SME Heading To FILA Nationals



Vic Schaefer of Mississippi State is one of the coaches who has an eye on the SME program.

The South Mississippi Elite program will not have to travel far to compete in the FILA Nationals, but the event could mark a big step forward for director Burnell Wesco’s program.

The FILA Nationals, which will include over 100 national teams, will be played at the Suwanee Sports Academy outside of Atlanta from July 6-8. This is one part of a series of previews for the FILA Nationals where we will highlight the outstanding programs who will be competing.

“Things are going well for us, and we’re looking forward to the tournament,” Wesco said. “The team seems to be getting better, and they are learning how to win together.”

SME is powered by a trio of players from the Class of 2014. Christa Reed is a 6-0 shooting guard who is listed as the No. 57 prospect in the class according to the All Star Girls Report. Taylor Gordon is a 6-0 power forward, and ASGR has her listed at No. 106. The third member of the trio is 5-9 combo guard Randi Brown.

“Christa is a great shooter, and she handles the ball as well as a lot of point guards. She can penetrate, and she can create opportunities for herself and her teammates,” Wesco said. “Randi is a big guard who loves contact. She can hit the three, but her main thing is drawing contact and then scoring. Taylor is just a beast on the inside, on both ends of the court. She is a very aggressive player, and most of her points come off offensive rebounds. She is working on increasing her shooting range, and that will make her an outstanding player.”

In addition to those three stalwarts, Wesco is excited about a pair of youngsters from the Class of 2017. Lauran Sheriff is a 6-3 center, and Jamaya Galloway is a 5-6 point guard who helped Bay High School win the Mississippi state title as an eighth grader over the winter.

“We feel like we have a very bright future with those two,” Wesco said. “They are the two best players in Mississippi in their class. They are already good enough to play with our top team, and the college coaches are already aware of them.”