RIDGEWAY 2007-2008 Message Board(click here)
Once again Ridgeway will be a contender in their
respectable district. UTEP signee
Jason Jones
will lead the way and the million dollar question is
whether Hamilton transfer
Sampson
Carter
will be eligible to play at all this 2007-2008 season. A
school with over 1,500 kids you always seem to find a
unknown player to step up and contribute heavily.
Jason Jones will be a major force this year including
some good guard play in
Dominique Shellman and
Chris
Downey. Forward play will come from
Cordero Maclin and a
slew of young talent as year in and year out they seem
to get some of the best talent across the board.
Wes Henning once again will make some state tournament
noise and maybe some hardware for the next couple of
years to come. Every year Coach Henning is use to
players transferring but he keeps rolling. The loss of
Martino Brock to Nashville Christian Advancement will
weigh heavily more early in the season but the
adjustments will come as the season progresses.
College
Coaches:
Diamond in the Rough Team with legitimate off the
radar prospects,
(college coaches click here).
Sampson
Carter |
6'7 |
Senior |
Jason
Jones |
6'5 |
UTEP |
Dominque
Shellman |
6'2 |
Senior |
Chris
Downey |
6'0 |
Senior |
Cordero
Maclin |
6'6 |
Junior |
Marterious
Brock |
6'4 |
Sophomore |
Tarik
Black |
6'7 |
Sophomore |
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Updated
11-22-2007
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Recap 8-25-2005
BY : ANDRE WHITEHEAD
OF TENNESSEE PREP HOOPS
It was the best
of times, it was the worst of times. I think there is a
book that starts off that way, but I digress.
The anticipation of the upcoming AAU or summer campaign
was alive and kicking all over the country in May of
2005, especially in Memphis.
The expectations seemed enormous, having finished second
in the 17 and under nationals last season as 16's the
Memphis YOMCA seemed primed for the ultimate run.
Something happened on the way to the gym.
It was apparent the Bluff City faithful were not the
only parties interested in getting a piece of the star
studded squad.
Adidas wanted to get a foothold in the ever burgeoning
Memphis hoop scene and this seemed to be the initial
move to start this particular ball
rolling.
So the YOMCA was no longer in the loop and the Memphis
Pump-N-Run were officially born.
Taking a peek at the roster one could not blame Adidas
for their bold move. Thaddeus Young, Willie Kemp, Wayne
Chism, Pierre Niles and Brandon Powell made up a nucleus
that would surely lead Team Memphis to the promised
land.
The summer campaign started with a most interesting
scenario as the "PNR" lost a game to the Mid-State
Ballerz, who ironically had Willie Kemp running the
show. This was an illusion that would soon change, as
Kemp
shortly thereafter joined the PNR.
With all their ducks in a row, the PNR set out to
establish themselves and put a benchmark on the national
attention that would follow.
The Real Deal on the Hill, the first major tournament of
the summer that coaches could attend. The pundits pined
for the impending matchup between Team Memphis and the
defending mythical goliath The Indy Spiece Heat. The
Heat were led by the consensus top player in the class
Greg Oden and numerous other high level prospects who
could actually match the
PNR with name recognition.
The reputation was established and the aura of the PNR
was created as the boys from Memphis soundly defeated
the Heat and made a huge cry across the land as the best
summer squad in existence.
Another funny thing happened on the way to their future
endeavors, nothing.
For some inexplicable reason the PNR did not suit up for
any of the Memorial Day festivities and was sparsely
seen until the Adidas Super 64 in Atlanta, following the
shoe camps.
The aforementioned players participated in various high
level exposure camps and the three major shoe camps and
kept their names on the tongues of coaches nationwide.
After achieving individual success at these various
camps, the boys got back together with the purpose of
putting the finishing touches on a grand and final run
through the top programs the country had to offer. They
added Ridgeway jumping jack Ernest Fields and ECS
powerhouse Tim Johnson to the fold and things looked
bright.
Once again a funny thing happened on the way to the gym.
The time off and the lack of continuity played havoc on
the chemistry of the PNR and they bowed out early in
Atlanta.
Heading to Las Vegas for the final big time event of the
summer, the PNR seemed poised and ready to achieve.
After dominating pool play the lack of chemistry once
again reared it's ugly head and some resentment among
the players seemed to end this summer campaign on a sour
note.
This team had the potential to be one of the best of all
time. It is truly unclear what precipitated these events
that grounded this team for much of the latter portion
of May and June, but it truly had it's effect on their
success.
None the less these kids are part of the best class of
seniors to dot the Tennessee landscape in many years.
The decision to completely disassociate themselves with
the
organization that they grew up playing for in retrospect
now seems like a mistake. The YOMCA will continue on
with quality younger teams and what to make of the
Adidas affiliation with the Bluff City at this juncture
is
unclear.
BY : ANDRE WHITEHEAD
OF TENNESSEE PREP HOOPS
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