Taking their shots at the next level

Brittney Griner’s star is rising, but she’s just one example of Houston’s girls hoops prowess
By JENNY DIAL
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
April 3, 2010, 10:44PM


Every time a television announcer is shocked by one of Brittney Griner's highlight-worthy moves, Nimitz coach Debbie Jackson can't help but laugh a little.
Jackson watched the 6-8 Baylor star dominate on the court for four years, and she's glad to see that the rest of the world is starting to see something she has known all along.
“I think that any time someone who hasn't seen Brittney play yet sees her, that person becomes a fan,” Jackson said. “She is not disappointing.”

So while Jackson is sitting in the stands at the Alamodome today when Baylor takes on Connecticut in the second game of the NCAA Women's Final Four, she will be ready to hear more about her former player, who has become one of the most recognizable women's basketball players in the country.
And Jackson will see more familiar faces. Along with Griner, the Houston area boasts three other starters on Final Four teams: Bellaire's Jasmine Hartman at Oklahoma, Clear Brook's Kelli Griffin at Baylor and Cy-Fair's Nneka Ogwumike at Stanford.

“To have four starters out of the 20 that are still playing says a lot about Houston basketball,” Jackson said. “We have some really high-quality players in this area.”
Houston has become a hotbed for girls basketball. The area has produced the No. 1 player in the country the last two seasons

— Griner was the top recruit in 2009 and Chiney Ogwumike is this season. Kelsey Bone won several national awards and was a McDonald's All-American in 2009. Nneka Ogwumike was a McDonald's All-American and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2008. USC's Stefanie and Briana Gilbreath were both McDonald's All-Americans and dotted several other All-America lists in 2007 and 2008.

Glenn Nelson, publisher of hoopgurlz.com, said that over the last five years the Houston area has become the place to go for a post player.

“I can't think of any other city in the country that has an identity in the recruiting world the way Houston does,” he said. “But the last few great post players have come from there, and that's where coaches will go now and compete for those girls.”
Diverse talent
While the last handful of big names — the Ogwumike sisters, Bone and Griner — have been post players, guards are starting to become prominent in the area, diversifying Houston's basketball scene.
North Shore's Courtney Williams, Elkins' Donielle Breaux and Worthing's Jenzel Nash are among guards in the spotlight now.

Cy-Fair's Cassie Peoples is a two-time All-State selection with a state championship already on her résumé.
That doesn't mean there will be a shortage of excellent post players. Hightower sophomore twin posts Taylor and Tyler Gilbert are already on the national radar.

“We have had all these great post players, but there are some amazing guards, and the coaches coming here to see the post players are taking notice of the guards,” Cy-Fair Shock Elite Nike AAU coach Rob Amboree said. “You can come to Houston and just get quality players. I think right now this is the best city in the country to recruit for basketball.”
Every year for the past five years, an average of 16 girls have signed to play at Division I basketball programs. Cy-Fair junior Peoples has already committed to Texas.

Recruiting hotbed

Nelson said that the quantity and quality of talent has made Houston one of the top areas to recruit in the country.
“It will only get better if history of this sport tells us anything,” Nelson said. “This is a sport that will get more and more popular in the area because it feeds off of the success that Houston is already having.”

As the sport continues to grow in the area, young players continue to latch on to it. Peoples said the interest in girls basketball will keep growing as long as the talent level stays high. She played in San Antonio before moving to Cy-Fair and said that the level of competition here makes the game better.

“Every game is hard, every game is a game you have to work,” Peoples said. “It's entertaining, and it builds better basketball players when you have to be on your game 100 percent of the time.”
Peoples said every year the Final Four becomes more exciting for her.

“I used to love watching anyway, but now that I know some of the players, it's even better,” she said. “It shows me that I could do that, too. It's a goal that becomes really reachable when you see your friends get there. I could be playing in the Final Four in the next few years, too,


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