The Dayton Lady Hoopstars program in Ohio has developed a reputation for developing outstanding, fundamentally strong basketball players. The Lady Hoopstars begin working with the athletes at a young age, and they hone their skills against top flight competition.
“We have teams from the third grade on up, and they all follow a similar model,” explained Coach Jerry Rex. “We really work hard on teaching the fundamentals to the younger players, and as they develop we give them a chance to play against good competition. We think that’s important, so a lot of times we will have our top players playing up in tournaments.
“When the kids reach high school, exposure becomes important. We feel like we have a lot of potential college players in our program, and we want to get them as much exposure as we possibly can.”
One place where the Lady Hoopstars will be see by hundreds of college coaches is at the 2015 Deep South Classic. The event will be played in Raleigh, NC on April 24-26. The Deep South Classic, which annually features the nation’s top travel programs, will once again have the entire tournament in one facility — the tremendous Raleigh Convention Center.
Leading the way for the Lady Hoopstars in Raleigh will be a strong nucleus of veteran athletes that includes Kelly Wurth (2016, 5-9, CG), Celena Taborn (2017, 6-3, F), Sylvia Hudson (2016, 5-9, G), Rylie Parkhurst (2016, 5-8, PG) and Alexa Low (2016, 6-1, PF).
“Kelly is the leading scorer in her league in high school,” Rex said. “She can drive to the basket and finish, and she can shoot the three pretty well. She is just a very, very good basketball player. Celena plays inside mainly in high school, but we let her step out to shoot the three. She has soft hands and a nice soft shooting touch. She has a lot of potential if she keeps working.
“Sylvia is a multi-positional player who is in her first year with our club. She is very good at attacking the basket, and she has a nice soft touch. Rylie is another new player for our program. She could play the point or the two. She handles the ball well and passes well, but she can also score. Alexa has a long body and she is a very good shot blocker, but she can step out to 17 or 18 feet.”
Bret McCormick, the analyst for All Star Girls Report, also provided his perspective on the top Lady Hoopstar prospects.
“Wurth is a versatile guard with good quickness. She is fundamentally sound, and has a scorer’s mentality,” McCormick said. “Taborn is a big strong kid who is good on the low block. She has good hands, and she finishes well around the rim. Parkhurst has quickness, strength and good fundamentals. She knows the game, and she can shoot the three. Hudson is an athletic combo guard who is good in the open floor. She also has a nice pull up jumper.”
