The Word from Milton Jenkins on the Galaxy Girls AAU Basketball team

Andy,

I will try and keep you up to date on the Galaxy Girls AAU team that is playing in Kingsport, Tennesse starting on Thursday.

Here are some girls that could be flying under the radar that might have a impact on their prospective high school teams in the not so distant future:Some have already made a splash but will have an even greater one either this year or years to come.

Possible schools:

Desiree Drayton (Dudley) Fast, Athletic, Great rebounder, Good defender: Needs to learn how to finish more consistently and improve on free throw shooting. Could be one of the best in two years. In the mode of Candice Saunders( Winston Salem State- Dudley & Amber Wall Eastern Guilford & Elon). Under the radar but not for long.

Britanny Drew (Page) Good ball handler, Good free throw shooter, Could be a great zone buster in the right system. Needs to work more on quickness but has the court savy to make up the difference. May lead the county in three point shooting in the years to come. In the mode of the Milton girl from Northeast and Amy Beasley South East. Ninth grader. Excellent student academically. Under the radar but climbing in certain areas of the city.

Capricia Smalls (Eastern Guilford) Started last year as a freshmen at point guard to compliment Easterns All time leading scorer and Player of the Year Tasha Huntley(Norfolk State). Handles the ball extremely well. Can penetrate on anyone. Can distribute the ball well. Shoots around 60% from free throw line. Average 10.6 ppg,5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Her numbers should be around 15 to 20 points this year. Tenth grader. Under the radar of coaches in the city.

Kierra (Dudley) Very fundamentally sound player. Plays good defense. Have a good understanding of the game. Needs to develope a better outside jumper. Drives very well to the basket and can use both hands. Will be a force in the years to come.Ninth grader. More in the mode of Katherine Lyons (Bishop Mcguiness& Maryland) and Mercedes King (North East & Belmont Abney) Great Student academically. High on the radar of coaches in the city.

Brianna Patterson (Dudley) Fast, quick, tenacious on defense. Played a lot last year. Her numbers should be up this year in double digits scoring. Could lead the county in steals. Must improve outside shot to take her game to another level. Will team up with Helen Terry at the guard position to create havoc against the opposition. In the mode of Kendra Porter (Dudley & Radford) but a better scorer. Tenth grader. High on the radar.

Katherine Henderson (Greensboro Day) Reclassed but has all the tools. Used to team up with Mercedes King. Has a good feel for the game. Would have been on several All county teams if her team had played better. Should be one of the counties best. In the mode of Asha Hardaway(Northwest & Belmont Abbney) Senoir. Great student. High on the radar.

Amy Beasley( South East) No stranger. Best pure shooter in the county. Will easily average from 15 to 20 points. Has a good feel for the game. Must improve quickness. Great student. Well known on the radar of coaches in the city.

Ameriyha Jamison (Eastern Guilford) The only ninth grader to average over 12 rebounds in the area this past season. Finish eight in the state (NC SPORTS .COM)Had a game high of 21 in one game. Quick leaper. Needs to continue to work on that little 10 to 15 ft jumper. No one in the area goes after rebounds like her. In the mode of Amber Walls when it comes to leaping ability. Excellent student academically. Not known yet but in two years they will.

Ashley (Smith) Best creator at the guard spot in the city. Quick, Deceptive, Tenacious and Tough. No one defender can shut her down. Will have some games that will leave one shaking their heads. Must learn to get better control of her emotions and the sky is the limit. 20 point averager in the making. Could make First Team All -Guilford many times in the years to come. Tent grader. In the Tasha Huntley(Eastern Guilford) mode but can penetrate and finish better at this stage. High on the radar of coaches in the city.

Lashonda Anderson (Eastern Guilford) The most improve player in the area. Average 11 rebounds and 9 points this past year. As a ninth grader only played about two minutes a game. Her tenth grade year was awesome. Had a game high of 25 rebounds in a Christmas tournament in Graham. Had a game of 26 points and 16 rebounds in a game against Co- Champs Reidsville. Has gotten stronger. Needs to work a little more on foot work and a 8 to 10 ft jump shot. Pretty good free throw shooter. Will be counted on heavily this year. In the mode of Whitney Way ( Western Alamance 2006).Great student.

Amanda Harrison (Dudley) Could be one of the city’s best players if the focus becomes better. Very Athletic. Fast, Strong and has some decent moves in the paint. This one is either going to be great or a bust and no in betweens. A mix between Sierra Little ( Old Dominion) and Amber Walls( Elon). Tenth grader. High on the radar and could be higher.

Gina Upshaw(Dudley) Good team mate who makes good decisions. Plays within her limits. Does not have an ego problem and could be one of the pleasant surprises this year from a scoring stand point. Nice inside touch and will shoot in the 50 to 55% range. Will be the quiet leader of this team come crunch time. Would be the type of person to name as captain because it looks like she relates to every ego on the team. In the mode of Sharee Avent (Eastern Guilford). Not scoring wise but from a maturity standpoint. Great student academically. Will be on top of the radar before all is said and done.

Miranda Jenkins (Eastern) Keen knowlege of the game. Good instincts, Good foot work and a passion for the game. Hates losing and works extremely hard. Can create off the dribble and has a semi hook shot that is hard to defend. Has the ability to carry a team at any given moment from an offensive or defensive standpoint. Shoots in the 45 to 55% field goal range. Shoots 66% from the line. Average 19.7ppg, 6.5 rebounds, 5.75 blocks, 4.5 steals and 4 assists for the Eastern Junior high team that went 11 and 2 this past season. Started with Capricia Smalls and Ameriyha Jamison the year before and went 13 and 0. Plays for Galaxy in AAU and is averaging 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 steals and 3 assists. Plays the two guard spot but has the ability to play where is needed the most. In the mode of Mercedes King, Katherine Lyons and Jasmine Gill(Page). Scored the second highest on her schools EOG Test. Excellent student academically. Way under the radar of coaches in the city.Ninth grader.

Bjorn Fonville(Page) Should have a pretty good senoir year to take some of the pressure off of Jasmine Gill. Great outside shooter whom needs to take more shots to increase the productivity of this team. She has a good feel for the game. A potential 10 to 14 point averager if she gets the green light. Should be one of the areas best on a team with probably one of the best players in the state. This could be her year to shine in a supportive role. Good student. In the mode of Amy Beasley but quicker. Quietly on the radar.

Helen Terry, Nicole Hargrove, Christin Fields, Jasmine Gill, Trumae Lucas, and many others that may have been left out have pretty much have made a name for themselves and rightfully so because they have earned it and will leave their mark in the area. The up and coming or overlooked girls were presented and there will be more to present in the months to come to show what this area has to offer now and later.