Alabama Elite: 2005-06 Season
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Bob Jones thinks big
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With four starters back, Lady Patriots aim higher than final four berth
MADISON - Bob Jones High has been to the girls Northwest Regional in Hanceville four times in Scott St. John's seven seasons as head coach. Last year, the Lady Patriots advanced to the final four at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center and lost to Davidson in the semifinals.
Now, they're dreaming of bigger things. "This is the year we do it all,'' said China Antoine, a 5-foot-5 junior point guard entering her fourth varsity season. "We have the capability. I'm excited about it.'' Bob Jones returns four starters from last year - Antoine, Jenaya Wade-Fray (5-8, Sr., G), Brittany Manning (5-10, Jr., F) and Jala Harris (5-7, Fr., G). Starting 6-0 center Tiffany McGhee is now playing in junior college, but the squad got a boost when Amber Whitt (6-1, Sr., F) transferred from Madison Academy. Tanika Simmons (5-5, Sr., G), a transfer from Central-Tuscaloosa, and Amber Cunningham (5-11, Sr., F) are among those providing quality depth. "We've got real high expectations, but at the same time we've got some new kids we've got to incorporate into our system,'' St. John said. "It will take us a while to get up to full steam.'' Basketball season opens Monday, but the Lady Patriots don't begin their quest to return to the final four until they host Eufaula in The Huntsville Hospital Sports Center Tournament on Friday. Locally, teams open play Tuesday with Catholic at Paint Rock, Columbia at Johnson, Skyline at New Hope and Lee at Huntsville.Before Bob Jones can set its sights on regionals and Birmingham, it must wade through what is annually a rugged Class 6A, Region 8 slate where Sparkman, Decatur, Hazel Green, Austin, Grissom and Florence await. Graduation took some of the region's top players, among them Ashley Fann and Ashley Haugtvedt (both Winthrop signees) at Hazel Green, Monica Maxwell (Samford) at Sparkman and Whitney Boddie (Auburn) at Florence. Along with Bob Jones, Sparkman and Decatur may be the favorites to battle for region supremacy. Sparkman lost Maxwell and starting guard Emily Daye, but return three starters and hope to be healthy after battling injuries throughout last season. "When you go to Birmingham and lose and have a lot of people coming back, that's certainly one of your goals,'' St. John said. "At the same time, we play a tough schedule and we're in a tough region so we're not taking anything for granted. We can't worry (about the postseason) at this time.'' Wade-Fray is the most celebrated returnee. She played in the North-South All-Star game, was All-State honorable mention last year and played overseas this past summer for the Bermuda national team. She's being recruited by schools such as Belmont, Troy and Tennessee-Chattanooga. "I think everyone expects us to be state champs this year,'' she said. Manning is already getting letters from Southeastern Conference schools, among them Alabama. The addition of Whitt, another prospect, could be key. She was All-State honorable mention for the Lady Mustangs last year. "They went to the final four last year, so I know this team as a whole has high expectations and I do, too,'' Whitt said. Antoine said she thinks this year's team has the capability "to finish'' off opponents better than in years past. "We've got the experience to finish,'' she said. "We also play well together and that's important.'' The pieces seem to be in place. Now, it's up to the Lady Patriots to produce the school's first basketball state championship. "There's no doubt that, collectively, this is the best bunch we've had,'' St. John said.
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'94 Team off to Quick Start!
The 2006 '94 11U Alabama Elite team coached by Byron Thompson are 4-0 this fall with 2 wins over Clements and 1 over Anderson & Brooks.
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Wade-Fray paces Lady Patriots to title
Sunday, November 27, 2005, From staff reports, Huntsville Times
Jenaya Wade-Fray scored 17 points to lead the Bob Jones High girls basketball team to the Scottsboro Thanksgiving Tournament championship with a 49-38 victory against Scottsboro on Saturday. Amber Whitt added 10 points for the Lady Patriots, who led 29-19 at halftime. Katie Nelson scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds for homestanding Scottsboro.
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Kiara Ravenel Plays for Lee High School
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| Kiara Ravenel Looks Good for Lee High |
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Four AL Elite players lead #1 Ranked Bob Jones High School
The Bob Jones High School Patriots girls basketball team is currently ranked #1 in 6A (the largest class in Alabama) with a 19-2 record. One of their losses was a classic battle againnst Mount de Chantal of West Virginia. Mount de Chantal, ranked No. 1 in their state for the fifth straight season, have visited seven states in the past five seasons and have players from around the world. The roster for the private Catholic girls school in Wheeling, W.Va., features players from various states as well as Romania, Hungary, Cameroon and the Czech Republic. Bob Jones features four Alabama Elite starters in 5'-8" senior Jenya Wade-Fray, 6'1" senior Amber Whitt, 5'10" junior Brittany Manning, and 5'5" junior point guard China Antoine. More details in article below, Bob Jones thinks big!
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AL Elite, Jenaya Wade-Fray, becomes BJHS All-time Leading Scorer
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Campbell reaches 3000 point milestone!
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| Channa scores 3000 points! | |
With her sister Chasity watching courtside as a member of the opposing coaching staff, West Limestones Channa Campbell reached the 3,000-point plateau for her career Tuesday night with 30 points in the Lady Wildcats 77-65 home win over East Limestone. The outing left Campbell with 3,010 points and helped lift the Lady Wildcats to 16-6 overall. Campbell also recorded a double double with 16 rebounds to go along with five assists, three blocked shots and two steals. Elizabeth Dison added 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Ashley Blankenship had 11 points and six assists, while Natalie Harrison finished with 10 points...(Taken from the News-Courier)
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Campbells game too much for Tanner
West Limestone star collects 41 points, dozen rebounds
From Staff Reports
Limestone County Tournament organizers don't name a most valuable player for their annual tournament, but if they had chosen to do so, one player made an excellent case for herself. West Limestone senior center Channa Campbell poured in 41 points in Saturday night's championship game against Tanner. She also contributed 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one blocked shot. Most importantly, Campbell led the Lady Wildcats to a 68-59 win. It marked the West Limestone girls' first county tournament title since 2003, Campbell's freshman season. In last year's finals, Tanner defeated West Limestone. Campbell landed on the all-tournament team along with teammates Ashley Blankenship and Natalie Harrison.
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Campbell & Wade-Fray finalists for McDonald's All-American
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| Finalist from Alabama |
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Inspiration from big sis
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| Channa, Campbell signed scholarship with Mississippi State | |
By Mark Edwards, DAILY Sports Editor, medwards@decaturdaily.com · 340-2461
One of West Limestone High all-state basketball star Channa Campbell's most valued coaches remains her older sister, Chasity. Chasity Campbell graduated from West Limestone seven years ahead of Channa and then played four years at Belmont University in Nashville. Channa says that Chasity, now an assistant coach for East Limestone, still tutors her and passes along knowledge and advice. It helps that Chasity stands about as tall as 6-foot-2 Channa and played the post position under the basket, just as Channa does now. "I always watched her when she played," said Channa, a senior who has signed a scholarship with Mississippi State. "She has always answered my questions and helped me. Even though she coaches East Limestone now, I'll still look to her on the bench sometimes for a moment before I remind myself she coaches the other team." So now all those teams that Channa Campbell has helped bury in her five years of varsity basketball know who to blame, even though Chasity protested this week, "I didn't teach her everything she knows about basketball." But all those opponents can take heart even with their strong bond, Channa doesn't let up even against her own sister. On Jan. 12, Campbell scored a career-high 44 points in a 64-43 win over East Limestone. It marked yet another big night in Campbell's high school career, during which she has scored 3,199 points, good for seventh in the state's girls basketball history. "She scores so easily that I never know how many points she has until after the game," Chasity Campbell said. "She scores on putbacks. She scores on the block. She'll go outside and score. "Her points can come fairly quickly. Last year, she had 20 points in just the first quarter against us. It just happened so fast boom, boom, boom." Channa established herself as one of the area's best scorers during her eighth-grade season when she averaged 14.3 points a game, and she hasn't slowed down. She made honorable mention all-state as a freshman and second team as a sophomore and junior. This year, she averages 23.2 points a game, and again, Chasity's lessons to her have paid off in helping Channa be effective with either hand. "She uses both hands well," Chasity said. "I'm left-handed, and she's right-handed. I taught her my left-handed moves, and she developed her right-handed moves on her own. "But she's a hard worker and plays basketball all year-round. She's been a great player ever since fourth or fifth grade. I didn't teach her that." Chasity said that others will tell her that Channa looks like her on the court. "I don't know if she does or not," Chasity said, laughing. "Of course, we both shoot free throws the same way dribbling three times, flipping the ball up in the air and then shooting. We do that the same." When Channa joined the varsity at West Limestone, the Lady Wildcats were coming off a 5-21 season. She and her teammates helped then-coach Norman Lemaster post a 24-6 record and make the Class 4A Northwest Regional finals before falling to state power Deshler. One of her season highlights came in the sub-regionals when she had 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 68-54 win over Lawrence County. Another highlight came in the regional semifinals when West Limestone beat Winfield 46-39. Early in the game, she was whistled for a technical foul for "excessively swinging" her arms after pulling down a rebound, which at the time Lemaster told reporters was "an absurd call." The resulting free throws put West Limestone down by 10 points, but the Lady Wildcats then went on a 24-4 run with Campbell scoring 10 of her 12 points. In 2003, West Limestone won 25 games and reached the Class 3A regional finals before losing to Lauderdale County. The following year, the Lady Wildcats won 23 games and lost at that same point to Lauderdale again. Last year, they won 17 games and fell to Lauderdale in the area tournament. This year, West Limestone appears to be making another solid run the Lady Wildcats already have compiled a 21-7 record and won the Limestone County Tournament championship. Campbell scored 41 points in a 68-59 win over Tanner. "It's my senior year, and I want to make it great," Campbell said. Campbell has meant so much to the program that the school recently retired her No. 42 jersey. The ceremony to honor her came after a recent home game against Sheffield, during which she had scored 35 points. "It was really nice having all the girls on our team there and pratically all my my family," she said. "It was really exciting." West Limestone head coach Sonya Berzett, a 1991 graduate of the school, said that for all the points Campbell scores, she plays well within the team system. Campbell starts along with four guards. Three of them senior Ashley Blankenship, junior Natalie Harrison and freshman Elizabeth Dison average more than 10 points a game. The fourth junior Andrea Griggs plays point guard and mostly distributes the ball rather than worry about scoring. "Channa is our post player, and the others know that she is our strength," Berzett said. "But they also realize that being strong inside is going to open up shots on the outside for them. "And when they do well on the outside, it's going to open up things for Channa. With four of our five starters averaging in double figures, we're a better team. Last year, teams were double- and triple-teaming Channa." But no matter how many points Channa Campbell scores or how many games she helps West Limestone win, she can count on her sister to help her continue to improve. "I want her to do well, and after a game, I'll give her a hug," Chasity said. "But I'll also be honest with her. If she plays good, I'll tell her, but I'll also be honest." Chasity laughed and added, "Our mom doesn't like that."
Thursday, March 9
2006 Alabama School Basketball Season Closes With Some Elite Champions
As the Middle and High School 2006 basketball season comes to a close, the Alabama Elite family would like to take the time to recognize and congratulate the following girls in a successful school basketball season. The Elite players below were part of championship basketball teams this year and several of the players made All-Tournament teams.
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2006 Elite Champions and All-Tournament Teams |
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Name |
Elite |
School |
2006 Championship |
All-Tourney/City |
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Amara Mayers |
93 12U |
Monrovia MS 8th Grade Team |
Madison County Champs |
All-Tournament |
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Mechie McNealey |
93 12U |
Ed White MS |
Huntsville City Champs |
All-City |
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Kyandra Ravenel |
93 12U |
Ed White MS |
Huntsville City Champs |
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Savoni Houston |
93 12U |
Ed White MS |
Huntsville City Champs |
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Lauren Lindsey |
93 12U |
Cedar Ridge MS |
Decatur City Champs |
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Ebony Sharpley |
93 12U |
Brookhaven MS |
Decatur City Runner-Ups |
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Anna Lancaster |
93 12U |
St. John Blue |
HISL Tourney Champs |
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Danielle Conaway |
93 12U |
Covenant Christian Acad. JV |
NCHAA Regional Runner-Ups |
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Kelsey Brewer |
92-13U |
Monrovia MS 7th Grade Team |
Madison County Champs |
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Lexi Collier |
92-13U |
St. John Blue |
HISL Tourney Champs |
All-Tournament |
| Christina Tygielski |
92-13U |
St. John Green |
HISL Season Champs |
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Chloe Millikin |
92-13U |
St. John Green |
HISL Season Champs |
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| Cassidy Whisenant |
'92-13U |
Liberty MS |
7th Grade |
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Katie Glosemeyer |
91-14U |
St. John Green |
HISL Season Champs |
All-Tournament |
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Tiarra Pritchett |
91-14U |
Liberty MS |
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Madison County All-Tournament |
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Kaitlyn Conaway |
90-15U |
Covenant Christian Acad. JV |
NCHAA Regional Runner-Ups |
All-Tournament |
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Kiara Ravenel |
16U/17U |
Lee HS |
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All-Tournament
(5A Area 15) |
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Jenya Wade-Fray |
16U/17U |
Bob Jones HS |
6A/Area8 Runner-Ups6A NW Sub-Regional Runner-Ups |
All-Tournament (6A Area 8) |
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China Antoine |
16U/17U |
Bob Jones HS |
6A/Area8 Runner-Ups6A NW Sub-Regional Runner-Ups |
All-Tournament (6A Area 8) |
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Brittany Manning |
16U/17U |
Bob Jones HS |
6A/Area8 Runner-Ups6A NW Sub-Regional Runner-Ups |
All-Tournament (6A NW) |
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Amber Whitt |
16U/17U |
Bob Jones HS |
6A/Area8 Runner-Ups6A NW Sub-Regional Runner-Ups |
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Channa Campbell |
16U/17U |
West Limestone HS |
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All-Tournament (3A Area 14) |
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AL Elite Alumni, Brooke Hand, going to the NCAA Dance!
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| UTC's Brooke Hand | |
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Alabama All-Star Rosters - 2006
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Name |
Ht |
HIGH SCHOOL |
COACH |
Hometown |
College |
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Taylor Burt |
5-6 |
Sand Rock |
Lisa Bates |
Leesburg |
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Essence
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5-9 |
Sparkman
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June Seals |
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Shanavia Dowdell |
6-1 |
Calera |
James Knowles |
Calera |
Lousiana Tech |
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Renisha Hobbs |
5-11 |
J.
O. Johnson |
Robert Malone |
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Monique Jefferson |
5-6 |
Ramsay |
Robert Mosley |
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Shakira Nettles |
5-11 |
Baker |
Linda Keller |
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Elizabeth Robertson |
5-11 |
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Fran Braasch |
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Ole
Miss |
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Jacqueline Sanders |
6-2 |
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Arnika Clements |
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Brittaney Thomas |
5-9 |
Jeff Davis |
Tim
Miller |
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Jenaya Wade-Fray |
5-9 |
Bob Jones |
Scott St. John |
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Univ. Tennessee-Chattanooga |
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Tamara Williams |
6-1 |
Thompson |
Cara Crosslin |
Alabaster |
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Jessica Young |
5-11 |
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Dale Walker |
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Head Coach: Jana Killen, Deshler
Assistant Coach: Brant Llewellyn, Lauderdale County
Administrative Coach: Brenda Mayes Harris, Muscle Shoals
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2005-06 Super All-Metro basketball team
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China Antoine
School: Bob Jones
Position: G
Height: 5-4
Notes: A junior who has started since eighth grade, named All-Area as freshman, Class 6A Northwest Regional All-Tournament as sophomore. Helped team reach a No. 1 state ranking but season was eventually cut short by ACL injury during the area tournament. Member Key Club, PRIDE and Chemistry Club.
Jenaya Wade-Fray
School: Bob Jones
Position: G
Height: 5-9
Notes: Named Super All-Metro as junior and senior, selected to play in North-South All-Star game, named Class 6A All-State Honorable Mention as junior. All-Regional Most Valuable Player as sophomore, member school's PRIDE academic program and member Astronomy Club and FCCLA. Signed with Chattanooga.
Essence Butler
School: Sparkman
Position: F
Height: 5-9
Notes: Named to the Class 6A Northwest Regional All-Tournament team and selected All-Region 8 as senior. Also named All-County and All-Tournament at Snead State and Dolphin Classic. Member school's Student Government Association.