TRYOUT INFORMATION & TIMES FOR STARZ 2012 SEASON!
TRYOUTS for the 2012 AAU
Girls' Basketball Season for our nationally
ranked
AL Southern Starz basketball program
will take place on Saturday, February 18 and Saturday,
February 25! Teams are organized according to a player's
current grade level in school. Our Starz 11th Grade
Elite team is currently ranked #6 in the nation in the AAU
Power Rankings, our Starz 10th Grade Elite team is ranked
#2, and our Starz 9th Grade Elite team is ranked #10 in the
nation! 30 players from our last 4 graduating classes have
signed Division 1 college scholarships, including with
the currently Top 20 ranked Tennessee Lady Vols and Purdue
Boilermakers!
We plan to hold tryouts for
9th Grade (new team),
8th Grade,
7th Grade,
6th Grade and
5th Grade teams. Players who are still
participating in the playoffs with their high school
and/or recreational league teams will be given an
opportunity to be evaluated when they are freed up. You are
encouraged to attend even if you cannot participate. A
weekday tryout session may be added.
Starz 8th Grade Team 8:30am to 10:00am Starz
7th Grade Team 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Starz 6th Grade Team 10:00am to 11:30am Starz
5th Grade Team 2:30pm to 4:00pm
Starz 9th Grade Team 11:30am to 1:00pm
Please arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled start time
to fill out a Registration Form and to stretch and warm up
properly. Please wear appropriate basketball attire.
Please attend tryout session based upon your current
grade in school. You may contact Starz Director
Doug Bush via e-mail at
jdbushman@aol.com with any questions. Please mark your
calendar!!
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 latest High School Basketball State Rankings published by the
ASWA on January 19, 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
Aleyse Givens)
6A ...
#8 Ranked
Sparkman HS (SR Breon Walker & FR Chelsea
Robinson)
5A ...
#5 Ranked
Brewer HS
(FR Malerie Drinkard)
5A ...
#6 Ranked
Athens HS (SR Destany McLin, JRs Alliyah
Smith & Jasmin Lucas)
5A ...
#7 Ranked
Hayden HS (8TH GR Grayson Taylor)
5A ...
#9 Ranked
Russellville HS (SRs Amber Elliott & Ayanna
McCullough)
4A ... #1
Ranked
Good Hope HS (SR Nina Mills & JR Kayla
Tillman)
4A ...
#2 Ranked
Oneonta HS (SOPH Destiney Elliott)
3A ...
#7 Ranked
West Morgan HS (SR
Hayden Hamby)
3A ... #8 Ranked
Madison Academy (SR
Lydia McGee & FR Libba Gilliam)
2A ...
#1 Ranked
Woodland HS
(SOPH Leah Strain & 8TH GR Adreona Bowen)
2A ...
#2 Ranked
Section HS (SR Taylor Adams & SOPH Jordan
McCarver)
2A ...
#8 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!
LAUREN BUSH: FIRST STARZ GRADUATE!!
On Monday, May 9 at a graduation ceremony held in
Jordan-Hare Stadium on the campus of Auburn University,
former Starz player
Lauren Bush (Class of 2007) officially
became the very First former Southern Starz player to
graduate from College! There will be more graduates to
follow! Lauren played for the Starz for 7 years and was a
part of the first Starz high school graduation Class of
2007. Lauren graduated Summa Cum Laude, with Honors, from
Auburn with a degree in Exercise Science. Beginning in
August, Lauren will be working as an Intern with the Campus
Crusades Ministries in Auburn. Lauren continues to be close
to our Starz program and plans to join us once again in
Orlando for the AAU Events for our 8th - 11th Grade Teams.
CONGRATS to Lauren!!
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!!
TRACK STARZ Shine at AL State Track Meet (& Golf Tourney)!!
On May 6-8, the AHSAA held their annual state track meets at
two (2) sites. The Class 1A-3A Meet was held on the campus
of Birmingham Southern College in Birmingham while the Class
4A-6A Meet was held down South in Gulf Shores, AL. Starz
Sophomore,
Alex Gholston (2013) of 1A-R.A. Hubbard High
School, followed up her 1A Miss Basketball award and 1A
Basketball State Championship with a recording setting
performance at the State Track Meet in Birmingham. Alex won
3 Gold Medals (Long Jump, 400 Meters, & 200 Meters) and 1
Silver Medal (100 Meters), In the process, Alex set 2 state
records in the 400 Meters & 200 Meters by breaking her very
own state records that she set just last year in May 2010!!
Starz Freshman,
Jordan McCarver (2014) of 2A-Section High
School, finished 3rd in the 400 meters while Starz Junior,
Taylor Adams (2012) of Section finished 13th
in the Long Jump & 15th in the 300 meter hurdles. McCarver
& Adams teamed with 2 others from Section to win 1st Place
in the 2A 4 x 400 meter relay and 3rd Place in the 4 x 800
meter relay. Starz Sophomore & Auburn commit
Jacey Scott (2013) of 4A-Douglas High School
participated in the High Jump and finished 9th in both the
Shot Put and Javelin throw. Starz Junior,
Tierra Jones (2012) of 6A-Bob Jones High
School finished in 3rd Place in the Long Jump. Former Starz
Sophomore,
Mariah Pennington (2013) of 6A-Huntsville
High School captured 1st Place in the Javelin throw with a
toss of 136 feet, setting a new state record in the
process! In other news, former Starz Junior
Janie Jackson (2012) of 6A-Huntsville High
School won her 2nd consecutive Class 6A Golf Championship
with a 3-under par total over 2 days and has verbally
committed to play her college golf at the University of
Arizona! CONGRATS to our STARZ!!
STARZ 11th-Looney are TN Miracle Classic CHAMPS!!
On May 6-8, six (6) of our Starz teams participated in the
highly competitive
Tennessee Miracle Classic in Jefferson City,
TN at Carson Newman University and other sites. More than
100 teams from various states played in this event. Our
Starz 11th Grade-Looney team defeated the
Knoxville Panthers by a score of 60-50 in the final game to
win the 22--team 11th Grade Division. Our Starz-Looney team
defeated the Tennessee Triple Threat by a score of 56-47 in
the semi-finals. Congrats on this Championship victory!
Our
Starz 7th Grade Team won 1st Place in Pool
Play and advanced to the 7th Grade Championship Game only to
fall short by a score of 48-45 to the AL Cardinals. Starz
7th finished in 2nd Place of the 14 teams in the 7th Grade
Division.
Starz 8th Grade finished 2nd in Pool Play
before falling short in the Quarterfinals to the eventual
Champion TN Team Pride.
Starz 9th Grade finished 1st in Pool Play
and defeated the Knoxville Panthers by a score of 60-35 in
the Quarterfinals. Starz 9th lost a heartbreaker in
Overtime by the score of 93-87 in the semi-finals to the
eventual Champion and defending AAU National Champion West
Virginia Thunder. Our
Starz 10th Grade Team lost a heartbreaker in
the Quarterfinals by the score of 63-62 to the Carolina
Sparks after finishing 2nd in Pool Play to the eventual
tourney Runner-Up Palmetto 76ers. Our
Starz 11th Grade-Bush team had to drop out
just prior to this tournament due to various conflicts.
CONGRATS to our STARZ!
JASMINE JONES at NIKE SKILLS ACADEMY 2011!
On Saturday April 30 & Sunday May 1, Starz Junior #10 ranked
(by All-Star Girls' Report) Jasmine
Jones (Class of 2012) participated in the
Invitation-Only Nike Skills Academy at Suwanee Sports
Academy in Suwanee, Georgia along with 3 of her future
Tennessee Lady Vols team mates, #8 ranked Bashaara Graves
(2012) of Clarksville, GA, #17 ranked Andraya Carter (2012)
of Buford, GA and #2 ranked Kaela Davis (2013) of Buford,
GA. Jasmine was 1 of only 2 players from the state of
Alabama to be invited to this prestigious event. Also
present at this event were several of the national scouting
services. Congrats to Jasmine!
SHAKAYLA THOMAS feature on ESPN/HOOPGURLZ!!
Starz 9th Grader,
Shakayla Thomas (Class of 2014) of
5A-Sylacauga High School, fresh off a strong performance in
helping lead our Starz 2014 team to a Runner-Up Finish in
the 15U-National Division at the Deep South Classic is
featured in a new ESPN/HoopGurlz article highlighting the
Deep Talent at the Deep South Classic! See Shakayla at:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/womens/news/story?id=6403270.
CONGRATS!!
STARZ TEAMS SHOW STRONG at DEEP SOUTH CLASSIC!!
On the NCAA Spring viewing weekend of April 15-17, 4 of our
high school age Southern Starz teams traveled to
Raleigh-Durham, NC to participate in the prestigious
Deep South Classic held on the campuses of
Duke, U of North Carolina, and NC State University. Our 4
teams combined for a record of 12-5 while playing UP against
very strong competition and while playing in front of
hundreds of college coaches!! Our
Starz 9th Grade Team (14U) finished 2nd of
the 32 teams in the 15U-National Division with a record of
4-1 ... their only loss came in the 15U Championship Game!!
Our
Starz 10th Grade Team (15U) won the
Consolation Championship in the 32-team 16U-Signature
Division. After losing a tough opening game by 5 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
9th with a record of 3-1 in the 32-team 17U-Open Division.
11th-Looney won their opening game and then lost a tough
2-pt game in their second contest before finishing the
weekend with 2 strong victories! Our
Starz 11th Grade (Bush)
team competed in the top 32-team 17U-Sponsored Division and
finished in 13th Place with a record of 2-2. 11th-Bush
opened with a victory in their first game on Friday night to
move into the Sweet 16 before losing a tough battle with the
Indy Gym Rats 17U squad. At each Starz game, numerous
college coaches were in attendance watching our players!
CONGRATS to ALL!
4 SOUTHERN STARZ TEAMS are AAU SUPER REGIONAL CHAMPS!!
In our very own
10th Annual AAU Super Regional Tournament
hosted by the Southern Starz in Huntsville, AL on April 8-10
at Huntsville High, Madison Academy, and Bob Jones HS, 4 of
our Starz teams won the Championship in their respective age
division. In playing in their very first AAU SRT, our Starz
7th Grade Team defeated the AL Hustlers 7th
GR team by the score of 40-25 in the finals of the 7th Grade
Division. In playing in their very first AAU SRT, our
Starz 9th Grade Team defeated the defending
YBOA National Champion Alabama Elite 9th GR team by the
score of 63-52 to win the 9th Grade Division. Our
Starz 10th Grade Team defeated the N.
Mississippi Lady Grizzlies 10th GR team by the score of
81-72 to win the 10th Grade Division. In the Battle of the
Starz, our
Starz 11th-Bush Team defeated our
Starz 11th-Looney Team
by a score of 57-35 to win the 11th Grade
Division. This was a Starz-record setting 4th consecutive
year with an AAU SRT Championship for our Starz 11th-Bush
team and the 3rd year in a row to win our own tournament
title! All 5 of these Starz teams qualified for the AAU
National Championships to be held in July 2011! In
addition, our
Starz 6th Grade Team finished Runner-Up in
the 6th Grade Division with a hard fought 50-37 loss to the
Kentucky Blast 6th Grade Team. Starz 6th was 2-0 in Pool
Play. CONGRATS to ALL our STARZ!!!
|
Starz 6th
Grade |
Starz 7th
Grade |
Starz 9th
Grade |
 |
 |
 |
|
Starz 10th
Grade |
Starz 11th
Grade-Bush |
Starz 11th
Grade-Looney |
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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!
ALL-STATE ALL STARZ ARE EVERYWHERE for 2010-11!
Twenty-one (21) of our Southern
Starz players filled up the 2010-11
All-State Basketball Teams as announced by the Alabama
Sports Writers Association (ASWA). Starz players
were named
Player of the Year in 4 of the 6 statewide
Classes as follows:
Class 6A
-
Jasmine Jones (JR) of Bob Jones HS,
Class 3A
-
Hayden Hamby (JR) of West Morgan HS,
Class 2A
-
Sierra Sales (SR) of Tanner HS, and
Class 1A -
Alex Gholston (Soph) of R.A. Hubbard
HS. All-State players include the following:
Class 6A
-
Jasmine Jones (1st Team) &
Tierra Jones (2nd
Team) of Bob Jones HS (both JRs)
Class 5A
-
Alicia WIlliams (SR) of Ft. Payne HS (1st
Team), Hannah
Nichols (Soph) of Madison County HS (2nd
Team) &
Krista Stricklin (JR) of Hayden HS (2nd
Team),
Conner Jordan (SR) of Ft. Payne HS (Hon
Mention), &
Shakayla Thomas (FR)
of Sylacauga HS (Hon Mention)
Class 4A
-
Nina Mills (JR) of Good Hope HS (1st Team),
Ashley Southern (JR) of Deshler HS (1st
Team),
Jacey Scott (Soph) of Douglas HS (2nd Team),
Destiney Elliott (FR) of Oneonta HS (Hon
Mention) &
Kayla Tillman (JR) of Good Hope HS (Hon
Mention)
Class 3A
-
KeKe Fletcher (SR) &
Lydia McGee (JR) of Madison Academy (1st
Team),
Hayden Hamby (JR) of West Morgan (1st Team),
& Amara
Mayers (SR) of Madison Academy (2nd Team)
Class 2A
-
Jordan Johnson (JR) of Hatton HS (1st Team),
Sierra Sales (SR) of Tanner HS (1st Team), &
Leah Strain (FR) of Woodland HS (1st Team)
Class 1A
-
Alex Gholston (Soph) of R.A. Hubbard HS (1st
Team) &
Anna Claire Noblit (FR) of Covenant
Christian School (2nd Team)
7 STARZ on NORTH SQUAD for NORTH vs SOUTH ALL-STAR GAME IN
JULY!
Seven (7) of our
Southern Starz Class of 2012 (current
Juniors) have been selected for the
North Team in the
annual
Alabama North vs South All-Star Game to be
held in Montgomery, AL during All-Star Week in mid-July
2011. Starz Juniors
Hayden Hamby (West
Morgan HS),
Jordan Johnson (Hatton High School),
Lydia McGee (Madison Academy),
Tiarra Pollnitz (Shades Valley HS),
Jasmine Jones &
Tierra Jones (Bob Jones HS), and
Krista Stricklin (Hayden HS) will be a large
part of the 15-member North Team in this annual event in
which the North owns a commanding 11-2 lead in the series.
CONGRATS to our ALL STARZ!!
STARZ 7TH GRADERS WIN 8TH GRADE DIVISION of FIRST
TOURNAMENT!
Our brand new
Southern Starz 7th Grade Team (12U) coached
by Thomas Jones & Lucita Jones defeated the
AL Elite 8th Grade (Parks) Team in the
Championship Game on Saturday, March 19 to capture the
8th Grade Championship (by playing UP) in
their very first tournament! This final win was our team's
4th victory without a loss in this tournament, including a
prior victory over this same AL Elite 8th Grade team. Our
Starz 7th Grade Team will travel to Murfreesboro, TN on
March 25-27 along with our 8th thru 11th Grade teams to
participate in the highly competitive Showtime Shootout.
CONGRATS!!
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!
SENIOR ALL-STARZ playing for Charity!
Six (6) members of our
Southern Starz Class of 2011 (current
Seniors) will be participating in a first-time post-season
All-Star game, the Senior Charity Showcase, featuring local
and area players to raise money for the Boys & Girls'
Club! On Saturday, March 12 at Randolph School, two (2)
teams divided into Huntsville City vs Huntsville Metro
will tip off at 5:30pm. Starz 2011 players
KeKe Fletcher (3A-Madison Academy & a
Samford signee,
Amara Mayers (3A-Madison Academy & a Belmont
signee),
Whitney Putman (6A-Huntsville HS & Wallace
State commit), and
Kyandra Ravenel (5A-Lee HS) will represent
Huntsville City while
Dominique Henley (6A-Sparkman HS), Sierra Sales
(2A-Tanner HS) and
Rikeyah McKinnon (6A-Bob Jones) will
represent Huntsville Metro. A similar game for the Boys
will follow at 7:30pm. CONGRATS to these All-Starz who will
get to display their talents one more time locally here in
Huntsville!
STARZ are STATE CHAMPS in HIGH SCHOOLS!
Members of our
Southern Starz program captured State
Championships in 4 of the 6 Classifications in the recently
completed Final 48 State Tournament held in Birmingham,
while 3 of the 6 MVPs were also Starz players!! In Class 1A,
RA Hubbard captured the State Championship with Starz 10th
Grader,
Alex Gholston (Class of 2013) winning the
MVP award! In Class 2A, Tanner won the State Title with
Starz Senior,
Sierra Sales (Class of 2011) winning the MVP
award! In Class 3A, Madison Academy won their first ever
Championship with Starz Seniors
Amara Mayers (All Tournament),
KeKe Fletcher, and Starz Junior
Lydia McGee (All
Tournament) leading the way! In Class 6A, Bob Jones won
their 3rd State Championship in the past 4 years with Starz
Junior,
Jasmine Jones (Class of 2012) winning the
MVP award! Starz Juniors
Tierra Jones (2012) and
Joidon Jennings (2012) were named All
Tournament team! Current/former Starz also helped to lead
the way: Senior,
Rikeyah McKinnon (2012), Junior
Andrea Mathews (2012), Junior
DeAsha Campbell (2012), and Sophomore
China Leary (2013).
CONGRATS!!
MERGER ANNOUNCEMENT: ELITE BB of AL TO JOIN STARZ!
Southern Starz Director,
Doug Bush is very excited to announce that
Director
Matt Shewmake of Elite Basketball of AL,
based out of Birmingham, AL will be joining forces with our
Starz program for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2011 season!
Players from the Elite Basketball of AL program will be
joining various of our Starz teams and Matt Shewmake will be
the Head Coach of our newly forming Southern Starz 9th Grade
Team (Class of 2014). Matt is native of Birmingham, AL and
played and coached at the college level. Matt has worked
alongside numerous men's and women's head and assistant
coaches from the Big 12, ACC, Conference USA, WAC and SEC.
Matt has coached his Elite BB of AL team for the past 2
years and joined our Starz at College Exposure events both
last April in North Carolina and in July in Orlando &
Atlanta. We are excited to formally add Matt Shewmake and
his players to our Starz organization to further strengthen
our Family of teams!!
LEADERSHIP by LYDIA!!
Starz Junior,
Lydia McGee (2012) of #1 ranked in Alabama
(3A) and #21 ranked in the Nation (Powerade FAB 50 Poll by
ESPN RISE) Madison Academy was recently featured in an ESPN
RISE Girls' Basketball "Captain's Corner" article ... in the
article Lydia discusses how she helps motivate her teammates
through the grind of a long, tough season! See the full
article at:
http://rise.espn.go.com/all-sports-girls/articles/2011/01/31-cc-lydia-mcgee.aspx.
CONGRATS!
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!
STARZ Fill up ASWA High School Rankings for 2010-11 in AL!!
In the first High School Basketball State Rankings published
by the ASWA on
February 10, 2011 (Final Poll),
teams led by more than 30
of our Southern
Starz players are highly ranked, including:
6A ...
#2 Ranked
Sparkman HS (SR Deasia
Henley & JR Jasmine Crutcher)
6A ...
#3 Ranked
Bob Jones HS (SR Rikeyah McKinnon; JR
Jasmine Jones, Tierra Jones, Joidon Jennings
& Drea Mathews; SOPHs Lindsey Jennings &
China Leary)
6A ...
#7 Ranked
Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa HS (SR Abby Isom; JR
Kat Reed & 9th GR Ariel Minor)
6A ...
#8 Ranked
Austin HS (SO "KeKe" Jordan)
6A ...
#9 Ranked
Hazel Green HS (JR DeAsia Toney)
5A ...
#4 Ranked
Ft. Payne (SRs Alicia Williams, Conner
Jordan & Taylor Dean)
5A ...
#10 Ranked
Hayden HS (JR Krista Stricklin & 7th GR
Grayson Taylor)
4A ... #2
Ranked
Good Hope HS (JR Nina Mills; SOPH Kayla
Tillman)
4A ...
#3 Ranked
Deshler (SR Ashley Southern)
4A ...
#7 Ranked
Oneonta HS (FR Destiny Elliott)
4A ...
#8 Ranked
DAR (SOPH Bailee Bell)
3A ...
#1 Ranked
Madison Academy (SRs Kyera "KeKe" Fletcher,
Amara Mayers; JR Lydia McGee)
3A ...
#4 Ranked
Lauderdale County HS (FR Oleightra Nance)
3A ...
#7 Ranked
West Morgan HS (JR Hayden Hamby)
2A ...
#1 Ranked
N. Sand Mountain
HS (8th GR Keely Ellison)
2A ...
#2 Ranked
Tanner HS
(SR Sierra Sales)
2A ...
#4 Ranked
Ider HS
(JR Hope Benefield)
2A ...
#6 Ranked
Cold Springs HS (JR Abby Myrex)
2A ...
#9 Ranked
Hatton HS
(JR Jordan Johnson)
1A ...
#8 Ranked
R.A. Hubbard HS
(FR Alex Gholston)
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!!
Bush to play at 2010 Top 10 Shootout!
On Satuday & Sunday, Oct. 2 & 3, our Southern
Starz 2012-Bush team will participate in
the Top 10 Team Shootout by Michael T. White which will be
held at the Basketball Academy in Louisville, KY during the
NCAA Fall Evaluation weekend (see
http://www.asgr.info/tournaments/ttcg/schedules.php). Starz
players will participate in the Team Event on
Saturday against some of the top travel teams in the
Nation! Our Starz 2012-Bush team is competing in the Top
Division of this 28 team event (see
http://www.asgr.info/tournaments/_scores/17FTTTSNational.pdf).
Several of our Starz players will then participate in the
Invitation-Only Top 10 All-American Camp with more than 150
top players from across the country. Many college coaches
will be in attendance for both events. In prior years, more
than 70 McDonald's All-Americans have participated in this
event including several who have gone on to be Kodak
All-Americans in college and WNBA standouts. The All-Star
Girls Report (ASGR) along with other national scouting
services will be on hand to evaluate players. Good Luck to
all of our Starz!!
STARZ 15U FINISH 3RD & 16U FINISH 16TH AT FILA Nationals!!
Our Southern Starz
14u, 15u, & 16u teams closed out the NCAA
July viewing period in strong fashion by traveling to
Georgia to play in their final event of 2010, the
FILA Nationals
(by Michael T. White) on July 28-31 at Suwanee
Sports Academy in Suwanee, GA (Atlanta). More than 150
teams from California to New York & all over the
country participated in front of
hundreds of college coaches. In the 64-team
top 17U-National Division, our
Starz 16U team finished in 16th place after
facing very difficult competition. Our
Starz 15U-Bush team finished 3rd, playing
UP in the 32-team 17U-Signature Division with a record of
5-1. After a tough loss in the semi-finals to the
eventual tourney champion Connecticut Spirit 16U team, Starz
15U finished strong with a 78-59 victory over
Indiana's Finest 16U in the 3rd/4th Place game.
Starz 14U finished in 17th place with a
record of 4-2 playing UP in the 24-team 15U-National
Division. Anywhere from 15 to 45 college coaches could be
seen courtside at each of our Starz teams' games during this
high-profile event!! Tournament results can be found at the
following link:
http://asgr.info/tournaments/filanationals/scores.php.
WAY TO GO STARZ!!
STARZ help lead North to 58-42 victory over South
All-Stars!!
Starz 2011 (16U) players
Amara Mayers of 3A-Madison Academy HS,
Rikeyah McKinnon of state runner-up 6A-Bob
Jones HS, Alicia
Williams &
Conner Jordan of 5A-Athens High School, and
Ashley Southern of state runner-up
4A-Deshler HS combined to score 23 points, 15 rebounds, and
4 steals to help lead the North All-Stars to a
convincing 58-42 victory over the South in the annual game
held in Huntsville at UAH.
Natasha West of 5A-Russellville HS and our
Starz 16U team was selected but was unable to play due to
injury. Both
Rikeyah McKinnon and
Ashley Southern started for the North team
that improved its all-time record to 12-2 over the South!
Sharin Rivers of 6A-Sparkman High School was named MVP for
the North squad.
This marks the 3rd straight year that our Starz
organization has had 3 or more players on the North squad.
CONGRATS!!
T. PRITCHETT & A. MATTHEWS ARE ELITE TRACK STARZ!!
Starz Senior (Class of 2010) and Arkansas State Basketball
Signee
Tiarra Pritchett of
6A-Bob Jones High School was named the Girls' Most Valuable
Performer and selected to The Huntsville Times 2010 Elite
Track & Field Team. Tiarra placed FIRST in the 6A State
Track Meet in the 100 Meters (11.87) and THIRD in the Triple
Jump. Starz Senior (Class of 2010)
Alisia Matthews of 6A-Bob Jones HS was also
named to The Huntsville Times 2010 Elite Track & Field
Team. Alisia placed SECOND in the Javelin and THIRD in the
discus at the 6A State Track Meet. Both Tiarra & Alisia
were members of the 6A State Runner-Up Girls' Basketball
team at Bob Jones HS in 2009-10 and the 6A State Champs in
2008-09. CONGRATS to both Tiarra & Alisia!
JASMINE JONES is SPECIAL HONOREE by AAMU!
At the 9th Annual Leadership Awards Banquet on June 4,
2010 hosted by the Huntsville Progressive Alumni Chapter of
the AL A&M University Alumni Association, Inc., Starz rising
Junior
Jasmine Jones of Sparkman High School was
recognized as a Special Honoree for her accomplishments in
both the classroom and as
The Huntsville Times Elite Girls' Basketball
Player of the Year! In attendance were Jasmine's mother
LaTrish Jones along with invited guests including Starz
Director/Coach Doug Bush and his wife "K-K." Other award
winners at the Banquet included various community leaders,
corporations, and faith-based organizations. The Huntsville
Progressive Alumni Chapter provides scholarships to
deserving students throughout Huntsville and the Madison
County area. Chapter President, Dr. Isaiah Robertson
presented Jasmine with her award. CONGRATS to Jasmine!!
JASMINE JONES RANKS HIGHLY in CLASS of 2012!
In the recently released national player rankings for the
Class of 2012, Starz rising Junior
Jasmine Jones of our
Starz 15U-Bush team has been moved up to #9
in the class by the
All-Star Girls' Report
(see
http://michaeltwhite.com/agr/). She is 1 of only 2
players from the Southeast in the ASGR Top 10. In the newly
released
ESPN/HoopGurlz "Terrific 25" player rankings
for the Class of 2012 (see HOOPGIRLZ
TERRIFIC 25, Jasmine is ranked as the #13
player in the nation. These are 2 of the most widely
regarded ranking services in girls' basketball, and their
evaluation of players occurs continuously at the College
Exposure events that our Starz program participates in each
year. CONGRATS to Jasmine!!
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!
