NDA's Fantastic Four

Even in losing, Notre Dame Academy of Middleburg, Va., served notice that its young, talented team belongs among the nation's elite.

PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

Josette Campbell

Ebonie Williams

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Lost in the exhilarating finish of Collins Hill's overtime victory over Notre Dame Academy on Tuesday was the play of NDA for the first 29 minutes of the game, during which the Dragons were the better team.

"That is the best, fundamentally sound team we have ever played," Collins Hill coach Tracey Tipton said of NDA after her team's 78-73 victory. "They play hard, they play together. You can tell that they are very well coached."

NDA has a quartet of players that is very good and all of which can make big time plays and feed off each other. The Fantastic Four are senior guard Ebonie Williams, junior guard Josette Campbell, junior forward Mia Nickson and junior post Azania Stewart.

All superhero groups need roles and these kids all fit together with each person’s great abilities contributing to the success of the team itself. Williams is the floor leader which is fitting being she is the only senior in the foursome. Her backcourt teammate Campbell is the playmaker, Nickson is the energy and toughness and Stewart is the imposing defender and physical presence inside.

Williams creates a lot of offense for her teammates as well as herself. She uses head fakes and shot fakes as well as anyone here and is always on balance. She has an explosive first step and can stop and pop the three-point shot as well. She distributes the ball very well and defends.

Campbell is Captain Clutch. She always seems to make momentum-changing plays. She can shoot the three and is extremely athletic and long in her 6-foot-1 frame. She is a legit high major prospect who is only going to get better. She plays the game hard on both ends of the floor and provides NDA with a great second scoring option on the perimeter if teams focus on Williams.

In the frontcourt the tandem of Nickson and Stewart is intimidating. Both are tough physical players who like to mix it up in the paint. These are players coaches love because they don’t have to be told to bump cutters coming across the lane or that they need to make contact on boxouts.

Nickson provides the spark when things get slow and she is a high-motor, high-energy player. She’s listed at 6-1 but plays bigger because of her length and willingness to use her body and she’s great in the open court as well. Stewart is a center who can roam the paint and block shots but has very advanced skills in post defense, from keeping a hand in the passing lane on a three-quarter front to moving her feet to get all the way in front if necessary. She sees the floor well and keeps the game in front of her, which allows her to react and block shots the way she does. She also cleans up the glass and goes after the ball where some posts have a tendency to wait for the ball to come to them because of their height.

The group is just fun to watch. They had one of the top teams in the country under control until a late scoring burst from Collins Hill showed their youth. They panicked in the closing minutes, missing free throws and stepping out of bounds from pressure giving Collins Hill extra chances to beat them. This will be a definite learning experience for this young team and, as their coach, Mike Teasley, said after the game, they’ll be back.

"This was our coming out party," Teasley said, "Now we know we can play with the top teams in the country." After their performances against Lynwood and Collins Hill, it is clear that they are a legitimate contenders for mention as one of the nation’s top teams even after a heartbreaking loss.

Azania Stewart

Mia Nickson

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