AZ Lady Rebels Making First Trip East For Deep South Classic



The Arizona Lady Rebels have developed a strong reputation regionally, but in the summer of 2017 they will head to North Carolina in the hopes of making a mark at the Deep South Classic.

“This is our 13th year, and this will be the first time we’ve gone to the East Coast. I think our longest trip previously was to Texas,” club director Michael O’Guinn said. “We’ve been playing on the West Coast, but this year with have some quality, high-level kids, and we wanted to get them more exposure.

“We asked around, and the Deep South has a very good reputation. I think this is going to be a great opportunity to get some very good exposure, and we will be able to play against some new teams that we haven’t seen before.”

The 2017 Deep South Classic will be held in Raleigh from April 20-23. The event, which will feature some of the finest travel teams in the nation, will be played at the Raleigh Convention Center. There will be 20 courts in the building, keeping the entire event under one roof in downtown Raleigh.

Among the standouts heading east with the Lady Rebels will be Shaila Mays (5-10, W, 2019), Jilly Licurgo (6-2, PF, 2018), Sydney Palma (5-8, SG, 2018) and Sarah Metli (5-7, PG, 2018). Mays is currently listed as the No. 128 recruit in her class by the All Star Girls Report.

“Shaila is a super athlete who plays the game like a boy,” O’Guinn said. “She has a great mid-range game with a strong pull-up from 15 to 17 feet. She is very good off the bonce, and she is an excellent passer.

“Jilly could play just about any position,  but most people see her as a stretch four type. She made 58 out of 106 three-pointers for her high school team this year, and she rebounds very well.

“Sydney is a just a scorer. She shoots the three well, and she is very good with the catch-and-shoot. But she is a scorer who can also take people off the bounce.

“Sarah is great at running the team. She never panics, and she just understands the game. When we have to have a bucket, we know that she is going to get us a great scoring opportunity.”