More than 50 of the top female basketball players in NorCal were on hand for the Queen Court Skills Academy & Showcase on June 14. The event took place at Tice Valley Gym in Walnut Creek and was run by Pass Tha Ball and Project Basketball.
For the first half, participants split into guards and post players then ran drills at various skills stations that included ballhandling, footwork and shooting. After the girls worked up a sweat, they played three 25-minute scrimmages.
Among those in attendance were St. Mary’s-Berkeley senior Gabby Green, Salesian’s Mariya Moore and Bishop O’Dowd’s star guards Asha Thomas and Aisia Robertson. We got a chance to chat with a few of ’em. Enjoy.
GABBY GREEN (St. Mary’s-Berkeley, Sr.)
“¢ On where she’ll be traveling with Team USA (U-19 World Championships team):
I leave July 1 to go to Colorado Springs for like a week to practice. And then we go to the Canary Islands for like four days and then Lithuania.
“¢ On what parts of her games she’s looking to improve upon:
Definitely shooting and just like, attacking the basket.
“¢ On reaction from college coaches around the country once she made the U-19 roster:
Since I made USA I think more coaches start to jump on. “¦ It’s coming in pretty hard right now.
DESIRE FINNIE (Berkeley, Sr.)
“¢ On what parts of her game she wants to improve this summer:
I just have to work on my outside (shooting). I’m working on that right now, and my dribbling. Those are the two main things to work on.
“¢ On traveling with the AAU team California Ballaz:
We’re going to Texas, Tennessee, I believe South Carolina. Those are the main ones I can remember right now. “¦ July is gonna be really busy.
ASHA THOMAS (Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland, Jr.)
“¢ On the skills event:
I really liked it. The individual part was very good. Very active, had everybody involved. Especially the footwork on the other end with the different drills. I really appreciated it.
“¢ On what she wants to improve upon for next season:
Strength. I’m not a tall player. Body mass, try to build it up a little bit. Strengthening, defense, footwork some more. Just try to stay focused. Consistency, that’s my goal.
“¢ On what she learned from her senior O’Dowd teammates and what’s needed to continue their success next season:
They showed us what hard work takes and how long it takes. It’s not gonna take a short amount of time. “¦ Team chemistry, that’s another thing we have to build. It should be a fun season.