Rouse Catches Fire
CHAMPAIGN – One of the top uncommitted players at USJN’s 10th annual Mid America Challenge hasn’t finalized her college choice, but she seems close.
JeTaun Rouse, the 5-foot-9 guard (Class of 2013) on Mac Irvin Fire’s 17U Godfather squad, helped her team to a spirited 63-56 victory against the Indiana Elite 17U team Saturday on the University of Illinois campus and said afterward that a Big East school is leading the pack for her college services.
“Right now I’m leaning towards Marquette,” said Rouse, who took an unofficial visit to the school with her mother. “But I’m not sure (yet).”
Rouse is a winter standout at Chicago’s Marist High School, where she earned first team all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association in Class 3A/4A. She was one of four juniors on the 15-player team.
Her ability to score in various ways proved invaluable in Saturday’s win against Indiana Elite. She hit back-to-back three-pointers in the second half as the Fire overcame a sluggish first half and pulled away to a double-digit lead. She also played up front on the Fire’s fullcourt press that wore down the Elite and resulted in a bevy of Fire layups.
“They played really hard,” Rouse said of the Indiana team. “They pushed us to play even harder than we normally play.”
As for her own game, Rouse said her summer goal is to make her left hand stronger – she’s a natural righty – and make a few more people take notice of her abilities.
“I want to work hard to move my rankings up, to get higher than I am right now,” Rouse said. “I’m working hard.”
Bunch of Fun
Indiana Flight 17U forward Allyson Bunch can’t be pigeonholed into one position. She’s 5-10 with a sturdy body, thick calves and a muscular frame. That makes her a nightmare matchup for tall, thin post players who are shoved aside when Bunch gets the ball on the low block. A couple pieces of evidence: The Columbus (Ind.) East standout had 39 points and 14 rebounds in an early sesason victory against defending state champ Jeffersonville, and she had a school-record 45 points in a sectional win against Bloomington North.
On the other hand, Bunch is working to make her game well-rounded because when the Class of 2014 grad reaches the college level, she won’t be playing in the post. Therefore, her guard skills are the focus of her development.
“I get mismatches a lot, so I can usually body up with them inside,” said Bunch, who has committed to IPFW. “Usually I’m built bigger than most (opponents) so I can bulldoze my way through them.
“I’m really confident playing in the post. But I’m working really hard on my shooting and my dribbling, so I’m getting a lot more comfortable up there, too.”
Bunch displayed her ballhandling skills a few times as her Indiana Flight Strike squad rolled to a victory against the Indiana Lady Legit 17U. She once went end-to-end after gathering in a defensive rebound.
Just following orders, she said.
“(Coach Gregg Mason) actually wants me to start dribbling up and down the court,” Bunch said.
“She’s been playing in high school leagues in southern Indiana, and that’s all they’ve been working on with her – handling the ball,” Mason said. “She’s going to have to. She’s not going to play a four (in college). Little short for that.”
Mason, however, likes the type of player Bunch is right now.
“She’s a horse,” he said. “She’s one of the best in the sophomore class in Indiana.”
Mason’s Strike squad won all three games by an average of 18 points Saturday despite playing without point guard Mackenzie Taylor (Richmond, Ind.) – “By far one of our better player,” Mason said – and guard Brittani Rizzi (Bedford, Ind.), an Evansville commit.
Getting Physical
The Indiana Elite 17U matchup against the Mac Irvin Fire 17U featured some of the most intense, spirited, physical play of the day.
Not that that’s a bad thing.
“I think it’s good for kids to understand what it’s like to play in pressure situations, especially with some attitude off the floor and on the floor,” Elite coach Ranae Isaak said. “Hopefully we responded appropriately and didn’t respond the way some people might, (which) would get us in a bad position.”
The Fire’s athleticism and pressure was an obstacle for the Elite.
“They had a lot of athletes that were really strong. The pressure that was in that game is something that we’re not quite used to,” Isaak said. “It was really good to see that. Hopefully we learned something in all three games.”
The Elite played without Evansville commitment Sasha Robinson, whose 6-2 frame would have provided a boost inside against a physical opponent.
