Check this out… High school girl hits consecutive three point shots

Ok, you got to give it to Cara Bomar… this is pretty good.

She’s sinking 10 three pionters in a row from different spots. Doesn’t seem like there are any cuts in this video.

She’s a student at Mesquite High School in Gilbert, AZ – class of 2010. She’s really good at shooting a set shot… makes me wonder how good she is on the run in an actual game.

Still, though. She’s got great form, and this looks legit. EXCELLENT recruiting tactic, too, getting your video on YouTube.  Keep up the hard work, Cara.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyym1arcHk4

Texas Covenant team forfeits 100-0 win in apology

Now I’ve seen it all….

Officials from a private Christian school in Dallas, The Covenant School, forfeited a 100-0 win against their opponent, Dallas Academy.

Apparently,  their forfeit is intended to  apologize for their margin of victory.

I agree that running the score up 100 points is wrong (and this is the coaches’ fault) but I’m not so sure I agree with the forfeit attempt to apologize. The girls earned their points – and the coach allowed them to get greedy.

Apparently, the Covenant team was draining 3 pointers the whole game (up 59 at half time), and the coaches and spectators cheered louder and louder as they approached 100.

Success should not be considered “wrong” if the means to achieve it was not wrong. It doesn’t seem like they cheated – they didn’t break any rules. So this is NOT something they should have to apologize or feel bad for.

“I think the bad judgment was in the full-court press and the 3-point shots,” said Renee Peloza, whose daughter plays for Dallas Academy. “At some point, they should have backed off.”

Absolutely, but let’s take a look at Dallas Academy’s record…

Dallas Academy has eight girls on its varsity team and about 20 girls in its high school. It is winless over the last four seasons.

“On a personal note, I told the coach of the losing team how much I admire their girls for continuing to compete against all odds,” Burleson (the director of the league) said. “They showed much more character than the coach that allowed that score to get out of hand. It’s up to the coach to control the outcome.”

Yes, they’re showing character, but they’re also being humiliated… badly. This is not how you build character and self-esteem in young athletes. You must invest in them and show them that they have potential.

Dallas Academy eeds to spend some money (for once), recruit an “outsider” coach with some experience, hold summer camps, and begin to organically build a winning program, over time. If this doesn’t happen, girls could go through the rest of their lives thinking they’ll never be able to compete.

All this news does is highlight that some privately-owned schools don’t value its female athletes.

As someone who played basketball my whole life, this completely and totally disgusts me.

[1/27] CORRECTION: I must take back my prevoius comments on this post. I did not realize that Dallas Academy is a school for children with disabilities, as a commenter has pointed out to me. If this is the case, The Covenant School has no right playing them in the first place.

Recruiting… what it takes to get to the next level in women’s basketball

The transition from high school to college basketball is a big one for girls basketball players across the country. So it’s important to understand what coaches are looking for, whether you’re a coach, a parent or a player.

A few days ago, Mark Lewis from ESPN’s HoopGurlz wrote a great piece called Beyond Talent: Evaluation Considerations where he discussed college recruiters, what they’re thinking, what they need, scholarship rules/limits and coaches’ approaches.

Lewis is a known expert in the women’s hoops arena for ESPN. His opinion (for sure) is worth taking note.

Tierra Rogers’ story is incredible… Honor Thy Father

I stayed up late last night reading a story that truly moved me.

I came across it on ESPN Rise, an online publication that celebrates high school athletes. It was there that I found the story of Tierra Rogers, a young promising basketball player from San Francisco, California.

[I'm going to try and explain it, but I'm not going to do it justice. I highly encourage you to read the whole story on ESPN Rise].

Basketball had been a big part of Tierra Rogers’ life and relationship with her father, “Terray” (Terell) Rogers.

Like many dads, Terray was Tierra’s biggest fan.

As a former gang member (and ex-con), Terray’s life was changed when Tierra, his daughter, came into the world. He decided to dedicate himself to “cleaning up some of the mess he created”  on the streets. He often acted as a mediator to street arguments and conflicts, saving lives and bringing together the community.

As Tierra grew up, she and her dad spent many days on the basketball courts of San Francisco. Also, her “godfather” Guy Hudson, a former friend of Terray’s from the streets, started coaching Tierra privately.

It is on those courts in San Francisco that Tierra got good… real good. So good, in fact, that she went on to play at Sacred Heart Academy.

Of course, her dad was her biggest supporter. He gave her pep talks before games and was the loudest fan in the gym… always sitting in the first row, cheering her on.

But when Tierra was in her junior year, her cousin, Zakeel, was murdered on the streets (rumor is it was gang related).

This is something that affected her father, Terray, very deeply , and he stopped mediating the streets and started showing signs of frustration. Rumors were going around that he wanted to seek “revenge” on those that killed Zakeel. These were untrue, but Terray showed signs of concern.

And then it happened.

On January 12th, 2008, Terray was at his daughter’s high school basketball game.

At halftime, when he went outside for his typical cigarette, he was gunned down by two strangers.

And Tierra was left alone to cope. No more pep talks, no more first-row cheering. A few days later, ESPN wrote a piece about how she was struggling to cope.

I can’t even imagine the pain she’s been through or how she even begins to feel about basketball.

But what I can attest to is her strength – her strength to move on. Because she promised her dad that no matter what, she would always play, Tierra is still playing hard.

She’s set to play at Cal next year – and hopes to make the McDonald’s All-American Team.

I’d like to wish Tierra the best of luck – and let her know that she has my support. Cal is lucky to have grabbed her.

[To read the entire story, go to ESPN Rise].