Read the uconn boneyard board and one post said 2019 PG Nyah Green is going to flip from Louisville to Baylor soon.

Any truth to this skilledup

Just saw video of DeCosta at usa 3x3 gold championship, decosta mvp not Christyn Williams (no 1 prospect).

I think after this summer, deCosta should be no 1 prospect

She was a beast.

BaylorBears_254 said:

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Read the uconn boneyard board and one post said 2019 PG Nyah Green is going to flip from Louisville to Baylor soon.

Any truth to this skilledup

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I've heard that Green is wanting to decommit also. Not for certain where she ends up if she does but Baylor is the place where her dad wanted. You also have the connection of Green to Smith and Richards. Green was the main reason Smith was leaning towards Louisville so if she decommits, can see Baylor being the favorite. You also factor in that Scott is high on BU. She wears BU gear every time I see her play or at workouts.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.knoxnews.com/amp/751964001

ladybears4eva said:

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The assistant coaches are amazing recruiters

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DiDi ain't so bad herself...3 for 3.

skillledup said:

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BaylorBears_254 said:

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... post said 2019 PG Nyah Green is going to flip from Louisville to Baylor soon.

Any truth to this skilledup

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I've heard that Green is wanting to decommit also.

Not for certain where she ends up if she does but Baylor is the place where her dad wanted. You also have the connection of Green to Smith and Richards. Green was the main reason Smith was leaning towards Louisville so if she decommits, can see Baylor being the favorite.

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March 2, 2016

"Nyah Green held 19 scholarship offers Tuesday when she made an early commitment as the 2019 class' No. 1 player. Her father, Quinton, said a pledge to Louisville's women's basketball program wasn't hastily made, but rather the end of a three-year process for a prospect who received her first offer as a 6th grader.

Green visited U of L over the weekend, taking in the Cardinals' 65-36 win over Pittsburgh in front of an announced crowd of 11,641 at the KFC Yum! Center. The trip to Louisville lasted three days, and it followed another to see a game last season.

After the decision, Quinton Green spoke with The Courier-Journal about his daughter.

Did you all go into last weekend thinking a commitment this soon would be a possibility?
We knew that's what she wanted to do. We came last year, and she wanted to commit last year. I was like, "No. Wait and go to some other schools." I made her to go some high-profile schools that she'd gotten offers from. Nothing really changed. I said, "If you feel the same way a year from now, then I'll let you commit." We're at that point.

What were some of those other schools?
We went to Baylor several times. We've been to Maryland. Went to Tennessee. This is not like some one-and-done type deals. She's been going through this since sixth grade when we first got an offer. We've been to LSU. That's probably most of the schools we went to -- and TCU.

What is it about Louisville that she likes?
What really sold her was how the coaching staff is and how coach Walz is up front, tells the truth about everything and tries to make everybody better. Even though he might come across as brutally honest, that's what she likes, and she's drawn to it. That and the fan support was huge -- I mean huge for her.

As a parent, what do you think about her making this decision so early?
I gave input, of course, but the thing with Nyah, she's in a unique situation. She's been going through this since she was in sixth grade, which was a shock at the time. We've been going to places ever since then, so it's almost like she's a three-year vet in the recruiting process. When she got to Louisville, she was like, "This is home." That's the way she felt.

How old was she before you noticed she could be this talented of a player?
Probably when she was in second grade. Before then, we were just doing this for fun. But in the second grade, I was shocked at some of the things she was able to do -- shooting 3s from two or three feet behind the line, handling the ball, shooting off the dribble, shooting the pull ups. I was like, "Uh oh. I might need to spend more time with her."

Did you play basketball, or her mom?
I did -- two years in JUCO.

So you knew how to spot talent.
Correct. And I ran a very successful AAU program when they were young. We won several AAU national championships -- her and the grade above her, the 2018 class. I've been in this for a while and knew what to look for.

She's 6-1 now from what I've read. Do you think she'll be a guard when she goes to college?
Yeah, I think she's going to be a guard. She won't necessarily be a point guard. She's more of a combo. She plays 1 through 4, but she's a natural scorer and play maker, so she's more of a 2 or 3 in my opinion.

I watched a video of her -- the one of her playing against the boys in 8th grade -- what kind of attention did you all get for that?
I actually put her whole team in fourth grade to where they were playing against boys. She was doing well and getting a lot of attention for it. Actually, a lot of the parents of kids she'd play against would complain, saying it wasn't fair. After a season, they made a mandate that the girls couldn't play against the boys anymore.

Was that because she was beating them?
Yeah. The team she played on wasn't very good. She scored most of the points. The parents were more upset that they were getting done in by girls.

What kind of player is she? What are her strengths, and as you work with her, how are you hoping she develops?
Her main strength right now is her ability to score anywhere on the court and her play making ability. She also does a good job of making plays for others. Now I'm working on her strength and quickness so she can affect the game on both sides of the ball. She does a decent job right now, but I want to take her defense to the next level.

Do you feel like you're making a commitment to Jeff's staff, or the idea that it holds so long as everything is the same 3 years down the road? It's obviously not binding at this point.
I told her, "I know you've made a commitment to Jeff and his staff, but you need to make sure the school is a place you want to be at just in case something changes." I don't think Jeff's going anywhere, but sometimes things like that happen. You just don't know.
...The last time we went, it was just to watch a game and come home. This time we went and spent three days there. She really likes the school. She liked the campus and everything. She just likes the environment. It's really a commitment toward everything, not just the staff.

What else about Nyah do you think is worth mentioning?
She's a worker. That's the main thing. She works her butt off. Always has me in the gym the entire season working out early in the morning. She's a work-a-holic. She's made herself the way she is."

- Jonathan Lintner, The Courier-Journal

BUConn1995 said:

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Like I said, no offence taken. I totally understand that trolls abound on all boards but I'm not one of them. I'm an old timer that has been around Baylor basketball for many years but am new to social media (hence the low number of posts). The only reason I have Conn in my name really has little to do with the university as it does with growing up there.

As for KM's recruiting classes, I agree with you that this may be her finest work yet, let's just hope it all comes together. Believe it or not I hope that TX gets Christyn Williams which can only make us better by facing another loaded team 2-3x per season. I'm a BU fan #1 but I'm also a strong Big 12 supporter, even if that means supporting TX, Ok, or any other XII university. I get tired of folks around the country minimizing our conference and saying that BU has it easy and that's one of the reasons we aren't doing well late in the playoffs. In my humble opinion women's basketball needs a strong BU-TX rivalry and with the classes that both have been getting the games should be epic and will hopefully shift the power base from UConn to central Tx (Waco of course).

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As an "old timer" myself (start receiving my SS checks this month - yea!), let me extend a friendly "welcome" to the board. I must say, the WBB forum is much more exciting now that there are more "inside source" members in here like yourself now that actually have much more good BU recruiting scoop than in the past. Used to be you wouldn't have any idea who Kim was going to sign until actual signing day. Much more fun now. As you said - more "ears" and media out there...

can we flip Collier?

ScottS said:

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can we flip Collier?

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Not sure if we're interested. The lastest two classes Kim has put together look more like Geno classes (multi talented/multi postion) than the bruit force classes she has signed in the past. My question is has Kim changed her philosophy?

Yes, we'd be interested.

BUConn1995 said:

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Like I said, no offence taken. I totally understand that trolls abound on all boards but I'm not one of them. I'm an old timer that has been around Baylor basketball for many years but am new to social media (hence the low number of posts). The only reason I have Conn in my name really has little to do with the university as it does with growing up there.

As for KM's recruiting classes, I agree with you that this may be her finest work yet, let's just hope it all comes together. Believe it or not I hope that TX gets Christyn Williams which can only make us better by facing another loaded team 2-3x per season. I'm a BU fan #1 but I'm also a strong Big 12 supporter, even if that means supporting TX, Ok, or any other XII university. I get tired of folks around the country minimizing our conference and saying that BU has it easy and that's one of the reasons we aren't doing well late in the playoffs. In my humble opinion women's basketball needs a strong BU-TX rivalry and with the classes that both have been getting the games should be epic and will hopefully shift the power base from UConn to central Tx (Waco of course).

Well said. Welcome to social media!

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ScottS said:

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can we flip Collier?

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Boy, that is interesting. I was wondering the same thing now with AD is at Baylor. They (Collier and DeCosta) seem to have a healthy respect for one another. That would be interesting if Collier flipped and came to BU. I don't think it will happen because it would potentially reflect poorly on CC and her decision, having just de-committed from UConn but, we wouldn't care!

I am of the opinion that CC made her decision to change from UConn to UT too quick and should have perhaps spent more time in the recruitment process to re-think it but, I have no inside information as to her thought process. She is still by all accounts, a great person.

Nyah Green is another interesting story. I believe she committed way too quickly (like in 8th grade?) and I do believe she will de-commit eventually. I just don't see how we could use her with the current players we have and don't believe that if she does de-commit, that we would pursue her too heavily.

But, I am not paid to coach, recruit or other.

KM will have 8 players on the team next year who were ranked 98, plus 2 ranked 97. Some highly ranked players don't want bench time. Nobody knows that better than KM; hopefully she will be able to keep them happy. I would prefer to see a back-up for Brown.

Nyah Green is a 6'1" Guard, ranked #1 by both Prospects Nation and Hoopgurlz. She is the runaway

best player in the Class of 2020, Plays both 1 and 2. We would be crazy not to want her.

You are correct, Bill. We do want her. We were recruiting her when she committed to Uconn. I learned today that we are not done for 2018. Probably 1-2 more.

Nyah Green verbaled to Louisville in May of 2016.

57Bear said:

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KM will have 8 players on the team next year who were ranked 98, plus 2 ranked 97. Some highly ranked players don't want bench time. Nobody knows that better than KM; hopefully she will be able to keep them happy. I would prefer to see a back-up for Brown.

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8 players who were ranked 98? And who would those 8 be?

Big Bear said:

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You are correct, Bill. We do want her. We were recruiting her when she committed to Uconn. I learned today that we are not done for 2018. Probably 1-2 more.

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Who is BU still after ?

I would guess the 8 players who were ranked as 98 * and the 2 whom were ranked 97 * for next year are as follow.

98 *
Senior: Kalani Brown (B12 WBB Preaseason POY)

Junior: Natali Chou, Lauren Cox

Sophomore: Alexis Morris, Didi Richards

Freshman: Aquira DeCosta, Honesty Scott-Grayson,
Nalyssa Smith

97*
Junior: Calvieon Landrum
Freshman: Caitlin Bickle

If we were to get Queen Egbo, then it would be 9 out of 13 players ranked at 98 * next year.

Anybody know anything about 6'6" Stephanie Soares?

http://www.espn.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/228895/stephanie-soares

She's still undecided.

Thanks for responding Tafari2 - I have been away and just got back. It sure looks stacked!

RioRata said:

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Anybody know anything about 6'6" Stephanie Soares?

http://www.espn.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/228895/stephanie-soares

She's still undecided.

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Also been curious about her. Unusual background mostly in Washington State. Did not go through the process we are used to. Probably would be a project, but I love her size. I assume Brock has looked at her and has decided whether this is a player Baylor might be interested in.

Lone Star said:

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ScottS said:

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can we flip Collier?

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Boy, that is interesting. I was wondering the same thing now with AD is at Baylor. They (Collier and DeCosta) seem to have a healthy respect for one another. That would be interesting if Collier flipped and came to BU. I don't think it will happen because it would potentially reflect poorly on CC and her decision, having just de-committed from UConn but, we wouldn't care!

I am of the opinion that CC made her decision to change from UConn to UT too quick and should have perhaps spent more time in the recruitment process to re-think it but, I have no inside information as to her thought process. She is still by all accounts, a great person.

Nyah Green is another interesting story. I believe she committed way too quickly (like in 8th grade?) and I do believe she will de-commit eventually. I just don't see how we could use her with the current players we have and don't believe that if she does de-commit, that we would pursue her too heavily.

But, I am not paid to coach, recruit or other.

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You don't think Baylor was recruiting her just like Texas when she decommitted from UConn?

DeCosta makes this recruiting class the best in the land,

DeCosta (true no. 1, admittedly by Chrystin Williams herself in this video)
https://www.usab.com/basketball/media/videos/2017/06/meet-the-2017-usa-womens-3x3-u18-world-cup-team.aspx

Hairy Bear said:

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RioRata said:

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Anybody know anything about 6'6" Stephanie Soares?

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Also been curious about her. Unusual background mostly in Washington State. Did not go through the process we are used to. Probably would be a project, but I love her size. I assume Brock has looked at her and has decided whether this is a player Baylor might be interested in.

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April 25, 2016
"Stephanie Soares. The 2018 prospect is home schooled."
- Klara Bradshaw, Premier Basketball


June 5, 2016

June 6, 2016
"Stephanie Soares continues to evolve for Team Xpress. The 6-5 junior to be even shows advancement within the confines of an individual event. Long and lean, she's mobile, active and making herself more of a factor on both ends. Soares appears to be wanting the ball more and is being aggressive off the cut or posting up. Defensively she rotates well and can alter the shots of her own match up or penetrating opponents. She has a good frame and will be even more of a factor as she matures and adds strength."
- Mark Lewis, Blue Star Media


Dec 21, 2016
Soares Sisters
by Nick Elges @ Lynden Tribune in Lynden, Washington

"Mount Baker girls basketball hasn't been a part of the Hardwood Classic state basketball tournament scene in over a decade. This season, however, there are two big reasons to believe that the lengthy streak can come to a screeching halt.



Stephanie, a junior standing at 6-foot-6, and Jessica, a senior whose height is at 6-foot-4, Soares have joined the Mountaineers this season, giving the team a height advantage that should continue to make life difficult on Northwest Conference opponents for the next couple of months. Given their height, it's easy to understand how the Soares sisters have made the Mounties a more dangerous squad. However, height is only one part of the equation that makes the siblings so special.

"Obviously, physically our make-up as a team is completely different," coach Kim Preston said. "We have height that this program hasn't had in a really long time. Even more than their height, though, is the integrity, morality and leadership skills that (Jessica and Stephanie) add to the program."

Those values that the sisters hold were, in large part, instilled through their family's work as missionaries in Brazil. They worked to stabilize unstable communities through sport, the word of God and other avenues for most of their lives.

"(The missionary experience) has caused them to learn an amazing empathy, compassion and understanding toward other people," said Preston. "They are great leaders and when they step (onto the court), they are able to communicate and be positive with others. Their height is amazing, but the attitude and integrity makes every other kid rise to that level."

A big part of the Soares sisters' work in Brazil involved basketball. Stephanie and Jessica explained how they would "create little teams of kids and have them play against each other to start the whole basketball process."

While they haven't been playing organized basketball at the high school level for too long, the game does run deep in the Soares family lineage. Their mother, father, grandfather and brother (Timothy Soares, a 2016 Baker graduate) all have played or are still playing basketball.

Susan, their mom, led Mount Baker in scoring back in her high school days of 1980-85, averaging 21.8 and 27 points per game in the state tournament during her junior and senior seasons. Their grandpa, Art Anderson, was the center for Mount Baker when the school captured the first class A state tournament title in 1958.

"We've always had a basketball in our hands," said Jessica Soares. "(The game) has been in the family for a long time."

Some advice from their father, Rogerio, who also has coached the sisters, plays a big role in how they approach the game.

"Our dad always told us to play for one," said Stephanie Soares. "We believe in God and the Bible, so I'm trying to play for him and not for anyone else. That's probably my main goal."

"Our dad has been the one to coach us the most," said Jessica. "I think his belief has passed on to us. God is our main goal and we glorify him with our attitude and whatever we do on the court."

Having been around the game for basically their entire lives, the Soares sisters have interesting points to make about why they love the sport.

Stephanie said her favorite part about the game is that it "gives you a good opportunity to go to college and get scholarships."

Jessica said, "For me, it would be having to work hard and the competition."

As you might expect, there has been a bit of competition between the two..

"We've played against each other a lot," said Jessica. "It's a lot of fun being teammates, though."

The two note that playing high school basketball has been "different," but their impact on the Mountaineers has already been felt, even through just three games played in the 2016-17 season.

"(On offense) we have more creative options, definitely," said Preston. "In a lot of ways, (having the Soares sisters) has just opened things for us. When we play against the strong teams in the Northwest Conference like Lynden Christian, Stephanie and Jessica will draw defenders away who would normally be guarding shorter players. It just opens up everyone (on the team) and allows them to play more toward their actual position."

Along with the additions of Stephanie and Jessica, Mount Baker returns plenty of experience this season, from junior McKenzie Yost to sophomores Danielle Tyler and Kylind Powell, that give the Mounties the look of a team ready to make the jump to the state tournament stage. Those teammates have already noticed the difference the sisters have made for the team.

"(Stephanie and Jessica) are really team-oriented," said junior McKenzie Yost. "We come out with more confidence (having them on the team). Size hasn't really been a big thing for Baker, so it has provided a whole new atmosphere. It raises the team expectations."

With new talent, as Yost said, come new expectations for a team that hasn't had much notable success in quite a long time.

"I think the expectations have been raised," said Preston. "What's most exciting is that the team isn't even close to reaching their full potential yet. Even when we win, we feel like we made a lot of mistakes. As we hit the conference stretch, it's going to be nice to see things come together and see us start playing as we expect ourselves to."

So far this season, the numbers have been impressive for Stephanie and Jessica. Stephanie earned WIAA Athlete of the Week honor for her 18-point, nine-rebound and six-block performance against Nooksack Valley on Monday, Nov. 28. In that same game, Jessica managed six points and five assists. Against Ferndale on Friday, Dec. 16, the sisters helped Baker earn a 47-40 victory to put the team's record at 3-1 in the early going.

"Stephanie and Jessica still haven't played much organized high school basketball," explained Preston. "Both are amazing athletes and I'm expecting that they are naturally going to progress quite a bit with more repetitions and experience."

On a personal level, Jessica notes that, in this her senior year, she hopes to improve her basketball skills and gain more game experience as she prepares to go to college. She will be following her brother Timothy's footsteps upon graduation and attend The Master's University in Santa Clara, California.

For Jessica, she is just focused on "helping the team while scoring and rebounding" as much as she can for the Mountaineers throughout the season.

On a team level, the goal is simple.

"We want to help the team get as far as possible," said Jessica."


September 9, 2017

`

`

Dang sis, that's great reporting.

Pale Rider said:

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Dang sis, that's great reporting.

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Hi Brother Pale Rider,
Thank you. To my original post, I added a December 2016 local newspaper article that details the Soares family's history in basketball and their missionary work.
Wishing you a wonderful Thursday,
Sister slimecap

Seems to me that this young lady would be a truly valuable addition to our program. I loved reading the story. What a blessing.

Oh, and a beautiful Thursday to you my sweet sister in Christ. God's blessings.

KK 2.0?

BuinmyBlood said:

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KK 2.0?

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But 5" taller.

The #1 reason that AAU participation is so valuable in recruiting is that it allows college coaches to analyze a player's ability to match and react to elite quickness and speed. Many top high school players who "run the court well" only do so because they are viewed in light of their competition. Few players have multiple games against elite speed and quickness during their entire high school career.

Judging a player's ability to run the court, make defensive rotations, challenge shots, etc. at a high level is highly difficult without AAU play.

Having a ranking from some website and actually being able to get minutes at a Top 10 team are very different animals. Having some reporter say that you "run the floor well" and actually running the floor well are very different.

With the proliferation of 1 in 4 out and 5 out offenses, the days of Big but slow posts are over.

Pale Rider said:

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BuinmyBlood said:

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KK 2.0?

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But 5" taller.

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Insightful observations



Mount Baker's Stephanie Soares (2) attempts a shot in the 28 Nov 2016 game

Stephanie Soares finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocked shots.

BFWorldwide said:

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The #1 reason that AAU participation is so valuable in recruiting is that it allows college coaches to analyze a player's ability to match and react to elite quickness and speed. Many top high school players who "run the court well" only do so because they are viewed in light of their competition. Few players have multiple games against elite speed and quickness during their entire high school career.

Judging a player's ability to run the court, make defensive rotations, challenge shots, etc. at a high level is highly difficult without AAU play.

Having a ranking from some website and actually being able to get minutes at a Top 10 team are very different animals. Having some reporter say that you "run the floor well" and actually running the floor well are very different.

With the proliferation of 1 in 4 out and 5 out offenses, the days of Big but slow posts are over.

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Counterpoint: Cara Ursin {HGz#64 & PN-TBA} meets this same criteria, except at PG. We signed her...mistake?