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| EOT Watch - July 8
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OREGON CITY, Ore. – Rachel Rentschler, a 6-foot-1 post from Keller, Texas, and San Jose’s Danielle Robinson are household names that stood out here on Day Three of the End of the Trail tournament, but the question of the day - just who in the heck is this Melissa Jones kid who has blown up this weekend? A 5-11 combo guard from Thornton, Colo., Jones had the coaches buzzing Saturday and for most of the tournament. Her handle, change of pace, balance, shooting and physical defensive play are some of the things she showed playing for the WYCO Pride. She is a scorer who can shoot the ball from deep, shooting especially well off the dribble moving to her left. She has a nasty crossover and is physically strong to be effective even against good defense. It was rare to see her even remotely bothered by ball pressure. Jones is not blazing fast, but runs the break very well, makes good decisions and her passes are on the money. Defensively, she covers a lot of ground, works hard to beat the ballhandler to the spot and is strong enough that if she does beat them to the spot, not to get knocked off the spot or called for a blocking foul. The kid looks ready to make an impact right away on the next level and looked as good as any of the top guards in the country. Don’t be fooled by Danielle Robinson’s slight physique, she’s getting it done and led her San Jose Cager’s team to the Blue Bracket finals against Boo Williams. Most didn’t think they’d get past the talented West Coast Elite – Black squad but, alas, it was Robinson and Company that emerged. Robinson is easily one of the quickest, if not the quickest player in Oregon. She changes directions and speeds better than most and gets up the floor with the ball and running the lanes on the break as well. She slips in the smallest gaps in the defense to create shots for her teammates, too. This quickness and playmaking has put Robinson in the national recruiting spotlight and she’s considering offers from Califonia, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt and Washington and has applied to Stanford as well. Rentschler, a University of Texas commit, was as dominating an interior force as any on Saturday. She is one of the most physical interior players in the country and plays bigger than her listed 6-1 height. She’s a coach’s dream for an interior player as she does all the little things besides just being a scoring threat. The 2007 prospect thrives on contact. Rentschler bumps any and every cutter who tries to come through the land big or small. She never misses a box out either, and why would she? It’s a chance to hit someone. She has a solid post up game as well and work best from the right box. She also has soft touch and gets a couple of short corner jumpers a game as she’s usually more athletic that the opposing posts. One thing’s for sure, she’s ready for the more physical play at the college level
 Karima Christmas looked excellent again today utilizing her strength and explosive first step in getting to the basket. I still haven’t seen her shoot a jumper outside of ten feet but when you can get to the basket at will and either finish or draw a foul there’s no use putting up lower percentage shots. She will need to have a jumper for next level to play the three but she has a college ready body. Karli Bakondy, a hair-trigger, long-range bomber from Cy-Pres, Texas, did her job in a nail biter against the Spokane Stars, hitting a handful of deep shots. She makes up for her size with a very quick release and she can shoot it on the move. She also is a pesky on-ball defender. If she could develop her off hand she could be a bigger offensive threat. Kelsey Woodard, a 5-10 wing from Bellevue, Neb., is a solidly built guard for the Omaha Crusaders whose strong legs provide a great base for light's-out shooting streaks out to the three-point line. She gets the ball in her sights and toward the target quickly. She will attack the rim off the dribble, though her penetration moves are more the result of opportunities taken, as opposed to after breaking down a defender.  Alyssia Brewer, a 6-3 post from Sapulpa, Okla., battled along with her Cal Storm teammates against Fairfax in a double overtime loss. Brewer was going heads up a lot with Chay Shegog and used her smooth lefty turn around jumper and fought on the glass to keep the Storm in the game, which they led most of the way. She’s emerging as a top young post. Chelsey Shine, a 6-3 forward from Wayne, Penn., has played well all week helping the rest of the Fencor frontcourt overcome their leader’s absence and still making it to their bracket finals. She’s a hard working interior player with good hands and balance. She pivots both ways and rebounds well too.  Tierra Rogers a 5-11 swing player from Pacifica, Calif., has played well this week, taking advantage of her athleticism. She’s a high-motor player that rebounds very well from the guard position and was big part of the Cager’s upset of West Coast Elite Black. In addition to working the glass, she got out in transition and ran the floor exceptionally well.
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