STARZ 4TH GRADE TEAM is GROWING UP FAST!
Our youngest Starz team for 2012 is our newly formed
Southern Starz 4th Grade Team (Class of
2020) which is coached by current Starz Senior (Class of
2012) Martin Methodist signee
Nina Mills of 4A-Good Hope High School.
Starz 4th is made up of 10 young ladies, including 2 younger
sisters of current older Starz players. They have a current
record of 9-4, playing 4th and 5th Grade Teams. On the
weekend of April 25-27, Starz 4th played in the AAU Super
Regional Tournament in Franklin, TN and qualified for the
AAU National Tournament by reaching the Championship Game,
only to fall short in a heart-breaking last second 29-27
loss to the host Tennessee A-Game 4th Grade Team. Our Starz
led the entire game until the final seconds. This weekend,
on May 11-12, our Starz 4th participated in the PINK ZONE
event in Birmingham and finished with a record of 2-1,
falling short Friday night to the AL Twisters, but coming
back to win their 2 games on Saturday in convincing
fashion. Starz 4th will join each of our other Starz teams
at the AL AAU State Tournament in Birmingham at Samford
University on May 25-27. CONGRATS & GOOD LUCK to Starz 4TH!
STARZ SIGNEES for CLASS of 2012 set RECORD!
As our
Southern Starz Class of 2012 prepares for
their high school graduations in 2 weeks, many of these same
young ladies will move on to pursue their education in
college while continuing to play basketball ... on
Scholarship! To date ... a Starz Record
19 players from our
Class of 2012 will accept college basketball scholarships to
take their talents to the next level! Recent college
signees include:
Ayanna McCullough of 5A-Russellville
High with Stillman College (D2) in Tuscaloosa, AL ...
Mary Ellen Williams of Baylor School
(Chattanooga TN) with DePauw University (D3) in Greencastle,
IN ...
Hope Benefield of 2A-Ider High School with
Wallace St CC in Hanceville, AL ...
DeAsha Campbell of 6A-Bob Jones HS with
Florida State CC in Jacksonville, AL ...
Amber Elliott of 5A-Russellville, AL with
Shelton State CC in Tuscaloosa, AL ...
Regotta Craig of 6A-Hoover High with Shelton
State CC in Tuscaloosa, AL ...
Rayshell Harris of 5A-JO Johnson HS with
Southern Alabama CC in Thomasville, AL ... and,
Collin Nichols of 5A-Madison County HS will
play Volleyball at Gadsden State CC in Gadsden, AL. See the
entire listing of Starz Signees for 2012 and prior at:
http://www.southernstarz.org/college.htm. CONGRATS!!
NIKE SKILLS ACADEMY - STARZ 2015 PLAYER KRISTIAN HUDSON!
Southern Starz Freshman,
Kristian Hudson of our Starz 2015-Bush Team
and 6A-Clay Chalkville High School participated at the NIKE
Skills Academy on the weekend of April 28-29 in Atlanta,
GA. Kristian was one of only 4 players from the State of
Alabama to be invited to this exclusive event which included
top players from all across the Southeast. Also present
were national scouting services. Members of the WNBA
Atlanta Dream were also on-hand. Kristian enjoyed the
instruction, competition and 2 days of intense basketball!
CONGRATS to Kristian!
STARZ TEAMS SHOW STRONG at DEEP SOUTH CLASSIC 2012!!
On the NCAA Spring viewing weekend of April 20-22, 3 of our high
school age Southern Starz teams traveled to Raleigh-Durham,
NC to participate in the prestigious
Deep South Classic held at various sites in
the area. Our 3 teams combined for a record of 8-4 while
playing UP against very strong competition and while playing
in front of hundreds of college coaches!! Our
Starz 9th Grade-Bush Team (14U) finished 5th
of the 16 teams in the 14U-National Division with a record
of 3-1 ... their only loss was by 4 pts to the eventual 3rd
Place finisher (Domino's of New Orleans). Our
Starz 10th Grade Team (15U) won the
Consolation Championship in the 16-team 16U-National
Division (Bracket A). After losing a tough opening game by
7 points, our Starz 10th Graders won their final 3 games in
convincing fashion to finish with a record of 3-1. Our
Starz 11th Grade (Looney) team finished
Runner-Up in the Consolation Bracket of the
16-team 17U-National Division (Bracket B) with a record of
2-2. 11th-Looney lost by 3 pts in the Consolation
Championship on Sunday. At each Starz game, numerous college
coaches were in attendance watching our players! CONGRATS
to ALL!
STARZ 9th & 10th TEAMS are AAU SUPER REGIONAL CHAMPS!!
In our very own
11th Annual AAU Super Regional Tournament
hosted by our Southern Starz in Huntsville, AL on April
13-15 at Huntsville High, Madison Academy, and Bob Jones HS,
our
Starz 2015-Bush
Team won the 9th Grade Division with a hard
fought victory in the Championship Game over the Alabama
Shockerz by the score of 41-39. Our Starz trailed by 22-14
at halftime before coming back strong in the 2nd half with a
great Defensive performance. Our
Starz 2014 Team cruised through the entire
tournament which ended with a 82-47 victory over the North
AL Blast in the Championship Game. Our
Starz 7th-Crider Team finished Runner-Up in
the 7th Grade Division with a tough 60-57 loss to the
nationally-ranked Kentucky Blast 7th Grade Team. Starz
7th-Crider was 4-0 in Pool Play, including a victory in OT
over this same Kentucky Blast team. Each of these 3 teams
qualified for the AAU D1 National Championships to be held
this Summer. CONGRATS to ALL our STARZ!!!
SOUTHERN
STARZ SRT
THANKS for your participation in our 11th Annual AAU SRT in
Huntsville AL last weekend!! We had some great competition
... including a 4 OT Thriller in the 8th Grade Division!!
Age Group Champs were as follows:
6th Grade: Kentucky Blast Runner-Up: Madison County
Lady Eagles
7th Grade: Kentucky Blast Runner-Up: AL Southern
Starz
8th Grade: Kentucky Blast Runner-Up: Mobile Comets
9th Grade: AL Southern Starz Runner-Up: Alabama
Shockerz
10th Grade: AL Southern Starz Runner-Up: North
AL Blast
11th Grade: NMB Hoop Dreams-BLUE Runner-Up: Kentucky
Blast
ALL Champs & Runner-Ups qualified for AAU Division 1
Nationals! In addition, the 3rd Place finishers in the 9th
Grade Division (TN A-Game) and the 10th Grade Division also
qualified for D1 due to the # of teams. All other teams
qualified for the Division 2 AAU Nationals
STARZ DOMINATE 5 of 6 STATE POYs & MISS BASKETBALL!
At the annual
Player of the Year luncheon in Montgomery,
AL on Wednesday, April 11 sponsored by the AHSAA, 9 Starz
players were among the 18 finalists in each of the 6
Classifications (1A-6A) who were vying for the Player of the
Year award for 2011-12. Starz Director/Coach
Doug Bush was present at the luncheon as
Starz players were awarded Player of the Year in 5 of the 6
classifications by the ASWA as follows:
Alex Gholston (JR) of
1A State semi-finalist R.A Hubbard won for the 2nd year in a
row ...Taylor
Adams (SR) of 2A State Champion Section ...
Hayden Hamby (SR) of 3A West Morgan won for
the 3rd year in a row ...
Shakayla Thomas (SO) of 5A Sylacauga ... and
Jasmine Jones of 6A State Runner-Up Bob
Jones won for the 2nd year in a row. U of Tennessee signee
JASMINE JONES was then named as MISS
BASKETBALL to add to her Gatorade Player of
the Year award. Jasmine becomes the 3rd Starz player in the
past 4 years to win Miss Basketball, following her Starz
teammate & Purdue signee Hayden Hamby last year and Jala
Harris in 2009. CONGRATS to our STARZ!!
|
Shakayla Thomas and Leah Strain |
Alex Gholston |
3 STARZ in SUPER 5 in STATE OF ALABAMA for 2011-12!
At the annual
Player of the Year luncheon in Montgomery,
AL on Wednesday, April 11 sponsored by the AHSAA, 3 Starz
players were named to the SUPER 5 All-State Team for
2011-12 as follows: Tennessee Signee
Jasmine Jones (SR) of 6A-Bob Jones, Purdue
signee
Hayden Hamby (SR) of 3A-West Morgan High
School, and
Shakayla Thomas (SOPH) of 5A-Sylacauga High
School. This is the 2nd consecutive year for Jasmine &
Hayden to be named to the Super 5 team. CONGRATS to our
SUPER STARZ!!
STARZ 2015's (9TH GR) ARE CHAMPIONS in MURFREESBORO!
Our
Southern Starz 2015-Bush (9th Grade) Team
battled back from a tough 1-point loss on Friday night in
their opening game on Friday night to WIN the CHAMPIONSHIP
of the 9th Grade Division of the annual Showtime Shootout in
Murfreesboro, TN held on March 30-April 1. Our Starz
2015-Bush team won 2 games on Saturday to capture 1st Place
in Pool B and then went on to win their semi-final game on
Sunday morning over our own Starz 2015-Gilliam team who
finished 2nd in Pool A. Starz 2015-Bush defeated the
Tennessee Flight 9th-Navy Team in the finals by a score of
40-36. Our Starz 11th, 10th, 8th, and 7th (both teams)
fared very well in their first big tournaments of the new
season. Starz 11th lost in the Quarter-finals, Starz 10th
lost in the semi-finals playing UP in the 11th Grade
Division, Starz 8th and 7th-Crider (Pool Champs) both lost
in the semi-finals of their respective age
divisions. CONGRATS to OUR STARZ!!!!
STARZ SOPH SHAKAYLA THOMAS TOPS 2,000 POINTS ... 
Starz Sophomore and recently named Class 5A 1st Team
All-State player,
Shakayla Thomas (Class of 2014) a 5'11"
Forward for Sylacauga High School surpassed the 2,000 point
total during the latter portion of her recent high school
season. Shakayla has 2 seasons to go in her high school
career before she takes her talents on to college. She is
currently ranked as the #8 player in the Class of 2014 by
All-Star Girls's Report (see http://asgr.info/).
She helped lead our Starz 2014 Team to a 4th Place finish at
the AAU 9th Grade National Tournament in July 2011
in Orlando, FL followed by a 1st Place Championship in the
AAU 9th Grade Super Showcase in Orlando, FL. CONGRATS to
Shakayla!!
ALL-STATE STARZ are EVERYWHERE for 2011-12!
Eighteen (18) of our Southern
Starz players filled up the 2011-12
All-State Basketball Teams as announced by the Alabama
Sports Writers Association (ASWA).
Class 6A
-
Jasmine Jones (1st Team) &
Tierra Jones (2nd
Team) of Bob Jones HS (both SRs);
Jacquelyn Thompson (SR) of Buckhorn HS (2nd
Team); & Kiana
Johnson (JR) of Northridge HS
Class 5A
-
Shakayla Thomas (SO) of Sylacauga HS (1st
Team),
Destany McLin (SR) of Athens HS (2nd Team);
Hannah Nichols (JR) of Madison County HS
(Hon Mention) &
Amber Elliott (SR) of Russellville HS (Hon
Mention)
Class 4A
-
Destiney Elliott (SO) of Oneonta HS (1st
Team);
Kayla Tillman (JR) of Good Hope HS (2nd
Team); Nina
Mills (SR) of Good Hope HS (Hon Mention)
Class 3A
- Lydia
McGee (SR) of Madison Academy (1st Team) &Hayden
Hamby (SR) of West Morgan (1st Team)
Class 2A
-
Taylor Adams (SR) of Section HS (1st Team);
Jordan Johnson (SR) of Hatton HS (1st
Team), &
Leah Strain (SO) of Woodland HS (1st Team)
Class 1A
-
Alex Gholston (JR) of R.A. Hubbard HS (1st
Team) &
Emma Herren (JR) of Berry HS (2nd Team)
SIX (6) STARZ on ALABAMA VS MISSISSIPPI ALL-STAR SQUAD!
SIX (6) of our
Southern Starz Class of 2012 (current
Seniors) have been selected for the
Alabama All-Star Team in the annual
Alabama vs Mississippi All-Star Game to be
held in Montgomery, AL on Friday, March 16 at 5:00pm at the
Dunn-Oliver Acadome on the campus of AL State University. Starz
Seniors
Jasmine Jones
(Tennessee signee & AL Gatorade Player of the Year) & Tierra
Jones (Tulane signee) of 6A State Runner-Up
Bob Jones HS, Hayden
Hamby (Purdue signee) of 3A-West Morgan HS, Lydia
McGee (Samford signee) of 3A-Madison
Academy,
Tiarra Pollnitz (Southern Miss signee) of
6A-Shades Valley HS, and
Taylor Adams (State 2A MVP) of 2A
State Champion Section HS will make up 1/2 of the 12-member
state-wide Alabama Team selected for this annual event. The
Alabama ladies hold a slim 11-10 edge in this series.
CONGRATS to our ALL STARZ!!
JASMINE JONES is GATORADE AL Girls' Basketball PLAYER of the
YEAR!
Starz Senior,
Jasmine Jones (class of 2012) of
nationally-ranked and state runner-up 6A-Bob Jones High
School was named the Gatorade Alabama Girls' Basketball
Player of the Year!! The Gatorade Company, in collaboration
with ESPN RISE, is in its 27th year of honoring the nation's
best high school athletes. This award recognizes not only
outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of
both academic achievement and exemplary character. Jasmine
is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National
Girls' Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced
later in March. This past season, Jasmine led her team to a
record of 36-3 and a national ranking by both USA Today and
ESPN by averaging 21 ppg, 12 rebs, 4 steals, and 3
blocks per game. She was named to the WBCA All-American
All-Star Game which will take place at the Final 4 in
Denver. She was also selected to the 12-member AL vs
Mississippi All-Star Game. Jasmine has signed a college
scholarship with the SEC Champion Tennessee Lady Vols. She
is the Starz
2nd consecutive Gatorade Player of the Year
following Starz 2012 Senior team mate and Purdue signee Hayden Hamby
who won this award last year as a Junior. CONGRATS to
Jasmine!
SENIOR ALL-STARZ play for Charity!
Six (6) members of our
Southern Starz Class of 2012 (current
Seniors) participated in a second-year post-season All-Star
game, the Senior Charity Showcase, featuring local area
Huntsville players to raise money for the Boys & Girls'
Club! On Saturday, March 10 at Randolph School, two (2)
teams divided into Huntsville City vs Huntsville Metro
competed with the "Blue" Team out-scoring the "White" Team
by a score of 83-75. Starz 2012 players Hayden Hamby (3A-West
Morgan & Purdue signee),
Lydia McGee (3A-Madison Academy & a Samford
signee),
Jackie Thompson (6A-Buckhorn & a U of
Montevallo signee),
DeAsia Toney (6A-Hazel Green & a Francis
Marion signee),
Rayshell Harris (5A-Johnson), and
Taylor Adams (2A State Champ Section
HS) participated in this all-star game. Other Starz
Seniors selected but unable to participate due to prior
commitments or injury included
Mary Ruth Bush (6A-Huntsville),
Tierra Jones (6A-Bob Jones),
Jasmine Jones (6A-Bob Jones),
Destany McLin (5A-Athens & Jacksonville St
signee),
Jordan Johnson
(2A-Hatton & a UT-Martin signee), and
Nicole Lanzillo (6A-Buckhorn). For the
winning "Blue" Team, Thompson scored 20 pts while Hamby
added 15 pts. McGee scored 20 pts while Adams tallied 11
pts for the "White" Team. CONGRATS to these All-Starz who
got to display their talents one more time locally here in
Huntsville!
STARZ ADAMS & MCCARVER at SECTION are 2A STATE CHAMPS!
Starz Senior Taylor
Adams (Class of 2012) and Starz Sophomore
Jordan McCarver (Class of 2014) played key
roles in leading #2-ranked Section Lady Lions to the 2A
State Championship with a hard fought 54-49 win over Red
Bay! Adams was named State
Finals MVP
as she led her team with 20 points & 11 rebounds. McCarver
was also named to the All-Tournament Team as was former
Starz 2013 player
Hannah Presley of Section. Congrats also
to Starz Senior
Regotta Craig (Class of 2012) and Starz
Junior
Olivia Adamson (Class of 2013) of Hoover
High School as they captured the 6A State Championship with
their 44-26 victory over #1-ranked 6A Bob Jones. Starz
Seniors
Jasmine Jones and
Tierra Jones of 6A Runner-Up Bob Jones were
named to the All-Tournament Team. Starz Senior Lydia McGee
of 3A-Madison Academy was named to the All-Tourney Team.
Starz Juniors
Alex Hubbard of 1A Runner-Up R.A. Hubbard
and
Nina Mills of 4A-Good Hope were also named
to the All-Tourney Team. Congrats to Starz Freshman
Malerie Drinkard who helped her Brewer Lady
Patriots to the Class 5A State Championship! CONGRATS to
our STARZ!!
5 STARZ are REGIONAL MVP's at WALLACE ST & JACKSONVILLE!
Starz Senior & Tennessee Signee
Jasmine Jones of defending Class 6A State
Champion Bob Jones High School was named
NW Regional MVP
as she led the #1-ranked Lady Patriots to a dominating 61-37
victory over Bessemer City and a return trip to the Final 48
in Birmingham next week where they will face #6 ranked
6A-Davidson (Mobile) on Friday, March 2. Jasmine scored
22pts & grabbed 8 rebs vs BC. Starz Senior & Tulane Signee
Tierra Jones of Bob Jones was named to the
All-Tournament Team after scoring 15 pts & grabbing 15 rebs!
Starz Junior
Kayla Tillman of #1-ranked 4A-Good Hope
scored 20 pts and was named
NW Regional MVP
as she led the Lady Raiders to a 65-52 win over Priceville. Good
Hope will face #6-ranked Andalusia on Wednesday, Feb. 29.
Starz Senior
Nina Mills was named
to the All-Tournament Team. Starz Junior
Alex Gholston of #1 ranked 1A-R.A. Hubbard
was named
NW Regional MVP
as she scored 24 pts and led the Lady Chiefs to a convincing
59-43 victory over #3-ranked Lynn. R.A. Hubbard will face
#4-ranked McIntosh on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Starz Junior
Emma Herren of Berry was named to the
All-Tourney Team. Starz Senior
Taylor Adams of #2-ranked 2A-Section was
named
NE Regional MVP
as she scored 22 pts & grabbed 9 rebs in leading Section to
a tough 51-41 victory over #5-ranked North Sand Mountain.
Section will face un-ranked Lanett on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Starz Freshman
Keely Ellison of North Sand Mtn was named to
the All-Tournament Team. Starz Senior
Lydia McGee of #6-ranked 3A-Madison Academy
was named
NE Regional MVP
as she scored 31 pts, grabbed 17 rebs and sank 19 of 21 FTs
in leading MA to a dominating victory over #2-ranked Pisgah
by a score of 73-51. MA will face #1-ranked Greensboro on
Wednesday, Feb. 29. Starz sophomore Janelle Odionu
of Buckhorn HS was named All-Tourney in 6A at Wallace
State.
Destiney Elliott of #2-ranked 4A-Oneonta and
Leah Strain of #1-ranked Woodland were both
named to the All-Tourney team at the NW Regional
at Jacksonville State. CONGRATS to our MVP & All-Tourney
STARZ!
CONGRATS to our MVP & All-Tourney STARZ!
JASMINE JONES makes the WBCA ALL-AMERICAN GAME!
Starz Senior (Class of 2012) & Tennessee Lady Vol Signee,
Jasmine Jones of 6A #1 ranked Bob Jones HS
has been selected to participate in the 2012 Women's
Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) High School
All-American Game presented by NIKE to be played on
Saturday, March 31, 2012. The nation's Top 20 players from
the Class of 2012 have been selected to play in the 21st
Annual All-American Game which will take place at the Pepsi
Center in Denver, Colorado, during the 2012 NCAA Women's
Final Four. The game will be played on the official NCAA
Women's Final Four court. The 20 players will be divided
into two 10-player teams for the game which will be played
according to NCAA rules. "The 20 members of this team are
the Future of women's basketball," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass.
Jasmine will be joined on the court by future Tennessee Lady
Vol teammate Bashaara Graves from Clarksville, TN along with
18 other top players from the Class of 2012. Jasmine was
nominated for the WBCA All-American Game by Starz
Director/Coach Doug Bush who is a current member of the WBCA.
CONGRATS to JASMINE!!
JASMINE JONES is McDONALD'S ALL-AMERICAN NOMINEE!
Starz Senior (Class of 2012) & Tennessee Lady Vol Signee,
Jasmine Jones of 6A #1
ranked Bob Jones HS has been nominated for the prestigious
McDonald's All-American Game to take place at the United
Center on Wednesday, March 28! Only 24 Seniors (12 per
team) from across the nation will be selected to participate
in the 11th Annual Girls' contest. Jasmine is 1 of only
2 current Seniors from the state of Alabama to be
nominated. Selections will be announced on ESPNU on
Thursday, February 9 at 4pm during the McDonald's
All-American Games Selection Show. CONGRATS to Jasmine!
PURDUE SIGNEE HAYDEN HAMBY TOPS
4,000
POINTS!!
Starz Senior, Purdue Signee, reigning Miss Basketball &
Gatorade Player of the Year, Hayden Hamby (Class
of 2012) a 5'7" Guard for 3A-West Morgan High School became
only the 4th high school girls' player in the history of
the state of Alabama to surpass the
4,000 point total! Hayden exceeded the
mark as she scored 44 points in a tough 66-56 Area Game loss
to #3 ranked 3A-Clements High School. Hayden now has 4,014
points in her varsity career which began as an 8th grader at
West Morgan. Upon completion of her Senior season, she will
take her talents on to Top 20 ranked Purdue University of
the Big 10 Conference and Head Coach Sharon Versyp!
CONGRATS to Hayden!!
STARZ Fill up ASWA High School Rankings for 2011-12 in AL!!
In the FINAL regular season High School Basketball State Rankings
published by the ASWA on February
9, 2012,
teams led by more than 30
of our Southern
Starz players are highly ranked, including:
6A ...
#1 Ranked
Bob Jones HS (SRs Jasmine Jones, Tierra
Jones & DeAsha Campbell; JR China Leary, SO Nadia Stewart,
FR Chloe Long)
6A ... #2 Ranked
Hoover HS (SR Regotta
Craig & JR Olivia Adamson)
6A ...
#3 Ranked
Shades Valley HS (SR "Nunnie" Pollnitz & FR
Alyese Givens)
6A ...
#8 Ranked
Sparkman HS (SR Breon Walker & FR Chelsea
Robinson)
5A ...
#5
Ranked
Brewer HS
(FR Malerie Drinkard)
5A ...
#6 Ranked
Hayden HS (8TH GR Grayson Taylor)
5A ...
#7 Ranked
Russellville
HS (SRs Amber Elliott
& Ayanna McCullough)
5A ...
#10 Ranked
Athens HS (SR Destany McLin, JRs Alliyah
Smith & Jasmin Lucas)
4A ... #1
Ranked
Good Hope HS (SR Nina Mills & JR Kayla
Tillman)
4A ...
#2 Ranked
Oneonta HS (SOPH Destiney Elliott)
3A ...
#6 Ranked
Madison Academy (SR Lydia McGee & FR Libba
Gilliam)
3A ...
#7 Ranked
West Morgan HS (SR Hayden Hamby)
2A ...
#1 Ranked
Woodland HS
(SOPH Leah Strain & 8TH GR Adreona Bowen)
2A ...
#2 Ranked
Section HS (SR Taylor Adams & SOPH Jordan
McCarver)
2A ...
#5 Ranked
N. Sand Mountain
HS (FR Keely Ellison)
2A ...
#9 Ranked
Cold Springs HS (FR Caitlyn Hall)
1A ... #1 Ranked
R.A. Hubbard HS (JR Alex Gholston)
AUBURN COMMIT JACEY SCOTT TOPS 2,000 POINTS ... 
Starz Junior & Auburn Commit,
Jacey Scott (Class of 2013) a 5'10" Guard
for 4A-Douglas
High School surpassed the 2,000 point total on December 11,
2011 in an Area game vs 4A-Springville High School when she
sank a 3-point shot in the first quarter! Jacey went on to
score 24 pts in leading her team to a 50-41 victory! Jacey
is now in the Top 50 all-time in points scored in the state
of Alabama, she is in the Top 25 in rebounds, she is in the
Top 10 in Free Throws made, and she set a single-game school
record by scoring 40 points in a 75-69 Area victory over
Locust Fork. And ... Jacey has 1 1/2 seasons to go in her
high school career before she takes her talents on to Auburn
University and Head Coach Nell Fortner!! CONGRATS to Jacey!!
Picture courtesy of Nick Johnson of the Gadsden Times
DESTANY McLIN Signs NLI with Jacksonville
State!
Starz Senior,
Destany McLin (Class of 2012) a 5'9" Guard
for 5A-Athens High School (Athens, AL), signed her National
Letter of Intent (NLI) to play basketball and attend college
at Division 1 Jacksonville State University (Jacksonville,
AL) of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). After a Fall
2011 visit by Destany and her family to JSU, she accepted
the scholarship offer of Head Coach Annette Watts. Coach
Watts is very excited about the addition of Destany to the
program at JSU! Destany plans to study towards a career
in Physical Therapy while at JSU. In July, Destany helped
lead the Starz 2012-Combined Team to the AAU D2 National
Championship! (See Link to Replay on
ESPN3.Com Below) CONGRATS to Destany!!
DEASIA TONEY Signs NLI with Francis
Marion University!
Starz Senior,
DeAsia Toney (Class of 2012) a 5'4" Guard
for 6A-Hazel Green High School signed her National Letter of
Intent during the Early Signing Period in November
2011 to play basketball and attend college at Division
2 Francis Marion University (Greenville, SC) of the Peach
Belt Conference(PBC). After an "official" visit by DeAsia to
FMU in the Fall, she accepted the scholarship offer of Head
Coach Kate Glusko. DeAsia plans to study Nursing while at
FMU. DeAsia was recruited heavily by Assistant Coach Tim
Wilson who could be seen at many of our Starz games in
Orlando in early July 2011. Both coaches are very excited
about the addition of DeAsia to the program at FMU! In
July, after suffering a broken nose, DeAsia helped lead the
Starz 2012-Combined Team to the AAU D2 National
Championship! (See Link to Replay on
ESPN3.Com Below) CONGRATS to DeAsia - one of our long-time
Starz!!
JORDAN JOHNSON Signs NLI with UT-Martin of the OVC!
Starz Junior,
Jordan Johnson (Class of 2012), a 5’11" high
scoring Forward for Top
10 ranked 2A Hatton (AL) High School signed her National
Letter of Intent (NLI) during the November 2011 signing
period to become a member of the Division 1 UT-Martin
Skyhawks, 2010-11 Champions of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC)!!
UTM won the OVC Conference Tournament in March 2011 and
advanced onto the NCAA Tournament to face Duke University at
famed Cameron Indoor Stadium in first round play. Jordan
was named 1st Team All-State in Class 2A in
2010-11 while averaging 30 pts & 16 rebs per game. She
played for the victorious North squad in the annual Alabama
North vs South All-Star Game in July 2011. CONGRATS to
Jordan!!
4
STARZ are SUPER SENIORS for CLASS OF 2012!
Led by Tennessee Signee
Jasmine Jones of defending Class 6A State
Champion Bob Jones High School, 4 of our Southern Starz players
make up 1/2 of the 8 SUPER SENIORS as named by the
Birmingham News!
No other AAU program has more than 2
players on this State-wide squad. The 8 SUPER
SENIORS for the Class of 2012 are as follows:
1. Jasmine
Jones 6-1 Forward Bob Jones HS
(6A) Southern Starz U of Tennessee Signee
3. Hayden
Hamby 5-7 Guard West Morgan HS
(3A) Southern Starz Purdue Univ Signee
6. Tierra
Jones 5-9 Forward Bob Jones HS
(6A) Southern Starz Tulane University Signee
8. Tiarra
Pollnitz 5-8 Guard Shades Valley
HS (6A) Southern Starz Southern Miss
SigneeSee the full article and complete listing at:
http://highschoolsports.al.com/news/article/8484346068437369786/carvers-craig-sword-bob-jones-jasmine-jones-lead-super-seniors/.
CONGRATS to our SUPER STARZ!!
TIARRA POLLNITZ Signs NLI with SOUTHERN MISS of C-USA! 
Starz Junior,
Tiarra Pollnitz (Class of 2012), a 5'8"
Point Guard 6A-Shades Valley High School (Birmingham,
AL) signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to become a
member of the University of Southern Mississippi (USM)
Golden Eagles of Conference USA!! Tiarra signed her NLI at
her high school in front of family, friends, coaches, team
mates, and Starz Coach Kent Looney! Tiarra is
the #40 ranked Guard in the Class of 2012 per ESPNU
HoopGurlz (see
http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/121567/tiarra-pollnitz). This
past July, she played for the victorious North squad in the
annual Alabama North vs South All-Star game in Montgomery
where she helped lead her North team to a dominating 79-41
victory!! CONGRATS to Tiarra (aka "Nunnie")!!
JACKIE THOMPSON Signs NLI with
U of Montevallo!
Starz Senior,
Jacquelyn
Thompson (Class of 2012) a 5'6" Guard for
6A-Buckhorn High School has signed a National Letter of
Intent (NLI) to play basketball and attend college at
Division 2 University of Montevallo (Montevallo, AL) of the
Peach Belt Conference(PBC).
At a ceremony held on Nov. 9 at her high school, Jacquelyn
signed
her
NLI in front of family, friends, coaches & team mates.
Jacquelyn plans to study Pre-Med while at Montevallo. She
will join former Starz 2009 player,
Alex
Strickland (Clay-Chalkville HS) at UM.
Jacquelyn helped lead the Starz 2012-Combined Team to the
AAU D2 National Championship! (See Link to Replay on
ESPN3.Com Below) Head Coach Cindy Hilbrich is very excited
about the addition of Jacquelyn to her program at
Montevallo. CONGRATS to Jacquelyn!!
CHELSEA MASON signs NLI with Kennesaw
State Univ!
Starz Senior,
Chelsea Mason (Class of 2012) a 5'8" Wing
for State Runner-Up Bellevue West High School (Bellevue,
Nebraska) signed a National Letter of Intent to play
basketball and attend college at Division 1 Kennesaw State
University (Kennesaw, GA) of the Atlantic Sun Conference
(A-Sun). After a recent "official" visit by Chelsea to KSU,
she accepted the scholarship offer of Head Coach Colby Tilley.
Chelsea plans to study Physical Therapy while at KSU. The
entire coaching staff is very excited about the addition of
Chelsea to the program at KSU where she will join former
Starz 2009 player and current pre-season All-Conference KSU
Junior,
Sametria Gideon! In July 2011, Chelsea
helped lead the Starz 2012-Combined Team to the AAU D2
National Championship! (See Link to Replay on
ESPN3.Com Below) CONGRATS to Chelsea - one of our long-time
Starz!!
TIERRA JONES signs NLI with Tulane
University!
Starz Senior,
Tierra Jones (Class of 2012) a 5'9"
All-State player for Class 6A State Champion Bob Jones High
School (Madison, AL), signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to attend
college and play her college basketball at Division 1 Tulane
University (New Orleans, LA) 2009-10 Champions of
Conference
USA (C-USA). Tierra signed in front of family, friends,
coaches, team mates and Starz Director/Coach Doug Bush in a
ceremony at Bob Jones High School. The Green Wave finished 23-11
in 2010-11. Tierra is a 3-Star Prospect as rated by ESPN/HoopGurlz
and is the #44 ranked Wing player in the Class of 2012.
Tierra determined that the combination of the high academic
standards coupled with the quality of the
basketball program at Tulane was the ideal fit. Tulane Head
Coach Lisa Stockton is very excited about the addition of a
proven Winner & Leader to her program. CONGRATS to Tierra!!
LYDIA MCGEE signs NLI with Samford!
Starz Junior,
Lydia McGee (Class of 2012) a 5'9" All-State
Guard for
Class 3A State Champion Madison Academy (Madison, AL),
signed her National Letter of Intent (NLI) to attend
college and play her college basketball at Division 1
Samford University (Birmingham, AL), 2010-11 Champions of
the Southern Conference (SoCon). Lydia signed in a ceremony
in her high school gymnasium in front of friends, family,
coaches, team mates, students, and Starz Director/Coach Doug
Bush. Lydia will join former Southern Starz player
KeKe Fletcher (Class of 2011) and her former
teammate at Madison Academy. Lydia will also join former
Starz 2009 graduates
Kylie Black (Speake HS) and
Jazmine Martin (Hoover HS) at Samford which
is under the direction of Head Coach Mike Morris. Coach
Morris is very excited about the addition of a proven Winner
& Leader to his program. CONGRATS to Lydia!!
JASMINE JONES Signs NLI with the TENNESSEE LADY VOLS! 
Starz Junior,
Jasmine Jones (Class of 2012) a 6'1"
All-State Forward for 6A Defending State Champion Bob Jones
High School signed her National Letter of Intent in front of
family, friends, team mates, coaches, media, and Starz
Director/Coach Doug Bush. Jasmine is the #11 ranked player
in the Class
of 2012 per the All-Star Girls' Report.
Jasmine was discovered by the University of Tennessee while
playing with our Sourthern Starz 2012 team at the 13U AAU
Nationals in Norman, OK in July 2008!! Her mother, LaTrish
Jones was a standout player at the University of Alabama in
the mid-late 1990's. Jasmine considered offers from many
top programs, but followed her dream in the end ... to
become a Lady Vol! She becomes only 1 of 4 players from the
state of Alabama during the past 25 years to play for the U
of Tennessee and will join the #4 ranked recruiting Class of
2012 in the country.
Click link to view an interview with Jasmine -
http://www.rocketcitysports.com/stories.php?story=11/11/10/3535471
See more at: http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/class-rankings?classyear=2012&classmonth=11&rank=4
HAYDEN HAMBY Signs NLI with PURDUE of the BIG 10! 
Starz Junior,
Hayden Hamby (Class of 2012), a 5'7" high
scoring Guard for #7-ranked 3A West Morgan High
School (Trinity, AL) signed her National Letter of Intent in
her school library in front
of family, friends, teammates, & coaches on November 9 to
formally become a member of the Purdue Boilermakers of the
Big 10 Conference!! Purdue won the National Championship in
1999 and has been to the Final 4 on 4 occasions with
numerous Elite 8 and Sweet 16 appearances. Entering her
Senior season, Hayden is now 9th on the all-time scoring
list in Alabama history with 3,336 points! Hayden was
discovered by Purdue Head Coach Sharon Versyp playing with
our Starz 2012 team at the Top 10 Team Shootout (by Michael
T. White) held during the October NCAA Viewing weekend in
Louisville, KY last Fall (2010). Hayden is very excited to
be joining a program like Purdue which is ranked in the
pre-season Top 15 in the nation. Purdue's Recruiting Class
of 2012 is ranked amongst the nation's best at #13. See
more at ESPN/HoopGurlz: http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/class-rankings?classyear=2012&classmonth=11&rank=13.
CONGRATS to Hayden!!!
VEE YOUNG Honored at Women's Basketball Hall of Fame!
Former Southern Starz Class of 2008 and current NAIA
All-American at Martin Methodist College (Pulaski, TN)
Vee Young has been honored with a dream come
true - her jersey has been placed on display in the Ring of
Honor at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville,
TN in recognition of her outstanding play during the 2010-11
season! Vee averaged 20 points & 9 rebounds per game for
her home-town Red Hawks as she was honored with Third-Team
NAIA All-American status. The Ring of Honor is an Exhibit
at the Hall of Fame where the nation's top players from
every level are honored. Vee Young began her college career
at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, TN for two
years and has 1 year remaining at Martin Methodist. See Vee
in action on Saturday, Nov. 5 as her Red Hawks from Martin
Methodist come to Huntsville, AL to face the Bulldogs of AL
A&M at 4:00pm! CONGRATS to VEE!!
STARZ at 2011 BlueStar College Showcase!
On Satuday & Sunday, Oct. 8 & 9, many of our Southern Starz
high school players will participate in the BlueStar College
Showcase in Murfreesboro, TN on the campus of MTSU during
the NCAA Fall Evaluation weekend. Starz 2013, 2014, and
2015 players will participate in a Team Event on Saturday &
Sunday morning against some of the top travel teams in the
Southeast! Our Starz players will then participate in the
BlueStar Showcase event on Sunday. Many college coaches &
scouts will be in attendance for both events. For more than
25 years BlueStar has been one of the most influential
organizations in selecting and advising such publications
rankings and listings as found in The Sporting News, USA
Today, Gatorade Circle of Champions, and McDonalds All
American Team just to name a few. These rankings and
evaluations are part of the national BlueStar Report
available to media & colleges across the country. We are
looking forward to this event and the College Exposure that
it will provide! GO STARZ!!
NINA MILLS Commits to Martin
Methodist!
Starz Senior,
Nina Mills (Class of 2012) a 5'4" Guard for
4A-Good Hope High School has verbally committed to play
basketball and attend college at NAIA Martin Methodist
College (Pulaski, TN) of the TranSouth Conference (TSC). Nina
missed the very end of her high school season in the Spring
of 2011 after sustaining an ACL injury in the Regional
Playoffs at Wallace State CC. She also missed the
Spring/Summer AAU Season with our Starz 2012 team, but has
worked very hard in recently returning to the court. MMC
Head Coach Jay Belcher is very excited about the addition of
Nina to his program!! She will follow former Starz 2008
player,
Vee Young (Pulaski, TN) who is currently in
her final season at MMC as she earned 3rd Team NAIA
All-America honors in 2010-11. CONGRATS to Nina!!
NORTH ALL-STARZ DOMINATE SOUTH in ANNUAL GAME!
On July 13, the annual Alabama North vs South All-Star Game
for rising Seniors (Class of 2012) was held during All-Star
Sports Week in Montgomery, AL. Six (6) of our Southern
Starz players returned from competition in the AAU Super
Showcase in Orlando, FL to lead the North squad to a
dominating 79-41 victory in the annual contest which was
played at the Acadome on the campus of Alabama State
University. Starz 2012 players selected for the North
All-Stars included
Jasmine Jones &
Tierra Jones of 6A-State Champ Bob Jones HS,
Gatorade Player of the Year & Miss Basketball
Hayden Hamby of 3A-West Morgan HS,
Tierra Pollnitz of 6A-Shades Valley HS,
Jordan Johnson of 2A-Hatton High School, and
Lydia McGee of 3A-State Champ Madison
Academy. Our 6 Starz players combined for 45 points, 25
rebs, 7 steals & 6 assists. The North team was led by
Tennessee commit Jasmine Jones who 22 points, 7 rebs and 4
steals in only 15 minutes of action. Jasmine was named MVP
of the North squad! The North team was coached by Class 2A
State Runner-Up Woodland HS Head Coach Larry Strain who is
the father of Starz 2014 player Leah Strain. CONGRATS to
our ALL STARZ!!
STARZ PLAYERS SHOWCASE TALENTS at FILA JUNIORS!
On July 27-30, 4 of our Southern Starz Teams displayed their
talents and
performed at a
high level in front of 100's of College Coaches & Scouts in
the highly competitive FILA JUNIORS by Michael T. White held
at the Basketball Academy in Louisville, KY. Our
Starz 2012-Bush team competed in the
24-team 17U-National Division of this event which included
some of the very top Elite club teams & top ranked
players from across the country such as AZ Warriors (Champ),
Chicago Lady Fire (Runner-Up), Ohio Lady Attack (3rd, AAU
Champs, AAU Showcase Champs), Kentucky Premier, Peak
Performance (GA), Cal Sparks, Jacksonville (FL) Lady Rams,
Tree of Hope (WA), etc. Our Starz opened with a tough loss
to Tree of Hope before rebounding with 3 consecutive wins
and closed with a tough loss to the Kentucky Premier to
finish at 3-2. Due to conflicts with volleyball, etc. our Starz
2012-Looney/2013-Looney teams combined to
participate in the 17U-Signature Division of this event.
Starz 2012/2013 finished 4-1 in this event and closed with
a hard fought 65-60 win over the Derek Smith (KY) All-Starz
17U team to finish in 9th Place in their 24-team Division.
Starz 2014 (9th Grade) was short-handed and
participated in the 24-team 16U-National Division. Starz
2014 won their first 2 games before a very tough 1-point
loss to the Dayton Lady Hoopstars 2013 (15U) team. Starz
2014 finished at 3-2 and in 5th Place in their Division.
Starz 2015 (8th Grade) also participated in
the 24-team 16U-National Division, mostly playing UP against
much older competition. Starz 2015 also finished at 3-2,
including a big 43-40 victory over the Chicago Lady Fire
2015 team featuring their twin (6-4) towers and highly
ranked guard. Starz 2015 closed with a tough 56-52 loss to
the St. Augustine Celtics 2013 team (2 yrs older) to finish
10th in their 24-team Division. Overall our Starz teams
finished with a record of 13-7 in this highly competitive
event!!! This event officially ends the NCAA College
Evaluation period of July and our Starz season which began
back in March. CONGRATS to ALL STARZ!!
2 AMAZING WEEKS to REMEMBER for STARZ at AAU in ORLANDO!
Our Southern Starz program stepped up to another level
with incredible performances by each of our 5 teams during
the 2 weeks of July 2-15 in Orlando at the AAU Nationals &
the Invitation-only AAU Super Showcases!! First, our
Starz 8th Grade Team (Class of 2015), led by
Coach Doug Bush, exceeded everyone's expectations by
finishing 12th in the Nation in the AAU National Tournament
and followed that with a 3rd Place (tie) finish in the AAU
8th Grade Super Showcase. In the Showcase, our Starz
defeated the West Virginia Panthers who finished ahead of
them (#9) in the AAU Nationals! Second, our
Starz 9th Grade Team, led by Coach Matt
Shewmake, narrowly missed making it to their AAU National
Championship Game with a tough 3-pt loss to the eventual
Runner-Up Philadelphia Belles. Starz 9th finished #4 in the
Nation! Not satisfied with that result, our Starz 9th
Grade Team bounced back to WIN the Championship of their AAU
9th Grade Super Showcase with a come from behind (11 pts)
win over Next Level of Florida which finished 5th at the AAU
Nationals!
Our
Starz 10th Grade Team, led by Coach Kent
Looney, finished 9th (tie) in their AAU Super Showcase and
followed that by finishing 5th in the Nation at the AAU
National Championship!! Our
Starz 11th-Bush Team
finished 5th (tie) in the 52- team AAU Super Showcase
(Silver Division). Our
Starz 11th-Looney Team won the Iron Bracket
of their Super Showcase after finishing 4th in Pool Play.
Finally, our
Starz 11th-Combined Team, led by Coaches
Bush & Looney, was merged together due to the departure of
our 6 AL North All-Stars and went on to a historical
accomplishment ... they became the very first AAU Girls'
Basketball team from Alabama to WIN the AAU D2 National
Championship!!!
ABBY BROOKS Collects Hardware at Alabama Basketball Camp!
Starz 6th Grader,
Abby Brooks of Madison Academy, recently
participated in basketball camp at the University of Alabama
and added to the hardware that she returned with from last
year's camp. This year, Abby won the 1 on 1 competition for
middle school players and is pictured with Alabama
Head Coach Wendell Hudson and the newest addition to Abby's
trophy case! In addition, Abby is proudly displaying her
Southern Starz practice jersey! CONGRATS to Abby!
COACH BUSH on Staff at Alabama Elite Camp 2011
Starz Director & Coach
Doug Bush served on the Coaching &
Instructional Staff at the University of Alabama Elite Camp
which was held in Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa on the
weekend of June 4-5. Several of our Southern Starz players
participated in this Camp which was limited to high school
players and included 40-45 players primarily from Alabama
and surrounding states. The Camp Staff included the members
of the Alabama Women's Basketball Coaching Staff, various
High School and AAU Coaches, along with returning members of
the Alabama Women's Basketball Team, including former
Southern Starz 2009 player
Kristin Bush. Southern Starz players who
participated included
Tierra Jones (2012) of 6A-State Champion Bob
Jones HS,
Colin Nichols (2012) &
Hannah Nichols (2013)
of 5A-Madison County HS, and
Leah Strain (2014) of 2A-Runner-Up Woodland
High School.
STARZ are AAU STATE CHAMPS in 3 Divisions!! (8th, 9th &
10th)
Seven (7) of our Southern Starz teams participated in the AL
AAU State Tournament the weekend of May 27-29 on the campus
of Samford University in Birmingham, AL! Our Starz 8th,
9th, & 10th, Grade Teams finished as AL AAU State Champs in
their respective Age Divisions while our Starz 11th-Bush
team finished 2nd, our Starz 11th-Looney team finished 3rd,
and our Starz 6th Grade Team finished 3rd. All our Starz
teams competed at a high level! Our Starz 8th grade team
won a fierce battle by the score of 56-50 with their rival
AL Twister 8th Grade Team in the semi-finals before pulling
away from the AL Shockerz 8th Grade Team by a score of 43-32
in the Championship Game! Our Starz 9th grade team avenged
an earlier loss in Pool Play by defeating the Alabama Tar
Heels by the score of 89-81 in their Championship Game! Our
Starz 10th Grade Team defeated the N. AL Twisters by the
score of 63-50 in the semi-finals before pulling out a 72-66
victory over the AL Twisters Elite 10th Grade Team in their
Championship Game! Our Starz 11th-Bush Team advanced to
their Championship Game and fell short by a score of 74-66
to their long-time rivals, the AL Twisters Elite. Our Starz
6th Grade team suffered a very tough and close loss by 26-22
to their cross-town rivals the Lady Panthers in the
semifinals before coming back with a convincing 52-29 win
over another cross-town rival the MCAS Lady Bucks in the 3rd
Place Game. CONGRATS to ALL our STARZ TEAMS!
STARZ at AL AAU STATE TOURNEY in BIRMINGHAM at SAMFORD U!!
Seven (7) of our Southern Starz teams will be participating
in the AL AAU State Tournament this weekend on May 27-29 on
the campus of Samford University in Birmingham, AL!! Our
Starz 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and both 11th Grade Teams
will be participating with each of their sights set on the
1st Place Trophy in their respective age division. Each of
our teams has worked hard and are prepared to make a strong
showing at this important event! Please see our Starz
Master Game Schedule at:
SCHEDULE.
Please see the AL AAU website at:
http://www.alabamaaaugirlsbasketball.org/. GO STARZ!!!
STARZ 6th Graders Place 2nd at YBOA State!
Under the guidance of UAH Head Coach Lennie Acuff and his
wife, Kelly Acuff, our Starz 6th Grade Team
participated in the Alabama YBOA State Tournament in Pelham,
AL on the weekend of May 13-15 and brought home a 2nd Place
finish after a tough 31-27 loss in the Championship Game to
the Alabama Elite 6th Grade (White) Team. Our Starz finished
in 2nd Place in Pool Play before facing the winner of Pool
B, the Alabama Elite 6th Grade (Blue) Team, in the
semi-finals. Our Starz hung on for a close 21-19 victory to
set up a rematch with the Alabama Elite 6th Grade (White)
Team in the Finals. CONGRATS to our Starz 6th Grade Team!
STARZ Duo are Ranked Highly in Class of 2012 & 2014!!
After the recent Spring NCAA Evaluation Period of April
15-17 and selected other events where ranking services have
been present, such as the TN Miracle Classic on the weekend
of May 6-8 and the Nike Skills Academy on April 30-May 1,
two of our Southern Starz players have moved up in the
rankings in their respective classes. Starz Junior and
Tennessee commit,
Jasmine Jones (2012) of State Champion
6A-Bob Jones High School is ranked as the #10 player in the
Class of 2012 per the All-Star Girls' Report (ASGR) and has
moved up to #14 in the Class of 2012 per the ESPN/HoopGurlz
rankings. Jasmine is also ranked #17 by BlueStar
Basketball. Starz Freshman,
Shakayla Thomas (2014) of 5A-Sylacauga High
School is now ranked as the #8 player in the Class of 2014
per the ASGR ... Neither ESPN/HoopGurlz nor BlueStar
Basketball have yet ranked the Class of 2014 (or 2013). See
the ASGR Rankings at: http://michaeltwhite.com/agr/.
See the ESPN/HoopGurlz rankings at: http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/recruiting/.
See the BlueStar Rankings at:
http://www.bluestarbb.com/. See an article about the
Rankings Process at:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/womens/news/story?id=6541401.
CONGRATS to both Jasmine & Shakayla!!
MISS BASKETBALL: HAYDEN HAMBY (Starz Class of 2012)!!
Starz Junior,
Hayden Hamby (class of 2012) of 3A-West
Morgan High School (Trinity, AL) continued to collect
post-season awards as she became only the 3rd Junior in
state history to win the coveted
MISS BASKETBALL award at the Alabama Sports
Writers Association's Mr. & Miss Basketball annual Player of
the Year awards luncheon presented by Hibbett Sports.
Starz Director/Coach Doug Bush was present at the luncheon
in support of the 4 Starz Players who were included in the 6
players who were up for this award, including
Alex Gholston (Soph) of 1A State Champion
R.A Hubbard,
Sierra Sales (SR) of
2A State Champion Tanner,
Hayden Hamby (JR) of 3A-West Morgan, and
Jasmine Jones (JR) of 6A State Champ Bob
Jones. Hamby is the 2nd Starz Player in the past 3 years to
win this top award joining for Starz player
Jala Harris (Class of 2009) of Bob Jones who
won the award 2 years ago. This past season, Hamby led her
team to a record of 20-9 and the #7 ranking in the state by
averaging 33 ppg, 12 rebs, 4.4 steals, and 2.3 assists per
game. She also surpassed the 3,000 point total for her high
school career with 1 year remaining. Hayden has maintained
a 4.0 GPA and is ranked First in her class. She has
recently verbally committed to accept a college basketball
scholarship from Purdue of the Big 10 Conference. CONGRATS
to Hayden!
HAYDEN HAMBY is GATORADE AL Girls' Basketball PLAYER of the
YEAR!
Starz Junior,
Hayden Hamby (class of 2012) of 3A-West
Morgan High School (Trinity, AL) was recently named
the Gatorade Alabama Girls' Basketball Player of the Year!!
The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, is in
its 26th year of honoring the nation's best high school
athletes. This award recognizes not only outstanding
athletic excellence, but also high standards of both
academic achievement and exemplary character. Hayden is now
a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls'
Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced later in
March. See more info at:
http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com/assets/writable/13018/2010-11_GBB_HHamby.pdf.
This past season, Hamby led her team to a record of 20-9 and
the #7 ranking in the state by averaging 33 ppg, 12 rebs,
4.4 steals, and 2.3 assists per game. She also surpassed
the 3,000 point total for her high school career with 1 year
remaining. Hayden has maintained a 4.0 GPA and is ranked
First in her class. She has recently verbally committed to
accept a college basketball scholarship from Purdue of the
Big 10 Conference. CONGRATS to Hayden!
NINA MILLS Joins 1,000 Point Club!!
New Starz Junior,
Nina Mills (2012) of #1 ranked 4A-Good Hope
recently surpassed the 1,000 point mark for her high school
career. Nina is the PG for Good Hope which has advanced
this weekend to the finals of the Cullman County Tournament
where they will face #8 ranked 3A-Holly Pond in the finals.
She led Good Hope in scoring with 15 pts as they improved
their record to 22-2 with their semi-final victory over West
Point. CONGRATS!
HAYDEN
HAMBY: 3,000 Points ... and Counting!
Starz Junior,
Hayden Hamby (2012) of #5 ranked 3A-West
Morgan High School reached a milestone achieved previously
by only 12 female basketball players in the history of the
State of Alabama when she scored her
3,000th point on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011 in
a home victory over 1A-Decatur Heritage High School!
Hayden scored 28 points in the win. Recently, in a tough
74-65 loss to #2 ranked 3A-Clements, Hayden scored 48 points
and tied a state record by sinking 23 consecutive free
throws!! As of Jan. 21, 2011, Hayden has scored more than
3,150 points moving her up into the Top 10
on the all-time scoring list for the State of
Alabama. CONGRATS to Hayden!!
CHELSEA MASON Still Starring in Nebraska!
On of our longest tenured Starz players
may have moved to a far away land, but Starz 2012 guard
Chelsea Mason has definitely landed on her
feet in Omaha, Nebraska! Chelsea is playing for #3 ranked
Bellevue-West High School and starred in a huge rivalry game
against #1 ranked Bellevue-East High School in front of
3,000 spectators. Bellevue-East came into the game with a
perfect 14-0 record while Mason's Bellevue-West team was
11-1. Safe to say that Chelsea was a little bit jittery
when she saw the size of the crowd, but she quickly settled
down to score 26 points to lead her Thunderbirds to a 73-63
upset win over the state's #1 ranked team! The
Bellevue-West Thunderbirds are 2-time defending Class A
Champions in Nebraska. Chelsea has been a member of our
Southern Starz organization since she was 9 years old! She
may have moved away, but she and her family are
definitely not forgotten!! See the full story at:
http://www.omaha.com/article/20110114/HIGHSCHOOLS/701149819/-1?sms_ss=email&at_xt=4d3392766efe27eb%2C0#mason-leads-t-birds-in-rivalry-win.
CONGRATS Chelsea!!
McDonald's All-American nominee:
AMARA MAYERS!!
Southern Starz Senior (Class of 2011) and Belmont-signee
Amara Mayers of #1 ranked 3A-Madison Academy
(#21 in the nations!) has recently been nominated for the
very pristigious McDonald's All-American team - see
McDonald's All
American nominees. This
is an incredible accomplishment to be nominated for
this exclusive team which will consist of the Top 30 players
in the nation in the Class of 2011! Currently, Amara has
helped to lead 3A-Madison Academy to the #1 ranking in the
State of Alabama and a #21 ranking in the Nation in the
latest ESPN/HoopGurlz Powerade Fab 50 Rankings - see
Powerade Fab 50 Rankings.
Recently, Madison Academy defeated #1 ranked 6A-Sparkman on
the road giving the Lady Senators their very first loss of
the season. Sparkman is now ranked #31 in the nation. In
addition, UT-Chattanooga signee,
Ashley Southern (Class of 2011) of #5 ranked
4A-Deshler High School who played with our Starz 2011
team in July 2010 in Orlando was also named as a McDonald's
All-American nominee.
CONGRATS!!
STARZ Shine in 2010 Decatur Orthopaedic Clinic Classic! 
Our Southern
Starz players were front and center as the
key players for their teams in another of the top high
school girls' basketball tournaments in Alabama and the
Southeast at Decatur High School (Decatur, AL). The Finals
of the 2010 Decatur Orthopaedic Clinic Classic (including 16
teams from Alabama & Tennessee) came down to a showdown of
Starz players as 6 of the 10 players who started in the
Championship Game between #1 ranked 3A-Madison Academy and
#8 ranked 6A-Austin High School are members of our Southern
Starz program! In the end, Madison Academy held onto a
55-43 victory in the Championship Game giving them their 2nd
Holiday Tournament Championship in the past 7 days! Madison
Academy was led by Starz Seniors Belmont signee -
Amara Mayers (2011), Samford signee -
Kyera (KeKe) Fletcher (2011), and Junior
Lydia McGee (2012) while Austin was led by
Starz Sophomore
Takisha ("KeKe") Jordan
(2013). #3 ranked 6A-Bob Jones defeated 6A-Homewood by a
score of 69-25 behind 18 points & 10 rebs by Starz Junior
Jasmine Jones (2012). Starz players dominated the
All-Tournament Team as 9 of the 12 spots went to Starz
players KeKe
Fletcher (MA),
Lydia McGee (MA),
"KeKe" Jordan (Austin),
Jasmine Jones (Bob Jones), Hayden
Hamby (West Morgan),
Sierra Sales (Tanner),
Amber Elliott (Russellville), &
Kat Reed
(Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa). Starz Junior, Amara
Mayers (2011) was named Tournament MVP!!
Madison Academy is now ranked #46 in the nation in the
latest ESPN FAB 50 Poll with Bob Jones ranked at #48.
CONGRATS to MADISON ACADEMY and ALL OUR STARZ!
JOHNSON & HAMBY explode with BIG GAMES!
On Tuesday, Dec. 21, Starz Juniors
Jordan Johnson (2012)
of #9 ranked 2A-Hatton High School & Junior
Hayden Hamby (2012) of #5 ranked 3A-West
Morgan High had huge nights as Jordan scored a career-high
46 pts in a 63-62 overtime win vs 2A-Lexington in a key Area
Game while Hayden scored 45 pts in a 60-30 road win at
4A-Ardmore. Hayden in closing in on the 3,000 point mark
for her career! CONGRATS to both Jordan & Hayden!!
STARZ Showdown in The Huntsville Times Ladies' Classic! 
Our Southern
Starz players have been shining in
displaying their talents in one of the top high school
girls' basketball tournaments in Alabama and the Southeast
at Bob Jones High School (Madison, AL). The Finals of
The Huntsville Times Classic (including 16 teams
from Montgomery, AL to Lincoln County, TN) came down to a
showdown of Starz players as 8 of the 10 players who started
in the Championship Game between #3 ranked 6A-Bob Jones and
#1 ranked 3A-Madison Academy are members of our Southern
Starz program! In the end, Madison Academy turned a 29-27
halftime lead into a 52-40 victory breaking Bob Jones'
3-year run as Tournament Champion!! Madison Academy was led
by Starz Seniors Belmont signee -
Amara Mayers (2011), Samford signee -
Kyera (KeKe) Fletcher
(2011), and
Junior Lydia
McGee (2012) while Bob Jones was led by
Starz Senior
Rikeyah McKinnon
(2011), Juniors
Jasmine Jones (2012),
Tierra Jones (2012), and
Joidon Jennings (2012). #8 ranked 6A-Austin
was led by Starz Sophomore
KeKe Jordan (2013) and fell in the 3rd Place
Game to #4 ranked 6A-Jeff Davis. Starz players also shined
for other teams such as Athens, Buckhorn, Lee, Austin, and
Huntsville. The All-Tournament team included Starz Players
KeKe Fletcher (MA), Lydia McGee (MA), Rikeyah McKinnon (BJ),
Jasmine Jones (BJ). CONGRATS to MADISON ACADEMY and ALL OUR
STARZ!
ONE ON ONE with Hayden Hanby!
The Decatur Daily News had a one on one conversation with
Hayden Hanby.
To read, click on the following link:
DecaturDaily.com article
HAYDEN HAMBY has 55pts in Big Win over Priceville!
On Tuesday, Nov. 23, Starz Junior
Hayden Hamby (2012) of #5 ranked 3A-West
Morgan High scored a career high and ASHAA season high 55
point in her team's 71-62 win at home over #4 ranked
4A-Priceville High School. After scoring 10 points, Hayden
had to go to the bench with 2 early fouls in the first
quarter. She returned about 7 minutes later to total 26
points in the first half followed by 29 more in the 2nd half
to reach her career high! Hamby was 4 for 6 from the
3-point line and 8 of 8 from the free throw line! CONGRATS
to Hayden! On Saturday, Dec. 4,
Hayden Hamby scored a game-high 44 points to
lead #5 ranked 3A-West Morgan over Class 6A-Decatur High
School. Hamby surpassed the 2,000 career point total last
December (2009) midway during her Sophomore year! See ESPN/HoopGurlz
article from Dec. 5 at:
http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/recruiting/onthetrail.
CONGRATS to Hayden!!
2006 Starz 14u finish
2nd at AAU Nationals!!
Our
Southern Starz 14u team (girls
born during 1991) finished as the #2 team in the nation at the
AAU National Championship Tournament held in Lafayette, LA on
July 23-31, 2006. Read more on their team news page!
