Welcome. The Future Lady Knights is an organization formed to help female athletes (3rd grade -8th grade) who intend on attending Assumption High School, Davenport, Iowa , and who want a competitive and developmental experience. The girls are on teams with other girls who are going to Assumption. FLK teaches the girls as a team and individually the work ethic and the fundamentals to be better basketball players. The FLK, in its 12th year, is inclusive and will give the opportunity to girls who want to learn and develop their individual and team fundamental skills in a competitive setting. 

    Registration is September 13, 2009 at Assumption (big gym).  3rd grade anytime between 5pm-7pm. 4th & 5th grade @ 5pm. The 6th grade @ 6:00pm.The 7th & 8th grade at 7:00pm

    Last year in FLK (2008-09) basketball there were over 96 girls playing on these teams: 8th,  7th ,  6th (2 groups), 5th (2-3 groups), 4th (2 groups) and 3rd grade. The skills camps continue for 3rd-4th-5th grade. Teams play in tournaments or leagues. The 7th and 8th grade teams play two different seasons: the winter and summer. The lower grades play in the fall-winter. Basketball registration is in mid-September for the winter season, and April for the summer program.          
       In the 2007-08 season, the Assumption seniors, juniors and sophmores on the varsity team had all  gone through the FLK program. As varsity players the AHS girls had a perfect undefeated season (27-0) and won the Iowa State Championship. 
             

The 8th grade girls playing 2009 summer basketball were:  Maddie Irmen, Grace Ambrose, Madeline Frommelt, Danielle Cabel, Sarah Matson, Jamie Miller, Kennedy King. On the injured reserve list was Rose Ripslinger and Elisa Castro.   The girls improved greatly and played in 27 games winning most of their games in the in 4 tourneys and league games played and played at Bloomington Ill. , Pekin Ill. and Davenport Ia.  We look for really good things from this group of 8-10 players in their final fall-winter season with FLK. (See the team photo above)

On the 7th grade summer team were: Madison Smith, Shannon Leon, Erin Jennings, Savannah Moeller, Alyson Coiner, Riley Behan, Catherine Crosby & Cara Mack.  This core group of girls will have a jump ahead of the other FLK players that are expected to return to the team in the fall. The girls played 28 games in 4 tourneys and league games in Bloomiington Il., Pekin Il., and Davenport, Ia.

The 8th & 7th grade FLK are featured as the Team of the Month for Janaury 2009 in the Iowa Sports Connection magazine and on its web site.  

The last tourney of the season was the AAU 8th grade tourney at Des Moines. FLK was the only school team in the Final Four and took 4th place. All of the other teams in the final four were the recruited true "aau" type teams, not school teams. The FLK 8th grade girls beat the Dowling Mac 8th grade (43-35) and Xavier (29-21) and Ankeny (50-44) and one of the All Iowa Attack teams (43-29), in one of their best agames all year. In the quarter finals we meet the eventual tourney winner (All Iowa Attack -red) and played them closer than anyone else in the tourney, holding them to only 46 points (most of their other games were in 60-70 pts) and losing by only 23 (the closest of any one in the tourney). The All Iowa Atack, CR Panthers teams and the other similar "aau" teams have recruited players who try out for the travel team and live over 100+ miles from the gym which is the coach's home location. The girls on such teams do not go to the same high school. These type of teams have hand selected players who are selected after try-outs. The girls on those type of teams, travel a long way2+ each week to practice. They pay a thousands of dollars per season to be on teams with their paid coaches.  Nevertheless the FLK teams have been able to compete with such teams year end and year out.  

 In February the 8th grade won the Cedar Rapids Washington tourney 3-0 and the MAYB Oskaloosa tourney 3-0, and the Keokuk toureny 5-0. At Keokuk they played good competition from that area of Iowa and from Missiouri. At Keokuk it five games in one day. Few teams can play that many games and win so beautifully. Each game was a remarkable thing to watch. The girls are understanding the game, improving as players and a s at eam. The seem to be having more and more fun each week.

If the girls continue to improve in high school as they have the past 2 years, they could win another state championship at Assumption. The team is now 52-10 (83.3%) for the 2008-09 winter season and having won 12 of 16 tourneys (& were 2nd in one tourney).

The 7th grade FLK won the Cedar Rapids Washington tourney 3-0 on Feb 7th, and took second place at the Washington Iowa tourney on January 24, 2009, losing by only 1 point in the final seconds to Washington (that purportedly had several 8th graders on it).  This game of at Washington Iowa involved great play and great heart by the girls. The girls rallied from a 6 point deficit with about 4 minutes to play againts the home team that had a loud student cheering section. The 7th grade used its full court press to its advantage in the fourth quarter, and and were up by 5 points with a minute to play. Then two turn overs, a  few phantom fouls and a "camp-out" in the lane allowed this one to slip away in the final seconds. Yet the girls learned some important lessons. You want to be up by 10 points going into the 4th quarter when you are playing the home team in the championship game on their court. "Home court advantage" has a real meaning.  The 7th grade team has been in 9 championship games of the 15 tourneys that they have played, and have won 3, took silver in 5, and bronze in 2 tourneys . 

The team is 34-18 (65.3%) for the 2008-09 winter season and were in  9 championship games of the 15 tourneys.  

ALWAYS BE YOUR BEST!

When you think it doesn’t matter
if you fail or pass the test.
Keep in mind the reason why
you should always be your best.

While the whole world may not notice
if you tried to give your all,
there is a person in you
to whom it matters if you fall.

That little voice inside you -
which directs your thoughts each day -
will make the final judgement
if you won or lost each day.

Never can you fail yourself
if you give it all you’ve got.
The world extends a hand to you
when you give life your best shot.

For all that really matters
when you're finished with your test,
is not the final score at all -
but did you do your best?

- Tom Krause
2004

ALWAYS MAINTAIN A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

"I CAN ACCEPT FAILURE, BUT I CAN'T ACCEPT NOT TRYING."....
.......Michael Jordan

There are over 14 girls in 3rd grade that are enrolled in the FLK skills camp and who are instructed each week by head coach Paul Venaglia.  Parents are welcome to come and watch. It is a wonder to see these young ones improve each week.

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

John Wooden

The Lady Knights are the girls 2A state champions, finishing the year 27-0, and defeating a great opponent, MFL Mar Mac, who was ranked no. 2 by the State at the end of the regular season. In the finals it was the no.1 ranked Assumption Lady Knights against the no. 2 ranked, then undefeated, Mar Mac Bulldogs in the final game on Friday night Feb 29, 2008. In a thrilling defensive oriented game the Knights won 46-27, holding the Bulldogs to the lowest score they had all year. Having been to the state tourney in Des Moines for the past four consecutive years and ending those years at the final four or elete eight level, this year things were to be different. This year the Knights got to the final game, for the second time in school history. This time for the first time in school history, the girls win the championship game and take home the State 2A championship trophy. The girls program has joined the Assumption boys program in expecting to be at state each year and win it.

      This group of girls are a true team. Every girl sacrificed for the good of the whole team. Every girl tried to make her teammate better, and no one seemed to care about "stats". Each girl on the team may have been able to start at any other team in the conference. Indeed some say that the second best team in the MAC this year is the second team on the Knights.

    In the final three games at state, the team lead all schools shooting .458 from the field and scoring an average of 58 points/game

     Seniors Laureen Lybbert and Anne Smith were chosen to the all 2A tourney team. Senior Gabby Binion had a season high, and a school record, for assists. Laurren Lybbert was chosen 1st team All State team. Gabby Binion and Anne Smith were selected to the 2nd team All-State