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2015-16 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Girls Basketball Teams

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The 2015-16 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Girls Basketball Teams were selected by USA TODAY Sports’ Jim Halley in consultation with high school coaches and recruiting experts.

Click the links below for photo galleries, interviews and more with the honorees:

FIRST TEAM:

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Sabrina Ionescu, Miramonte (Orinda, Calif.)

Erin Boley, Elizabethtown (Ky.)

Crystal Dangerfield, Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)

Lauren Cox, Flower Mound (Texas)

Jackie Young, Princeton (Ind.)

RELATED:

COACH OF THE YEAR: Scott Allen, Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.)

SECOND TEAM: See who made the second team

THIRD TEAM: See who made the third team

LOOKBACK: Our Preseason ALL-USA Girls Basketball Team


Irving MacArthur's Andrew Jones repping Texas at Jordan Brand Classic

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Andrew Jones is joined by his teammates after receiving a Jordan Brand Classic banner (Photo: Jordan Brand Classic)

Andrew Jones is joined by his teammates after receiving a Jordan Brand Classic banner (Photo: Jordan Brand Classic)

It has been a big year for boys basketball stars in the state of Texas. Ten players on Texas schools are in the ESPN 100 for the Class of 2016. Imagine 10 percent of the top prospects in the class come from one state.

Among those names is Andrew Jones, a 6-4 shooting guard from Irving MacArthur. Jones, ranked No. 29 in the nation and No. 5 in the state, is also staying in his home state, having signed with Texas.

He will now head to New York to represent the Lone Star State in next week’s Jordan Brand Classic. Jones received a banner for his school and was honored for his selection during the Jordan Brand Classic Senior Night presented by American Family Insurance.

Jones and uncommitted big man Marques Bolden from DeSoto will play for the West. Kentucky signee De’Aaron Fox from Cypress Lakes will play for the East.

Andrew Jones is joined by his father David and coach Mario Martin (Photo: Jordan Brand Classic)

Andrew Jones is joined by his father David and coach Mario Martin (Photo: Jordan Brand Classic)

Joel Hawkins, Louisiana's winningest boys basketball coach, dies at age 77

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Joel Hawkins, the winningest boys basketball coach in Louisiana history, has died at his Texas home, according to The Advocate. He was 77.

Hawkins had a career record of 1,071-263 in a 43-year career — with 39 winning seasons and 21 district titles — at Southern Lab, Lake Providence High and G.W. Griffith. His teams won 12 state titles (11 in a 13-year span at Southern Lab and a 2A title at Lake Providence in 1985).

He was inducted into the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2001, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and was named Louisiana’s Mr. Basketball in 2005 by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches.

“I was with him as a player from the time I was in the sixth grade and then I was an assistant to him for four years,” current Southern Lab coach Devan Clark told The Advocate. “We were side-by-side for 12 years and I learned so much … we all did.

“It was never just about basketball. He taught us about life. I’ve carried those things with me and will continue to do so. He was so much more than a coach.”

Hawkins returned to Baton Rouge last winter when Southern Lab hosted the first Joel Hawkins Classic basketball tournament at Southern University.

 

Four-star QB Jake Bentley reclassifies, to join South Carolina this summer

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Jake Bentley (Photo: 247Sports)

Jake Bentley (Photo: 247Sports)

South Carolina coach Will Muschamp has been impressed by the play of freshman early enrollee quarterback Brandon McIlwain as spring football winds down.

With Perry Orth out for the remainder of the spring with a broken collarbone and Lorenzo Nunez missing the last two weeks with a hyperextended knee, McIlwain has made the most of his opportunity. McIlwain spurned being a likely high draft pick in the June baseball draft for football and attending South Carolina.

“At quarterback Brandon had a lot of command in how he directed the offense when he was on the field. I was very pleased with his decision-making,” coach Will Muschamp said after Saturday’s scrimmage. “I thought Brandon did some really nice things. He was 12 of 14 (passing in the scrimmage), took care of the football, made good decisions, had good command.

And then the field got more crowded: Jake Bentley, a four-star quarterback from Opelika (Ala.), has announced that he will reclassify to the Class of 2016 and enroll at South Carolina this summer.

Bentley committed to South Carolina — where his father is the running backs coach — only a few weeks ago. He was ranked as the No. 13 pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2017.

https://twitter.com/JakeBentley19/status/717692522609426436/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

“Things happen for a reason and I am ready to join Gamecock Nation this summer,” he wrote on Twitter.

While Orth was the consistent number one prior to his injury and will have s strong chance of preserving that status when he returns, McIlwain is giving the staff something to think about and Bentley’s arrival only provides more options.

Contributing: Willie T. Smith III, Greenville News

 

VIDEO: 2018 Alabama commit Malcolm Epps on why Tide and who else might be involved

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Alabama already has two football commitments for the Class of 2018 — offensive tackle Dare Rosenthal and tight end Malcolm Epps, both four-star prospects.

Epps, a 6-6, 220 pounder from Andy Dekaney (Houston), impressed at Sunday’s The Opening regional event in Houston.

He had early offers from Florida State, Texas A&M and LSU but opted to commit to the Crimson Tide on Feb. 27.

Our partners at Scout.com caught up with Epps during The Opening to talk why he picked Alabama, whether he might look at some other schools and more.

 

For recruiting news, commitments and rankings, visit scout.com/membership

 

 

Super 25 Computer girls basketball rankings: Who's the best team in each state

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Riverdale Baptist guard Jalynn Holmes celebrates the victory (Photo: Andy Marlin ,USA TODAY Sports)

Riverdale Baptist was the top team in Maryland this season. (Photo: Andy Marlin ,USA TODAY Sports)

With the end of the girls basketball season, the Super 25 Computer rankings are complete. Below is a list of the top team in each state, according to the computer.

Super 25 Computer rankings are provided by Ken Massey. The ratings are designed to reward teams for their performance, and objectively quantify those performances. Strength of schedule is built into the model. The model also corrects for home field advantage. Teams lose less for a loss on the road and gain more for a win on the road. Margin of victory is also a factor.

To see the full computer rankings, click here. To search by state, go to the dropdown that says “National” and select a state.

RELATED: Super 25 Computer boys basketball state-by-state rankings

Alabama: Wenonah (Birmingham)

Alaska: Wasilla

Arizona: Seton Catholic (Chandler)

Arkansas: Conway

California: Miramonte (Orinda)

Colorado: Highlands Ranch

Connecticut: Capital Prep (Hartford)

Delaware: Ursuline (Wilmington)

District of Columbia: St. John’s

Florida: Ribault (Jacksonville)

Georgia: McEachern (Powder Springs)

Hawaii: Konawaena (Kealakekua)

Idaho: Mountain View (Meridian)

Illinois: Benet Academy (Lisle)

Indiana: Lawrence North (Indianapolis)

Iowa: Ankeny Centennial

Kansas: Wichita South

Kentucky: Butler (Louisville)

Louisiana: Sumner (Kentwood)

Maine: Gorham

Maryland: Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro)

Massachusetts: Tabor Academy (Marion)

Michigan: Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills)

Minnesota: Hopkins (Minnetonka)

Mississippi: Northpoint Christian (Southaven)

Missouri: Crane

Montana: Malta

Nebraska: Crofton

Nevada: Centennial (Las Vegas)

New Hampshire: New Hampton

New Jersey: St. John Vianney (Holmdel)

New Mexico: Cibola (Albuquerque)

New York: Ossining

North Carolina: Forest Trail Academy (Kernersville)

North Dakota: Shanley (Fargo)

Ohio: Wadsworth

Oklahoma: Seiling

Oregon: South Salem

Pennsylvania: Saints of Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia)

Rhode Island: LaSalle Academy (Providence)

South Carolina: Spring Valley (Columbia)

South Dakota: Aberdeen Central

Tennessee: Riverdale (Murfreesboro)

Texas: Duncanville

Utah: Layton

Vermont: Champlain Valley Union (Hinesburg)

Virginia: Paul VI (Fairfax)

Washington: Bellevue

West Virginia: Morgantown

Wisconsin: Verona

Wyoming: Campbell County (Gillette)

How many times does top uncommitted star Josh Jackson get asked about recruiting?

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Josh Jackson gets swarmed by reporters at McDonald's AA media day. (Photo: Jason Jordan)

Josh Jackson gets swarmed by reporters at McDonald’s AA media day. (Photo: Jason Jordan)

The swarm of media around Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) basketball star Josh Jackson was huge during events for the McDonald’s All American Game in Chicago.

The reason? The American Family Insurance ALL-USA first teamer is the top uncommitted basketball recruit in the nation — and some argue the best basketball recruit overall — with the signing period set to begin next week.

RELATED: Josh Jackson on court is very different than Josh Jackson off court

Will it be Michigan State? Or Kansas? Or Arizona? When will a decision come? Does one school have the lead?

While we are not absolving ourselves here as part of the media — we’ve asked the questions, too — it does make you wonder how often Jackson gets asked.

“I can’t even count how many times a day someone asks me, ‘Do you know where you’re going? When are you committing?’ ” Jackson said in preview on the Nike website. “It’s every day.”

So, one last question: How’s he holding up?

“I try to keep away from it,” he said. “It kind of wears me down a lot.”

RELATED: Josh Jackson shares MVP at McDonald’s All American Game

Jackson figures to be the center of attention again this week at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland. A three-time gold medal winner for USA Basketball at the junior level, Jackson is expected to arrive Friday for Saturday’s ESPN2-televised game against the World Select Team.

The questions extend beyond Jackson himself. He is half of the “First Couple of High School Basketball” with Michigan-bound Kysre Gondrezick. She joined him during a recent Michigan State game he attended.

Gondrezick is a second-team ALL-USA player from Benton Harbor, Mich., who was named Miss Basketball in Michigan and gained national acclaim for her 72-point game in the postseason.

Virtually no matter what she tweets, someone will reply with a question, comment or remark of some sort about Jackson’s recruiting. To her credit, she’s handled it with dignity with tweets such as this one:

 

Liberty (Nev.) football to open season against Austin Westlake in Texas

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Austin Westlake will play a team from outside the state of Texas for the first time when it hosts Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) on Sept. 2.

The game initially was scheduled to be part of a showcase event at AT&T Stadium but the Cowboys’ preseason schedule forced the change of plans. The sides agreed to move the game to Westlake’s home stadium.

The game will be the season opener for Liberty. Westlake opens with Katy, the defending Texas Class 6A Division II state champions that were ranked No. 3 in the final Super 25.

RELATED: Bishop Gorman, Cedar Hill players already talking trash ahead of August game

While this out-of-state opponent is a first for Westlake, Liberty travels annually. The Patriots played two games against Hawaii teams last season, including one on the islands. Liberty also has a game scheduled Sept. 23 at Centennial (Corona, Calif.), which finished No. 7 in the final Super 25 after losing in the CIF Open final.

“I think this will be a really good event for us, Liberty and our fans,” coach Todd Dodge told the Austin American-Statesman. “I’ve done some research, and Liberty is a lot like us. They’re a quality program, they’re a public school about our size, and it will be a good test for us.”

For Liberty, the focus is clear — how to be more competitive with two-time defending Super 25 champion Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas). Gorman has won seven consecutive state titles in Nevada and beat Liberty 62-21 in last year’s title game.

“Everything we do is to narrow the gap between Bishop Gorman and us,” Liberty coach Rich Muraco told The Las Vegas Review-Journal. “The only way the kids can believe they can beat Gorman or hang with Gorman is by playing teams on the level of Gorman. …

“(High school football) is definitely on another level (in Texas). Let’s take a shot at it. Why not?,”


ALL-USA Girls Hockey First Team

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The American Family Insurance ALL-USA girls’ hockey team for the 2015-16 season was selected based on performance, level of competition and strength of schedule.

Click the gallery below to meet the players on the first team.

SECOND TEAM: Meet the ALL-USA Second Team

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cayla Barnes, New Hampton School (New Hampton, N.H.)

COACH OF THE YEAR: Jaime Grossman, Eden Prairie (Minn.)

LOOKBACK:  Preseason ALL-USA Girls Hockey Teams

ALL-USA Girls Hockey Player of the Year: Cayla Barnes, New Hampton School (N.H.)

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The 2015-16 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Girls Hockey Teams were selected by USA TODAY High School Sports based on performance, level of competition and strength of schedule.

FIRST TEAM: Meet the ALL-USA First Team

SECOND TEAM: Meet the ALL-USA Second Team

COACH OF THE YEAR: Jaime Grossman, Eden Prairie (Minn.)

 

Cayla Barnes (Photo: Charles George Photography)

Cayla Barnes (Photo: Charles George Photography)

Cayla Barnes had a breakout season in 2015-16 as a junior at New Hampton School in New Hampshire.

A 5-4 defender headed to Boston College, he scored 12 goals and added 23 assists in 28 games while leading the Huskies to the Lakes Region League title and the No. 6 seed in the Division I New England Prep tournament. Despite Hew Hampton’s loss in the quarterfinals, Barnes earned All-New England first team honors. Even more impressively, Barnes and New Hampton were the only team to defeat New England Division I champs Noble & Greenough (Mass.) all season.

Equally impressive is that Barnes interrupted her scholastic season to play for Team USA at January’s U-18 World Championship in St. Catharines, Canada. She led the tournament with a plus/minus of plus-10 and was tied for the tournament lead with six assists. Her ability to rush the puck out of the defensive zone with speed and make tape-to-tape passes to forwards was a key to the team’s offensive success, and her steadiness as a defender allowed Team USA to aggressively forecheck without worrying about odd-man rushes.

In the title game against Canada, Barnes had the primary assist on the overtime goal that propelled Team USA to a second consecutive U-18 championship. It was also Barnes’ second title, as she was the youngest member of the 2015 squad that won gold in Buffalo, N.Y. Barnes was selected as the tournament’s Directorate Award winner as best defenseman in addition to landing on the Coaches’ All-Tournament Team.

LOOKBACK:  Preseason ALL-USA Girls Hockey Teams

Romeo Langford of New Albany (Ind.) shares MVP at Underclassmen All-American Game, awaits Duke visit

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It is looking like a good 24 hours for Romeo Langford. The star sophomore from New Albany (Ind.) was named the East Most Valuable Player at the Underclassmen All-American Game on Wednesday night in Indianapolis. On Thursday, he is scheduled to get a visit from Duke assistant coaches John Scheyer and Nolan Smith during an open gym at the school, according to 247Sports and Rivals among others.

Langford finished with 16 points, including a pair of three-pointers, in the East’s 114-101 win in the National game. Langford was a star player for a New Albany team that went 27-1 to win the 4A title and was No. 18 in the Super 25.

RELATED: 5 players to watch in the Underclassmen All-American Game

Marcedus Leech, a freshman from Poplar Bluff (Mo.), finished with a game-high 17 points as the East had six players in double figures.

The teams were tied at 88-88 going into the fourth quarter and the East opened up a 105-101 lead with less than a minute and a half left in the game. It closed the game out from there, now allowing the West to score again.

Nazreon Reid of Roselle Catholic (N.J.) was named the MVP for the West with 15 points. DJ Jeffries (Olive Branch, Miss.) added 14.

UConn women's title run includes three ALL-USA Players of the Year, including two from same high school

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Katie Lou Samuelson (Photo: Kelvin Kuo, USA TODAY Sports)

Katie Lou Samuelson was named the ALL-USA Girls Basketball Player of the Year last season (Photo: Kelvin Kuo, USA TODAY Sports)

The University of Connecticut’s run of four consecutive national championships in women’s basketball includes three American Family Insurance ALL-USA Players of the Year.

While that would not be a surprise — you don’t win national championships without star recruits — consider that two of the players are from the same high school and were never teammates at UConn.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) is the alma mater of Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, a 6 foot guard who was named ALL-USA Player of the Year in 2010-11. She was a member of UConn titles in 2013, ’14 and ’15 and was the third overall pick by the Seattle Storm in the WNBA draft last spring.

Mater Dei is also the alma mater of Katie Lou Samuelson, a 6-3 forward who was named ALL-USA Player of the Year in 2014-15. Samuelson is a UConn freshman who amazingly played 17 minutes in the first half of the national semifinal Sunday on a broken foot. She was injured on the first play and just kept going, never saying anything to the training staff. She was a spectator on the bench when UConn trounced Syracuse for the title Monday. She had a career-high 21 points against Robert Morris and then 21 against Mississippi State earlier in the NCAA Tournament.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis of Mater Dei was the ALL-USA Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2011 (Photo: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis of Mater Dei was the ALL-USA Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2011 (Photo: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)

 

Here is what Mosqueda-Lewis said about heading to UConn during her Player of the Year interview in 2011: “It is a little intimidating at first when you see (Geno Auriemma’s) practices, but I know I’ll be working hard prior to getting there, and I’ve been working hard for the past couple of years. I’ll get myself as ready as I can.”

And in case you are wondering, the third ALL-USA Player of the Year who has been part of UConn’s recent run is probably obvious: Breanna Stewart, the 2011-212 winner from Cicero-North Syracuse (N.Y.).

 

 

Nike Hoop Summit preview: Everything you need to know for USA vs. the World Select Team

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Frank Jackson (left) and Josh Jackson will compete in Saturday's Nike Hoop Summit. (Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports)

Frank Jackson (left) and Josh Jackson will compete in Saturday’s Nike Hoop Summit. (Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports)

The 19th annual Nike Hoop Summit is Saturday, pitting the top prep players in the United States against a team composed of international players.

Several undecided players—including Josh Jackson, Marques Bolden, and Terrance Ferguson—will be in action, as well as three future Duke players and two Kentucky-bound stars.

Below are the full rosters and everything else you need to know.

What: Nike Hoop Summit
Where: Moda Center in Portland, Oregon
When: Saturday, April 9, 3 p.m. EST/noon PDT
How to watch: Watch live on ESPN2

MORE STORIES

TEAM USA

Name Pos. Ht./Wt. School College
Jarrett Allen C 6-10/235 St. Stephens Episcopal School (Austin, Texas) Undecided
Marques Bolden C 6-9/250 DeSoto (Dallas) Undecided
Terrance Ferguson SG 6-5/190 Advanced Prep International (Dallas) Undecided
De’Aaron Fox PG 6-3/185 Cypress Lakes (Katy, Texas) Kentucky
Markelle Fultz SG 6-4/190 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) Washington
Wenyen Gabriel PF 6-9/210 Wilbraham and Monson (Wilbraham, Mass.) Kentucky
Harry Giles III* F 6-10/235 Forest Trail Academy (Wellington, Fla.) Duke
Jonathan Isaac F 6-9/201 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) Florida State
Frank Jackson G 6-4/195 Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) Duke
Josh Jackson SF 6-7/201 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) Undecided
Joshua Langford F 6-5/204 Madison Academy (Madison, Ala.) Michigan State
Payton Pritchard G 6-0/175 West Linn (Ore.) Oregon
Jayson Tatum SF 6-9/200 Chaminade (St. Louis) Duke

*injured/will not play

WORLD SELECT TEAM

Name Pos. Ht./Wt. Country/School College/Team
Kostas Antetokounmpo F 6-10 Greece/Dominican High School (Wis.) Undecided
Edin Atic G 6-6 Bosnia & Herzegovina Spars Sarajevo
DeAndre Ayton C 7-0 Bahamas/Hillcrest Academy (Phoenix) Undecided
Isaia Cordinier G 6-5 France Denain ASC Voltaire
Andres Feliz G 6-1 Dominican Republic/ West Oaks Academy (Fla.) South Florida
Harry Froling F 6-11 Australia SMU (committed)
Justin Jackson F 6-8 Canada/The Hill Academy (Ontario) UNLV
William McDowell-White G 6-5 Australia Ignatius Park College
Wesley Silva G 6-6 Brazil Paulistano/Unimed
Martynas Varnas G 6-5 Lithuania Zalgiris Kaunas II
Ziming Fan C 7-0 China Foshan Long Lions
Udoka Azubuike C 6-11 Nigeria/Potter’s House Christian Academy (Fla.) Kansas

 

Texas' Shaka Smart named head coach for USA Basketball U18 team

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Texas coach Shaka Smart (Photo: Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: USATSI-264948 ORIG FILE ID: 20160318_lbm_aj6_227.JPG

Texas coach Shaka Smart (Photo: Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports)

Texas coach Shaka Smart was named the head coach for the USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team that will attempt to win its fourth consecutive gold medal this summer, USA Basketball announced Thursday.

The assistant coaches will be Kevin Ollie from Connecticut and Mark Turgeon from Maryland.

The team will compete at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship July 19-23 in Valdivia, Chile. The top four finishing teams will earn a qualifying berth in the 2017 FIBA U19 World Championship.

The coaches were selected by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee, which is chaired by Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.

Smart is 14-0 as a USA Basketball assistant coach as part of coaching staffs at the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship.

“It’s a tremendous honor to coach the USA U18 National Team and represent our country in international play,” Smart said in a news release from USA Basketball. “The opportunity to work with Kevin Ollie and Mark Turgeon is something I’m extremely excited about. They are two of the best coaches in the country, and I’m looking forward to learning a great deal from each of them.”

 

 

La Grange (Texas) moves to No. 1 in shakeup of Super 25 softball rankings

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It was a tough week for last week’s top three in the USA Today High School Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Super 25 softball rankings.

After holding the No. 1 spot on the past two weeks, Curry (Jasper, Ala.) fell 4-2 to Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.) in 10 innings to snap Curry’s 27-game winning streak and then to Sumiton Christian (Sumiton, Ala.) 8-5. The Yellow Jackets drop to No. 20 after the losses.

RELATED: Full Super 25 rankings

No. 2  Etiwanda (Calif.) and No. 3 Oakleaf (Orange Park, Fla.) also suffered losses and have fallen in the Super 25. Etiwanda slides to No. 4 and Oakleaf has dropped out of the rankings.

That means we have new teams at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3. The top spot now belongs to La Grange (Texas). After losing the opening game of the season, the Leopards have now won 24 straight. They were No. 5 last week.

Eagle (Idaho), which had been No. 6, moves to No. 2, and Crown Point (Ind.), which had been No. 4 and just opened its season, moves to No. 3.

Seven new teams are in the Super 25 this week, led by West Ranch (Valencia, Calif.) at No. 13. Cibolo (Yuma, Ariz.) enters at No. 15, San Benito (Texas) at no. 16, Enka (Chandler, N.C.) at No. 18, Downers Grove South (Ill.) at No. 19, Union County (Union, S.C.) at No. 21 and Alexandria (La.) at No. 24.

Downers Grove South defeated former Super 25 occupants North Fort Myers (Fla.) and Gainesville (Fla.) at the Kissimmee Klassic Softball tournament to enter the rankings.

Weather permitting, No. 23 Mount St. Dominic Academy (Caldwell, N.J.) will open the 2016 season this week.


Kentucky signee Landon Young says comments about Urban Meyer were 'mistaken'

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Landon Young, a four-star offensive tackle from Lafayette (Ky.) High School, apologized Wednesday for telling SECCountry.com that Ohio State coach Urban Meyer “treated [him] like crap.”

The full comments indicate that Young, who was committed to Kentucky at the time of his visit to Columbus, was told by the Buckeyes coaching staff that he was “insubstantial.”

RELATED: UK signee Landon Young wins state wrestling title—and a prom date

RELATED: OSU commits working hard to make top QB Tate Martell a Buckeye

“Well, you were an insubstantial player with insubstantial offers from an insubstantial school,” Young recalled Meyer telling him, according to the interview on SECCountry.com.

On Tuesday, Meyer responded to Young’s comments.

“I did read (the comments by Young),” Meyer said, according to 247sports.com. “We had a lot of respect for him as a player. A lot. I was very disappointed in our staff that we did not offer him earlier.

“About treating him bad, we don’t do that on purpose. If those are his feelings … I went back and talked to our staff about that because you don’t want that out there. But when you have one out of 650 that say that someone was treated bad …

“I know we did not offer him early. Afterwards, he really grew into a great player and we missed on him early on. I was very upset with our coaching staff, the recruiter in the area and then the position coach. That’s the way we do our business here. We do address that. I don’t want that out there.”

Aside from the above tweet, Young told the Columbus Dispatch that he reached out to Meyer personally to clear the air.

“What I wanted to clear up is I have nothing bad against Urban Meyer or Ohio State’s staff,” Young told The Dispatch. “They treated me with respect. They treated me like a king when I was up there.

“Everyone seems to think that he (Meyer) treated me like crap, and he didn’t.”

VIDEO: Watch five-star Jonathan Isaac shine at Nike Hoop Summit practice

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Five-star small forward Jonathan Isaac is among the players who will be showing off his skills during the Nike Hoop Summit on Saturday in Oregon. Team USA faces the World Select Team.

Isaac, a 6-9 small forward, is heading to Florida State from IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.).

RELATED: What you need to know for the Nike Hoop Summit

Cleary, he is out there with something to prove:

Here are highlights from what Isaac has shown in practice this week:

Middle school QB Drew Pyne adds offer from South Carolina to Florida State offer

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Middle school quarterback Drew Pyne from Connecticut has received offers from Florida State and South Carolina within the last 10 days, with the offer from the Gamecocks coming Thursday.

He also has an offer from South Alabama, which came March 23.

Pyne, 15, is a 6-1, 170-pound eighth grader who will begin his high school career in the fall at New Canaan High — winners of the last three state Class  L state titles — after leading his Pop Warner team to the nationals in Orlando last December, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

If his last name sounds familiar, it’s because the Pynes have had a run of success in football and beyond. His father, George is the former CEO of NASCAR and the former president of IMG Sports and Entertainment. George Pyne’s grandfather, father and brother all played pro football and Drew’s brother, Brendan, will play for Brown in the fall after graduating from IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.).

6-10 Florida player shatters backboard with dunk and has an epic explanation on how he did it

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The Florida Vipers AAU practice ended early Thursday night, but not because the coaches wanted it to.

Instead, it was because the gym was down a basket after 6-10 Joniya Byngi Gadson shattered one of the backboards with a thunderous dunk. Gadson is a junior who plays for Florida 6A state champion Dillard High during the school year and for the Vipers on the Under Armour Association circuit.

While video does not appear to exist at the moment, USA TODAY High School Sports caught up with Gadson and his description was epic. We also love the tweet where he notes that he broke “his first backboard.” The implication being that there are more to come.

Here’s Gadson’s description of what happened:

“You know, it was actually a surreal moment it’s one of those things that leaves the crowd in attendance spellbound. It reminds me of the shot by Kris Jenkins’ in the national championship game the other night. It’s every kid’s dream. It started off from a pick and roll initiated by my point guard Zachary Scott. As I noticed the hesitation in his dribble, I swiftly rolled and called for the ball. I took one pound dribble. In midair, I thought to do a windmill, but I felt instead of settling for a stellar dun, I will emphasize just how emphatic I am and instead cocked the basketball behind my head for a thunderous tomahawk two-hand slam!

“The dunk was astounding due to my size, age and sheer force!”

As for what happened after the dunk:  “It was a closer! It left everyone in complete awe! Not sure of what to do for practice or the weekend in which a tournament is supposed to be held at that same location!”

As for the tournament, the Vipers say they are working with Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale to find a solution.

“We are committed to Westminister Academy and they have been great to our organization,” the Vipers said in a statement. “We are a business that pride ourselves on loyalty, respect, hard work, and faith. We plan on staying and giving Westminister Academy our complete trust that they will find a solution. The tournament will go as planned.”

California softball pitcher striking out opponents for a good cause

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Fortuna (Calif.) High School’s Hailey Dolcini whiffed over 350 batters last season as a sophomore, so the softball star decided she’d put her dominance in the circle to good use during her junior season.

Dolcini, a California-Riverside commit, has started a fundraiser benefiting pediatric cancer research, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Cookies for Kids Cancer, a non-profit in New Jersey. She calls it ‘K’s for Kids Cancer.’

“I wanted my success to benefit someone else,” Dolcini told prep2prep.com. “I wanted to use what I love to do to help others do the same.”

Dolcini told the website she began collecting funds in the fall—raising about $3,000—and she continues earning as some opted to donate a set amount per strikeout.

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Given her output last season, that could get expensive. Nevertheless, Dolcini hopes this is just the beginning.

“I plan to continue the fundraiser next year, and I want to pass it down as a legacy at Fortuna,” Dolcini told prep2prep.com. “I would also like to see it grow to other high schools in [the area], and to meet with other pitchers in the area before next season and get them to join me.”

Read more on this story at prep2prep.com.

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