The Village School Big 3 Sign
I’m an emotional wreck at the start of every season and I generally come back to earth after the holidays but year after year, I see players that I’ve watched, most of the time before middle school, enter their senior…
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Continue ReadingI’m an emotional wreck at the start of every season and I generally come back to earth after the holidays but year after year, I see players that I’ve watched, most of the time before middle school, enter their senior years and for some, go on to play at the next level. The three that signed, Tymberlin Criswell Tymberlin Criswell 5'8" | CG The Village | 2021 State TX (SMU) Aiken Semones (Hardin-Simmons), and Jada Malone Jada Malone 6'3" | PF The Village School | 2021 State #30 Nation TX (Texas A&M) are coming off of a TAPPS 6A State Championship
Malone’s family and I go way back when their older daughter Micarah played and I remember Jada just watching and absorbing and she was my “go too” for my Girl Scout Cookies. She broke my heart when she came and told me that she decided she wanted to be a basketball player and I told her “that’s awesome, I’ll support you but you have to “put in the work” and we joked about me probably losing weight since I wouldn’t be buying cookies from her anymore and I told her last night I had gained and she looked at smiling while sending a telepathic message saying “you have to put in the work”. Okay most of that is true but I thank them for not only the years of friendship but inviting me to the signing
Head Coach Doug Brotherton came to town to rebuild the school, we joked about how he invited me to their first tournament and he didn’t have enough players to play in it, yet look what he has built. He praised his players, starting with Criswell who he challenged to be the best PG in TAPPS, the game starts at the one and she accepted the challenge. He talked about Semones being one of the hardest workers he has ever coached and her mindset of wanting to get better. He also shared a private moment he had with Jada Malone Jada Malone 6'3" | PF The Village School | 2021 State #30 Nation TX when she arrived at the school and he challenged her to become the best player in Texas and after their emotional encounter, she has definitely shown what she is, at least me and Coach Brotherton but this team is going to be strong once again and here’s why
Jada Malone Jada Malone 6'3" | PF The Village School | 2021 State #30 Nation TX -her strength under the basket combined with finesse facing the basket has taken off even more. She can handle the ball in the open court, she can shoot the mid to long-range but even better is the fact that she can defend not only inside but outside of the paint and she rebounds on both ends of the floor and the countless times I’ve seen her ignite the break with the outlet and finish on the other end is one of the main reason I have her listed at #1 in Texas
Tymberlin Criswell Tymberlin Criswell 5'8" | CG The Village | 2021 State TX -switched from the 2 to the 1 nicely and showed she could run a squad, control tempo, and get the ball to the right people at the right time yet she’s long and athletic, plays the passing lane her ability to create her shot is one of the area best as she elevates for the jumper, mid to long-range and can attack finish acrobatically
Aiken Semones-you can’t teach desire, you can’t teach heart and you can’t teach work ethic but watching her as a 10-year-old dropping the long ball will always be special to me, as well as what she has become because she never complains, has been one of the most supportive players I’ve seen, to some who probably didn’t deserve it but it speaks volumes about her character as she has become more than just a 3 point shooter