SparksBasketballClub: 2008 Wrap up
Friday, October 172008 Champions 10A
Sparks Parents, Players and Friends
As July comes to a close and our 2008 Season is wrapping up, we have some fantastic news to report to the Club.
This past week our 10U team, coached by Jim Powers and Susan Camden, competed at Division I Nationals in Orlando. If you recall, this team came in 2nd at MidAtlantics Regionals and went to Florida with high hopes of doing some great things at Nationals and we are happy to report that they had a tremendous tourney in Florida.
The girls finished their pool play going 1-2 (in the process earning the Sparks first win ever at the AAU National Divison I Tourney). That placed them into the Classic Bracket Championship where 30 teams competed for the Classic Championship. And what a run they had at this Bracket of the Championships!
Winning their first 4 games in this bracket, they advanced to the semifinals of the championship round. They lost a close 5 point game and then had to come back and win to make it to the chmpionship game (its a double elimination tourney) which they did late last night! This morning they played on the Main Parque Court at Disney's Wide World of Sports for the 10U Division I Classic Tournament Championship against the Tennesee Team Pride Club . It was a tough game that saw a hectic finish at the end of regulation with the teams tied- forcing an overtime. In overtime the TN Team Pride had just a bit more left in the tank than our Sparks and our girls lost a heartbreaker by 3 points in overtime. However, they earned the Second Place trophey and in the process, earned Silver Medals as the Classic Championship National Runners-up!
Congratulations to Coach Powers and Camden for a job well done! And a big thanks to Coach Tex Camden and Tom Dew for helping out with additional bench help and keeping the books during the tourney.
And to the players- a big congratulations- you have earned a special place in Sparks Girls Basketball History- the first team to play for an AAU National Division I Championship!
Congratualtions to Meg Camden, Healther Camden, Kerri Caruso, Maddie Dew, Brooke De Zutter, Holly Hager, Lauren Mueller, Jamie Powers, Katie Mooney, Abby Savage, Hannah Timmons and Casey Warley. This was a great accomplishment girls and something you should all be proud of and cherish as a special group for the rest of your life!
This on the heels of last season's Div II National Runners- up 15U squad..also at Disney, the SPARKS Club is certainly making its mark at AAU Headquarters and throughout Phila Area Girls Basketball !!!!
On another note, our 16/17 U team, coached by Kiesha Mack, is wrapping up their college exposure season this week at the US Junior Nationals in Washington, DC and finishing up in Philadelphia at the Quaker City Challenge. These girls have played in front of over 200 college coaches in the past few months and the Club and the girls have been receiving numerous calls from schools discussing possible scholarships with many of them. We will keep you all posted on their eventual progress with college signings as the process plays out in the coming months.
Thanks to everyone for a fantastic Sparks Season. It won't be long before we start planning for the 2009 Season. On behalf of all of our coaches, we would like to thank everyone- parents, players and families who supported the girls over the past few months. Enjoy the rest of the Summer. Looking forward to seeing you all on the courts this Fall and Winter. It will be easy to spot the Sparks Girls throughout Chester County Basketball...whether you are watching Grade School, Middle School or High School games - they will be the players doing the little things right, leading their teams and respecting the game on and off the court....
Yours in Basketball
Bob Burg
Director