Close followers of grassroots basketball know Belibi’s unique story. She started playing basketball in September 2015, boasts freakishly athletic talent and has gained acclaim as the first Colorado schoolgirl to dunk in a game.
All the while, she has skyrocketed up recruiting lists and earned distinction in USA Basketball programs. Now she has reached the point that, entering her senior season in the fall, it is time to make a college choice. And when it comes to college, Belibi has a clear priority: Academics.
“For me, basketball isn’t the end of the world,” she said during a break in Windy City play on Sunday. “You can’t play for ever. And if you can’t play for ever, that means you have to get an education for when you do stop. And I think it’s very important that I educate myself and know what I can do in the long run, beyond basketball.”
To know Belibi’s background is to understand her priorities. Both parents are doctors. Her grandparents include former Supreme Court justices in Cameroon and international businesswomen, so when she notes that “we definitely have a high academic family,” she’s not kidding.
“For us academics is first,” Belibi said.
So it’s no surprise that her list of college choices has been narrowed to Princeton, Harvard, Stanford and Notre Dame. She seems intent on following her parents’ path into medicine.
But for now it is time to develop her game, still raw but bursting with potential. At 6-foot-1 with a huge wingspan and prodigious leaping skills, Belibi can be a dominant, game-changing defender. Her offensive skills aren’t as developed as of yet, but that’s her No. 1 goal.
“I definitely think I need to shoot better,” said Belibi, who shot airballs on multiple trips to the free throw line in one Sunday game. “Rebounds happen and layups happen but I want to shoot better and get better with my on-ball defense.”
She also has obvious intangibles: Belibi is hyper competitive and spends much time on-court exhorting and instructing her teammates.
“We have a lot of young players on our team and sometimes young players don’t know how to win,” she said. “I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve won enough that I know what we need to get there. I definitely have to be a leader on my team now.”
One of those younger players is sister Fabiola Belibi, three years her junior. What’s perhaps most notable is the striking difference in physiques: Fran is a full 10 inches – yes, TEN INCHES – taller than Fabiola.
“I think she’s growing a little late,” Fran said with a laugh. “We’re hoping for the best. I had a couple spurts, so I know she’ll get one.”
VERHULST LEADS KANSAS NEXT LEVEL ECLIPSE
No team was more impressive than the Kansas Next Level Eclipse 17 Blue Star bunch, which escaped the pesky Wisconsin Lakers in pool play but demolished everything else in its path, culminating in an 83-49 victory over Chicago Hoops Express 17 Silver to win Pools C-D.
Coach Jon Lewis has a talented team spearheaded by Kansas State commit Ashton Verhulst (2020), Drake commit Sarah Beth Gueldner (2019) and standout Payton Verhulst, ranked 10th in Blue Star’s class of 2021.
“Very skilled, very finesse,” Lewis said of 6-1 Payton Verhulst. “She reminds me of a girl we had, Sophie Cunningham who’s now at Missouri, probably not as quality of a cutter or post up when she had a mismatch, but a higher skilled player at this point. She’s comparable (to Cunningham). Can play multiple positions and I just think the sky is the limit. She was terrible coming off on-ball screens last year and now she’s really figured out where she can find her niche on stuff like that. I think she’s maybe a top 20 player in the country.”
A sleeper might be 6-3 2019 Trinity Knapp, who has received plenty of mid-major interest and is starting to gain some traction among Power 5 schools.
“This is her third year on our top team, and I’ve been her advocate and pushed for her,” Lewis said. “I saw a lot of talent and now she’s really opened up everybody’s eyes. I imagine her stock is going to continue to go up. She’s really come around, and she’s a 4.0, high ACT (student).”
SAME OLD STORY FOR WISCONSIN PLAYGROUND ELITE
Coach Jeffery Smith’s Wisconsin Playground Elite squad has made itself right at home in the Chicago area through the years, racking up USJN tournament titles seemingly at will. They chalked up another one at Windy City.
Playground Elite won the title for the A-B pools, defeating All Nebraska Attack 17 Elite Isherwood 70-65 behind the superb play of guard Shemera Williams. The 2019 dynamo was, per usual, nearly unstoppable on her frequently drives to the bucket, finishing or dishing to a teammate for an easy score.
“She’s a winner,” Smith said. “She leads our group and I tell her all the time, we go as far as the engine moves us. We’ve got a solid cast around her but she’s definitely the engine.”
Other who shined during the weekend: Guards Khamya McNeal (5-7, 2020), Lai-janique Perry-Ellis (5-5, 2019) and Madisyn Rogan (5-4, 2019).
“My kids are just gritty,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter who gets the accolades, they just want to win as a group.”
STRONG WEEKEND FOR ALL NEBRASKA ATTACK
Though it concluded the weekend with a loss in the Pool A-B championship game, the All Nebraska Attack 17 Elite team coached by Zach Isherwood impressed observers with strong pool play.
“We won our first three games by over 30 and then just kind of ran out of gas a little at the end,” Isherwood said.
The leading quartet includes two 2019s and two 2020s. Guards McKenna Sims (5-9, 2019), Jayme Horan (6-0, 2020) and Maddie Krull (5-11, 2020) are joined by forward Hannah Kelle (6-1, 2019).
“They are the four that really carry us, and everyone else plays hard and does the little things,” Isherwood said. “This is a team that doesn’t care who scores. That’s really rare in basketball and even more rare in AAU basketball. And they all really like each other, which is rare.”
Krull, a point guard with excellent vision, “already has a couple of Big Ten offers. She’s energetic, a great defender, plays her butt off and just brings that competitiveness,” he said.
ZACKER PLAYING WAITING GAME – AGAIN
Illinois Lady Lightning guard Zoe Mackay Zacker (2019) has seen this movie before. After each of her first two high school seasons ended with a torn ACL in her left knee, she rehabbed diligently in time to begin her junior season. Exactly 61 seconds in, she tore the ACL in her right knee. Now, five months after surgery – and with identical vertical scars on each knee – she is once again rehabbing and hoping.
“It’s going pretty good,” said Mackay Zacker, whose upbeat nature is a signature trait. She remains committed to each of her Lady Lightning team’s games, in uniform, cheering on teammates. “I can do everything but cut. I can backpedal, run, jump, all of that. I can shoot, which is nice. I get a test in about six weeks and that will kind of determine where I’m at. We’ll see how it goes and go from there.”
So is it possible she’ll be able to play during the July evaluation period?
“I set my goals high but if I’m not ready, then I’m not ready,” she said. “It just depends on how strong I feel. I’m going day-by-day.”
Mackay Zacker received significant Power 5 interest before her series of injuries and she said schools have maintained that contact. Still, there’s only so much that can be determined before she gets back in the action.
“I know a lot of people on my team have committed already but I can’t let that rush me, and I’m just going to wait and make the right pick.”
IOWA KINGDOM HOOPS RE-TOOLS ON THE FLY
They certainly have no shortage of talent, but the Iowa Kingdom Hoops Elite 17 I Seay team also has a surplus of unfamiliarity. That was manifested in a tough weekend at Windy City as the squad went 2-3 overall.
“It’s a brand new group,” coach Julian Seay said. “We’ve got some younger kids we’ve pulled up, and I’m the new director. It’s a whole new thing. We’re trying to find our communication and trust right now. Each game it’s getting a little better.”
The roster includes Maryland commit Zoe Young (2019), Iowa State commit Maggie McGraw and Minnesota commit Grace Cumming. The latter was inactive over the weekend after kneecap surgery but is expected to be fully recovered for July.
Beyond the committed players, Seay has a point guard with potential in 5-8 Rose Nkumu (2020).
“If you’re (not) careful, you wouldn’t notice that she might be one of the best players on the floor,” Seay said. “She just makes play after play after play. She’s relentless. And she’s really worked on her three-point shot. She’s really worked on her leadership; she’s not afraid to talk to these older girls.
“She’s one of the most fun kids I’ve ever coached. Full eye contact at all times. I always get a text message or phone call, ‘What can I work on? What can I do?’ And she’s not concerned about where she ends up. A lot of these kids are overly concerned about the end result of the process; she’s really focused on the process.”
Nkumu currently carries five offers from mid-major schools in the Midwest.
