DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. – Is Cy-Fair Nike Elite 16s going to win U.S. Junior Nationals this weekend?
It’s a valid question when dealing with one of the most talented teams in the event, one that already boasts four Division I verbals with more likely to follow as we head into the end of summer and fall. It’s a fair question now, it was a fair question a week ago when talking about top teams at Battle of the Boro in Tennessee and it will be a fair question next week at the de facto national championship tournament better known as Nike Nationals.
As it stands right now, there is no reason to think Cy-Fair cannot win what has become a very talented, but very wide open Platinum bracket. The group has rolled through Pool F with little opposition through four games, save for a 55-54 nail biter over a game South Carolina 76ers squad. That game was played in the sweltering Capital Sports Complex in front a crowd that was two and three deep in some spots behind the two benches.
Even with that scare, head coach Katie Hensle’s group has showed no signs that it doesn’t have the goods to win this prestigious event.
“We’ve come a long way since the beginning of July and we’ve just founds ways to win games and I think that’s a sign of maturity as a group,” Hensle said on Friday evening. “As hot as it was, all 10 players had to contribute. It was not a game where we leaned on one or two kids. We relied on all 10 or we wouldn’t have gotten through it and that’s a true sign of depth that people don’t always recognize.”
The depth that was on display on Friday evening was back again Saturday as Cy-Fair rolled twice more heading into Sunday morning’s pool play finale and a round of 16 playoff matchup Sunday night.
Kamy Cole and Paige Womack can both shoot and score in bunches, while Texas A&M recruit Peyton Little can also stroke it, but possesses great speed and the ability to get to the rim. Point guard Minta Spears, a Texas Tech commit, probably doesn’t get all the publicity she deserves, but is clearly the engine that makes the Cy-Fair train go.
TCU recruit Veja Hamilton is a slasher that can get to the bucket, while April pick up Nicole Kornet has been hitting rainbow 3-pointers with hands in her face throughout Cy-Fair’s first four games.
With all that talent and even more to spare for Hensle, this group is being viewed as one of, if not the top talents at USJN on paper. Over the next two days, we’ll see if that paper talent can turn into real results on the court.
“I think we’re up there (in terms of talent). We’re good when we’re together, we’re not as individuals,” Hensle said. “The good thing with this group is we tend to come together at the end of games.”
