When Coach Willie Brown looks over the team rosters for the Charlotte Lady Warriors, he sees impressive consistency.
“We are very excited about the players we have for this year,” Brown said. “We have a very strong older group, and a very strong younger group. On our 2016 Elite team, the majority of the players are being heavily recruited, including two players who are being recruited by Ivy League schools. On our youngest team, most of those players have been together since the fourth grade, and we think they will have a very good year.”
The Lady Warriors built their strong foundation with a focused approach.
“We try to give the girls the fundamentals they need in order to be successful in middle school and high school, and then we do our best to help them reach the next level,” Brown explained. “We promote hard work, academics, and a family atmosphere. We also promote year round training, and we have an excellent training staff.”
The results of that hard work will be on display when the Lady Warriors compete at the 2015 Deep South Classic, which will be played in Raleigh, NC on April 24-26. The Deep South Classic annually features the nation’s top travel programs, and the event will once again have the entire tournament in one facility — the tremendous Raleigh Convention Center.
The Lady Warriors have a strong core group in the Class of 2017, with Lindsey Brown (5-11, F), Erin Thames (5-9, G), Kelsie Mills-Ruff (5-9, PG) and Molly Mann (2016, 6-1, F) leading the way.
“Lindsey is very athletic, she is a very accurate mid-range shooter, and she is a beast on the boards,” Brown said. “Erin is extremely quick and energetic. She has a great handle and she likes to slash to the basket, but she can hit the three. Kelsie is another great athlete with ball skills, and she is a very accurate three-point shooter. Molly was a 2017 player, but they moved her up to the Class of 2016. She is a good three-point shooter who also has a great presence inside. She runs the floor well, and she is a high IQ player.”
Bret McCormick, the analyst for the All Star Girls Report, also provided his perspective on the Lady Warriors.
“Brown is a great athlete who can rebound out of her area. She has a blue collar ethic, and she can face up out to 15 feet,” McCormick said. “Thames is another very good athlete. She can go to the hoop, she is good in the open floor, and she will hit the three. Mills-Ruff has very good skills, including a nice three-point shot. Mann is an inside-outside scorer with shooting range that extends to the arc, and she is an intelligent player.”
In the Class of 2019, Brown has high expectations for Spencer Britton (5-7, PG), Loreli Roper (6-2, P) and Nia Daniels (5-9, W).
“Spencer is an intelligent, very athletic point guard with a great handle and a good three-point shot,” Brown said. “Loreli is a great athlete with very good post moves, and she runs the floor like a guard. Nia is another high IQ, athletic player. She is very accurate from long range, she handles the ball very well, and she is an excellent rebounder.”
“Britton is a good point guard who handles the ball well and knocks down the open three,” added McCormick. “Roper is an athletic post who has good footwork and skills. Daniels is very athletic. She has a good mid-range game, she can handle the ball in the open court, and she shoots the three.”
