Bill, makes sense considering it had been posted that Bickle and Chavez were visiting.

Bill you are correct. Sorry, I should have put the names with the picture. I always assume most know who they are...

From Twitter
Raoul @Raoul_000

WBB: Brooke Demetre, 6-2 W, Mater Dei HS (CA-2021)
Offers: Baylor, Cal, Southern Cal, Utah

Raoul
Raoul @Raoul_000

Southern Cal WBB lands 1st 2018 commit: Desiree Caldwell, 5-6 PG, Steele HS (TX); espnW #74; Cal & Ohio St. were reportedly in mix for her
8:15 PM Sep 12, 2017

Aquila DeCosta is visiting five schools in this order. USC, Louisville, South Carolina, Tennessee and then Baylor. That is a good sign, I believe the date is October 6th and is in slimecap's chart of potential prospects.

Taylor Chavez has two more visits before announcing her school of choice. Washington and then Oregon are the last two.

Queen Egbo and Honesty Scott-Grayson's visit information is not available.

Look at the second post on page one of this thread for slimecap's detailed and well done chart.

DFW Bill said:

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Aquila DeCosta is visiting five schools in this order. USC, Louisville, South Carolina, Tennessee and then Baylor. That is a good sign, I believe the date is October 6th and is in slimecap's chart of potential prospects.

Taylor Chavez has two more visits before announcing her school of choice. Washington and then Oregon are the last two.

Queen Egbo and Honesty Scott-Grayson's visit information is not available.

Look at the second post on page one of this thread for slimecap's detailed and well done chart.

---

Honesty will visit with Decosta is what I'm hearing. It will be her last stop also

Skilledup...hearing anything about Egbo? I thought we had an excellent chance at her but now I am concerned that UT may be her favorite. She has been on the UT campus a ton lately.

Prospects Nation has DeCosta ranked #2 and Honesty Scott-Grayson #5. With the two taking their last visits together at Baylor, things could be terrific. With Smith ranked #4, the Lady Bears could have 2,4 and 5 in the Class of 2018. Hard to argue the Baylor Class of 2018 isn't #1 in the country if that happens.

Don't light up the cigars just yet, remember they are not on board officially until the National Letter of Intent signing on the 7th or 8th of November.

Our Coaching Staff is fab!

Honesty Scott-Grayson

Official visits taken
Sept 2 Ole Miss source NEB
Sept 9 Ohio State source Raoul



`


Honesty Scott-Grayson (left) with her mother, Kiesha Scott


September 11, 2017

"As soon as Honesty Scott-Grayson stepped off the floor for a water break, the Riverdale Baptist gym was overrun by dozens of small children and the cacophony of a youth basketball practice.

That left Scott-Grayson with no basket to shoot on, so she slowly dribbled around the edges of the court and scooped layups into the side hoops. She paused between dribbles to snap her fingers and shake her hips. She mouthed the lyrics to a song, even though she wasn't wearing headphones and there was no music on in the gym.

And then, out of nowhere, she started pounding the ball against the hardwood. And all the kids, who were shrieking and skipping just seconds before, migrated to one end of the court and stared, wide-eyed and hushed now, as the ball appeared magnetically connected to Scott-Grayson's hands. And Scott-Grayson, in the one place that's always felt like home, was left playing alone.

"I've moved around a lot, but I could always count on feeling comfortable and normal on the basketball court," Scott-Grayson said while sitting in the weight room off the gym in late July. "It's just me, the ball, the two nets. And all the outside noise shuts off."

Scott-Grayson's basketball career has included three high schools in four years, and two middle schools before that. The New Jersey native attended Riverdale Baptist, in Upper Marlboro, as a freshman; Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., as a sophomore; Paul VI in Fairfax last season, and is back at Riverdale Baptist, near her family's new home in Maryland, for her senior year. She is a 5-foot-10 guard, regarded as one of the country's top college prospects and is considering offers from North Carolina, Baylor, Texas, Louisville, Ohio State, West Virginia and other power-conference schools.

Transferring is both a fixture of the basketball ecosystem and a perpetual hot-button issue, with hundreds of players transferring at the high school and college levels each spring and summer. In the Washington area alone, dozens of boys' and girls' players transfer each year in search of more exposure, playing time, being closer to home, or for what they think is an all-around better situation than where they are coming from. The players almost always have college potential and move with that in mind. Loose recruiting regulations for many area private schools make transferring even more prevalent.

The practice, which in many cases involves the sport's most talented young players, often draws criticism. Some think players have the right to seek the right situation, just as coaches, teachers or non-student-athletes can do without much skepticism. Others see transferring for athletic reasons as a slight to the academic side of high school and college sports and attach a negative stigma to the players who do it.

Scott-Grayson has heard the labels placed on her and other players who have transferred frequently: A "problem." Unstable. Hard to coach. But many past coaches and teammates described her as the opposite of those things. She and her mother, Makiesha Scott, who goes by Kiesha, have spent the last seven years decoding the path to a full college scholarship and future success. No one process is the same as another, and some players start trekking toward college basketball in middle school, if not sooner.

Kiesha has navigated this tangled, exacting culture with maternal instincts. The journey has positioned Honesty to chase her dreams to the next level. It's also offered Kiesha lessons in basketball parenting.

"I would have taken it all a little slower," Kiesha said. "I would have done a lot of things differently, did my homework a little more, figure out the right timing for our family and our health, because I'm a big advocate that if it's going to happen, it will happen.

"I think ideally kids should stay at one high school for four years. You learn the same system for four years, you get comfortable, and that's how you get better. But this is our situation, and Honesty has gone through a lot of adversity and become stronger because of it. I'm 41 years old, and I look up to that kid."

Kiesha was a basketball player herself, a 5-foot-11 deadeye shooter who attracted interest from a host of colleges. She was also the second-oldest of 10 children and the oldest girl so she went to Ocean County College near her home in Toms River, N.J., and helped her mother raise her younger siblings.

She started her own family at 22 years old, first with her son, Tyreek, and then Honesty a year and a half later. Kiesha, a single mother, didn't force them into basketball. She actually did the opposite, envisioning Tyreek as a star football player and Honesty as a cheerleader at his games. But on the morning of their first football and cheerleading practices, the kids woke their mother up and told her they weren't going. They wanted to play basketball, and the game has been at the center of their lives ever since.

"I kind of beat myself up for it a lot, the way my career went," Kiesha said. "But I didn't want to make my kids play basketball because of that, like a lot of parents would. They chose it on their own."

When Honesty was in sixth grade, she filled in on her brother's team at a tournament in New York. She shined in a victory over the New York Gauchos AAU program, and Kiesha remembers the coach screaming at his seventh-grade boys for letting a younger girl carve them up. The director of the Gauchos' girls' program convinced Kiesha to drive her daughter into the Bronx, a long trip from their home in Brick, N.J., for workouts, and soon Honesty was placed on their top team in Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League.

Her teammates were 16 and 17-year-old girls. She was a 12-year-old seventh grader, and coaches from Ohio State and a bunch of ACC programs were already calling.

"That was my childhood," Honesty said, smiling and shaking her head. "I was never allowed to play with kids my age. It all happened pretty fast."

As an eighth grader, Honesty started at point guard for Life Center Academy's high school varsity team. Life Center, a prep school in Burlington, N.J., is in the same league as Riverdale Baptist and played the Crusaders twice that season. Honesty and Kiesha liked the way Sam Caldwell, then the head coach at Riverdale Baptist, developed the team's guards, and Caldwell was equally interested in coaching a middle schooler with a polished pull-up jumper.

After a few conversations with Caldwell, Honesty moved in with one of Kiesha's friends near Riverdale Baptist. Honesty became the first freshman starting point guard in school history and developed her game while traveling to tournaments across the United States. But she felt alone and often called Kiesha late at night to ask when she was coming home next.

"Looking back, I wouldn't have sent my daughter to go play in another state at such a young age," Kiesha said. "That forced her to grow up quickly, and we could have taken more time. It's tough out here, and everything we have done since has been an effort to maintain her home structure."

That led her back to New Jersey and to Blair Academy, where the competition wasn't as challenging as the Washington area. She wanted to go back to D.C., but not without her mom. So Keisha agreed to move south and re-enroll Honesty at Riverdale Baptist, a plan that was foiled when Caldwell had a full roster, Kiesha and Caldwell said.

Honesty instead went to Paul VI and helped the Panthers to a 32-2 record. But it took two hours to get from Maryland to Paul VI most mornings, and often two and a half hours to get home. Some days Honesty and Kiesha didn't get in the door until 11 p.m., and then were up again at 5 a.m. to start their commute. So Honesty made the move she always wanted to, back to where high school began.

"From a college coach's recruiting perspective, a situation like this, from the outside, would be a stability concern because you only have so much time to develop your program," said Mike Bozeman, who was hired in March as Riverdale Baptist's coach and coached George Washington University's women's basketball team from 2008 to 2012. "But if you look at Honesty closely you see that there are unique circumstances of someone who was very talented at a young age and had to make some tough choices, She is a great and coachable kid and the kind of talent that would make you want to look into it a lot more. She would be like a one-and-done on the boys' side talent-wise, she is that good. And with a player like that, it is worth learning their story more."

Honesty is far from the only transfer among top players in the Washington area, or even her own team. Riverdale Baptist is also bringing in Jayla James from Paul VI and Elizabeth Martino from National Christian Academy. On the boys' side, DeMatha, a perennial powerhouse on the local hoops scene, is welcoming three new guards with Division I offers.

Kiesha feels that those who define Honesty by her transfers paint an incomplete portrait of her daughter. She said they have never left a school because of playing time or results, and multiple people with knowledge of the situation agree.

She sees Honesty as the shy kid who loves to sing but will only show her mother through texted recordings. While at Blair, Honesty saw a teammate struggling through a fitness test and had the girl hold onto her shirt as she carried her across the finish line. Honesty mentors a middle school basketball player in New Jersey and will FaceTime her with encouragement and advice after games. If Honesty isn't in the gym, she is likely watching YouTube clips of Candace Parker or Kobe Bryant and committing their moves to memory.

"I'm a homebody, and I like it that way. I would love to get out and spend some time with friends, but unfortunately I don't really have time for that right now," Honesty said. "You know, with basketball and stuff like that."

In late July, Honesty stepped onto the floor at the U.S. Junior Nationals and looked at the chaos around her. Her Boo Williams AAU team was in pool play at the National Harbor in Maryland, and there were 20 courts laid out in the first-floor event space. Thousands of people hustled in and out of the warehouse to catch this game or that one. Waves of college coaches were among them, making it feel like a job fair met a music festival and decided to stage a basketball tournament.

In one corner was Kiesha, leaning forward with her face resting on her right hand. In the opposite corner were college coaches holding notebooks and smart phones, coming from Maryland and Baylor and West Virginia and North Carolina and so on. The AAU coaches talked from the bench and fans yelled from the stands, but it was impossible to hear anything over the hum of chatter and whistles from nearby courts.

Then the ref threw the ball into the air, Boo Williams's center tipped it back and Honesty, with a slight smile on her face, dropped her head and chased after it.

"The next decision to make is college, and it's coming up really fast," Kiesha said. "But I tell you right now, the transferring is not happening in college. She is staying for four years, and I want her to find somewhere that feels like home."

- Jesse Dougherty, Washington Post

DFW Bill said:

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Prospects Nation has DeCosta ranked #2 and Honesty Scott-Grayson #5. With the two taking their last visits together at Baylor, things could be terrific. With Smith ranked #4, the Lady Bears could have 2,4 and 5 in the Class of 2018. Hard to argue the Baylor Class of 2018 isn't #1 in the country if that happens.

Don't light up the cigars just yet, remember they are not on board officially until the National Letter of Intent signing on the 7th or 8th of November.

Our Coaching Staff is fab!

---

Sounds like we could be in great shape with those 2, getting their last visits, as long as they can resist the temptation to commit at one of the other schools before their visit together at Baylor. No doubt those other schools will be trying to close them on their visits. Hopefully Kim & Co. can keep them engaged til their visit with the Good Guys...

How many scholarships are available for this class?

Returning next year are 8 players, the NCAA Women's Basketball Scholarship limit is 15. We have 2 commits.
That leaves 5 more available. Our only Junior is Kalani Brown. Kim can divide up the total remaining of 6 over the next two years. Two or three more this year and then three or four next year are possible.

There will be 7 scholarships available for the 2018 class. Kim usually leaves a couple of scholarships available in case of transfers. We currently have 5 scholarships available for this year, and with Kristy Wallace & Dekieya Cohen graduating at the end of this school year that gives us 7 for next year. Think we have a great chance to add 2-3 more top quality players to Nalyssa Smith & Caitlin Bickel. Have high regards & hope for Acquira DeCosta & Honesty Scott-Grayson giving Kim a commit. Queen Egbo could be the wild card as skilldeup alluded to, but would love having her on board. That will shore up the Post position next year. As someone else stated, Beatrice Mompremier presence could have given us a better chance for the Final Four this year and next

Thank you both for the clarification. Nice to know we have room to take all of those recently discussed.

Remember that Toyelle Wilson has always referred to herself as a "Jersey Girl"

Decosta and Williams visiting South Carolina together is not good. Decosta is from South Carolina and dad has said he would love for her to play back home. Williams just added them to her list. Williams recruitment has had so many twist and turns. Don't think I've ever seen something like this.

Great point Skillldeup, noticed that Chrystyn Williams has set up her visit to South Carolina on the 22 Sept with Acquira DeCosta, and then they are both scheduled to visit Tennessee on 29th September.

Strangely enough when Acquira come to visit the Lady Bears on the 6th October, Williams will be down I35 visiting The Longhorn campus.

Somehow I am thinking that these two might make a dual commit to the same team, since they were team mates on two US National Team (2016 U17 & recent 3x3).

It could be South Carolina, possibly Tennessee (who is already stacked) who might luck 9UT with these two. Or we might attract both Acquira DeCosta & Honesty Scott-Grayson when they both visit on 6th Oct. Wish I had a crystal ball, because getting Acquira DeCosta, Honesty & possibly Queen Egbo to add to Nalyssa Smith and Caitlin Bickle.... The Lady Bears would be the 2018 Number 1 Recruiting class and more capable than Tennessee # 1 class of 2017.

Hoping that this year squad will be able to fend off UT, since the longhorns gave us fits with their guard play and perimeter shooting. We just have to control the paint and exact the same with our outside shooting, and with Kim's & Bill Brock's teachings Our Lady Bear should be B12 Champs and hopefully get to the Final Four this year after 4 years of heartbreaks.

Good information Tafari2. If we could get only one of these young ladies, my vote is for Honesty Scott-Grayson.

She would earn a lot of minutes as a Freshman and has the skills and athletic ability to play both 1 and 2.

Egbo may be a Texas lean. Williams is a longshot. DeCosta is a still possible Lady Bear.

Yes DFW Bill, you are right about Queen Egbo. I heard she has been visiting UT campus a lot as of late. As for Williams, I think That ship sailed already since we are not even on her top 5. I would say she is a lean either with Socoach Wilson has uth Carolina or UCONN.

I am hoping that Honesty's friendship with Nalyssa will bring her onboard. Coach Wilson is a Jersey girl and has a great relationship with Honesty and her mom. I also know coach Wilson has kept regular contact with Acquira and her family. We will have to see if Acquira goes with her father's wishes and pick South Carolina as Skillldeup alluded to, or give Baylor a nod.

For those who have seen DeCosta plays, she reminds me of a taller Nina Davis for having a knack of getting rebounds, a better ball handler and has a decent mid range shot. She does a lot of her work in the paint just like Nina used to do. If you need to see some outstanding clips of Acquira DeCosta, check YouTube for the recent 2017 US U18 3x3, where Acquira, Chrystyn Williams, Destiny Littleton and Janelle Bailey won gold. Acquira was the runaway MVP as the swept all teams by going 4-0.

Hopefully the weekend of Oct 6th will be pivotal and Kim Mulkey and the Lady Bears will pick up two outstanding players who can be phenom in their own right.

September 15, 2015 from Raoul twitter account



`

DFW Bill said:

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Remember that Toyelle Wilson has always referred to herself as a "Jersey Girl"

---

Makes you wonder about 2019 Diamond Miller.

Diamond Miller in the 2019 Recruiting class could be a game changer on multiple levels. Kim Mulkey would luv her defensive tenacity at 6' 1" with scoring at any position on the court, might even grow another inch or two before she graduates from High School. Saw her play for the USA U16 team this year and she was a defensive nightmare for each team she went up against. Here is an article by ESPNW.

"Already golden, Diamond Miller collects glowing reviews for her rare versatility

By Mirin Fader | Jul 20, 2017
Special to espnW



Diamond Miller pounds the ball and zooms up the hardwood. She takes three dribbles before busting a crossover, a behind-the-back or a between-the-legs move and exploding away as if she were shaking free from a defender.

Technically, there is a defender, if you count a mega-sized, rubber resistance band, about four inches thick, attached to her waist, controlled most days by her father, Lance Miller, or her trainer, Kerry Foderingham, who pull in the opposite direction to prevent Miller from accelerating forward.

But no band -- or opponent -- has been able to hold back the 6-foot-1, 140-pound combo-guard out of Somerset, New Jersey. She helped USA Basketball win a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Americas U16 championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in June, and is one of the most versatile prospects in the class of 2019.

"The band makes you want to quit," Miller said, "but you have to keep going because you know in the long run those workouts are crucial for the end of the game. You might be tired, but you just have to push through."

***
Coach Audrey Taylor blinked, and Miller was already at the other end of the floor. Miller, then a seventh-grader, grabbed the rebound out of the air and dribbled the full length of the court and stopped and popped for a jumper, eating up the full length of the court in about five seconds.

"Wow," Taylor, now Miller's coach at Franklin High School, whispered to herself. "She's going to be a point guard?"

Miller brings the unexpected: length and speed, ball handling and shot blocking. She's agile but forceful, elegant but raw. One play she'll scrap down low for boards, the next step out and knock down a 3.

Her hybrid frame allows her to take advantage of smaller guards, using her quickness from years of playing soccer to race to the basket. Even if you feed the ball to her in the post, which isn't exactly in her comfort zone, she'll stretch from one block to another in a single pivot to put in the easy bucket.

I think even refs have a hard time. They call travels more than they should because she's so long and can have such long steps.
Audrey Taylor
"I think even refs have a hard time," Taylor said. "They call travels more than they should because she's so long and can have such long steps."

But Miller, who averaged 18.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 3.8 blocks per game to help Franklin to a 25-7 record and the 2017 Tournament of Champions title, and who once swatted eight shots in a single game, offers far more than physical gifts.

"Not many athletes at the high school level have an understanding of the game the way she does," Taylor said. "She sees things others don't see."

Lance, who played for Villanova from 1989-93, taught his daughter to be versatile. His short jumper with 1.3 seconds left in the first round of the 1991 NCAA tournament propelled Villanova to a 50-48 victory over Princeton.

"My kids, they weren't just told to be post players," said Lance, who coaches Diamond on his AAU team, TeamMiller Lightning. He also coached Miller's two older sisters, Adreana Miller, who plays at LaSalle University, and Laniya Miller, a high school senior who aspires to play Division I.

"We told them they had to have skills," Lance said. "We basically take the mentality that 'If you're not working out, somebody else is.'"

Diamond and Lance don't play one-on-one. "She can't stop me," Lance said, laughing. "Maybe in another 10 years." But Miller said her father taught her everything she knows.

So did Candace Parker. At least, video clips of the Los Angeles Sparks veteran forward, did.

When Miller isn't on the court or in class or devouring her favorite candies -- Mike and Ike, Skittles, Starburst, Kit Kat, Milky Way, Butterfinger (anything sweet that doesn't have peanuts; Miller's allergic) -- she's dissecting Parker's moves.

Miller loves the way Parker battles inside and handles the ball outside, the way she calls for the ball on the block and on the fast break, and the fact that she doesn't fit into one box when it comes to positions.

She also admires two-time gold medalist Parker's resilience to win the 2016 WNBA championship despite being left off the final roster for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. "She doesn't let none of that bring her down," Miller said. "That's why I love her so much."

Miller can relate. She wasn't always a ranked prospect, although she's now at No. 20 in the 2019 class. Her father told her to not focus on rankings; they're just noise, a distraction from the real task at hand.

"Rankings and all that stuff doesn't really matter when you're in between the lines," Miller said. "Someone could be ranked higher than you, somebody could have a bigger fan base, have more height than you, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily better."

After not getting one of the 35 invitations to try out for the USA Basketball team, Miller still made the 12-player roster that started with 133 candidates.

During the championship game against Canada, Miller caught the ball a few inches behind the 3-point line. Three seconds remained in a back-and-forth first quarter. Her defender's hands covered her eyes and she could barely see.

But Miller didn't hesitate. She bent her knees, squared her feet to the basket and launched the deep 3, holding her follow through as the ball reached the bottom of the net to beat the buzzer.

Miller contributed 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting plus four rebounds (three of which were offensive) to go along with two steals to help the U.S. eventually rout Canada, 91-46.

"A lot of players don't have the competitive spirit that she has. She just has the will to win and she understands that it takes both scoring and defending to do that," Taylor said. "She's relentless."

`

`

If you have a chance, you should read this article on Decosta's visit to South Carolina. I know she still has two more OVs but just hoping our coaches can pull her our way!

Being as she is from out of state, she is going to likely be a very hard get for us. For that reason, and also simply because she's a great player and would be a great fit at Baylor, I REALLY hope we can get Queen Egbo...

This is a big weekend coming up for our Lady Bears recruiting efforts. We have reportedly coming in for their official visits Aquila DeCosta and Honesty Scott-Grayson, the #2 and #5 players per Prospects Nation in the Class of 2018.

With Nylessa Smith #4 and Caitlin Bickle #77 (#28 per Hoopgurlz) already on board we have potentially a superstar 2018 Class. Also don't forget the possibility of Queen Egbo going to Baylor.

By next week we may have a better view of just how good we can be.

Where do we stand with Queen Egbo? Has she taken an official visit to Baylor?

Has she been to Florida State and/or Mississippi State yet?

It is down to Baylor and those two unless there is a surprise school at the last minute.

To my knowledge, Egbo hasn't taken any other official visits besides Texas. I don't think she has given up on Texas just yet, and maybe waiting to see if something opens up on their team first before thinking of other teams. I surely wish she'd at least visit Baylor.

Agreed this is an important weekend with recruits. Hoping we get both DeCosta and Scott-Grayson. I'm still wondering who the 2nd "silent" commit is?? Anyone know?

I surely don't want to count any chickens 'fore the hatch, but the possibility of ending up with 3 of the top 5 players in the class???? I'd give a big Sic 'em and Amen to that!

Thanks for the update bowdedg. If there really is a 2nd "silent commit", it is most likely Honesty.

Hope hope to see you Thursday night.

https://itsovertime.com/exclusive-aquira-decosta-2018-ranked-wing

"Being humble is something that DeCosta takes seriously. When asked who she would want to play college ball with, she picked Charli Collier, who recently re-committed to the University of Texas, because "she's extremely humble, and she's a very great player. We've always had like such a rivalry when we play against each other." Depending on where DeCosta ends up, that rivalry may just come back in full force."

Perhaps this is a tweet from skilledup:

DFW Bill said:

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Thanks for the update bowdedg. If there really is a 2nd "silent commit", it is most likely Honesty.

Hope hope to see you Thursday night.

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I'll be there! Wouldn't miss it!

I've written Egbo off. I think all signs point to her going somewhere else. I think she lands at MS ST if not UT.