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Shorthanded Fencor makes fifth appearance in national final
The 7-time state champion Comets Red AAU team finally captures the crown.Buddy CollingsSentinel Staff Writer July 19, 2006 LAKE BUENA VISTA -- With parents poised to take pictures, Brooke Thomas gave a trophy shaped and sized like a basketball a playful kiss. Then the shortest player on the FBVA Orlando Comets Red girls basketball team hugged the shiny treasure symbolizing national age-group supremacy. Krystal Thomas, the tallest Comet, looked down, laughed, and said with palpable satisfaction, "Finally, we got one." Who said kids these days need instant gratification? The Comets, an all-star squad of girls who have chased titles since they were 8 and 9 years old, made state history Tuesday by dethroning Fencor of Philadelphia as national champions in the 16-and-under age group final at Disney's Wide World of Sports. The Comets came from behind in the second half to win 71-65 and become Florida's first AAU girls basketball champion. "We've been trying to win this since we were 8 playing up in the 10-and-under division," said Brooke Thomas, a rising junior at Edgewater. "It feels so good because Fencor killed us when we were little [in a 12s matchup]." The Comets, who went 11-0 in the weeklong tournament, have exchanged some parts every season -- winning seven consecutive state AAU championships along the way. But the puzzle fits almost perfectly now, with Thomas in the middle of a team that has all the pieces. "Each person brought something different," said Jaimie Givens, who delivered 15 points, eight rebounds and three crucial 3-point shots. Krystal Thomas, a 6-foot-4 senior bound for Duke, struggled to score early but finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocked shots and was voted tournament MVP by coaches. Alexa Deluzio, a junior who plays alongside Krystal Thomas and Givens on First Academy's high school state title team, had a team-high 19 points. Deluzio and Sthefany Thomas (14 points) of Wesley Chapel made the 15-girl all-tourney team. Fencor, which won the 14s title two years ago and the 15s in 2005, got 24 points from Caroline Doty, who put up big numbers all week. But they had to go without injured phenom Elena Delle Donne, a 6-5 junior. "Elena averages 28 points and 12 rebounds, and she's a matchup nightmare," said Veronica Algeo, the Fencor coach. "But you still have to play the game, and I'm proud of my girls. Credit the Comets. Their defense was very tough." The Kenner Angels of Louisiana won the third-place game, 67-64 against a Dayton (Ohio) Stars team that included Carlee Roethlisberger, sister of Ben, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. Buddy Collings can be reached at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com. UConn is watching Article published Mar 17, 2006 Recruits are watching UConn NCAA games could impress future stars By ARTHUR SHERMAN Norwich Bulletin Geno Auriemma decided to surprise one of his prized recruits on one of her biggest nights. Sprinkled into the crowd of George Washington's Smith Center was the UConn women's basketball coach, there to see Kaili McLaren of Good Counsel High in Tuesday night's Washington, D.C., girls title game. McLaren, one of two UConn recruits selected to play in the McDonald's High School All-American game along, with highly-touted Tina Charles, had been in contact with the Huskies' assistants, but the presence of Auriemma caught her off guard. "I talked to Tonya (Cardoza) and Jamelle (Elliott) actually before, and I was thinking maybe one of them were going to come," said McLaren, who totaled 20 points and 17 rebounds in a 62-34 win over H.D. Woodson. "And I ended up seeing Coach there in warm-ups and it was real special and I thanked him for coming." March is typically a big month for future college players, especially those who are fortunate enough to compete in state tournaments and title games. The year's third month is also significant because it gives these players a chance to watch their school of choice -- or the many suitors vying for their services -- compete in the NCAA tournament. McLaren said she'll be paying close attention to UConn, which begins its pursuit of a record-tying sixth national championship Sunday against 15th-seeded Coppin State. While the Huskies' recent success in March and early April weren't huge factors for McLaren -- "I always wanted to go to Connecticut ... I think Diana Taurasi walks on water," she said -- many players still uncertain of their college destination keep a close eye on the happenings of March Madness. Elena DelleDonne of Delaware looks specifically at what coaches do on the season's biggest stage. "Adjustments throughout the game, their ways of winning and their techniques," said DelleDonne, a 6-foot-4 sophomore who has been called the LeBron James on women's hoops. Coming off a record 50-point effort in leading Ursuline to a second-consecutive state title, DelleDonne said she's cut her prospective schools down to about 10 and lists UConn as, "high." A member of the two-time defending AAU national championship Fencor team, which is based in Philadelphia, DelleDonne is not the only member of her program drawing the Huskies' attention. Sophomore guard Caroline Doty, who attends Germantown Academy near Philly, is also high on UConn's radar and attended Senior Night in Storrs against Marquette last month. The notion of DelleDonne and Doty playing together in college is not unlikely, and there are a handful of schools competing in the recruiting process that both are interested in. "We talk about that all the time, how it would be great to stick together," DelleDonne said. If the duo remains intact and UConn is not the destination of choice, Big East rival Villanova is a potential beneficiary. A local school for both, Villanova is also a finalist for another one of their Fencor teammates, high school junior Lindsay Kimmel of Harpursville in upstate New York. "I think that they are going to look separately, making individual, separate decisions," Fencor coach Veronica Algeo said of DelleDonne and Doty. "Those individual, separate decisions could put them on the same path." Another member of the 2008 graduating class that has been linked to UConn is Heather Buck, also a 6-4 sophomore, who helped guide Stonington to a state title last Saturday. Like the others, Buck will be watching how the NCAA tournament unfolds, but she's keeping the results in perspective. "I look at the tournament and I pay attention to who's making it to the final and who's doing well, and who's losing," Buck said. "But it doesn't really play into my thoughts about a school because teams change every year." A lot of that change is based on whatever makes a kid like Buck, DelleDonne or Doty decide which school is right for them. Acker verbals to St. Joe's
Fencor heads to Oregon
Fencor repeats as champs! By JAMES D. HORNE, 07/28/05 The Leaf-Chronicle Top-seeded Fencor (Pa.) left little doubt who was the best team at this year's AAU 15U Girls National Basketball Championships. It wasn't easy, but Fencor got it done by topping the third-seeded Fairfax (Va.) Stars 78-67 in the championship game at the Dunn Center on Wednesday afternoon. The win marks Fencor's second consecutive national championship and third overall Fencor won the 12U title in 2002 and its fourth straight trip to an AAU final. Fencor played the Stars in the 13U championship game, which the Stars won in 2003. "It's really a special moment for these girls," Fencor coach Veronica Algeo said. "No core group of girls have ever won three national titles, and we're going to try to make history by winning three. They challenged themselves a lot to get better the whole tournament. Really, anything less than winning a national title was going to be a failure." And it certainly helps to have an athlete like Fencor's Elena Delle Donne leading the way. The No. 1-ranked player in her age group showed why she's received such billing by dropping a game-high 40 points. Caroline Doty added 14 points and Lindsay Kimmel had 12. "It's a great feeling," Delle Donne said. "Each win felt great, and none was better than the other. It feels amazing to repeat also." Delle Donne's worth was really displayed as she scored 18 of Fencor's last 28 points. "I just did what I had to do," Delle Donne said. "That's pretty much it. When my team needs me, I want to step up for them, and thank God I was able to." But Delle Donne wasn't the only scorcher on the court. Fairfax's Jasmine Thomas, who was the 2005 Virginia high school basketball player of the year as a sophomore, did what she could for the Stars with her team-high 29 points. Chalysa Shegog had 16 points for the Stars and Taneisha Harrison chipped in eight. Thomas scored 21 of the Stars' final 31 points, including a pair of 3-pointers at the end of the game. "We came in with a game plan, but they were too tough," Thomas said. "We tried to bring our A-game. We both had two games before this, so there were some tired legs. But we're a good team and we'll be back." Both coaches enjoyed watching the show Delle Donne and Thomas put on. "It was a lot of fun," Fairfax coach Aggie McCormick-Dix said. "They're two completely different players, too. The kids and players who were watching in the stands got to see the best. If you are trying to reach a goal or have a dream, you have to understand this just doesn't happen. These girls have been playing since they were 9 years old, and their work paid off here." "I'm sure ESPN was sorry they weren't here to see that," Algeo said. "Really, when you think about it, you have two great teams going against each other. And each team has two girls who were selected in the top 20 in the nation by Nike for all high school players in the nation. So there are the marquee names for each side. And then you step up and each team is playing great and each marquee player is playing well, it's great for the fans and players to watch." Fencor took control of the game with a 16-4 run in the second half, that put Fencor up 68-52 on Shannon Ferguson's putback with 3:56 to play. James D. Hornecovers prep sports for The Leaf-Chronicle and can be reached by e-mail at jameshorne@theleafchroincle.com.
After wake-up call, Fencor rolls in semis By MATTHEW KOEWLER, 07/28/05 The Leaf-Chronicle -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fencor (Pa.) defeated the Dayton Lady Hoopstars 59-35 Wednesday afternoon to advance to the finals of the AAU National Championship game. The Hoopstars started the game with a 10-0 run in the first two minutes that was capped off by a 3-pointer from Stephanie Bambeuger and then another 3-pointer by Carlee Roethlisberger. After Fencor head coach Veronica Algeo called a timeout, Fencor responded with a 13-0 run and they never looked back. Caroline Doty said the message during the timeout was simple, but it worked. "Pick our heads up. Play defense and just play our game," Doty said of the message during the timeout. "We came into the game happy that we won our first game this morning; we knew we had to wake up. It was like a wake-up call." Doty was able to go the length of the court with 8.6 seconds left before halftime to take a 29-20 lead into the break. The Hoopstars' Sarah Schulze helped cut the lead to four as she got five of her team-high 13 points on consecutive trips down the court. Fencor, though, wouldn't have a second-half letdown and was led by Elena Delle Donne's 26 points despite Roethlisberger's strong defense. "I was going to do what it took to win," Delle Donne said. Algeo knew Doty and Delle Donne would come up with big performances for their team. "The bigger the stakes, the bigger they play," Algeo said. "They are just tremendous basketball players and are terrific teammates as well. They are great to coach and are just wonderful kids." Hoopstars coach Jerry Rex knew his team was up against a tough team and wants his girls to remember playing a team of their talent. "It's nice that they got to play a team of that caliber, it's something they will remember for a lifetime," Rex said. CARING FOR TEAM: Defending Champions Have Gift, Which Lies in Love for Each Other Caring for team 07/23/05 James D. Horne Staff Defending champions have gift, which lies in love for each other By JAMES D. HORNE The Leaf-Chronicle Yes, Philadelphia-based Fencor is the top seed at this year's AAU 15U Girls National Basketball Championships. Sure, they come into this year's tournament after most of the same group won the AAU's 14U title last year in Monroe, La. And most people in the basketball world know that Fencor is led by Elena Delle Donne, who is listed as the top freshman guard in the country by USA Today. But here's the essence that makes Fencor such a dominating team. "It's amazing how much this team cares for each other," Fencor head coach Veronica Algeo said after the team's 72-40 opening game win over the Clarksville Net Force at the Dunn Center on Friday. "Caroline Doty fractured her fibula right before Nationals last year, and we went with eight healthy players. The girls were so awesome to her. And Caroline was so awesome to them during the games, she was like an assistant coach on the bench. All the girls went out and got T-shirts with Doty's No. 5 and wore them as warm-ups. "It's hard to say how these girls have become so close. But it's a unique thing, particularly the way sports in our culture have become so individualistic." In the team members' eyes, the reason why Fencor is so tightly bonded is easy to explain. "We always have so much fun," said Doty, 15, a sophomore who attends Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pa. "We're always working hard, but we always have smiles on our faces. Like, Shannon (Ferguson) is always picking everybody up. Elena always makes sure we're focused, but having fun and loving the game." "It is a lot of fun," said Ferguson, 16, a junior at Upper Dublin High in Fort Washington. "It's been a lot of work, because we do a lot of traveling. We've been to Virginia, Oregon and Chicago. It's tiring, but I love it because it's always fun. I love all the girls on this team. We always just have a good time, even while we are playing." Admittedly, it does help to have an athlete like Donne on the team. The 6-foot-5 sophomore, who goes to Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Del., is fully aware all eyes are on her when she steps on the court. In Fencor's win on Friday, in which Donne led all scores with 22 points - most of which came in the first half - college coaches from Tennessee, Duke, Temple, Stanford, Virginia and a host of others were there to see her. But Donne doesn't sweat the pressure. "It doesn't really bother me," the 15-year-old said. "I just play my game. I don't really even think of them being there while I'm playing. I see them when I walk in and when I leave. But while I'm playing, I don't even know they are there." And, sorry, coaches - so far, Donne hasn't decided where she wants to attend college. "I have no idea," she said. Really and truly, Donne is just as focused on making sure Fencor wins as the rest of her teammates are. Mainly, because it's a family affair. "We're like nine sisters," Donne said. "It's not really like a team. Most of us have been together since we were 10 years old. It's just great that we're that close, because some teams have their ups and downs. But we never have to worry about that. We always have a great time together." However, while Fencor is a tightly knit group, the team has only one accomplishment in mind. "We're here to put all our hard work into the game and regain our title," Doty said. Fencor knows it won't be easy, especially since it walks in with the notoriety that comes with winning the 14U championship last year. "That actually makes it harder, because you see other teams when you walk in and they're like, `Oh, that's Fencor,'" Ferguson said. "You just know everyone sees you as the team they want to beat. And they are going to play against us as hard as they can, because they know we've won before. And they know we are coming back to win again." But clearly, the two-fold bottom line for Fencor is ... "We're here to win a championship," Donne said. "But we can still have fun doing it. But once it's game time, we're focused on winning because that's always been our goal." Matera sparks Fencor past Western Lakers By JAMES D. HORNE, 07/26/05 The Leaf-Chronicle -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Christine Matera understands her role and knows what she's supposed to do for top-seeded Fencor (Pa.). It's just with Fencor's stacked roster, opponents may be surprised with what Matera can accomplish. "They look for me to shoot the ball," Matera said. "So, if I get a chance to shot the ball, I'm shooting the ball." Matera, with 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half, did her part in helping Fencor take a 78-41 win over the Western Lakers (Mich.) in the second round of the Championship Bracket of the AAU 15U Girls National Basketball Championship at the Dunn Center on Monday after noon. "Chris is one of those extremely hard workers we have on our team," Fencor coach Veronica Algeo said. "People may not remember her from last year. But because she's made herself develop so much, people know her now. She played real well at the Oregon and the Chicago Nike Tournaments earlier in July. She's capable of putting together runs of 12 or 15 points in a matter of six minutes. That's how well-skilled she is." Fencor's Elena Delle Donne was the game's top scorer with 22 points. Shannon Ferguson added 11 and Lindsay Kimmel chipped in with 10. The Lakers were led by Elyse Schlump's 10 points and Erika Bruinsma and Maddie Burnett added eight a piece. The Lakers (2-3, fourth place Pool H), who were hampered by poor shooting for most of the game, missed their first eight shots and fell behind 11-0 in the first seven minutes. "That's something about playing the number-one team in the country," Western Lakers head coach Dan Geelhoed said. "That's what that's about. Our girls were a little nervous coming out. Once they settled down, they started playing basketball. But Fencor is a good team. It was a tough game." Top-seeded Fencor (5-0, first place Pool A) took control of the game with two runs. The first, a 13-3 run, came at the end of the first half as Fencor took a 34-14 lead at halftime. The second run was a 15-4 streak that helped Fencor build a 51-18 advantage with 13:14 to play. "We just played really great as a team," Donne said. "We're just trying to prepare for the better games that are to come. We just wanted to make sure we played real well as a team, went on runs and do all the good stuff we're supposed to do." No. 1 seed smothers Clarksville in AAU nationals opener Nation's top player scores 22 points; Net Force play well during first half By JAMES D. HORNE 07/23/05 The Leaf-Chronicle Mookie Jackson and the rest of the Clarksville Net Force are happy they got their opening game of pool play in the AAU 15U Girls National Basketball Tournament out of the way. It's just because of the luck of the draw, or lack thereof, that the host-qualifying team had to take on top-seeded Fencor (Pa.), which took a 72-40 victory at the Dunn Center on Thursday. "I think we had a lot of confidence in the beginning of the game," said Jackson, a sophomore Northeast transfer. "As they took off and the score got higher, we hung our heads down and started to give up a little. If we would have kept our heads in the game, I think we could have won." But the Net Force (0-1, Pool A) gained some insight about how to play from here on out. "We learned a lot from the game," Jackson said. "We learned what the team can do and what we can't do. We just have to give it our all. We've got to go out and play hard every game. Now that we've gotten a hard team out of the way, we can pick it up." Jackson and Clarksville High junior Valerie Bronson led the Net Force with 10 points each, followed by Dickson County junior Brittney Stanford with eight points and Todd County (Ky.) Central junior Millie Deason's six. Fencor's (1-0, Pool A) talented sophomore Elena Delle Donne ranked the nation's top player in her class by USA Today led all scorers with 22 points. Lindsay Kimmel chipped in 18 points and Christine Matera added nine. And for a while there, the Net Force gave Fencor all they could handle. "Defensively to start, we were flat," Fencor coach Veronica Algeo said. "... To the credit of the Clarksville Net Force, they made us pay. They really executed well. But once we buckled down ... everything else kind of took care of itself." That point came when Fencor blew open a 27-20 game with 4:35 left in the first half, and ended the half on a 15-2 run to take a 42-22 halftime lead. "We came out and played hard the first 14-15 minutes," Net Force and Rossview boys coach Fred Harper said. "We were still in it when it was 27-20. But they went on that run. I thought we missed some bunnies and didn't use the glass on some putbacks. Those might not have made a difference in the outcome, but it would have helped in the spread of the game." Fencor Wins Historic Third National AAU Title They're the tops - again By: Stuart London 08/04/2005 Fencor wins historic third national AAU title The Fencor girls basketball team leveled the opposition, winning a total of 11 games by an average margin of 22 points, en route to winning the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) 15-and-under championship last week in Clarksville, Tenn. Fencor won the title game, 78-67, over the Fairfax (Va.) Stars on Thursday in a game played at Austin Peay University's Dunn Center. Fencor finished first in a field of 95 teams. It is the third AAU national title for Fencor in this age group, having won it three years ago in Amarillo, Texas as well as last year in Monroe, La. Fairfax defeated Fencor two years ago in the 13-and-under final held in Dayton, Oh. Fencor becomes the first girls basketball team in the history of the Middle Atlantic AAU Association (which includes Eastern Pennsylva-nia, South Jersey and Delaware) to win two national titles in a row. The coach of the team was former Northeast resident Veronica Algeo, which gives her family another title. In the past year, her father, Jim Algeo, won the PIAA Class AAA football championship at Lansdale Catholic and her brother, Dan Algeo, won the Philadelphia Catholic League title at Cardinal O'Hara. Fencor was led by 6-foot-5 Elena Delle Donne with 40 points. She will be a sophomore at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Del. in the fall. Delle Donne scored 38 points for Ursuline in a win over Archbishop Ryan last season. Ursuline is scheduled to play at St. Hubert's this upcoming season. Caroline Doty, a sophomore-to-be at Germantown Academy, added 14 points and Lindsay Kimmel, the daughter of former NFL player Jamie Kimmel, added 12 points for Fencor. Another starter for Fencor was 6-foot Rosie Tarnowski, a sophomore-to-be at Archbishop Wood and the daughter of former Father Judge player Ray Tarnowski. Erin Edwards, whose father Bob Edwards also played for Judge, was a guard on the team. Also playing for Fencor were Michele Brokans (Lansdale Catholic), Shannon Ferguson (Upper Dublin), Hanna Halteman (Owen J. Roberts) and Christine Matera (Camden Catholic). Fencor won the Middle Atlantic championship for the sixth-straight time before a packed gym at Northeast High School in May with a 72-52 win over DBL, who ended up 5th at the AAU nationals in Clarksville. The AAU nationals were the end of a long month for Fencor. It started in Portland. Oregon as it played in the End of the Trail tournament going against teams from Texas, New Mexico and even Alberta, Canada. Fencor finished seventh playing in the elite division. Next up was the Nike Cup in Chicago, Ill. where Fencor finished with an impressive 4-1 record and placed fifth overall in an elite field of mostly 17-and-under teams. Fencor played both tournaments without Delle Donne, who was sick with an infection but she came back with a vengeance for Tennessee, averaging 22 points a game despite playing little more than a half as most games were blowouts. The Clarksville media showered attention on the Fencor players. Almost every day a reporter from the local newspaper, The Leaf-Chronicle, covered one of their games and the local TV station did a report on the team at its first and last games of the tournament. The fan support was also strong. At a game against the Georgia Metros played at Clarksville High, the crowd was so large it spilled onto the court and referees had to clear the baseline under the basket of fans who had lined it as the stands were full. The final day was a testament to Fencor's fitness and dedication as the quarterfinal, semifinal and final were all played on the same day with only an hour-and-a-half between games. The day began at 8:30 a.m. with Fencor dispatching the Michigan Pistons by 32 points. Next up were the Dayton Lady Hoop Stars in the semifinals. Dayton came out firing and took a quick 10-0 lead on Fencor. As one observer put it 'that just woke up the 800-pound gorilla' as Fencor outscore Dayton, 59-25, to advance to the national championship game. Fairfax had to play from behind the entire way as a hail of 3-pointers from Doty, Delle Donne and Kimmel gave Fencor a 14-4 lead. Fairfax would never get closer than four points. The only down note seemed to be that the team would not have time to celebrate its history-making day as they had to rush to make a 6 p.m. flight in Nashville, 45 miles away. But that even worked out as the flight was cancelled and the team was put up at a Marriott and got time to enjoy the victory before heading home the next morning. Stuart London is a News Gleaner Sports Writer, and a coach with Fencor. For more information on Fencor and the 15-and-under championship team, go to www.fencor.org. ©News Gleaner 2005 Delle Donne Leads Fencor to Back-to-Back Championships DelleDonne leads her team to AAU national title BY DOUG LESMERISES / The News Journal 07/30/2005 Another basketball season, another championship for Elena DelleDonne. The 15-year-old, 6-foot-4 star from Centreville led her AAU team to a second consecutive national title on Wednesday in Clarksville, Tenn., scoring 40 points in Fencor's 78-67 victory over the Fairfax (Va.) Stars. According to AAU officials, DelleDonne's 40 points were a record for a girls championship game. Fencor, based in Fort Washington, Pa., won the 15-and-under title after taking the 14-and-under championship last summer. DelleDonne also led Ursuline to state titles in her first two seasons of high school ball. "It's pretty much the same feeling every time," DelleDonne said of playing on four championship teams in two years. "It's amazing and you can't describe it unless you've been through it." Other tournament teams made a point of sticking around to watch DelleDonne play. And opposing players asked DelleDonne to sign autographs and pose for photos as Fencor dominated the 95-team event at Austin Peay University. Fencor, which also includes Ursuline guard Erin Edwards, finished 11-0. DelleDonne averaged 22 points per game while sitting out much of the second halves. Only one Fencor victory was by fewer than double digits. In that game, with her team trailing by four with 1:45 to play, DelleDonne scored eight of her team's final 10 points in a 65-61 win. In the championship, Fencor faced the Fairfax team that beat them in the final of the 13-and-under tournament two years ago. Facing Jasmine Thompson, the Virginia high school player of the year, DelleDonne went off. "She was unstoppable," said Fencor coach Veronica Algeo. "They threw different people at her -- little people, big people -- and none of it worked. Elena was hitting from all over the place." The title helped make up for a rough summer for DelleDonne, who missed a month of play while fighting an infection and a fever. She attended a prestigious 22-player Nike camp, the only sophomore there, but couldn't participate. She's back now. Algeo said University of Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt watched nine of DelleDonne's 11 games, while Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma watched the final five. "When I walk in, I see them," DelleDonne said. "I know it's good that they're taking the time to come and see me. But when I'm on the court, they don't exist." DOTY, FENCOR DO IT AGAIN Doty, Fencor do it again By BRENDA SENIOR 08/23/05 The Intelligencer Most people will never know what it feels like to be named a national champion once in their lifetime, let alone twice or three times. However, if you'd like to know what it feels like, just ask one of the girls on the 15-and-under Fencor basketball team, who recently earned their second national championship title in a row and third overall. Fencor became the first Middle Atlantic team to win consecutive championships. The girls and head coach Veronica Algeo, along with assistant coaches Maggie deMarteleire and Stuart London, traveled to Clarksville, Tenn., to compete in the Amateur Athletic Union Girls' National Basketball Championships in late July. The field consisted of 95 teams from around the country. Fencor glided through the first few rounds in the AAU tournament, defeating the host Clarksville Net Force, and several other teams during the beginning of the seven-day tournament. It had a 26.2-point average margin of victory during the pool play portion of the tournament. In the playoffs, Fencor played the quarterfinals, the semifinals and the championship games all in the same day. Archbishop Wood sophomore Rosie Tarnowski said Algeo prepared the girls for that schedule with her tough practices. "Our practices and conditioning were pretty intense," Tarnowski said. "(Algeo) would make us run for 20 minutes; it was hard. But, we realized it would help us in the end, and it did." Algeo said the girls knew what they were in for. "We knew that going in as a team," Algeo said. "We looked at it like, 'It is what it is and let's make it work for us.' Our approach was that it was going to be a test of conditioning and mental toughness. And if that's the case, we like our chances. Our kids are tough." Fencor proved its toughness by beating the third-seeded Fairfax (Va.) Stars, 78-67, in the championship game. The success of the team can be partially attributed to how much the players care for each other. "It's amazing how close these girls are, especially growing up in a (sports) culture that is so individualistic," Algeo said. The team is made up of nine local girls who are entering either their sophomore or junior year in high school. Five of them have been playing together since they were 10 years old, and thus have established a family-like bond. Germantown Academy's Caroline Doty, a Doylestown native, has been with the team since she was 11. "When we played in another tournament, one of the (opponents') coaches came up to me and said the difference between their team and our team is chemistry," Doty said. "You can't teach that." Another longtime teammate is Wilmington, Del., native 6-foot-5 Elena Delle Donne, who was listed as the top freshman guard in the country by USA Today this past season. Delle Donne contributed 40 points in the championship game against the Stars. The team competed in numerous prestigious showcase tournaments en route to its championship. It played against mostly 16- and 17-year-old teams in the elite bracket. "The girls always play up in the higher age groups," Algeo said. "They need that type of competition because the girls want to get better." During the middle of their season, Delle Donne was out for six weeks with an infection and couldn't play at tournaments in Oregon and Chicago. The other girls had a chance to showcase their talents and prove they could hold their own. "For years, the girls were so used to playing with (Delle Donne), so they knew they had to step up their play," Algeo said. "They really did step up their game." Delle Donne's absence gave Doty her time to shine. She averaged 17.5 points over the nine games played in Oregon and Chicago and contributed 22 3-pointers. "It was difficult (playing without Delle Donne), because (she) is an unbelievable player and we all rely on her because we know her game," Doty said. "I thought I'll step up and play my game better for her and for our team, so my team can have someone to look up to (in her absence)." "This has been a huge summer for (Doty)," Algeo said. "She does so many things on the court. She is everywhere and gets us so many more possessions in a game. She's fast, athletic, controls floor boards and loose balls and can jump. She has developed so much over the last three months. She's maturing and has a great work ethic." Algeo says there are many college coaches calling about Doty now. "The attention for her is fresh, new and exciting, but well-deserved," Algeo said. "All of our girls are being recruited by Division I schools at some level. All nine girls are very good. You couldn't be happier for them because they are talented, but they work hard and keep their egos in check." The girls will have one more season together because some on the team will be graduating from high school the following year. Six-year Fencor veteran Michele Brokans, a junior at Lansdale Catholic, said the team is really excited for next year. "Next year will be really sad," Brokans said. "But we want to end on top and go out with a bang." Matera Makes Most of AAU Summer Chance Matera makes the most of summer AAU chance Tuesday, September 6, 2005 By KEVIN CALLAHAN Courier-Post Staff ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHRISTINE MATERA Position: Guard High School: Camden Catholic Grade: Junior AAU summer basketball team: Fencor Accomplishments: Helped Fencor win its second straight AAU national title Family tradition: Her father Mark and late uncle Brian each played college football; brother Anthony was a two-year starting guard at Camden Catholic. Quote: "She makes herself develop, not from year to year, but from month to month," said Fencor AAU coach Veronica Algeo. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Christine Matera spent the summer continuing to make a name for herself on the national girls' basketball circuit. Matera, who will be a junior at Camden Catholic High School, played a major role in helping Fencor become the first girls' team from the Mid-Atlantic Region to repeat as AAU National Champion. "She is so completely driven, so goal-oriented, so competitive, so intelligent -- and she's a leader," Fencor coach Veronica Algeo said. "I am fortunate that I get to coach someone who possesses the basketball skills, possesses the mental fortitude, and possesses all of the intangibles which true champions possess." Matera comes from strong athletic bloodlines, which couldn't have hurt with the developments of these impressive intangibles. Her father, Mark, was a quarterback at Pennsauken High School and Widener University and her late uncle, Brian, was a linebacker at Pennsauken and Maryland. Her brother, Anthony, was a two-year starting guard for Camden Catholic, graduating this past season. "I am fortunate for the opportunity to coach Christine," Algeo said. "She's just a great kid from a great family." Fencor, the top seed, won the 15-and-under championship in late July in Clarksville, Tenn., beating the third-seeded Fairfax (Va.) Stars 78-67 in the title game. Matera scored 13 points -- 11 in the second half -- in a 78-41 win over the Western Lakers (Mich.) in the second round of the championship bracket played at Austin Peay University's Dunn Center. "Christine played a significant role in the team's success this summer," Algeo said. "Consequently, she has received attention from Division I college coaching staffs, ranging from Princeton University to Duquesne University. And this is only the beginning." College coaches were able to start contacting Matera through written letters, e-mail and text messages on Sept. 1. Algeo also said Matera played well at the Oregon and the Chicago Nike Tournaments earlier in July. "She works so hard at developing her ballhandling skills, her shooting skills, her shooting range, and her athleticism all year round," Algeo said. "She makes herself develop, not from year to year, but from month to month." Matera helped Fencor win not only its second consecutive national championship, but also its third in the last four years. Fencor won the 12U title in 2002 in Amarillo, Texas. The Fairfax (Va.) Stars defeated Fencor two years ago in the 13-and-under final held in Dayton, Ohio. Last year, Fencor won back the title in Monroe, La. "Seven of the nine of us have won all three," Matera said proudly, "and another girl has won two." Matera played on Fencor's local rival AAU team as a 10- and 11-year-old before being asked to play for Fencor. Most of the same group won the AAU 14U title last year. "They already had a good tradition," Matera said. In this latest championship run, Fencor won a total of 11 games by an average margin of 22 points with only one win coming by fewer than double digits. Matera played in front of some of the best-known coaches in the country, as many came to see Fencor's Elena Delle Donne, who is listed as the top freshman guard in the country by USA Today. The 6-foot-5 Delle Donne, who will be a sophomore at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Del., scored 40 points in the championship game, which is believed to be an AAU record for a title game. Matera plans to play for Fencor next year. Fencor has won the Middle Atlantic championship (which includes Eastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware) six straight years. "It has been unbelievable, we go all over the country to play basketball," Matera said. "We are all so close." Before that, however, Matera has a sizable goal this winter at Camden Catholic. "What I really want now is a state championship," Matera said. Reach Kevin Callahan at kcallahan@courierpostonline.com Fencor wins 2004 national title!
Keith Prince kprince@thenewsstar.com July 23, 2004 Led by 6-4 dynamo Elena DelleDonne and getting key supporting roles throughout the lineup, Fencor defeated Kenner 71-61 Thursday to win the 14-and-under AAU girls national basketball title at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The title is Fencor's second age group national crown in the past three years and the loss denied Kenner of a 10th title since 1992. DelleDonne was clearly the marquee attraction, scoring 45 points in a 79-75 overtime win over the Tulsa Swoosh in the semifinal game Thursday morning and adding 25 in the championship game. Already gaining much attention nationally, the 14-year-old from Centerville, Del., finished with 268 points in Fencor's 10 wins and scored more than 30 points in four games with 20-plus in another four. Against Kenner, DelleDonne made 10-of-18 field goal attempts, four of five free throws, grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked three shots, had two steals and two assists. But there were other stars, too, for Fencor in the title contest. Kenner coach Alan Frey alluded to that when he said, "Elena is marvelous. I can't think of any other player with similar skills at this age other than Simone Augustus of Baton Rouge. "But despite Elena, the real key to this game may well have been how many big plays they got from other girls," said Frey, who has led Kenner to five previous national crowns. Lindsay Kimmell provided a huge lift for Fencor with 24 points, including a 3-pointer and four free throws in the final two minutes. Also, diminutive guard Colleen Magarity came off the bench to hit key 3-pointers in both halves. She dropped a bomb first with 2:20 left in the initial half while DelleDonne was on the bench for a brief rest, and then again with 3:20 left in the game when Kenner had sliced Fencor's lead to a mere two points at 55-53. DelleDonne said, "It was totally a team effort. Everybody came through. We love each other so much and just won't let each other down." About her own achievements, DelleDonne said, "I don't care about the individual publicity. The fun is winning with a team. Nothing equals this feeling." DelleDonne also said, "This is really for Caroline," referring to Caroline Doty, who sat on the sideline with a cast on her left leg. The team's point guard, No. 2 scorer and an AAU Junior Olympics selection like DelleDonne, Doty suffered a fracture of her left fibula nine days before the national tourney and can't return to basketball until September. "She has remained so much a part of our team," DelleDonne said. "She became like another coach and she constantly lifted our spirits." The entire team wore warmup jerseys with "Doty, No. 5" on the back. Fencor maintained control of the first half, moving to a 16-8 lead at the 13:00 mark and was still leading 26-16 with 3:25 remaining before Kenner sliced it to six at 26-20 with DelleDonne on the bench. Magarity's trey moved the gap back up to 29-20 before Kenner's Lyndra Bell scored for a 29-22 halftime. Kenner grabbed the upper hand early in the second half, forcing five quick Fencor turnovers while following the offensive work of point guard Caitlin Cleveland and wing Tiffany Aidoo to grab a 37-35 lead with 12:58 left in the game. Cleveland finished with 17 points and Aidoo added 16 for the Angels. The Louisiana crew increased its lead to 42-37 when Cleveland hit a 3-pointer and Aidoo canned a short jumper at 10:38. But Kimmell sandwiched a rebound-put-back and trey around teammate Rosie Tarnowski's bucket to put Fencor back on top 44-42. Kenner tied it once more seconds later and got to within two points twice down the stretch before Kimmell and DelleDonne closed the door in the final two minutes. "I feel such great joy for these kids," Fencor coach Veronica Algeo said. "When Caroline went down before the tournament, it presented major problems because she did so much for us. "But this team never stops amazing me. They seemed to gain strength from adversity. They grew closer and everyone elevated their game. Nothing is more important than team chemistry and this group had it," Algeo said. "Kenner is an outstanding team and Alan did a great coaching job today. He really presented us problems by sticking with his big lineup so much. "But our kids adjust so well. They have terrific basketball IQs and it makes everything so much easier. This has been a dream," she said. ©The News-Star July 23, 2004
2004 Nationals Semi's & 3rd place roundup July 23, 2004 The Fairfax Stars, the 2003 13-and-under girls national champions, defeated Tulsa Swoosh 71-65 to finished third in the 2004 14-and-under girls national tournament. "We were tired," Fairfax coach Aggie McCormick-Dix said afterwards. "Playing two games a day at the level of play we have played throughout this tournament, we're really didn't have too much in our legs." Four teams tied for fifth place in the tournament: Southwest-Express, Florida-FBVA Orlando Comets Red, Arkansas-Mavericks, Michigan-Oakland Suns. -------------------------------------------------------------------- MA-Fencor 79, OK-Tulsa Swoosh 75 (OT) Elena DelleDonne scored a game-high 45 points to lead her Middle Atlantic Fencor (Pa.) team to a semifinal victory over the Tulsa Swoosh on Thursday. Fencor led the game by six at halftime, only to see Tulsa take the lead at 63-61 with 11.5 seconds left. Lindsay Kimmell of Fencor tied the game at 63-63 with a second left. DelleDonne finished 13-of-16 from the field. ------------------------------------------------------------------- SO/LA Kenner Angels 55, PV-Fairfax Stars 50 The Kenner Angels were down early, but came back to take a semifinal win against the Potomac Valley-Fairfax Stars. Fairfax controlled the game early with a 19-6 lead, before Kenner went on a 23-0 run to lead 39-19 at halftime. Adrienne Johnson led Kenner with 13 points. Dominique Stroman had 12 points for Fairfax. ©The News-Star July 23, 2004 Fencor claims second title Fencor claims second title By ANGIE MOUNTAIN August, 2004 The Intelligencer National championships are hard to come by. Winning two before the majority of the players on your team have started high school, then, is particularly sweet. The Fencor 14-year-old girls basketball team returned to the top of the Amateur Athletic Union charts with a championship performance over six days and 10 games at the national tournament in Louisiana. Two years ago, this same team won the 12-year-old title. The girls followed with a return trip to the national title game last year, but finished as the runner-up. Fencor might have appeared vulnerable to its competition this year, with starting point guard and second-leading scorer Caroline Doty of Doylestown out of the lineup with a fractured fibula and a new head coach, Veronica Algeo, on the bench, but the team quickly established itself as a contender. Fencor posted a 4-0 record in pool play to advance to the championship bracket. The team rolled to a 76-63 win over the Spooks (Kan.), then trounced the Fairfax Stars (Va.), 74-32. Defense ruled the day in a 45-33 win over the Black Widows (Va.), and a 60-53 win over FBVA Orlando (Fla.) put Fencor in the Final Four. In the semifinals, the Tulsa (Okla.) Swoosh tested Fencor's mettle, leading the game by two with just a second to play when Lindsay Kimmel sank a 4-foot, turnaround jumper that sent it into overtime. Elena Delle Donne scored 45 points in the game and Fencor pulled out the win, 79-75. The final against Kenner (La.), a hometown favorite going for its 10th national title since 1992, was almost anticlimactic after the tension of the semifinal win. Despite playing less than two hours after the semifinal, Fencor reclaimed its status as national champion with a 71-61 victory. "It was nice seeing my team play and cooperate together, and to see how they react in tough situations," said Doty, who acted as an assistant coach/cheerleader from the bench. "It was also difficult, because I like tough-situation games and pulling off big wins. Seeing us make the big shot to send it (the semifinal game) into overtime got me so pumped up, it helped me cheer the team on even more." Upper Moreland resident Erin Edwards came up with a great game in the win over FBVA, helping break the press. Edwards averaged 2.9 assists per game in the tournament. Germantown Academy sophomore guard Colleen Magarity mastered the outside shot, hitting 61 percent of her 3-pointers over 10 games. She had two 3s in the title game, one in the first half to squelch a scoring run while Delle Donne took a breather on the bench and the second with about 3 minutes to play to give Fencor the five-point lead. Lansdale Catholic sophomore Michele Brokans led the team in both assists and steals for the tournament, nabbing 18 takeaways and dishing out 5.4 assists per game. "She made really clutch decisions in terms of ball options," said Algeo, who will be an assistant coach at LC this winter. "Just really good, floor-general type of decisions." Rosie Tarnowski, a 6-0 forward/guard with an impressive arsenal of skills, averaged 6.5 rebounds per game and 3.1 assists. "For a 6-footer, she also can handle the ball," said Algeo. "She can go outside a bit if she has to; she's a real good player. She can rebound, hit 3s and pass the ball. Archbishop Wood's getting quite a player in her." Doty, the team co-captain and a selection to the region's Junior Olympic team along with Delle Donne, broke her leg and tore two ligaments during a scrimmage nine days before the tournament. "Caroline is such a leader," said Algeo. "Inside, she was dying to play. We asked her to be another coach on the bench, lift the team's spirits and offer insights to us. She did all that and more." Upper Dublin sophomore Shannon Ferguson came through in the championship bracket for Fencor, and Christine Matera had a huge game in the semifinal overtime win. Angie Mountain can be reached at (215) 345-3070 or amountain@phillyBurbs.com. August 6, 2004 7:50 AM Column on Elena's family DelleDonne family seems prepared for the future Keith Prince kprince@thenewsstar.com July 20, 2004 Upon learning about Elena DelleDonne - the 6-4 dynamo from Delaware who is already considered one of the nation's top prep basketball prospects at age 14 - my first thoughts turned to her parents. Elena and her folks, Ernest and Joan DelleDonne, are here this week with her AAU team, Fencor, attempting to win the 14-and-under national title. As a parent, I wondered how Ernie and Joan are dealing with the fact that their daughter is suddenly living in a "celebrity whirlwind" and will quite likely be there from now on. From all indications, she will possibly be the nation's most highly recruited player in the next several years. How has this dynamic changed their family's life? What can her parents do to help Elena the most? And, truthfully, will they be a help or hindrance in this entire process? Ernest and Joan DelleDonne talked about their unique situation Monday morning at Fant-Ewing Coliseum prior to Fencor's pool-play game. "First, it is true a lot of things are happening quickly to Elena," said her father. "We believe one of our biggest responsibilities is to warn her of the pitfalls that are out there. "But I can tell you we haven't changed as a family - and Elena hasn't changed as a person. The main way she combats all the attention is to focus on her own game. Her goal every day is to improve." Ernest DelleDonne also feels that his wife plays a huge role in keeping things moving smoothly at home. "Joan is remarkable. I don't see how she does all that she does to help all three of our children," he said. "She keeps everything normal for everything and at our home 'normal' means many different things." Added Joan: "Our world doesn't center around just Elena. It can't. And she would never want it that way. "However, I can tell you that her basketball career has already been a great joy ride for all of us." Elena's older brother, Gene, is an outstanding quarterback and has already committed to Duke as he heads into his senior season at Salesianum High School. Also, however, Elena's 20-year-old sister, Elizabeth, who was born deaf and blind and also has cerebral palsy, provides a true leveling agent for the DelleDonne family. "Elizabeth is my inspiration," Elena said. "She is what keeps me grounded. When I see the struggles she has every day, there is no way I can get overly impressed with anything I do in basketball." As with many girls who get involved in sports, her dad was her first big influence in that area. "We spent a lot of time together playing basketball when I was young. He got me involved in YWCA basketball at 5 and I loved it from the start. "My dad is still there when I want to work on something special and we still lift weighs together," she said of her 6-6 father, who also played college basketball. "Mom is the one who is always there to talk to. She can lift my spirits if there is a problem, but also keep me on an even keel at the right time." As for his daughter's phenomenal progress, Ernest said, "AAU has played a tremendous role in her basketball. I definitely put it ahead of high school basketball from a developmental standpoint. "In high school, you may face two or three good players in a game. In AAU, especially when you get on the national level, the talent pool is much better throughout a team's lineup," he said. Also, the fact that Fencor's team is playing together as a group for the fifth year helps tremendously. "I came home from the Nike Camp with a much greater respect for our AAU team," said Ernest DelleDonne. "Our girls play together so well and all nine of them are talented." Elena DelleDonne said her team "is like a group of sisters. We enjoy each other and do a lot of things together. We all support each other totally. "I wouldn't want to be going through this without them," she said. Despite the growing attention, it appears Elena DelleDonne and her family are well prepared to pass the "whirlwind test" they face over the next four years. Keith Prince is a staff writer for The News-Star. Contact him at 362-0235 or at P.O. Box 1502, Monroe, La. 71210. ©The News-Star July 20, 2004
By Brenda Young byoung@thenewsstar.com July 23, 2004 Making big shots is nothing new for Lindsay Kimmell. Luckily for her, they all seem to come at the right time. Kimmell, a 6-foot-1 guard for Middle Atlantic Fencor, a 14-and-under girls AAU basketball team, scored 24 points - including two 3-pointers - on Thursday to help Fencor beat the Kenner Angels 71-61 in the national championship game. Just two hours earlier in Fencor's 79-75 semifinal win over the Oklahoma-Tulsa Swoosh, she hit a basket with a one second left to send the game into overtime. For Kimmell, it was her first time to ever win a national title - eight of her teammates have a 12-and-under AAU title. "I've never felt like this," Kimmell said. "It is so amazing." Kimmell spent much of the game setting plays and running picks for her 6-4 teammate Elena DelleDonne. Fencor, which placed second in last year's 13-and-under tournament, led 29-22 at halftime. The Angels, who placed third in the 13-and-under tournament, proved to be pesky as they chipped away at Fencor's lead. "I think the Tulsa game really prepared us really well so we could get here," Kimmell said. "The team we played for the championship was really a tough team, but we pulled it together." Kenner took the lead at 37-35 with 12:53 left in the second half. It increased that margin until Kimmell took an outlet pass and banked her first 3-pointer to give Fencor back the lead at 44-42 with 9:19 left. Kimmell's father, Jamie, was enthusiastic about the play. "It was a big shot," he said. "They were focusing so much on Elena and it left Lindsay open. By the other players being so good, it was like she (Lindsay) was invisible for a moment." Said Lindsay's coach, Mary Veronica Algeo: "She was clutch today when we needed a huge 3." Lindsay Kimmell hit her last 3-pointer at the 1:58 mark, giving Fencor a 63-55 advantage. She scored a total of seven points in the last two minutes. Asked about her efforts: "No one really cares who's scoring how much because everyone wants to win," Kimmell said. "It's amazing." It's quite a sacrifice that Kimmell plays at all for Fencor. She travels three hours from her home in Harpersville, N.Y., to Philadelphia to practice with the team twice a week. Kimmell has played AAU ball since she was 11. She played with the BC Stars, a smaller team near her hometown last year. "Everybody says you are crazy," Kimmell said. " 'Why do would you do that?' But it's worth it. This experience is so good." Jamie Kimmell agrees. "My wife and I take turns during the week," said Kimmell, who played with the NFL's Oakland Raiders from 1985-89. "We come back home around midnight, 1 o'clock at night after the practice. "We just take turns doing it. We couldn't be happier, with the group of kids she fell in with. It was a perfect fit." ©The News-Star July 23, 2004 Column on championship Pennsylvania team takes home AAU title Keith Prince kprince@thenewsstar.com July 23, 2004 When Fencor defeated Kenner 71-61 Thursday afternoon at Fant-Ewing Coliseum, it did more than decide the 14-and-under AAU girls' basketball national championship. It also put an end to an incredible week of basketball in the Twin Cities that featured 100 teams and more than 1,000 girls from every section of the country. To win the championship, its second age-group title in the past three years, Fencor - based in Fort Washington, Pa. - won 10 games in six days. Championship day was the most grueling of all for the teams that made it into the "Final Four." A pair of semifinal games were played at 8:30 a.m. Fencor was forced into overtime to defeat the Tulsa Swoosh 79-75, and that game didn't end until 10:15 a.m. - meaning the eventual champs had less than two hours of rest before the last game. "We wouldn't have cared if they told us to play immediately," said 6-foot-4 Fencor star Elena DelleDonne who scored 44 points and 25 points in Thursday's wins. "We were really energized after the morning win, but when the last game started my legs felt like lead. I didn't care, though, because it was for the championship and we were going to give it our all," added DelleDonne. Fencor led throughout the first half before Kenner came back to take a five-point lead, 42-37, with 10 minutes left in the game. Fencor coach Veronica Algeo said, "We've talked a lot about being able to emotionally handle the ebb and flow of a game. Our girls did that today, and it paid off down the stretch." After trailing by 5 points, Fencor scored 7 straight points and never relinquished the lead again over the final eight minutes. Local volunteer Linda Harper, who served as tournament coordinator, provided some astounding figures after the championship game. "During the six-day tournament, we played a total of 337 basketball games," she said. "We played in 18 gyms and we used three officials (referees) in each game along with three individuals handling game management duties (clock operator, scorekeeper and shot clock operator). "That figures out to a total of 2,022 individuals required to run those 337 games," she remarked. Harper added, "When you start thinking about meals, motel rooms, rent cars, gasoline, retail stores and other facets of putting on this type project, it is truly mind-boggling." No figures are yet available concerning the economic impact of the AAU project, but it is expected to be in the millions. ©The News-Star July 23, 2004 A Big Shot 6-4 Del. teen is a magnet for college scouts, coaches Keith Prince kprince@thenewsstar.com July 20, 2004 The future of women's basketball arrived in Monroe five days ago and it's in the person of an attractive and polite 14-year-old girl. This young girl, however, stands almost 6-5, shoots 3-pointers with ease, sees the floor like a college veteran, dribbles easily with either hand and is like a coach on the floor for her 14-and-under Pennsylvania AAU team, Fencor. Elena DelleDonne's reputation already precedes her at each new juncture, and college recruiters are lining up daily to see her - and hoping that she sees them. DelleDonne has been an AAU star since the age of 10, leading her team to four straight top five national finishes - including the AAU national championship at the age of 12 and a runner-up slot last year. A resident of Centerville, Del., she also led her Ursuline Academy high school team to the Delaware state championship last year, averaging 20.2 points per game and making all-state. She arrived in Monroe direct from St. Louis where last week she became only the second eighth grader ever invited to the prestigious Nike All-America Camp that features the top 80 teenage players in the country. On Monday, playing approximately half the game, she scored 30 points with a dozen rebounds as Fencor finished pool play undefeated and now heads into the national title hunt this afternoon. Asked about her Nike Camp experience, DelleDonne said, "It was great. It gave me a chance to see what is out there, what the talent level is like around the country. I have heard about a lot of girls and now I have gotten to compete with them." Even though she was playing primarily against 17-year-olds in camp, DelleDonne definitely held her own. Her only assessment was, "I could see how I stack up with the best and I could evaluate the areas where I need to improve. It was a positive experience. "The main thing I need is to become more physical. I am lifting weights with my dad, (and has for the past three years) and am getting stronger," she said. DelleDonne's AAU coach, Veronica Algeo, has been involved with basketball as either a player or coach for the past 20 years. This is her first year coaching "the big girl from Delaware," as DelleDonne is known throughout the country, and Alego gushes with praise. "First, you see the physical skills - dribbling, ball handling, shooting, rebounding," Alego said. "But it is also the intangibles she brings - the leadership, the court awareness, the maturity, and the concern for her teammates. "I have never seen anyone - boy or girl - with the total package that Elena possesses. "And, she is so unselfish. She is very concerned about doing interviews and bringing attention to herself. She has absolutely no ego and her teammates realize that and they take great pleasure in her success," said the coach. Teammate Colleen Magarity verified those sentiments. "The great thing about Elena is that she is so talented, but acts just like everybody else," she said. "In fact, when she knows there is an article out there about her, she won't tell us." Former Louisiana-Monroe coach Linda Harper, who guided the Lady Indians to the Final Four in 1985 and has led several AAU girls teams to high national finishes, got her first glimpse of DelleDonne on Monday morning. "She is definitely the real deal," Harper said. "I can't say that I have ever seen a girl with more skills at this age. I can see why colleges are excited. "If I were still in the business, I would be there watching, too - from the front row, with a banner that showed the name of my college," she said with a laugh. ©The News-Star July 20, 2004 Magarity nabs national title once more Chestnut Hill Local by TOM UTESCHER August, 2004 At the local Magarity auto dealerships, sales awards are having to make room on the mantel for the prizes won by the owners offspring. Joe Magaritys daughter Colleen, wholl start her sophomore year at Germantown Academy next month, recently won her second AAU national basketball championship in three years. The 5'4" Magarity plays guard for the Fencor 14-and-under AAU squad which competed at the Division I 14-and-under national championships in Monroe, LA. On July 22, the local squad survived an overtime semifinal battle with the Tulsa (OK) Swoosh, and in the championship game the same day, Fencor knocked off the home-state favorites, the Kenner (LA) Angels, 71-61. Magarity and her teammates won the 12-and-under title two years ago, and last summer they were the national runners-up in the 13's. The Fort Washington-based ballclub has garnered a lot of attention partly due to the imposing presence of Elena Delle Donne, a Wilmington, DE native wholl be a freshman at Ursuline Academy. Already taping in at close to 6'4",, shes an outstanding outside shooter as well as an inside force, and she already began to attract the attention of college scouts several years ago. In past years, Magarity was positioned at point guard, playing the role of playmaker and tenacious defender. This year, her shot has improved to the point where shes equally at home at shooting guard; in fact, she funneled in a remarkable 61-percent of her three-point attempts at the AAU Nationals. I didnt used to be much of a scoring threat, she admitted, but Ive been working on my shot all year, during the GA season and in AAU. For its first and second-place finishes in 2002 and 2003, the Fencor group was coached by Chestnut Hill resident Keith Webster. This March a new mentor took over, Veronica Algeo. A former standout at Lansdale Catholic High School and Ursinus College, Algeo is the aunt of the new womens hoops coach at Chestnut Hill College, Jackie deMarteleire. At the AAU tournament, the new coach related, Colleen was not only hitting a huge percentage on her three-pointers, but she hit them at clutch times when we really needed them. In the semifinal game [against Tulsa] she hit a three in the final seconds of the half to stop a run by the other team, and that sent us into halftime with some momentum. She did the same thing in the first half of the championship game at a time when we were struggling a bit on offense. In the second half, Algeo continued, we were up by two with about three minutes and ten seconds to go, and she hit a huge three to put us up by five. This years Fencor squad featured a relatively compact roster of only nine players. Two athletes from the 2003 team departed but the team added talented small forward Lindsay Kimmel, who traveled down from New York State to practice and play with the squad. Everyone just connected really well, Magarity said. There were so few of us that we got really close; we had team sleepovers and we did a lot together. We were a quick team, she went on. Everyones in good shape because were all playing other sports and working out. We got up and down the floor really well. We did a lot of transition drills and we ran a lot of transition offense with our new coach. The team stormed through the Mid-Atlantic region with little difficulty, winning the championship game over the Wildcats. Fencor then suffered a severe blow when 5'10" guard Caroline Doty went down with a fractured fibula. A freshman wholl begin to attend Germantown Academy this fall, Doty was the teams second leading scorer and supplements her stature with exceptional leaping ability. As an eighth grader she high jumped 5'6", half-a-foot more than the winning height at the Girls Inter-Ac varsity championships this year. Doty traveled to Louisiana to cheer on the team at Nationals, but only eight athletes were available to play. For the 100-team tournament, the Fencor girls were seeded second behind the team that defeated them in the 2003 final, the Fairfax (VA) Stars. To start off, the clubs were divided into 17 pools of five or six teams each, and their records there would determine their seeding in the official championship draw. Fencor went 4-0 in Pool Q, winning by margins ranging from 17 to 42 points. In the championship bracket, Magaritys club won by double digits in each of its first three contests, then beat an Orlando, FL entry in the quarterfinals, 60-53. Next up, in the semifinals, was the sixth-seeded Swoosh from Oklahoma. We were down by two in regulation with six seconds to play, Magarity recalled. We set up a play, but it didnt really work, so we threw the ball in down low to Lindsay, and she made a lay-up. Then we sort of pulled away in overtime; it wasnt as close. The 79-75 triumph put Fencor into the finals against the Kenner Angels, who had knocked off defending champ Fairfax, 55-50, in the other semifinal. Kenner, a New Orleans suburb, is located several hundred miles downstate from Monroe, which is in north central Louisiana. In the championship game, which began barely two hours after the semifinal concluded, a strong first-half performance by the Pennsylvania team earned Fencor a seven-point advantage at the intermission. Kenner went ahead early in the second half, employing a press that initially rattled the northerners, according to Magarity. Once we settled down and adjusted, we broke their press easily, she related. We got in front again and we were pulling away at the end. Algeo was ecstatic, more for the players sake than her own. They worked so hard and they were so deserving of the championship, she said. Ive never had an entire team be so supportive of one another. They were so dedicated. They hit every line on every sprint at every practice. Im blessed to be able to work with this group of young ladies. Magarity is currently enjoying some beach time at the Jersey shore prior to heading back to Germantown Academy for pre-season soccer practice later this month. Last year her varsity soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams at GA all won Girls Inter-Ac championships. In fact, Magarity has been coming along so well in lacrosse (she moved into a starting role midway through the 2004 season) that the stick sport may become her primary focus. Algeo, who watched several of Magaritys lacrosse games this spring, feels her athletic ability and her attitude allows her to move easily from sport to sport. The bigger the stage, the bigger the moment, the point where theres the least margin for error, the better she plays. As a coach, its awesome to have a player like Colleen on your team. Fencor wins AAU crown August, 2004 Local teams had won AAU national girls basketball championships before but no team had ever won two. That changed this year as Fencor won the AAU 14-and-under title with a 71-61 win over the Kenner (La.) Angels at Fant-Ewing Coliseum on the campus of the University of Louisiana-Monroe. Fencor had previously won the 12-and-under national championship in 2002, becoming the first team ever to win two national titles. Among the players for Fencor were Huntingdon Valley's Rosie Tarnowski, who will be a freshman at Archbishop Wood, and Willow Grove's Erin Edwards who attended Abington Friends School. Both of their fathers played basketball at Father Judge. Fencor only had eight players available due to an injury suffered by starting guard Caroline Doty (Germantown Academy) the week before they left for nationals. Despite being shorthanded, Fencor went 10-0 under the new AAU single elimination format. They managed to hold the lead at halftime in every game. Fencor had finished second in last year's tournament but they were by far seen as the team to watch. Television cameras from local stations were at many of their games and the local newspaper columnist wrote two columns on the team. At the championship game, two TV stations and three newspaper reporters were there to report on Fencor's victory. An interesting sidelight was that several teams lost on purpose in pool play to avoid playing Fencor in an early round of the championship bracket. The closest game Fencor had came in the semifinals against the Tulsa (Ok.) Swoosh. Tulsa held a two-point lead with time running out when Fencor's Lindsay Kimmel (whose uncle John Kimmel used to play for the Philadelphia Eagles) made a shot with one second left to send the game into overtime. Fencor went on to post a 79-72 win. Scoring 45 points in the Tulsa game for Fencor was Elena Delledonne of Delaware. The 6-4 phenom, the second eighth-grader ever invited to Nike camp, will play with her Ursuline team at Archbishop Ryan and Archbishop Wood in the winter. Also on the team were Michele Brokans (Lansdale Catholic), Christine Matera (Camden Catholic). Shannon Ferguson (Upper Dublin) and Colleen Magarity (Germantown Academy). Ursuline gets a visit from Auriemma UConn coach latest interested in frosh phenom DelleDonne By DOUG LESMERISES The News Journal 09/16/2004 Geno Auriemma, winner of the last three national championships in women's college basketball as coach of the Connecticut Huskies, sat inside the faculty lounge at Ursuline Academy, the door closed. Elena DelleDonne, arguably the most talented freshman girls basketball player in the country, walked past the door with her classmates on the way back from an 11 a.m. Mass. "I felt like I should get his autograph, but then I realized he was there for me," DelleDonne said. Auriemma and DelleDonne couldn't even talk to each other. Auriemma can't talk about DelleDonne publicly. Anything more than a hello would have been a violation of NCAA rules. All DelleDonne could do Wednesday was peer through the glass window in the lounge's door. "She was definitely peeking in like he was a celebrity," Ursuline basketball coach Sheila DiNardo said. "That's neat that she thinks of him as a celebrity, while he's sitting there probably thinking that she's the celebrity. And she has no idea of that." As the biggest names in women's college basketball make a beeline for Wilmington, DelleDonne is getting that idea. This week began a new portion of DelleDonne's recruiting process, one that will be a mostly silent dance until her junior year, when more aggressive recruiting may begin. But schools hoping to land the 6-foot-3 guard must make their presence known. Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw, who won the national title in 2001 before UConn's three-year run, will be at the school Friday. Vanderbilt University sent an assistant coach to Ursuline on Monday. Penn State will send a representative next Thursday and Tennessee has arranged a visit. "It's probably not really the way to do it," McGraw said. "You're just trying to send a silent message, I guess. I don't know if it has a positive effect or not. But when one coach does it, a lot of coaches do it." After pulling into the parking lot in a white Escalade, Auriemma and assistant coach Jamelle Elliott entered Ursuline about 11:45 a.m. and didn't leave until after 2 p.m. DiNardo, athletic director Sue Heiss and assistant AD Peg Desendorf hosted the visit. They consult with the DelleDonne family whenever a school calls to express interest, and at this point, any school is welcome to stop by. But with the DelleDonnes off-limits, the school is the only welcoming party. "I knew this was coming, but I didn't know it would happen this fast," said DiNardo, who will be coaching her first season at Ursuline. Ursuline representatives posed for photos with Auriemma and smiled while recounting his visit. Heiss said he ended his visit by telling stories to seniors in the hallway. "He was very social," Heiss said. "He was talking about some games UConn had that were close, then he was talking about Bruce Springsteen and talking about his place in Avalon." DelleDonne just couldn't be anywhere near Auriemma to join in the fun. It's an odd setup - DelleDonne draws him there, the other kids get to hang out with him - but it's one that is intended to keep the players from getting swamped. "I kind of wish I was able to talk to them in person," DelleDonne said. "I guess it's good for the players to not get too caught up in college, because I do have four years of high school, so I can't get too far ahead of myself." Although players in the past have given verbal commitments to a college as early as their freshman year in high school, DelleDonne said she is still open to anyone. Her father, Ernie, said he plans to take his daughter to games at UConn or Tennessee or Duke or Notre Dame or Villanova this year to expose her to more college basketball. So if no decision is looming, was Auriemma's trip worth it? Absolutely. "It definitely leaves an impression on me," DelleDonne said. "For them to take the time to come to Ursuline just to see me, and they can't talk to me, it does say how interested they are." Will any of the visits this week be the deciding factor in DelleDonne's eventual college decision? No. But the coaches will keep coming anyway. Contact Doug Lesmerises at dlesmerises@delawareonline.com Fencor Super Regional results AAU 12-and-under Super Regional, April 28-30 Pool A 1. Northeast Rockers (3-1) 2. Renegades (1-3) 3. Comets (2-2) 4. Fencor-Schurtz (0-4) 5. SI Rebels (4-0) Pool B 1. Fencor-Carla (3-1) 2. BC Wildcats (3-1) 3. Chester County Wizards (0-4) 4. Lower Delco (1-3) 5. Tar Heels (3-1) Playoffs: Semifinals: SI Rebels over BC Wildcats Fencor over Northeast Rockers Championship game: SI Rebels over Fencor AAU 14-and-under Super Regional, April 28-30 (Pool A) 1. Fencor-Chapman (0-3) 2. Northeast Rockers (2-1) 3. Comets-Moffet (3-0) 4. L.I.Lightning-Simmons (1-2) Pool B 1. Phila. Belles-Casey (1-1) 2. Renegades (0-2) 3. Tar Heels (2-0) Pool C 1. Fencor (3-0) 2. Berks-Mont Vipers (1-2) 3. SI Rebels (0-3) 4. Comets-Chambers (2-1) Playoffs: Saturday: 4:30 p.m.: Pool B third place vs. Pool A second place: Rockers over Renegades Sunday: 11:30 a.m.: Pool C second place vs. Pool B first place: Comets-Chambers over Tar Heels 11:30 a.m.: Pool B second place vs. winner Saturday 4:30 p.m. game: Rockers over Belles-Casey Semifinals: Rockers over Fencor Comets-Moffett over Comets-Chambers Championship game: Rockers over Comets-Moffett by forfeit ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Super Regional results, April 8-9 16-and-unders Pool A 1. Rebels-Blatt 2. Central Jersey Hawks (3-1) 3. MD Hurricanes (2-2) 4. Comets-Genther (1-3) 5. Fencor-Heather (0-4) Pool B: 1. Fencor 16a (3-0) 2. Tar Heels-Vasco 3. Hot Shots 4. W. Fairfax (0-3) Pool C: 1. Rebels-McDOnough (4-0) 2. AC Wildcats (2-2) 3. Comets (2-2) 4. NE Rockers (1-3) 5. SI Rebsl (1-3) Playoffs: Sunday: Noon.: Tar Heels over CJ Hawks Noon.: Fencor 16a over AC Wildcats) Semifinals: 3 p.m.: Fencor 16a over Rebel-Blatt 3 p.m.: Tar Heels over Rebels-McDonough Championship game: Fencor over Tar Heels, 63-20 13-and-unders Pool A 1. Fencor-Chapman (4-0) 2. Rockers A (3-1) 3. Vipers (2-2) 4. Comets-McNichol (1-3) 5. W. Fairfax (0-4) Pool B 1. Lady Magic (4-0) 2. Comets-Simmond (3-1) 3. BC Wildcats (2-2) 4. Renegades (1-3) 5. Fencor-Carroll (0-4) Playoffs: Sunday: Semifinals: Fencor-Chapman over Comets-Simmons Lady Magic over Rockers A Championship game: Lady Magic over Fencor ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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