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Doty and Delle Donne

End of an era

Post game

MVP

"Guess who's back...since this a new era, got a fresh new hat..."

Jay-Z - The Prelude

A year ago, I interviewed 3 high school student athletes...Caroline Doty, Elena Delle Donne, and Tyreke Evans, as they were the top tier of the national senior class, and I was sincerely impressed by their cool, and resolve. High School hoops has become just as big as the college and professional game, and for these teens to handle the media and hype the way they did...made me think of how "ready" they were for the next level.

Freshman Year

The saying goes, what a difference a year makes, and in the case of Elena Delle Donne, that statement rings true, as she was the number 1 female basketball player in the class '08. Last year this time she was headed to UCONN with her best friend Caroline Doty...however once it was time to enroll, she walked away from the scholarship (after 2 days), and the game...she instead stayed home and entered her 1st year of college at the University of Delaware.

This morning ESPN featured Delle Donne on their program Outside the Lines. Last February I spoke with her, Doty, and Evans, as the latter are contributing heavily to their collegiate basketball programs, UCONN and Memphis respectively.

I attended the 2008 Kobe Bryant Classic and I wrote the following back in February '08:

The big names are naturally the top 2 players in girls and boys basketball, in Elena Delle Donne from Ursuline Academy, and Tyreke Evans of American Christian. Speaking of numbers, Delle Donne wears 11, while Evans wears the number 1…irony at its best. (Evans says he wears 1 because he had aspirations to be the top player in the nation growing up)

I am one of the few people that have not had the pleasure of seeing either player in person and if the phrase as advertised means anything to you, then it definitely applies to them.
Elena Delle Donne, can do it all. At 6’5” the future UCONN Husky can dribble, pass, and shoot, including from 3-point land. She is refined and polished, giving the home Germanton Academy, and Caroline Doty (future teammate at UCONN, DNP-out for the season) all they could handle with 33 points, 13-19 FG, 3-7 3PT, 4-5 FT, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks and MVP honors. Ursuline Academy outlasted Germantown Academy 57-44.

In the boys match-up, the already packed house prepared to see Tyreke Evans and American Christian, against the gritty Academy of the New Church squad.

Tyreke Evans didn’t play as the cliché sounds…like a man amongst boys, in the unreleased Nike Zoom LeBron V, no less, he showed great guard play, a quick first step, and a dribble that looked at times as if he has the ball on a string. His teammate junior guard Lamont Jones (remember that name) also impressed, stepping up as team leader in the 2 half of the game.

American Christian struggled for 3 quarters, with inconsistent play, as they seemed to play down to the competition and not to their max potential…either that, or ANC was much better than people gave them credit for.

In the end Evans took over on two consecutive drives to the basket, giving American Christian a 71 -69 lead with 90 seconds to go in the 4th...with good ball control, and the right amount of made free-throws, American Christian pulled it out 78 – 71 over ANC.
Evans received MVP honors with 33 points, 9-23 FG, 1-6 3 PT, 14-17 FT, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks.

GAME TIME: Talk about basketball in regard to being and playing as the best player in the country:

Elena Delle Donne: “It can take a toll on your body. You can go 7 days and play 14 games. It can take a toll on your body and mentally. You just have to prepare for that, and being on a good team, colleges are around all the time looking at you, so its tough, but its also great because you get to compete against the best players in the country and really see how you stack up and what you need to work on. And being number 1 is a compliment, but it also makes me work harder for the people that have never seen me play before.”

Caroline Doty on Elena Delle Donne: “I was cheering for her today...you can ask my teammates...they were looking at me, like I was crazy. I’m just so excited, and I’m so happy that she decided to come to Connecticut! It’s going to be so awesome, she [Delle Donne] has so much fun on the court and the next time I play I’m going to have as much fun, and playing on the same team at UCONN, it will be even more special. She is such a great player, and she can handle anything, and she is so unselfish, and she makes me and everyone a better player. She knows exactly what to do, and when to do it. I’ve been fortunate to play with her since I was 11, so next year we are going to have so much fun!”

Tyreke Evans on Elena Delle Donne: “This is big, and I’ve seen Delle Donne play one other time, and she’s tough...she’s taller than me, and she’s big and she can shoot the jumper. I think she’s going to be a great WNBA player.”

The 2 top prep players in the nation lead their teams to victory, walked away with MVP awards, and scored 33 points each…just another day in the gym, and next year the saga will continue.

I wrote that the saga will continue...I just didn't expect it to be like this, but at the end of the day Elena Delle Donne is doing what is best for her in staying close to home and playing volleyball for the Blue Hens, so I tip my cap to her for staying true to herself...as we can all learn from her.

Peace.

The Most Known Unknown.