Tradition Rich Comets Headed To Deep South Classic



The tradition rich Comet program out of Philadelphia has been building championship teams for 30 years, but the club has never competed in the prestigious Deep South Classic. That will change in 2016.

“We’ve always heard great things about the Deep South Classic, and everyone knows about the great reputation of the All Star Girls Report people,” said Comet director Linda Genther. “We’re really excited about going down there and competing against the best teams at the event.”

The 19th Deep South Classic will be played from April 21-24 in Raleigh, N.C., and it will once again be held at the magnificent Raleigh Convention Center. The entire event will be played under one roof, with action flowing on 20 courts.

The Comets will be a welcome addition to the Classic field.

“We have been playing for over 30 years, and we have a tremendous history,” Genther said. “We start with the kids at a young age, and we develop players from within. It’s great to watch these kids grow and develop while they are with the program.

“Some people like to say that we are the Spurs of club basketball. We don’t have stud players, but we pass the ball. We have players who will share the basketball, we defend, and we shoot the three very well. That’s how are program has been for a long time.

“This year, seven of the 10 players on our elite team have already verbal to Division I schools, which is cool. We have two players going to Villanova, two to St. Joe’s, and one each to Delaware, Binghamton and Drexel.”

The elite players who have not committed are Elodie Furey (2017, 6-2, P), Courtney Warley (2017, 6-3, F) and Julianna Clark (2017, 5-9, SG). Clark is currently rated as the No. 442 recruit nationally in her class by ASGR.

“Elodie is a very, very high academic student,” Genther said. “She does a great job defending the rim for us, and her basketball IQ is off the charts. She is an athletic kid, and her offensive game is continually evolving.

“Courtney has high athleticism, and she is a very good defender with long arms. She plays the point on our press. Courtney has everything you want on the defensive end, and she is getting better every day offensively.

“Julianna is another high academic kid, and she strokes the three. She is one of many three-ball shooters we have.”

The Comets are also expecting big summers from some younger prospects, including Maura Hendrixson (2018, 5-9, SG), Maggie Connolly (2018, 5-7, PG) and Meg Jonassen (2018, 6-0, F).

“Maura and Maggie have bother generated a lot of recruiting interest,” Genther said. “Maura is a strong three-point shooter, and Maggie is a pure point guard who is an outstanding student.

“Meg is new to our team, and this level of travel basketball. She is very strong and athletic with a college ready body. She is very good at finishing around the rim.”