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Looking Back: 2018 class

Streak One

Streak One

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Nov 11, 2003
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With the news of Aquira DeCosta transferring from Baylor this week, I decided to look at the early returns for the top 10 ranked prospects in the 2018 class.

1. Aquira DeCosta (St. Mary’s-Stockton): She announced her transfer from Baylor this week. She was apart of the National Championship team last season.


2. McKenzie Forbes (Folsom): After averaging 17 minutes per game as a freshman at Cal, Forbes transferred following the coaching change, but no announcement has been made on her next spot.


3. Karisma Ortiz (Mitty): Ortiz started 22 games for Penn State as a freshman in averaging three points, four rebounds and two assists. She transferred this off-season to Texas.


4. Neenah Young (St. Mary’s-Stockton): Young saw action in 14 games for Princeton as a freshman in averaging nine minutes per contest.


5. Haley Van Dyke (Campolindo): As a freshman at Washington, Van Dyke played in 32 games in registering nearly 500 total minutes. She averaged four points and three rebounds.


6. Kassidy De Lapp (Oak Ridge): She made 19 starts a year ago and was second on Oklahoma State in blocks.


7. Sirena Tuitele (Pleasant Valley): After leading Pleasant Valley to a NorCal title as a senior, Tuitele was Pac-12 All-Freshman honorable mention. She logged 19 starts for the Buffaloes.


8. Ariel Johnson (St. Mary’s-Stockton): Johnson averaged 20 minutes off the bench for Florida last season. She made 38 3s in 31 games.


9. Kiara Jefferson (West Campus): With a pair of state titles at West Campus, Jefferson moved to UCLA and played 14 minutes per game in her initial season in Westwood.


10. Shayley Harris (Folsom): Harris saw action in 12 games for UCLA in 2018-2019. She has since transferred to Santa Clara, which is also expected to sign her sister Katie Harris (Folsom) in the 2020 class.
 
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I believe Forbes Transferred to Harvard and is with her brother.

Also - Sydney Buckley (Edison-Stockton) returns to Winthrop University for her Sophmore Season. She started 8 Games and Played in 28 games averaging 11 minutes per game.
 
jstblev said:
Jacki was spectacular and a great kid, knee injuries derailed her career. Diana Taurasi, hands-down is the best I ever seen.
Click to expand...

CoachDViks said:
HS- Jacki Gemelos

College- Sabrina Ionescu
Click to expand...

I totally agree. Gemelos was the best high school basketball player and good call about Taurasi. It's too bad that her injuries hindered what could have been an amazing career at USC. I wonder if it would have been different had she gone to UCONN.

I would NEVER have thought Sabrina would be as good as she is at the college level..not in a million years. IT's kind of cool to think we have one of the greatest college hoopers to every play the game in our own back yard. Way to represent the bay!
 
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I have to agree on Gemelos -- she was spectacular, and the fact she made the WNBA after something like five knee operations, and was a pale imitation of her potential, shows how good she really was.

She and Jayne Appel went head to head in a shootout one year, and it was unbelievable. I think Gemelos had 35 or something and Appel 28. Final was 75-72 (around that), SMS the winner.
 
Renee was a great player, but she wasn't the offensive force Gemelos and Ionescu were. (Those were really fabulous teams Renee played on.)
 
Streak One said:
With the news of Aquira DeCosta transferring from Baylor this week, I decided to look at the early returns for the top 10 ranked prospects in the 2018 class.

1. Aquira DeCosta (St. Mary’s-Stockton): She announced her transfer from Baylor this week. She was apart of the National Championship team last season.


2. McKenzie Forbes (Folsom): After averaging 17 minutes per game as a freshman at Cal, Forbes transferred following the coaching change, but no announcement has been made on her next spot.


3. Karisma Ortiz (Mitty): Ortiz started 22 games for Penn State as a freshman in averaging three points, four rebounds and two assists. She transferred this off-season to Texas.


4. Neenah Young (St. Mary’s-Stockton): Young saw action in 14 games for Princeton as a freshman in averaging nine minutes per contest.


5. Haley Van Dyke (Campolindo): As a freshman at Washington, Van Dyke played in 32 games in registering nearly 500 total minutes. She averaged four points and three rebounds.


6. Kassidy De Lapp (Oak Ridge): She made 19 starts a year ago and was second on Oklahoma State in blocks.


7. Sirena Tuitele (Pleasant Valley): After leading Pleasant Valley to a NorCal title as a senior, Tuitele was Pac-12 All-Freshman honorable mention. She logged 19 starts for the Buffaloes.


8. Ariel Johnson (St. Mary’s-Stockton): Johnson averaged 20 minutes off the bench for Florida last season. She made 38 3s in 31 games.


9. Kiara Jefferson (West Campus): With a pair of state titles at West Campus, Jefferson moved to UCLA and played 14 minutes per game in her initial season in Westwood.


10. Shayley Harris (Folsom): Harris saw action in 12 games for UCLA in 2018-2019. She has since transferred to Santa Clara, which is also expected to sign her sister Katie Harris (Folsom) in the 2020 class.
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DeCosta to LMU.
 
No way! Why on earth would she go from #1 in the country to the middle of the pack WCC team? She will never see the NCAA tournament again.
 
I attempted to post this some time ago in response to the best NorCal player but just noticed that it didn't post. ------------------------------------------------

It still remains to be seen how Sabrina will do as a professional. You people are forgetting Chelsea Gray. Sabrina was relatively better in college than high school. But we have to wait to see how she does in the WNBA. Gray right now seems to be the best from Nor Cal at that level. She is a complete player and excels in all aspects of the game. She also had a good high school career, being named co- player of the Year with Cheney in one service. Her college career was hindered by injuries, but she really began to take off at the professional level and more than likely will represent the USA in the next Olympics.
 
Last edited:
straightline50 said:
No way! Why on earth would she go from #1 in the country to the middle of the pack WCC team? She will never see the NCAA tournament again.
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I would surmise that her top priority is to make the transition to a perimeter player. She was not going to get the minutes she felt was necessary at Baylor. They are loaded at the guard spots. Perhaps she felt that this team offered her the best available opportunity to do that. It also leaves her the option of transferring in her grad year to a top P 5 program after she has had the necessary experience to play a guard position. She has the technical and physical tools. She just needs the experience.
 
One thing I think people tend to underestimate in these kinds of situations is the process -- in other words, getting to the NCAA tournament and winning a few games is the end result of a long, long process. So if you achieve that goal and get some satisfaction from that achievement, but the process (where you live, who you're with, how you're coached) is not at all satisfactory, then on balance, it's not worth it.

For DeCosta, her future earnings are not particularly dependent on the school she attends (though quality of coaching and her position could impact her), so her enjoyment of her time as a college student and basketball player is really the key.

I don't know her at all so I have no idea, but it sure seems like she made this decision based on how much she would enjoy her time in college as opposed to how far her team would go in six-game postseason tournaments.
 
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CoachDViks said:
Haley was a great player. BUT i would take Jackie over Haley any night vs any team.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Haley very solid in all aspects of the game, but not not spectacular like Jackie. Who gets picked first and in what order in a pick up game if you got Haley, Jackie, Jayne & Sabrina along with 6 others?
 
observer22 said:
Interesting. Haley very solid in all aspects of the game, but not not spectacular like Jackie. Who gets picked first and in what order in a pick-up game if you got Haley, Jackie, Jayne & Sabrina along with 6 others?
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There are several questions with respect to whom to pick. Being that they played in different eras, are we talking at their high school, college or professional ceilings? In Jackie's case, she never got close to reaching her ceiling either in college or Pro due to injury at a time when ACL surgery was in its infancy. What she might have done is pure speculation as is Sabrina's Professional and both College and professional careers for Haley.

In respect to being named a consensus player of the year, it depends on who your competition in your class is. Some classes are stronger than others. Gemelos competition was Tina Charles who was a WNBA #1 pick and has a stellar career. Chelsea Gray shared co player of the year with Chiney Ogwumike who also ended up being a #1 pick.
 
I was thinking of each of them in their prime, which I agree are different for each of them for various reasons. That was just off the top of my head. You could easily add Chelsea, Aquira, Courtney and I’m sure there are about 30 other great players that would be vying for the remaining 6 spots. Once the first picks are made, then you’d have to factor in chemistry, who you have and what your needs are.
 
observer22 said:
I was thinking of each of them in their prime, which I agree are different for each of them for various reasons. That was just off the top of my head. You could easily add Chelsea, Aquira, Courtney and I’m sure there are about 30 other great players that would be vying for the remaining 6 spots. Once the first picks are made, then you’d have to factor in chemistry, who you have and what your needs are.
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Was Ionescu a consensus player of the year? I remember she tore it up in the McD's game. I'll admit I under appreciated her because she came from a set program, and never knew she was as good as she is in college. Pretty amazing kid!
 
Really hard to say ... and I think a key criterion is how we're judging:

1) You pick her for one game at the end of her senior year in high school
2) One game in her prime (whenever it was, or will be)
3) Her overall high school career
4) Her overall college career
5) Her overall career

The answers might well be different for each one ...
 
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ClayK said:
Really hard to say ... and I think a key criterion is how we're judging:

1) You pick her for one game at the end of her senior year in high school
2) One game in her prime (whenever it was, or will be)
3) Her overall high school career
4) Her overall college career
5) Her overall career

The answers might well be different for each one ...
Click to expand...
I believe the only way this would make sense if each of the last three criteria were separate. And the best Nor Cal player was selected separately in each category. Some have not even played but a few games in college. Others have not played professionally. Many, such as Sabrina, excelled more in college than the did in high school. Some, such as Gray have excelled more as a professional than they did in either high school or college.

So if the choice is who was the best player at their peak regardless of which venue you would have to eliminate anyone who has not played professionally yet. Because how well a player will do at the next level is pure speculation. Players hit their peaks at different times for a variety of different reasons.
 
observer22 said:
Interesting. Haley very solid in all aspects of the game, but not not spectacular like Jackie. Who gets picked first and in what order in a pick up game if you got Haley, Jackie, Jayne & Sabrina along with 6 others?
Click to expand...

If you're straight talking high school...

Jackie Gemelos
Sabrina Ionescu
Jane Appel
Danielle Robinson
Courtney Parris
Brittany Boyd
Erin Buschler
Chelsea Gray
Haley Jones
Renee Robinson
 
are we talking a controlled setting at a nice gym or are we talking pick ball at Leimert Park in South Central LA.. that makes a difference on who you pick too.
 
ankleassassin said:
are we talking a controlled setting at a nice gym or are we talking pick ball at Leimert Park in South Central LA.. that makes a difference on who you pick too.
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FFS, does it really matter where they play Mr. gangsta gangsta...? sheesh This isn't boys in the hood or he got game...
 
Erin Buescher ... great call. 25 points and 25 rebounds in state title game.

Jamie Redd.

Brandy Reed.

Amanda Lassiter -- first NorCal woman to play in the WNBA.
 
Amanda Lassiter...Washington HS. There's another kid who I thought was damn good, but not as good as she turned out to be. Brandy Reed isn't ringing a bell.
 
Brandy Reed played at Balboa and was barely eligible throughout her career, but she had a memorable postseason run as a junior, scoring 38 or something like that against a good Berkeley team.

She had mental health issues, but made the WNBA as a 6-1 extremely talented wing but couldn't keep it together long enough to carve out a career.
 
Norcal_Fan said:
If you're straight talking high school...

Jackie Gemelos
Sabrina Ionescu
Jane Appel
Danielle Robinson
Courtney Parris
Brittany Boyd
Erin Buschler
Chelsea Gray
Haley Jones
Renee Robinson
Click to expand...


Great list. I’ve been lucky enough to see them all.
 
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