Magnificent Marah

Marah Strickland of Towson, Md., has had a breakout spring and start to the summer, staking her claim as one of the very best prospects in the Class of 2007. Yet she wasn't even invited to try out for the USA Basketball U18 team.

PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

BEAVERTON, Ore. - She wasn’t in Colorado Springs for the USA Basketball U18 trials, so she won’t see gold this year. But Marah Strickland’s game may just be platinum. Strickland continues to make the argument for consideration as one of the country’s top guards as she put on an impressive show at the 2006 Nike Girls Skills Academy.

The only thing that seemed to slow the 5-feet-11 scoring machine from Towson, Md., was an ankle sprain Saturday morning, but she didn’t let it get her down. She battled through while not overdoing it.

No one at the Skills Academy has as imposing an offensive arsenal. Strickland combines quickness, handle, deception, good balance and a sweet jumper. With her performance this spring and in Oregon, it is a wonder she wasn’t invited to the USA Basketball U18 trials as she’s as real as it gets for perimeter scoring. Defensively she’s no slouch, either.

“At first it bugged me,” Strickland said of her omission from the USA invitees list, “but then it motivated me. I realized I can’t dwell on that – just get in the gym and do my best every time I step out on that floor.” With her play so far this year it would be shocking if she wasn’t invited to try out for next year’s FIBA U19 World Championship team. “If I get an opportunity that would be great,” Strickland said.

Marah Strickland

The omission certainly is not impacting Strickland’s recruiting negatively. She’s considering several schools, including Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina State, Vanderbilt and Virginia.

Athleticism and hoops are rampant in the Strickland family. Both of Strickland’s siblings were big-time high school players who each scored 31 points per game during their final prep seasons. Her brother, Marshall Strickland III, just finished his senior year at Indiana and is currently playing with the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Summer League. Her sister Marche’ led Maryland in scoring as a senior (2001-02 season) and was three times a USA Today All-American Honorable Mention.

Both of Strickland's siblings often remind her that she averaged 23 points per game during her junior year while they each finished at 31 their senior year. She is going to shoot for that level, but not at the expense of winning. She maintains that her high-school team has done more winning than her siblings’.

Strickland’s game shows no fear of any defender, which undoubtedly came in part from having older siblings to go against. “I don’t know, I think probably playing my brother,” Strickland said of her aggressive style of play. “He helped build the hunger in my game. He was always telling me ‘Come at me, come at me!’ Having an older brother was really good for me.” And there are very few players she’ll see in high school that can be more intimidating than her big brother, who is 6-2 and nearly 200 pounds.

This year she’s trying to refine her game. “I want to do the best I can do every tournament,” Strickland said. “Sometimes you have bad games but I want to be very consistent with my game.”

Having played previously for Team Unique since the 7th grade, Strickland is playing this season with the venerable Boo Williams Summer League squad, which sports a collection of very talented players from D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Her club team is not the only thing that’s changed from last season, so has her game. “I think it’s definitely matured,” Strickland said. “It’s simplified. I’m trying to round my game to be more adult, woman player instead of a little girl. I definitely think I’ve matured in my knowledge of the game.”

While her summer team is arguably the most talented team in the country, Strickland credits much of her maturity to her junior season of high school. “My high school team helped me out a lot too, having to step up,” Strickland said. “We didn’t win the championship but we made it really far. Having to be a leader on that team really helped me for the summer.”

Her performance this spring and in Oregon to start the summer serves notice that Strickland’s ready to among the top players in the country.

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Chris Hansen is the National Director of Scouting for Women's Basketball at HoopGurlz.com and Scout.com. Chris leads the panel that evaluates and ranks girl's basketball prospects nationally for HoopGurlz, Scout.com and Full Court Press (www.FullCourt.com). Chris has been involved in the women’s basketball community since 1998 as a coach, trainer, evaluator and reporter. He can be reached at [e-mail].

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Our Complete Nike Skills Coverage Menu:

Magnifient Marah
Marah Strickland has staked her claim as one of the nation's best '07 prospects.

Stanford Bags Another Big
The hot-recruiting Cardinal land a 6-feet-5 shooter.

A Krystal Clear Forward
Krystal Thomas has made it clear that she is an elite 2007 power forward prospect, and not a post.

No More Doubting Thomas
Jasmine Thomas picks up the pieces after not making the USA U18 team.

Opening Salvo
A look at the opening session of the Nike Women's Skills Academy.

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