Evaluation 2: Kia was another physical post who could hold her own against any rebounder and could consistently finish.

#82 Erin Myrick, 6'3, Huarte (Bishop Amat) CA (2004) PHOTO
A large inside presence, Erin has extremely soft hands for a player of her size and made her guards look good by easily handling all but the most errant pass. She had no trouble finishing in traffic.

#83 Laura Harper, 6'3, Elkins Park (Cheltenham) PA (2004) PHOTO
Evaluation 1: Was very impressed with her post game, has had good teaching with respect to her footwork. Pivots and protects, and uses the drop-step well. Has an uncanny vision of the basket, even when fighting amongst other post players for the ball. I swear if you throw her an inlet pass, stop play and blindfold her, she will still hit the shot. A player firmly planted in the paint, or close to the paint. Does not have the ball handling skill to play around with the guards. But boy can she block shots in bunches.

Evaluation 2: Laura showed a good fundamental grasp of rebounding technique by keeping her hands up when battling on the boards, as well as by zeroing in on the ball. On more than one possession, she missed, but grabbed the carom and immediately put up a follow shot. In addition to persistence on the glass, she demonstrated a general knack for converting in the paint, and seemed to have the hoop in mind whenever she got the rock in what she deemed to be scoring position. Against the Shock Thursday, she even pushed the ball into the basket while airborne. Harper also anticipates well, whether timing her leap on an attempted block or getting into the passing lane to pick off an errant toss. Her most glaring weakness is her apparent inability to bring the ball up the floor, whether by dribbling or otherwise. An attempted cross-court pass in the backcourt didn’t come close to its target. Still, as Dick Vitale would say, Laura’s a PTP (prime-time player), baby! If there were a seventh slot on my All-Camp team, she’d fill it, and fill it well.

Evaluation 3: Laura was extremely athletic for a player of her size. She exhibited great blow by and the ability to drive past slower defenders and get to the basket. Laura also ran the court extremely well.

#84 April Phillips, 5'11, Long Beach (Narbonne) CA (2004)
April was one of the physically strongest players in camp. She handled the ball quite well and is an excellent penetrator. She had a particularly impressive one-handed put back on the offensive boards. April paid more attention to defense than most, and was quite an effective stopper.

#85 Jade Perry, 6'2, Central (Muhlenberg) KY (2004)
No impressions recorded.

#89 Ashley Paris, 6'2, Piedmont (Piedmont) CA (2005)
A true inside/outside player, Ashley has the athleticism and size to compete in the post against anyone, and also the speed and handle to play on the perimeter and hit the face up jump shots. Her game is quite similar to fellow Californian Noelle Quinn.

#90 Alicia Avery, 6'6, Columbia (Mifflin) OH (2004) PHOTO
There are big girls an then there are the big, big girls. Alicia was the largest girl in camp. She'd establish her position by moving the other players around as if they were Barbie dolls. Once she had established position she could grab the inlet pass and finish.

#92 Chauntise Wright, 6'3, Fort Washington (Bishop McNamara) MD (2004) PHOTO
Vacuums in the rebounds, Chauntise would scoop up any ball around the hoop and look for the outlet pass. Her game is reminiscent of Alison Bales.

#93 Courtney Paris, 6'3, Piedmont (Piedmont) CA (2005) PHOTO
Evaluation 1: Courtney Paris has the type of body that would lead you to believe her production might decrease throughout the game. She is very physical and burns a lot of energy playing the center position. But I really didn't notice a drop in production on day two of the camp once she got by the first two scrimmages on Wednesday. She has very good hands, and once she's set in the post you can't move her. Defenders have to deny position on her. Hard worker on rebounds which she grabs a ton of. Offensive rebounds are usually scores if she gets them into her hands. From the limited free-throw shooting we saw at the camp, it is a major weakness in her game. Has to work on her shooting from the line, otherwise few college coaches will have her in a game during the final five minutes.

Evaluation 2: Right now, she and sister Ashley are known as the daughters of former San Francisco 49ers’ offensive lineman Bubba Paris. If her performance against the Sparks is any indication, Bubba may soon have to get used to being introduced as "Courtney’s dad". Courtney quickly established herself as a presence by going up for a rebound, tipping the ball, and then gaining possession after the sphere caromed off an opponent’s body. Not long after that sequence, Paris showed she could "go low" as she bent down to make a steal. For a truly big girl, Courtney has a decent handle on her dribble, both in the open court and in traffic. She can also throw long for the assist. She catches the ball well, and has a decent shooting stroke from anywhere within 10 feet of the hoop. On her last play of note Wednesday, a put-back opportunity, she caught the ball for just a split second before dropping in the deuce. Not a true tip-in, but the capper to an excellent afternoon. Her only glaring weakness is her free-throw form, which can charitably be described as reminiscent of Shaquille O’Neal’s.

On Thursday, Courtney continued to dominate down low. Soon after an early put-back, she tracked down a teammate’s errant attempt to inbound the ball. On both the offensive and defensive boards, she was confident and persistent. In the second half, Paris showed she could hit from medium range as well as from the territory closer to the hoop. She also continued to own the glass to the end as she cemented her selection to my All-Camp team.

Evaluation 3: Wow. The best big, big girl and one of the better players in camp. Looked ready to step into any college team's starting line-up. Played with intensity and savvy and, not surprisingly, her game is extremely similar to her twin sister's.

Coming next...All-Camp teams!


2003 Nike Camp Scouting Reports:
PART I | PART II | PART III | PART IV | PART V | All-Camp Teams