Girls High School basketball superlatives for 2022-2023 Season

[Justabasketballfan]

Is the top four schools (Sanford, Ursuline, St. Elizabeth, and Caravel) always going to be the top schools vying for the championship?


This question was actually asked of me years ago. The reason was I was in a meeting with a group of coaches and one of the down state coaches was adamant about separating the high schools from public vs private state championships. Because no school can compete with these four schools as far as talent. And the rumors of recruiting. Well there is recruiting. But as far as I’ve seen it’s done by the parents of the schools. If they see a kid that plays they are actually going up to that parent(s) and talking to them about coming to that school. Parents love to win. So why not get another player that helps them win. Draw colleges to look at them by playing tougher schools in the area. The second is parents are willing to pay for their kid to be safe in a private school as far as socially. Now that doesn’t mean that private schools don’t have their issues but it’s a lot less than the public school system. The third is coaches need to open their minds by thinking that just because that kid lives in your district doesn’t mean that they have to come to your school. The private schools have camps or clinics as a way of connecting with the talented kids. The parents end up liking the coach and send their kid to their school. Public schools have to do a little bit better job of publicizing their school for both academic and athletics.



Will Ursuline Academy be a national powerhouse in two years?


I had a chance to watch Ursuline in a fall league game a few weeks ago. And they had talent at almost every position. And a bench that could be a starting unit on all high school teams. Their feature player(s) was Jezelle “Gi-Gi” Banks, Taylor “Tay-Tay” Brown, and Skyler Bolden. Then the next week I saw a whole new set of girls that I wasn’t too familiar with at the time. And I realized that they are as young as the other players I mentioned. And thought to myself wow this team will be a problem in a year or two if they all stay. Coach Noonan is a great developer in talent. That's why his teams, even in the rebuilding stage, are always in the hunt for a championship. But I don’t think he has had a collection of this much talent on one team at one time. Get your tickets now because that team if controlled and allowed to bloom will be a national power house in two years or sooner!



Is there a shortage of girls playing basketball now?


Is there truly a shortage? Well if you compare the overall class of 2019 then yes. There was talent on almost every team. And most of those girls are now juniors or seniors in college playing basketball now. Gone are the days that kids started playing basketball outside or in the school yard. If they aren’t going to a trainer then they are not committed to the sport and then they fall behind as far as talent. By all means I love the fact that parents are getting a hold on the child’s journey in the sport. But I'm a firm believer in letting the child love the game first and then the passion comes after. Let them start out at the ymca first and then they will love the game. I’m all about girls competing equally in sports.


Who will win Player of the year for 2022-2023 season?

There are a lot of good players this year. And it's hard to pick a clear cut favorite. I think Dallas Pierce could be the one to win it because Sanford is the odds on favorite to win it. And that would be the obvious choice. That or her running mate Azarela Kilgoe. But if they don’t win it, who will get it. I guess the team that wins it. I don’t know, but how about the DIAA picking the player of the year by their play in the regular season. And then pick a tournament MVP. That way you're picking a player based on their play vs winning a championship. I mean there are a lot of talented players that are carrying their teams that may not make the tournament or get put out in the first round. I think a few years back Me-me Brown who went to Dickinson High school should have ran away with it or at least got first team all-state. I know she ran into some issues down the stretch of that year but that is just one example of what I see that has made playing in this state a little troublesome. This year I think it will happen again with the player from Red Lion Christian Academy in Delaney Burroughs. She averaged almost 23 points per game. Yes, you would say that the talent there playing versus what Sanford is playing is no comparison. And I get that. But some old school players would say 25 points is 25 points. She didn’t even make an All-State list last year. And I’ sure that there are some other players as well that should get the recognition as well, but she is the one that comes to mind right now. I’m not mad, but I would like for us to reward key players no matter what school there is for their play, that's all.


What Do the people say? let's talk about it...

 

[DoItWrite]

The secret is coaching. It's always coaching. The top players in any sport want to go where they will have the most growth and exposure in their game so they can move on to the next level. How many public schools go to She Got Game, or even the Diamond State Classic? They all play at 4 or 5 in the afternoon instead of in prime time.

It's time to stop with the public vs. private nonsense, at least in Delaware. There are not enough nonpublic schools to hold a viable tournament. What do you do with charter and vo-tech schools, which technically have no boundaries? Hell, even traditional public schools in Delaware have no boundaries thanks to school choice. Why do Smyrna, Howard, Dover and a few other public schools compete every year for the boys' title?

Middletown and Smyrna win the football title every year. Delmar and Cape Henlopen wipe the floor with everyone else in field hockey and, also Cape, girls lacrosse. None of these coaches seem to have a problem there. It's only a problem when it's a nonpublic school winning championships. And basketball is the highest profile for the girls.

 

[ReturnOfTheGate]

The secret is coaching. It's always coaching. The top players in any sport want to go where they will have the most growth and exposure in their game so they can move on to the next level. How many public schools go to She Got Game, or even the Diamond State Classic? They all play at 4 or 5 in the afternoon instead of in prime time.

It's time to stop with the public vs. private nonsense, at least in Delaware. There are not enough nonpublic schools to hold a viable tournament. What do you do with charter and vo-tech schools, which technically have no boundaries? Hell, even traditional public schools in Delaware have no boundaries thanks to school choice. Why do Smyrna, Howard, Dover and a few other public schools compete every year for the boys' title?

Middletown and Smyrna win the football title every year. Delmar and Cape Henlopen wipe the floor with everyone else in field hockey and, also Cape, girls lacrosse. None of these coaches seem to have a problem there. It's only a problem when it's a nonpublic school winning championships. And basketball is the highest profile for the girls.

Coaching and resources. It's important to note that a lot of public schools that were once players in girls' basketball (Dickinson/AI/Mount/Penn/Wilm High in the 70s, Penn in the 80s until about the turn of the century) are just not destination places anymore and that's because public education has crumbled in favor of charter schools/private/vo-techs. It's an unpopular stance to take, but if you make education a privileged thing instead of a right, of course parents are going to go where the prestige matters. Granted the coaches at the private schools deserve credit for adjusting and adapting, but it just feels weird to see the same names year in and year out and none of them are kids from what used to be neighborhood schools. Times change, I guess.

 

[DoItWrite]

Coaching and resources. It's important to note that a lot of public schools that were once players in girls' basketball (Dickinson/AI/Mount/Penn/Wilm High in the 70s, Penn in the 80s until about the turn of the century) are just not destination places anymore and that's because public education has crumbled in favor of charter schools/private/vo-techs. It's an unpopular stance to take, but if you make education a privileged thing instead of a right, of course parents are going to go where the prestige matters. Granted the coaches at the private schools deserve credit for adjusting and adapting, but it just feels weird to see the same names year in and year out and none of them are kids from what used to be neighborhood schools. Times change, I guess.

You make some good points. The public schools are not blameless, however. Some of these school districts have done a terrible job selling their product. They have failed to convince their taxpayers and parents that their schools are worth supporting. They have admitted as much by creating essentially private schools that are free and have waiting lists as long as the Green Bay Packers' ticket request list.

 

[Bballfan1988]

Is the top four schools (Sanford, Ursuline, St. Elizabeth, and Caravel) always going to be the top schools vying for the championship?


This question was actually asked of me years ago. The reason was I was in a meeting with a group of coaches and one of the down state coaches was adamant about separating the high schools from public vs private state championships. Because no school can compete with these four schools as far as talent. And the rumors of recruiting. Well there is recruiting. But as far as I’ve seen it’s done by the parents of the schools. If they see a kid that plays they are actually going up to that parent(s) and talking to them about coming to that school. Parents love to win. So why not get another player that helps them win. Draw colleges to look at them by playing tougher schools in the area. The second is parents are willing to pay for their kid to be safe in a private school as far as socially. Now that doesn’t mean that private schools don’t have their issues but it’s a lot less than the public school system. The third is coaches need to open their minds by thinking that just because that kid lives in your district doesn’t mean that they have to come to your school. The private schools have camps or clinics as a way of connecting with the talented kids. The parents end up liking the coach and send their kid to their school. Public schools have to do a little bit better job of publicizing their school for both academic and athletics.



Will Ursuline Academy be a national powerhouse in two years?


I had a chance to watch Ursuline in a fall league game a few weeks ago. And they had talent at almost every position. And a bench that could be a starting unit on all high school teams. Their feature player(s) was Jezelle “Gi-Gi” Banks, Taylor “Tay-Tay” Brown, and Skyler Bolden. Then the next week I saw a whole new set of girls that I wasn’t too familiar with at the time. And I realized that they are as young as the other players I mentioned. And thought to myself wow this team will be a problem in a year or two if they all stay. Coach Noonan is a great developer in talent. That's why his teams, even in the rebuilding stage, are always in the hunt for a championship. But I don’t think he has had a collection of this much talent on one team at one time. Get your tickets now because that team if controlled and allowed to bloom will be a national power house in two years or sooner!



Is there a shortage of girls playing basketball now?


Is there truly a shortage? Well if you compare the overall class of 2019 then yes. There was talent on almost every team. And most of those girls are now juniors or seniors in college playing basketball now. Gone are the days that kids started playing basketball outside or in the school yard. If they aren’t going to a trainer then they are not committed to the sport and then they fall behind as far as talent. By all means I love the fact that parents are getting a hold on the child’s journey in the sport. But I'm a firm believer in letting the child love the game first and then the passion comes after. Let them start out at the ymca first and then they will love the game. I’m all about girls competing equally in sports.


Who will win Player of the year for 2022-2023 season?

There are a lot of good players this year. And it's hard to pick a clear cut favorite. I think Dallas Pierce could be the one to win it because Sanford is the odds on favorite to win it. And that would be the obvious choice. That or her running mate Azarela Kilgoe. But if they don’t win it, who will get it. I guess the team that wins it. I don’t know, but how about the DIAA picking the player of the year by their play in the regular season. And then pick a tournament MVP. That way you're picking a player based on their play vs winning a championship. I mean there are a lot of talented players that are carrying their teams that may not make the tournament or get put out in the first round. I think a few years back Me-me Brown who went to Dickinson High school should have ran away with it or at least got first team all-state. I know she ran into some issues down the stretch of that year but that is just one example of what I see that has made playing in this state a little troublesome. This year I think it will happen again with the player from Red Lion Christian Academy in Delaney Burroughs. She averaged almost 23 points per game. Yes, you would say that the talent there playing versus what Sanford is playing is no comparison. And I get that. But some old school players would say 25 points is 25 points. She didn’t even make an All-State list last year. And I’ sure that there are some other players as well that should get the recognition as well, but she is the one that comes to mind right now. I’m not mad, but I would like for us to reward key players no matter what school there is for their play, that's all.


What Do the people say? let's talk about it...

25 point ain’t the same if you aren’t playing comp. Most of these girls on the higher profile teams would score that and more if they played the same schedule. Box scores should not make you an all state player.