AAU opponents should beWare of UVA Lady Rebels

The name may have changed but there were plenty of familiar faces on the floor Saturday as the UVA Lady Rebels took to the court at the Midwest Kick-Off in Bloomington. The most familiar face of all belonged to <strong>Desiree Ware</strong> of Maranatha Christian Academy. Ware, one of the top players in the 8th grade class, was the backbone of the team last summer when it was known as Real Athletics. Coached by Desiree's dad Robert Ware, the team nearly won a state championship and captured the top 7th grade division at the West Coast Nationals in Las Vegas. Ware and Ware are back in 2018 as the Lady Rebels. While 'Real Athletic' was a more apt descriptor for this squad, a new partnership with the non-profit Urban Ventures in South Minneapolis (<a href="https://urbanventures.org/">urbanventures.org</a>) and the Adidas-affiliated Innerman Lady Rebels program out of Atlanta will give the team a little higher profile and more community impact. "It was a move to be in a positive environment under one roof," said Coach Ware, who is the boys' basketball coach and Dean of Academics at Maranatha. "We have access to four college-sized courts which helps with how we do our practices and leadership training sessions." Urban Ventures is is a large nonprofit organization located in the Colin Powell Center that offers programming for youth and families. In the basketball community it is best known for its Urban Stars youth program, which has produced a number of talented athletes over the years. Led by athletics director Roger Ross, UVA is fielding teams in several age groups this summer included an impressive 7th grade AAU group. "It's different branding, a different name but it's the same mindset as we have always had," Ware said. "We are really focused on developing our players on and off the court." Apparently that philosophy is working. <strong>5 more Lady Rebels to see</strong> Regardless of the talent available, it isn't difficult to see why some teams are successful when you watch them practice. I was at a Lady Rebels' workout last week and was impressed with the players' focus and intensity. Yes, they are talented but they also competed hard and stayed engaged for nearly two hours, no small feat for 8th graders! When coaches come to see the Lady Rebels this summer, the one player they will no doubt be aware of ahead of time is Ware, a 5'6 guard with blinding speed and a big motor. In a star-studded Maranatha lineup loaded with veterans, the 8th grader was an impact player whose intensity on defense and ability to raise the tempo of the game made her a very valuable asset every time she stepped on the floor. Maranatha may be fast but Ware is the fastest Mustang of all. She also excels on the track – not surprisingly – and in the classroom, where she carries a 4.0 GPA. After watching the Lady Rebels do their thing on Saturday, however, it's hard not to be impressed with the number of talented players. It's a deep lineup that includes <strong>Juliana Harris</strong> of Breck, <strong>Camille Cummings</strong> and <strong>Haley Mulberry</strong> of Centennial, <strong>Isabelle Coatta</strong> of Minnetonka, and <strong>Zamarea Martin</strong> of Hopkins. Here are the team's top prospects in numerical order. <strong>11. Hannah Herzig, 5'6 wing, Centennial</strong> Hanna is a long, lanky wing with great athleticism and nice touch. The former North Tartan player doesn't possess the blinding speed that Ware has but she makes up for it by cleverly changing speeds and using an impressive little stutter step to fool opponents and create space. At one point Saturday the highly-skilled 8th grader deftly slipped through three defenders and hoisted a soft lay-in that kissed the glass and fell through the cylinder – a big-time play to be sure. <strong>13. Grace Massaquoi, 5'7 forward, Minnetonka</strong> Grace is a super-athletic power forward with a big frame and tremendous strength. She reminds me a lot of the Fury's Zarea Chevre, a top-10 sophomore who was all about power and strength two years ago and is now an all-around talent headed for D1. That's what Massaquoi can become. She is fast and quick, has outstanding leaping ability, and plays with an edge. Grace is raw but the potential is there. She attends junior high in Minnetonka. No word yet on a high school selection. <strong>21. Leah Dengerud, 5'6 forward, DeLaSalle</strong> Leah played youth ball at Centennial after relocating from New Ulm. She joined Ware's team shortly after that and last year proved to be an incredibly valuable and versatile asset. She is far more athletic than she looks, is an instinctual rebounder and can shoot it from just about anywhere. Dengerud is one of those deceptively good players, who accomplishes way more than she gets credit for and has a somewhat subtle but large impact on the outcome of the game. <strong>22. Savannah White, 5'10 forward, DeLaSalle</strong> Savannah is new to the team this year, but is hardly an unknown. She comes from a long line of quality players from St. Paul including her older brother Royce, who was a first-round pick in the NBA. White has had a growth spurt recently and is now a very long 5'10. She is pretty much a position-less player who can play wherever you need her at a particular time. Savannah is smooth, and her floater is a thing of beauty. She is deceptively fast and demonstrated her ample shot-blocking abilities more than once on Saturday. <strong>23. Alicia Bates, 5'2 point guard, Hopkins</strong> Alicia is the sister of Ashley Bates, the former Hopkins standout who plays D1 at Hampton. Bates is almost as fast as Ware. She is the team's primary point guard, adeptly moves the ball and is a natural scorer. She recorded most of her baskets in transition on Saturday, blowing away opponents and driving for uncontested layups. I think she has many more moves available if necessary. She's also an aggressive defender. <strong>This was no Dairy Queen Blizzard</strong> It seems to me there was some notable weather at last year's Midwest Kick-off, too. It was too hot! Accuweather says it was 72 degrees on April 15. Not this year. Despite the best efforts of Andy Meinhardt and his crew at the Metro Stars, there was no way to complete the tournament due to the historic blizzard raging outside. Play was called off at 3 p.m. Saturday when the school shut down operations. Meinhardt worked diligently to revamp the schedule for Sunday, and had set up a series of quality games. We were going to see Fury 2021 Gauntlet for the first time in addition to E1T1 10th Premier, Southern Minnesota Fury 2019, Fury 2022 Blue, and three more appearances by the Lady Rebels. Alas, Mother Nature had other plans and the tournament was cancelled altogether. Regardless, we did see some good basketball Saturday and we'll have player evaluations in the next few days.