Riverside Hawks Returning To Deep South Classic



The Riverside Hawks out of  New York will be on the road again this spring to compete at the Deep South Classic, and the reason for the journey is simple.

“I been to some tournaments that were a little bit of a train wreck. You don’t have to worry about that at the Deep South Classic,” said Coach Ken Parham. “You are going to have great competition, a wonderful venue with everything under one roof, great exposure with college coaches, and it is all going to be run professionally. It is going to be well organized. It is going to be run on time. All of the little things are taken care of in a professional manner.”

The 2015 Deep South Classic 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.

Parham is excited about the athletes he will be bringing to Raleigh. “We have really good balance on all of our teams, and I think they are all going to be very competitive,” he said.
The Hawks will be paced by a quartet of strong prospects from the Class of 2016. That group includes Etalyia Vogt (5-7, PG), Taylor Goode (5-7, G), Italee Smirkle-Brown (5-10, W) and Meghan Oberg (6-3, SG).
“Etalyia is a very dynamic player who can fill it up,” Parham said. “She is quick and fast, and she knows how to make her teammates better. Taylor has a knock down three-point shot, and she is a good athlete with an all-around game. Italee is an absolute athlete who is a big time slasher. Meghan is a lights out three point shooter who is a very good athlete.”
Bret McCormick, the analyst for the All Star Girls Report, also provided his perspective on the top Hawks.
“Vogt is a quick guard with a scorer’s mentality, but she can also distribute the ball well,” McCormick said. “Goode is an athletic guard with good skills, especially her shooting ability. Smirkle-Brown is a great, explosive athlete. She is very good at attacking in the half court, and she is very good in the open court. Oberg is a good athlete with a strong basketball IQ. She is a multi-positional player who can score inside and shoot the three well.”
The Hawks are also expecting big things from several younger players, including Jasmine White (2017, 6-3, PF) and Victoria Pearce (2017, 5-9, G).
Jasmine is a face-up four who can stretch the defense with her shooting range,” Parham said. “Victoria is a big time scorer. She has a knock down three, and she can get to the rim. She is an Allen Iverson type of guard.”
“White can score inside, but she likes to face up out to 15 feet,” McCormick added. “Pearce is very athletic. She loves to attack the basket and she is great at finishing in the lane, but she can also shoot the three.”