we are recruiting right now want to know who their coach is going to be in college. Nobody looks forward to a coaching change. That's why we did it, so we could assure recruits in the 2012 class who their coaches are going to be as they went through their four years.

"Secondly, it's just important to create stability in this program. Hopefully, we've created enough momentum with recruiting, with facilities, and this allows us to continue those projects and keep the momentum going. We've seen some success in our program the last couple of years. I think we're ready to build on that success and I'm excited about being the person in charge to continue to strive toward the goals we've set for our program."

The Tigers will get a jumpstart on the season by playing four exhibition games during a tour of Italy from Aug. 15-25. It was a trip originally scheduled for 2012, but McFerrin decided to move it up a year.

Ann Jones (Memphis Elite-Daniels) will begin her freshman year with the Tigers on this Italy trip. A BIG MEMPHIS ELITE BEST WISHES GOES OUT TO ANN!
Read the complete Commercial Appeal article here

Recruiting: Under Review by ESPN Hoopgurlz.com

ESPN HoopGurlz surveyed more than 20 college coaches, from head coaches to recruiting coordinators and assistants, with the mission of figuriing out what it is they see in recruiting today. Topics span from the ideal prospect to roster size to the impact of race in recruiting.
Read the preview story: Understanding our survey methodology.

The 'Holy Grail'

If you are a particular kind of player and worried that you might be out of vogue for the college game, rest assured. We conducted discussions with college coaches and recruiters in an effort to reveal the "Holy Grail" of recruiting -- the ideal prospect, regardless of need, current or future rosters or recruiting classes. Read the full story here.

That One Thing

Let's face it -- in recruiting, college coaches want it all. They want great size and physical attributes. They want the requisite skill set. And they want the intangibles, such as leadership, discipline and work ethic.
To discover which of those they treasured most, we told more than 20 college coaches that they would be guaranteed a "sure thing" in a recruit. But they had to choose one -- physical, skills or intangibles. Read the full story here.

Roster Size And Breakdown

Women's college basketball teams get 15 scholarships at the Divsion I level, and while that makes for a great deal of opportunities anyone who has ever coached knows that keeping that many players happy with playing time is impossible. So we asked our survey group what the ideal roster size was and ideally how they'd distribute that across the various positions. Read the full story here.

Sexual Preference Consideration

Often times it is the elephant in the room so we asked the college coaches about sexual preference in recruiting and whether or not they believe it should be a factor in choosing which prospects to target and offer. Coming June 24

Banning Early Offers

There has been talk of the NCAA banning its member schools from extending scholarship offers to underclass prospects. So with issues from enforcment to principle we asked the coaches where they stand on the potential change in legislation. Coming June 28

Best Club Programs/Coaches

Just about every college coach we've ever talked to has complained about players not being prepared for college basketball so we asked our survey group who they feel are the best club programs and/or club coaches in the country. Coming July 1

Changing Things Up

The game is changing, some parts for the better and others for the worse, so we asked the coaches if they could change one thing in the recruiting process today, what would it by and why? Coming July 5

Courtesy of ESPN Hoopgurlz.com

Role of race in recruiting

Decision Makers

Coaches don't often talk about the role of race in recruiting. ESPN HoopGurlz's survey found that for many coaches, it factors into how they put together their roster.

 Read the full story here.

Understanding Hoopgurlz.com survey methodology

Though there are many cogs in the women's college basketball recruiting machinery, the ones that ultimately matter the most are the players and the coaches. We talk to the players all the time about their hopes, backstories and preferences. But we don't hear from the college coaches very often, mainly because they are barred from commenting on players until they sign national letters of intent and much of what they do is highly proprietary.

Because the picture is so incomplete without the coaches, who build teams by recruiting and signing players, ESPN HoopGurlz conducted a discussion with a representative sample on what we determined to be eight important topics in the sport. We will unveil a summary of those discussions twice a week between now and the start of the critical summer evaluation period in July

Click below for complete article
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/womens/news/story?id=6645290

There From The Start, Veteran Tina Thompson Still Going Strong

Click below for complete story
 http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/news/story?id=6689976

Memphis Elite-Wade and Daniels in action

Memphis Elite- Wade vs Elite-Little 2011 16u Sub State Championship game
Memphis Elite- Daniels vs Little 2011 16u State Championship game
Video highlights courtesy of She Got Game

Hasina Muhammad win Best Of Preps Awards

Hasina Muhammad win Best Of Preps Awards

Nina Davis and Hasina Muhammad

Congratulations to Nina Davis (Central) for winning Commercial Appeal Best of Preps Girls Basketball Player of the Year, Hasina Muhammad (Ridgeway/Auburn) MIAA Athlete of the Year, Christal Porter (Germantown) Shelby Suburban Athlete of the Year, Julie Eckel (St. Benedict) Private Athlete of Year .

Click here to read Commercial Appeal article
Click here for a list of all BOP winners

A look into the summer workouts for Vanderbilt Women Basketball

Memphis Elite Players High School Teams Camp Schedules

Below are some schedules of High School Camps, that Elite players are playing in.
June 9 - 11
Harding Academy Team Camp
Thursday, June 9th
9:00am    St. Benedict (Madison Luckett) vs MHEA
10:15am  Bartlett (Rachell Hughes & Destiny James)  vs St. Benedict (Madison L)
12:45am  White Station (Red Payne) vs  SBEC
4:30pm    Harding vs Bartlett (Rachell H. & Destiny J.)
7:00pm    Germantown vs White Station (Red P.)

Friday, June 10th
9:00am    St. Benedict (Madison)  vs White Station (Red)
11:30am  Harding  vs  St. Benedict (Madison)
4:30pm    White Station (Red)  vs  Bartlett (Destiny & Rachell)
5:45pm    St. Benedict (Madison)  vs Dyer County
7:00pm    Bartlett (Destiny & Rachell) vs  West Memphis Christian

Saturday, June 11th
9:00am     St. Benedict (Madison)  vs FCA
11:30am   St. Benedict (Madison)  vs West Memphis Christian
12:45pm   Bartlett (Destiny & Rachell) vs  Southwind (Amber Holmes)
3:15pm     Bartlett (Destiny & Rachell) vs  FCA         Harding  vs  Southwind (Amber Holmes)
4:30pm     White Station (Red)  vs  West Memphis Christian
5:45pm     SBEC vs Southwind (Amber)
7:00pm     Bartlett (Destiny & Rachell)  vs  MHEA
8:15pm     Harding  vs  White Station (Red)

Hit the road, parents

By Mark Lewis
ESPN HoopGurlz

Glenn Nelson/ESPN.comWhen players hit the road for evaluation tournaments in July, parents can be more than unwanted baggage.

In less than a month the Big Top opens and the annual circus of the NCAA-certified July evaluation period will be underway. It would be great to say it's all about the basketball and the improvement of each athlete's skills. However, the reality of July is that those certified events are the only settings that Division I college coaching staffs can observe non-scholastic basketball between mid-April and the end of September. The massive spotlight on those two-10 day segments is because those coaches happen to be sitting courtside.
Trying to portray it any other way is simply denying reality.
As such, I wanted to provide a few thoughts for parents hoping to put their daughters in a better position to offer up their best basketball.
First off, take it upon yourself to make sure that coaches at schools of interest know with whom she'll be playing and where that team will be competing. Don't assume anything. Share with the coaches a numerical team roster as well as the name, date, location and division of play for each event. On the topic of rosters, if you're traveling with the team, carry extra copies or a flash drive with the information. While most events have them available to college coaches you don't want to risk even one game with anyone guessing who's who on the court because of someone else's error.
While Division I coaches cannot respond to any communication during the evaluation segments, you still need to be sure to immediately notify them of any schedule changes or if for any reason (illness, injury, etc.) your daughter won't be playing. You won't hear back from them but since their time is very limited they'll be appreciative and likely will try to catch her in action at another time.
There's no need to inundate coaches with results and stats. Who beats whom and how many points she had or whom she locked up defensively carries little weight from a recruiting standpoint. None of that information is really a factor in the evaluation process and has little relevance to any assessment of your daughter's play. Coaches may tell you to keep them up to date or they may act as if they're appreciative, but keep in mind, they're recruiters and they're not about to tell you to stop.
Whether traveling with you or with the team, try to make sure that your daughter and her teammates are not driving all night or arriving at an event an hour before their first game. The challenge on the court is hard enough without adding a lack of sleep or legs cramped from a long ride. Even on a game-to-game basis, make sure she's getting to the gym with no need to rush and plenty of time to stretch and warm up. You never know when a coach may be seeing her play for the first time and a slow start or tired performance may mean they don't see her best or, worse yet, don't come to see her play again.
Avoiding fatigue is a challenge with the intense schedule and the possibility of up to three games in a single day. While the mall seems like a good way to keep teenage girls entertained, such an activity also is unneeded time on their feet. A lot of hotels have nice pools and the July sun is tempting but it also will drain your energy level as quickly as a set of sprints at the end of practice. Keep the iPods charged, the knees and ankles iced and spring for a few in-room movies. Remind all of them why they're there and what they're trying to accomplish.
Diet on the road is important. Limit the stops for fast food and keep in mind that Pizza Hut, Dominoes and Papa John's aren't offering any scholarships. Sit-down restaurants may take a little more time but usually can offer more options better suited for the rigors of the tournament trail. This is where the parents can really step up with trips to the grocery store for healthy snacks and making sure that breakfast isn't taking a backseat to some extra pillow time. Energy drinks and their use is a serious topic for discussion between an athlete and her parents but should never be used to compensate for a lack of rest and a poor diet.
From the stands your daughter needs your support, not your coaching. Be positive, provide encouragement and keep some perspective. As a parent you're not there to be in her ear on the floor -- that's somebody else's job and college coaches will notice if she's paying attention to voices belonging to anyone other than her coaches. Even after the game, it's not wise to contradict her coach or criticize decisions that he or she might have made. The same goes with officiating. You may not like every call being made but the complaining that parents have been doing lately allows players to rationalize their mistakes or bad play rather than be accountable. Athletes take cues from their folks and their own immature complaining to officials seems to be on the rise. Help them out and keep them focused on their play.
Perspective also is important for parents when talking with their daughters before or after games. Through the years I've seen player after player talked out of any chance of a good performance when mom or dad offered up some unneeded reminders and advice. She knows the college coaches are there; they're hard to miss covered in their logo gear. If she has a bad game it's important to help her focus on the next one. The last thing she needs is a reminder of how much money you've spent or the fact that she needs to play better. Trust me, she already knows.
Lastly, as a parent you're a pseudo team member. In that light, you don't want to critique her teammates in front of her nor do you want to let her go off on a rant about them to you. Help keep the attention on her play and what she can do better next time out herself. It's also important that you don't confront the coach over Xs and Os or playing time and constantly offering threats of leaving the team serves no purpose for anyone. Your daughter doesn't benefit in any way by that and bailing out when the going gets tough is a major red flag for recruiters.
It's her game, her future and, ultimately her responsibility. However no one ever accomplishes anything meaningful on her own. The more you can help her off the floor, the more she's likely to accomplish on it.

More Pictures from the Auburn University Elite Camp

 K.B. doing her thang at the Auburn Elite Camp!

 Lil D. doing her skill work at Auburn Elite Camp

Lauren D. shootin' the nets down at Auburn Elite Camp

Maya Moore signs with Jordan's brand

MINNEAPOLIS -- Top WNBA draft Maya Moore has become the first female basketball player to sign an endorsement deal with the Jordan Brand, a division of Nike Inc.
The Oregon-based sportswear business in basketball great Michael Jordan's name announced the agreement Wednesday.
"As a student of the game, it is a dream come true to align myself with a brand that has a rich history in sports," Moore said. "Like most kids, I grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and continue to work relentlessly to reach his iconic status on the court. I'm truly motivated to take my career to the next level as a member of Team Jordan."
Moore was selected by the Minnesota Lynx out of the University of Connecticut last month. Considered one of the best female players to turn pro in years, she won two national titles at UConn and is a two-time winner of the Associated Press Player of the Year award.
She joins an elite level of athletes under the Jordan brand, including Derek Jeter, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Andre Johnson.
"I am thrilled to welcome Maya Moore into the Jordan Brand," Jordan said. "Not only has Maya proven to be a prolific winner on the court, but her hunger and determination to make an impact off the court makes her a valuable addition to the Jordan family. We look forward to working with Maya as she carries her success to the next level."


Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

Click here for story
http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/news/story?id=6563591
Associated Press

Memphis Elite Players attend Auburn University Elite Camp

Pictured above:
Hasina Muhammad(Auburn incoming Freshman,
Ayanna Muhammad, Kelsey Briggs, Lauren Douglas,
Danielle Ballard and Erica Sisk


Pictured above:
Head Coach Neil Fortner, Ayanna, Kelsey, Danielle,
Lauren, Hasina and Chantel Hillard(Auburn Sr.)

Former Elite Player Symone Daniels 1st day at Drake University

Symone getting ready to work with strength and conditioning Coach Burke

Symone and Tomiko during orientation break

Elite Players attend University of Auburn Elite Camp

Hasina Muhammad (Auburn incoming Freshman) and Danielle Ballard

Stay tuned more pictures to come!

Memphis Elite Players & Family Hanging out on Memorial Day!

Memorial Day at the Douglas's Home

Pictured above: Elexa Guy, Lauren Douglas, Kelsey Briggs, Madison Luckett, Teresa Mays

Pictured above is: Sylvia Richardson (Kelsey), Tanya Douglas (Lauren), Tomiko Daniels, Michelle Mays (Teresa), Michelle Guy (Elexa), Coach Eric

Pictured above: Lauren, Symone Daniels, Elexa, Hasina Muhammad, Kelsey, Madison, Teresa

Pictured above: Sylvia, Tomiko, Michelle G., Coach Eric, Tanya, Lauren, Madison, Symone, Kelsey, Elexa, Hasina, Teresa, Michelle M.

Elite-Holmes Champions!!!!

Elite-Holmes  60  Team TN Glory  58
(All Memphis Final)
Despite a terrible free throw shooting game. Elite- Holmes gutted it out and captured the Championship trophy. Team TN Glory didn't go quietly, but they did go down! The victory was a total team effort. Taylor Lewis was limited due to an ankle injury in the first few minutes of the ball game. But all of her teammates respond by digging deep and finishing the tournament with a clean sweep (undefeated threw out the tournament). This team has to be one of the hottest teams in the country! They are rolling....victim after victim!

scoring for the championship game was as follow:
Hill- 11pts; Holmes- 10pts; Lewis- 2pts; Trent- 1pts; Cunningham- 4pts; Hayes- 15pts; Blache- 7pts; Foster- 10pts.

Stay tuned for more on this stud of a squad!