The second half of the NCAA Viewing period begins on Sunday but before we start coverage of the final two portions of what is a five-part month of July, with teams making two stops prior to a dark period that ends on Saturday, and then two stops between now and July 29, we’ll give you a recap of the Cal Stars NIKE Elite and Orinda Magic Black action in their two stops before the dark period where the girls come home and rest for 10 days.
After two summer stops on the 32-team NIKE Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit with the Boo Williams spring event the Cal Stars NIKE Elite team is tied at 15-1 in league play with Team Elite from Georgia, although the Stars defeated Team Elite at the first summer EYBL stop July 5-8 in Indianapolis.
St. Mary’s-Stockton 2018 6-2 standout Aquira DeCosta returned to the Cal Stars for the two EYBL summer stops after her trip to Chengdu, China where she earned MVP honors for the victorious USA Basketball Women’s 3X3 U18 World Cup Gold Medal winning team. For the 11 games their star led the team in scoring and rebounding with 12.5 and 6.1 per game averages, respectfully.
In Indianapolis the Stars Nike Elite went 5-0 in league play including a four point win over Team Elite when both teams were the only undefeated teams and 7-0 at the time.
DeCosta played well in most games although the Cal-Hi Sports State Junior of the Year was in foul trouble against Team Elite and really wasn’t a factor.
The two girls that were the leaders in Indiana were Cal-committed 2018 McKenzie Forbes of Folsom and Archbishop Mitty 2019 standout and Cal-Hi Sports State Sophomore of the Year Haley Jones. Forbes was at 11 points a game and Jones averaged 10 points per game.
Besides Team Elite the Stars Elite had wins over Pro Skills, Cal Storm, New Jersey Sparks and Michigan Crossover.
From Indianapolis the Cal Stars Elite moved on to the July 10-13 Nike Nationals in Chicago where unlike previous years where only the top 24 teams were invited all 32 EYBL teams got an invite this year. Coach Kelly Sopak and his girls came in as the top seed and at 10-0 were the only unbeaten team in the field to start play.
The Stars Elite opened with wins over Missouri Phenom and the New England Crusaders but were upset in a close game in Pool play by the Philadelphia Belles. It would turn out to be the only game they would lose either in Chicago or Indianapolis
“The kids were bummed but I told them after the game ‘you can’t be defined by one game in Pool play,” Sopak said. “The Belles were 28-of-33 from the free-throw line and we didn’t play our best game.”
Because of the expanded field it meant the Stars Elite did not advance to the Platinum Bracket and went into the Gold Bracket instead.
They opened the Gold bracket with a 69-61 victory over Midwest Elite, and then beat North Tartan 63-59 in the semifinals.
In the Gold bracket championship the Stars Elite posted a 70-60 victory over a Cy-Fair Elite team from Houston that came into the EYBL along with the Stars as one of the top teams in the nation before they themselves were upset.
DeCosta led the way with 14 points and six rebounds with fellow St. Mary’s 2018 standout and 5-10 wing Neenah Young right behind her with 13 points. Young led the Stars Elite in scoring at the Nike Nationals with a 12.8 ppg average.
Pinewood 2019 sharpshooter Hannah Jump played well in Chicago and St. Mary’s point guard Ariel Johnson led the team with 2.8 assists per game.
“To be 15-1 on that circuit shows our record reflects we’re with the best,” Sopak remarked.
“Plus, just look at these two events we just played,” Sopak continued. “Six days and 11 games on college size courts, and one of the days was a travel day.”
As far as California teams in the 32-team EYBL field not only were Cal Stars Nike Elite one of the top teams in the nation they were the only California team with a better than .500 record.
The Cal Sparks are 4-10 in EYBL action as is Cal Storm while Cal Swish is only 2-12 as is West Coast Premier. The Cal Stars Nike Elite may have lost a game they were favored to win but Sopak and his girls are far and away the top elite team from the Golden State.
The Cal Stars Nike Elite are home for the “dark period” and resume play as the prohibitive favorite in the top division of the EOT (End of the Trail) Bay Area Ultimate Challenge July 23-25 at the Ultimate Fieldhouse in Walnut Creek.
Look for coverage of the EOT event this coming weekend where all the Cal Stars teams that have been in action besides the NIKE Elite team during the first half of the viewing period will be covered.
Orinda Magic on the rise
The Orinda Magic Black are not the Northern California area-wide all-star team Cal Stars NIKE Elite are but Coach Stephen Pezzola, who also guides Salesian, has a scrappy group of mostly Pride girls that have done reasonably well in the first half of the viewing period.
The Magic Black kicked off the viewing period at the End of the Trail National Showcase in Oregon City, Oregon where they were semifinalists in the Columbia Bracket Division 1 and finished in fourth place with a 4-2 record.
In the third-place game against CBC Elite from Colorado the Magic got behind by 13 points but came roaring back to lose a close one.
Salesian’s Incoming senior Taimane Lesa-Hardee and incoming junior Angel Jackson were voted All-Tournament. Lesa-Hardee had 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Despite getting in foul trouble the 6-5 Jackson, who has been improving her offensive output, finished with 13 points, including 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Incoming Salesian junior Makayla Edwards, who injured her thumb in the tournament, added nine points and Salesian incoming junior Anjel Galbraith chipped in with seven points.
From Oregon the Orinda Magic headed to Chicago for the NIKE TOC where they had a rough start having flown in from Portland the night before a 9:45 am game they lost to OSA from Nebraska.
Salesian incoming junior Nia Chinn led the way with 19 points on 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, Lesa-Hardee had 14 points and four rebounds, Jackson had a another double-double 10 points and 10 rebounds with four blocks, Galbraith added seven points and five rebounds, and San Ramon Valley incoming senior Lexi Romero hit two three-pointers.
After a break and a team meeting the Magic came out with much more energy in the second game to rout Castle Knights from Indiana 63-28 with a stifling defense that Pezzola said has been the hallmark of this team.
Edwards had 16 points and four rebounds, Jackson had 15 points and even hit a trey, plus 10 rebounds and three blocks, Bishop O’Dowd incoming senior Jordan Gudger played great defense and added nine points, Lesa-Hardee hit all her shots and had seven points, four assists, four rebounds and three steals, Galbraith had six points and four assists and incoming Salesian incoming senior Sydni Stewart continued her quiet leadership with four points, five rebounds and solid defense.
Day 2 was a good day for the Magic. With UConn Coach Geno Auriemma and other high level Division 1 coaches in attendance for both of their games the Magic played great team ball and won both games.
Jackson went to work in both games. She had 20 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks in 68-47 victory over a very quick Fairfax Stars from Virginia. In the nightcap she had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks in a 68-48 win over the unbeaten Minnesota Fury to take over first place in the Bern Pool B.
Chinn had 12 points against the Stars and Edwards had 10 points in both games.
The Magic wrapped up Bern Pool B the next day with a convincing 53-34 win over HoopStars from Wisconsin.
Everyone contributed as Edwards, Jackson and Stewart all had eight points while Jackson added 14 rebounds and three blocks.
In the afternoon the Magic played Bern Pool A winner Germantown from Wisconsin in a game that was rushed up because of expected delays getting to the airport. Both teams were tired and the Magic fell 37-34.
Jackson had 12 points and 12 rebounds and Romero had 11 points.
California incoming senior Gabby Edmond didn't always have the big numbers some other players had but she's been hitting the three-pointer and rebounding well all summer for the Magic.
The Magic finished 4-2 in Chicago and 4-2 in Oregon and now join the Cal Stars NIKE Elite and San Jose Cagers Blue in the Platinum Division of the End of the Trail/EOT Bay Area Ultimate Challenge July 23-25 at the Ultimate Fieldhouse in Walnut Creek.
