The Bay State Magic 2016 Elite team will be lacking experience this year, but the squad will have reasons to be optimistic.
“We are going to have a young team, but we will have a very athletic, very long and very intelligent group of young ladies,” said Coach Eric Larnard. “We will have size and athleticism, and six or seven of our 11 girls has a grade point average of 3.8 or higher. When you work hard, and you have intelligence and athleticism, you are going to have your opportunities down the road.”
This spring, the road for Bay State Magic will lead to the Greater Boston Memorial Day Classic, an outstanding new tournament in the club’s backyard. The All Star Girls Report sponsored event will be played on May 28-29, with 96 teams expected to compete. Games will be played at Mass Premier Courts just outside Boston, MA.
Larnard’s team will be led in Boston by an outstanding quartet of prospects from the Class of 2018. The group includes Emma Squires (6-1, G) and Annabelle Larnard (5-11, CG), plus 6-3 centers Caroline Stover and Hannah Peterson. Stover is currently listed as the No. 250 recruit in the 2018 Class by ASGR.
“Emma is extremely long and athletic, and she is experienced and intelligent,” the coach said. “Emma is a skilled pure shooter who can hit the three and get to the rim. On the defensive end, her length and athleticism make her very disruptive at the top of a trapping press.
“Annabelle, who is my daughter, is a high motor, very athletic slasher who is comfortable at shooting guard or the point. She has great speed in the open court, she is an excellent rebounding guard, and she typically covers the other team’s top offensive player. Annabelle also does all the little things, what we call high basketball character.
“Caroline has a college ready body and she is a very, very aggressive player who is a great defender. She is great at anticipating on the defensive end. Offensively, Caroline is a good shooter out to 12-14 feet, and she has good footwork.
“Hannah is a very mobile, very athletic post player. She has an excellent shooting touch out to 15 feet, and she is improving as a defender and rebounder.”