Bayou Watch - July 12

Las Vegas native Italee Lucas delivered one of the summer's most spectacular performances for West Coast Elite during the semifinals of the Basketball on the Bayou viewing tournament in Birmingham, Ala.

PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Italee Lucas, the 5-foot-7 North Carolina commit from Las Vegas, Nev., was on fire during her team’s big showdown with the Georgia Metros. En fuego doesn’t even do her performance justice as she helped the West Coast Elite-Black advance to the semifinals of the 2006 Basketball on the Bayou tournament.

Italee Lucas

Lucas started the game with a wicked, step-back three-pointer and never really slowed down from there. She had 15 points at the half to lead WCE to a 37-25 halftime lead and finished the game with 28. She got on such a scoring role that the Metros switched Maya Moore, the nation’s No. 1 prospect, according to HoopGurlz.com, over to guard her and she had marginally better luck than her teammates. She slowed her scoring a little bit but brought out the true genius in Lucas’s game tonight. Lucas then got her teammates involved.

With a bigger, stronger player on her, Lucas was not able to create the same space as she normally would, although she still scored against Moore. Lucas’ passing and energy defensively sparked her entire team. Her team feeds off of her. When she plays with energy, they fly all over the place, believe in themselves and play at their potential. When she coasts, they typically also coast, putting even more pressure on her to not only score and pass but also lead.

Lucas gets up for the big games and has another big game in front of her Thursday morning with a semifinal matchup against Boo Williams Summer League. When Lucas brings her a game she is unstoppable and that’s not an exaggeration. Her challenge from this point forward is to bring that unstoppable game every time out, whether against top competition or during pool play game against a team they should beat. That’s what sets the superstars apart from the good or great players.

Expecting her to be a pro is a bit much, but today should serve as a lesson for Lucas and her opponents.

Angela Puleo

Iasia Hemingway from Newark, N.J., did her thing attacking the basket against the Tennessee Flight. She’s the type of player who attacks the defender straight on, she doesn’t waste any motion trying to go around people. She makes one or two moves and is coming straight at the defender. She got to the line a lot, scoring from the stripe for seven of her game high 25 points.

Angela Puleo a 5-foot-9 guard from Louisville, Tenn., has been shooting lights out all week here at Basketball on the Bayou. She scored 16 against the NY Gauchos, 12 of which came from three pointers. The Georgia commit got a quick, high and consistent release that has allowed her to get her shot off all week. She cooled off a little bit against All Ohio but hit enough shots to help them win their pool and was on fire most of the tournament. She has to be considered one of the best shooters among Class of 2007 prospects.

Christi Nardozzi, a 5-8 guard from West Palm Beach, Fla., has been a masked marvel all week, as she is wearing a protective device on her face. It doesn't seem to effect her game, however, as she is an explosive shooter off the dribble. She isn't a bolt of lightning, but is fast enough and, most importantly, gets low and does an excellent job maintaining control on dribble penetrations.

Shalyn Martin, a 6-0 wing from Arlington, Texas, is a slinky shooter, who has a very slight frame, but good height that helps her gain leverage on her shot. This allows her to hit the three off the dribble. She runs the floor well and is explosive enough off two feet that her teammates throw lob entries into the lane.



Yvonne Anderson, a 5-6 point guard from Hoover, Ala., is the daughter of new Missouri men's basketball coach Mike Anderson, so she plays as you'd expect a coach's daughter to play. She doesn't have ideal height, but is built compactly and takes a lot of punishment from opposing defenses. She is willing to take hits during penetration and still finish her shots. She has range off the dribble and catch-and-shoot situations.

Glenn Nelson also contributed to this report

Yvonne Anderson of Alabama RoadRunners runs into Ta’Shia Phillips of All Ohio

Christi Nardozzi of South Florida Lady Canes

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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 and Scout. 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 2006 Basketball on the Bayou Coverage Menu:

Bayou Watch - July 12
Italee Lucas was on fire for West Coast Elite in the semifinals.

Basketball on the Bayou Photos
Images from Tuesday's play at Basketball on the Bayou in Birmingham, Ala.

Bayou Watch - July 11
Our daily look at the top prospects, including the Georgia Metros, April Sykes and Brooklyn Pope, among others.

Bayou Watch - July 10
Breaking down the players at Basketball on the Bayou in Birmingham, Ala.

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