SHAKAYLA THOMAS SIGNS with FLORIDA STATE!! Starz 2014 & AAU National Champion 6-0 Nationally-Ranked Forward SHAKAYLA THOMAS of 5A-Regional Finalist Sylacauga High School signed her Letter of Intent (LOI) to play basketball & attend college at FLORIDA STATE University (FSU) of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).  She signed her LOI in a ceremony at her school in front of Family, Friends, Coaches, Team Mates, Class Mates, Community Members, Media & Starz Director/Coach Doug Bush & Coach Orlando (OJ) Jackson.  Shakayla the TOP Ranked 2014 player in the State of Alabama as recently named by AL.Com, 1st Team All-State, and two-time 5A Player of the Year in Alabama.  Shakayla chose FSU over offers from many schools including South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Baylor, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Georgia, Auburn, Louisville, Florida, and others.  Shakayla is ranked as the #12 player in the nation in her class (#3 player at her position).  FSU Head Coach Sue Semrau is very excited about adding a highly-ranked impact player to her program.  CONGRATS to SHAKAYLA!!
QUANETRIA (NENE) BOLTON SIGNS with ALABAMA!! Starz 2014 & AAU National Champion 6-1 Nationally-Ranked Forward QUANETRIA ("NENE") BOLTON of 4A-Regional Finalist Anniston High School signed her Letter of Intent (LOI) to play basketball & attend college for new Head Coach Kristy Curry at the University of ALABAMA of the SEC.  She signed her LOI in a ceremony at her school in front of Family, Friends, Coaches, Team Mates, Class Mates, Community Members, Media & Starz Director/Coach Doug Bush & Coach Orlando (OJ) Jackson.  NeNe is one of the Top Ranked 2014 players in the State of Alabama as recently named by AL.Com, 1st Team All-State, and finalist for 4A Player of the Year in Alabama.  NeNe chose ALABAMA over offers from many schools including LSU, South Carolina, Florida St, Mississippi St, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Texas Tech, Oklahoma St, UAB, and others.  New ALABAMA Head Coach Kristy Curry is very excited about adding a high caliber & character in-state impact player to her program.  CONGRATS to NENE!!
DESTINEY ELLIOTT SIGNS with SAMFORD!! Starz 2014 & AAU National Champion 6-0 Forward DESTINEY ELLIOTT of 4A-State Champion Oneonta High School signed her Letter of Intent (LOI) to play basketball & attend college at D1 SAMFORD University of the Southern Conference (SoCon).  She signed her LOI in a ceremony at her school in front of Family, Friends, Coaches, Team Mates, Class Mates, Community Members, Media & Starz Director/Coach Doug Bush.  Destiney is one of the Top Ranked 2014 players in the State of Alabama and was named MVP of the High School 4A State Tournament, 1st Team All-State, and 4A Player of the Year in Alabama.  Destiney will join several former Starz at Samford including Hannah Nichols (2013), Lydia McGee (2012), Amara Mayers (2011), and KeKe Fletcher (2011).  Samford has been the Champions in the SoCon for 2 of the past 3 years earning an NCAA Tourney bid on each occasion with Starz 2009's Jazmine Martin who just earned her degree in May!  Samford Head Coach Mike Morris is very excited about adding a proven winner, leader, and player with such diverse skills to his program.  CONGRATS to DESTINEY!!
BLAIR SCHAEFER SIGNS with MISSISSIPPI STATE!! Starz 2014 & AAU National Champion 5-7 Guard BLAIR SCHAEFER of Starkville (MS) High School signed her Letter of Intent (LOI) to play basketball & attend college at MISSISSIPPI STATE University (MSU) of the SEC.  She signed her LOI in a ceremony at her school in front of Family, Friends, Coaches, Team Mates, Class Mates, Community Members, Media & MSU Head Coach (& proud Papa) Vic Schaefer.  Blair is one of the Top Ranked 2014 players in the State of Alabama and was recently named to the Clarion Ledger DANDY DOZEN in Mississippi.  Blair is a part of an excellent recruiting class put together Coach Schaefer.  He is very excited & proud about adding a proven winner, leader, and skilled player his program.  CONGRATS to BLAIR!!
LEAH STRAIN SIGNS with JACKSONVILLE STATE!! Starz 2014 & AAU National Champion 5-4 PG LEAH STRAIN of 2A-State Champion Woodland High School signed her Letter of Intent (LOI) to play basketball & attend college at D1 JACKSONVILLE STATE University (JSU) of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).  She signed her LOI in a ceremony at her school in front of Family, Friends, Coaches, Team Mates, Class Mates, Community Members, Media & Starz Director/Coach Doug Bush.  Leah is one of the Top Ranked 2014 players in the State of Alabama as recently named to the A-LIST by AL. Com and was named MVP of the High School 2A State Tournament, 1st Team All-State, and runner-up for 2A Player of the Year in Alabama.  Leah will join former STARZ 2012 player Destany McLin (Athens HS) at JSU.  New JSU Head Coach Rick Pietri is very excited about adding a proven winner, leader, and competitor with high basketball IQ to his program.  CONGRATS to LEAH!!
MIRACLE MAYO SIGNS with ALABAMA STATE Starz 2014 & AAU National Champion 6-1 Forward MIRACLE MAYO of 2A-Regional Finalist Lanett High School signed her Letter of Intent (LOI) to play basketball & attend college at D1 ALABAMA STATE University (ASU) of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).  She signed her LOI in a ceremony at her school in front of Family, Friends, Coaches, Team Mates, Class Mates, Community Members, Media & Starz Director/Coach Doug Bush.  Miracle is one of the Top Ranked 2014 players in the State of Alabama.  Miracle chose ASU after receiving offers from UAB, Jacksonville (AL) State,  Jacksonville (FL) Univ, & UNC-Wilmington.  ASU Head Coach Freda Freeman-Jackson is very excited about adding a Great Player & Person to her program.  CONGRATS to MIRACLE!!

KATELYN LEE SIGNS with GRAND CANYON U!! Starz 2014 & AAU National Champion 6-3 Post KATELYN LEE of 1A-State Champion (Georgia) Gordon Lee High School signed her Letter of Intent (LOI) to play basketball & attend college at D1 GRAND CANYON University (GCU) of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).  She signed her LOI in a ceremony at her school in front of Family, Friends, Coaches, Team Mates, Class Mates, Community Members, & Media.  Katelyn is one of the Top Seniors in the State of Georgia.  She was named MVP of the High School State Championship Game back in March 2013.  GCU Head Coach Trent May is very excited about adding a Proven Winner & Great Person to his program.  CONGRATS to KATELYN!!

STARZ 2014 WINS AAU NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!
At the AAU National Championship held on July 9-13 at ESPN / Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL our Southern Starz 2014 (11th GR) Team WON the AAU 11th GR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP after going 8-0 against Top National Competition!!  Starz 2014 defeated Central Illinois Elite featuring the Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois, Jackie Kemph (2014) and highly ranked Haley Gorecki (2015) by a final score of 61-53!!  Starz 2014 led by 5 at halftime but faced a back-and-forth game in the 2nd half as they trailed by 2 points with 3 minutes to go.  Our team cranked up the Defense and held Illinois to 2 pts in the final 3 minutes as Starz 2014 nationally-ranked SHAKAYLA THOMAS led the scoring with 27 pts and had 2 big blocked shots in the final minute!!  ALL our young ladies played GREAT and became the VERY FIRST group of high school age Girls from the State of Alabama to WIN the AAU STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!!    Starz 2009 lost in the 9th GR Finals in 2006.  The AL Lady Gators won the AAU 13U National Championship in 1995 as 8th Graders.  CONGRATS on this Historic Accomplishment which will now be with you ALL for a Lifetime!!

STARZ 10th-Bush 3rd in NATION & in AAU SHOWCASE!!
At the recent AAU Super Showcase & AAU National Championship held on July 6-8 and July 9-13 at ESPN / Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL our Southern Starz 2015-Bush (10th GR) Team played 11 games against Top National Competition and finished with a record of 9-2, placing 3rd (tied) in their AAU 10th GR Super Showcase and finishing 3rd in the AAU 10TH GR D1 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!  Starz 2015-Bush's only 2 losses were to Boo Williams-Richmond who went on to Win the AAU Super Showcase and finished 2nd in the AAU Nationals.  This Top 4 Finish in BOTH AAU EVENTS was a GREAT performance by the Players & Coaches of our Starz 2015-Bush (10th GR) Team!!  CONGRATS!!

STARZ 10th-Gilliam are AAU D2 NATIONAL CHAMPS!!
At the recent AAU Super Showcase & AAU National Championship held on July 6-8 and July 9-13 at ESPN / Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL our Southern Starz 2015-Gilliam (10th GR) Team played 11 games against Top National Competition and finished with a record of 10-1, placing 9th (tied) in their AAU 10th GR Super Showcase and finishing as the AAU NATIONAL CHAMPIONS in the AAU Division 2 National Championship!!  Starz 2015-Gilliam defeated Magic Basketball Academy (Missouri) in the Championship Game by a final score of 56-46.  This was a GREAT performance by the Players & Coaches of our Starz 2015 (10th GR) Team!!  CONGRATS!!

STARZ 9th with TOP TEN Finish at AAU Nationals!!
At the recent AAU Super Showcase & AAU National Championship held on July 6-8 and July 9-13 at ESPN / Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL our Southern Starz 2016 (9th GR) Team played 13 games against Top National Competition and finished with a record of 9-4, placing 12th (of 28 teams) in their AAU 9th GR Super Showcase and finishing 9th at the AAU 9th GR National Championship!! During Pool Play in the AAU Nationals, our Starz 2016 Team defeated the eventual AAU National Champion Boo Williams by a final score of 43-41!!  In the 9th Place Game, our Starz 2016 team defeated the Capital City Cyclones (NC) by a final score of 63-61.  This was a GREAT performance by the Players & Coaches of our Starz 2016 (9th GR) Team!!  CONGRATS!!

STARZ 8th-Crider AAU Top 10 & Showcase Runner-Up!
At the recent AAU Super Showcase & AAU National Championship held on July 6-8 and July 9-13 at ESPN / Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL our Southern Starz 2017-Crider (8th GR) Team played 15 games against Top National Competition and finished with a record of 12-3, placing 2nd in their AAU 8th GR Super Showcase and finishing 9th at the AAU 8th GR National Championship!!  Starz 2017-Crider went unbeaten until a showdown in the AAU Super Showcase Championship Game on July 6 vs an undefeated Team Carolina 2017 team which featured the #1-ranked player in the nation in the Class of 2017, Mikayla Boykin.  Starz 2017-Crider led the entire game before falling behind in the last 9 seconds to fall by 1 point 56-55 in the Championship Game!!  Team Carolina 2017 went on to WIN the AAU 8th GR National Championship as our Starz 2017-Crider team finished 9th after a tough 5-pt loss in the Championship Bracket.  This was an Awesome performance by the Players & Coaches of our Starz 2017-Crider Team!!  CONGRATS!!

STARZ 8th-Gaston finish in SWEET 16 in AAU D2!!
At the recent AAU 8th GR D2 National Championship held on July 9-13 at ESPN / Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL our Southern Starz 2017-Gaston (8th GR) Team went 3-0 in Pool Play to Win Pool H and then defeated the AL Twisters 8th grade team by a score of 35-23 to secure a spot in the SWEET 16!!  Starz 2017-Gaston went on to drop its next 2 games to SP Fusion (California) and Rebels Basketball Academy to wind up 4-2 in their 6 games and a SWEET 16 FINISH in the AAU 8th Grade D2 National Championship!!  CONGRATS!!!

 

SHAQUERA WADE COMMITS to ALABAMA of SEC!!
Starz 2015-Bush 5-11 Combo Guard SHAQUERA WADE of 6A-Huntsville High School has verbally committed to play for new ALABAMA Crimson Tide Head Coach Kristy Curry!!  Shaquera is one of the Top Ranked 2015 players in the State of Alabama and becomes the First in-state (AL) player to Commit to Coach Curry at Alabama.  She is also a long-time member of our Starz 2015 team since she was 9 years old.  Coach Curry is very excited to have a player with Shaquera's talents & skills along with her winning mentality join her program at Alabama.  CONGRATS to SHAQUERA

 

 

 

TRISTA MAGEE COMMITS to ALABAMA of SEC!!
Starz 2015-Bush 6-1 Guard TRISTA MAGEE of Prebysterian Christian School in Hattiesburg MS has verybally committed to play for new ALABAMA Crimson Tide Head Coach Kristy Curry!!  Trista is one of the Top Ranked 2015 players in the State of Mississippi and became the First player to Commit to Coach Curry at Alabama.  Coach Curry is very excited to have a player with Trista's versatile talents & skills along with her leadership ability and winning attitude join her program at Alabama.  CONGRATS to TRISTA!!

 

STARZ are AAU STATE CHAMPS X 5! (5th, 6th, 8th, 10th & 11th)
Ten (10) of our Southern Starz teams participated in 7 age Divisions of the AL AAU State Tournament the weekend of May 24-26 on the campus of Samford University and other sites in Birmingham, AL! Our Starz 5th, 6th, 8th-Crider, 10-Bush, & 11th-Bush Teams finished as AL AAU State Champs in their respective Age Divisions while our Starz 9th team finished 2nd. All our Starz teams competed at a high level! Our Starz 5th grade team won by a score of 42-28 over the Magic City Steel in the Finals after a loss to them during Pool Play.   Our Starz 6th grade team dominated the AL Tar Heels by a score of 51-25 in the Finals.  Our Starz 8th-Crider team won their 2nd consecutive AL AAU State Championship by winning a fierce battle by the score of 50-49 against the AL Hustlers in the Finals after having beaten the same team in Pool Play by 63-52! Our Starz 10th-Bush team won their 3rd consecutive AL AAU State Championship with a 57-45 victory over the AL Twisters. Our Starz 11th grade team won a tight battle with the AL Tar Heels by a score of 57-55 to win their 2nd AL AAU State Championship in the past 3 years! Our Starz 9th Team advanced to their Championship Game and finished as Runner-Up to the Mobile Comets. CONGRATS to ALL our STARZ TEAMS!

Starz 5th Grade State Champs		Starz 6th Grade State Champs
Starz 8th Grade State Champs		Starz 9th Grade State Runner-Up
Starz 10th Grade State Champs		Starz 11th Grade State Champs

STARZ 2014 PLAYERS are ALL STARZ in AL & MISS!
CONGRATS to our Five (5) Starz 2014 players who were named to the NORTH squad for the Annual AL North vs South All-Star Game to be held on July 17 during All-Star Sports Week in Montgomery AL!! This game is for current High School Juniors.... Starz 2014 players Quanetria ("NeNe") Bolton of 4A-Anniston, Destiney Elliott of 4A State Champ Oneonta, Jasmine Richardson of 1A-Winterboro, Leah Strain of 2A State Champ Woodland, and Shakayla Thomas of 5A-Sylacauga were selected for the NORTH team which hold a 14-2 all-time advantage in the 16 games which have been played.  In addition, Starz 2014 guard & Mississippi State commit Blair Schaefer of Starkville (MS) High School has been named to the NORTH squad for the annual MS North vs South All-Star game to be held on July 8 in Clinton MS.  CONGRATS to our ALL-STARZ!!! 

 

 

STARZ TEAMS SHOW STRONG at DEEP SOUTH CLASSIC 2013!!
On the NCAA Spring viewing weekend of April 19-21, 5 of our  Southern Starz teams traveled to Raleigh-Durham, NC to participate in the prestigious Deep South Classic held on 18 courts under 1 roof at the Raleigh Convention Center. Our 5 teams combined for a record of 15-6 while playing UP against very strong competition and while playing in front of hundreds of college coaches!! Our Starz 2014 (11th GR) Team (14U) finished 3rd of the 48 teams in the Top 17U-National Division with a record of 4-1. On Saturday, Starz 2014 defeated the #2-ranked AOT (GA) by 57-46 and their top ranked players who are already commited to U of North Carolina (#3-ranked 2015 Te'a Cooper) & PURDUE (#40-ranked 2014 Briana Horrocks). Later on Saturday, Starz 2014 defated #4-ranked San Antonio's Finest (TX) in Sudden Death OT by 2 pts (59-57) and their #6-ranked (2014) player Reece' Caldwell who is commited to UCLA. College Coaches & Fans were packed around the court for both of these Top Games!!! Starz 2015-Bush (10th GR) finished 3rd of the 24 teams in the 16U-NATIONAL Division, losing a tough game to the AAU #2-ranked team in the nation in the semi-finals. Starz 2017-Crider (8th GR) Won a last-second Thriller 50-49 to WIN the CHAMPIONSHIP GAME of the 14U-Signature Division!! Starz 2015-Gilliam (10th GR) finished 2-2 in their 4 games and WON the CONSOLATION BRACKET of the 15U-National Division while Starz 2016 (9th GR) finished 2-2 in their 4 games to finish 6th in the 16-team 14U-National Division. CONGRATS to our STARZ!!!!

Starz 2017-Crider (8th GR) - Deep South Champs!

STARZ 8TH, 9TH, 10TH & 11TH are AAU SRT CHAMPS!!
In our very own 12th Annual AAU Super Regional Tournament (AAU SRT) hosted by our Southern Starz in Huntsville, AL on April 5-7 at Huntsville High, Madison Academy, and Bob Jones HS, our nationally-ranked Starz 2014 Team won the 11th Grade Division over Team Memphis Elite 11th, our nationally ranked Starz 2015-Bush Team won the 10th Grade Division (in OT) over the nationally-ranked Tennessee A-Game (Springer) Team, our nationally-ranked Starz 2016 Team won the 9th Grade Division over Tennessee A-Game (Kilburn), and our Starz 2017-Crider Team won the 8th Grade Division over the nationally-ranked Tennessee Team Pride (Ramsey) team.   In addition, our Starz 2015-Gilliam, Starz 2017-Gaston, Starz 7th & Starz 6th teams each finished in 3rd Place in their respective divisions.  Each of our 4 Starz Championship teams qualified for the AAU D1 National Championships to be held this Summer in Orlando, Florida on July 5-13. CONGRATS to ALL our STARZ!!!

Starz 8th Grade-Crider	Starz 9th Grade
Starz 10th Grade-Bush	Starz JRs

SOUTHERN STARZ SRT 2013 - RESULTS!
THANKS for your participation in our 12th Annual AAU SRT in Huntsville AL last weekend!! We had some great competition ... including an OT Thriller in the 10th Grade Division Championship Game!! Age Group Champs were as follows:

6th Grade: Tennessee Flight-Select      Runner-Up: Tennessee Team Pride 5th
7th Grade: Kentucky Blast     Runner-Up: Vigilance Ballers
8th Grade: AL Southern Starz    Runner-Up: Tennessee Team Pride (Ramsey)
9th Grade: AL Southern Starz     Runner-Up:
10th Grade: AL Southern Starz 2015-Bush     Runner-Up: TN A-Game (Springer)
11th Grade: AL Southern Starz 2014    Runner-Up: Team Memphis Elitet

ALL Champs & Runner-Ups qualified for AAU Division 1 Nationals (in addition to certain others)!   Hope you ALL can join us again Next Year in April 2014!!!

STARZ SHINE in TUSCALOOSA INVITATIONAL!!!
Our AL Southern Starz Teams captured the 11th, 10th & 9th Grade Division Championships as several of our teams opened their 2013 seasons in the Tuscaloosa Invitational on March 22-24!!  Our Starz 2014 & 2015-Bush teams went undefeated and advanced to the Championship Game of the 11th GR Division on Sunday (game was not played).  Our Starz 2015-Gilliam team went undefeated and WON the Championship in the 10th GR Division.  Our Starz 8th-Crider team went undefeated and WON the Championship playing UP in the 9th GR Division (of 9 teams).  Our Starz 8th-Gaston team went undefeated until a loss in the semi-finals to finished tied for 3rd (of 12 teams) in the 8th GR Division. Our Starz 6th GR team went undefeated until a loss in the Championship Game of the 6th Grade Division as they finished 2nd overall (of 12 teams) in the 6th GR Division.  CONGRATS!!!

Starz 8th Grade-Crider wins Championship game in Tuscaloosa

SOUTHERN STARZ are ALL-STATE per ASWA!
Our Southern Starz players showed up strongly on the Alabama Sports Writers' Association (ASWA) All-State Basketball teams for the recently completed 2012-13 season!  Earning 1st TEAM honors were Starz 2013 players Hannah Nichols (4A-Madison County) & Alex Gholston (1A-RA Hubbard), Starz 2014 players Shakayla Thomas (5A-Sylacauga), Destiney Elliott (4A State Champ Oneonta), Quanetria Bolton (4A-Anniston), Malesha Williams (3A-Greensboro), Leah Strain (2A State Champ Woodland) and Starz 2015-Bush player Amanhi Upshaw (1A State Champ Brantley).  ALL 1st Team selections are eligible to be named class Player of the Year (POY) and Miss Basketball!!   Earning 2ND TEAM honors were Starz 2013 players Kiana Johnson (6A-Northridge & Jacey Scott (4A-Douglas), Starz 2014 player Miracle Mayo (2A-Lanett), & Starz 2015-Bush player Shaquera Wade (6A-Huntsville).  Starz 2013 player Emma Herren (1A-Berry) and Starz 2016 player Rachel Childress (5A-Lawrence County) were Honorable Mention selections.  CONGRATS to our ALL STATE STARZ!!!!

SHAKAYLA THOMAS Tops 3,000 Point Total for Career!
Starz Class of 2014 nationally-ranked forward Shakayla Thomas of #7-ranked 5A-Sylacauga High School surpassed the 3,000 point total for her high school career last night (Jan. 29) as she scored 27 pts in leading her Lady Aggies to a hard fought 35-30 pay-back win on the road at 4A-Anniston HS.  Shakayla began the game 22 points short of this historic mark. Starz Director/Coach Doug Bush along with several SEC College Coaches were on hand to enjoy the game and witness her accomplishment.  Per AHSAA records, Shakayla became the 14th player in state history to reach the 3,000 point total, joining Starz team mate Leah Strain who did so back in December.  Clearly, the 4,000 point level (or beyond ...) is within reach! Only 4 players in state history, including Starz 2012 graduate and current Purdue freshman Hayden Hamby, have surpassed the 4,000 point mark. CONGRATS to SHAKAYLA!!

LEAH STRAIN Tops 3,000 Point Total for Career!
Starz Class of 2014 standout PG Leah Strain of #1-ranked 1A-Woodland High School surpassed the 3,000 point total for her high school career on Dec. 4 as she scored 20 pts in the Bobcats 70-49 win over Bowdon (GA) High School.  Leah began the game just 5 points short of this historic mark.  Per AHSAA records, she became the 13th player in state history to reach the 3,000 point total.  Leah did so in the first game of her Junior season which means the 4,000 point level (or beyond ...) is within reach!  Only 4 players in state history, including Starz 2012 graduate and current Purdue freshman Hayden Hamby, have surpassed the 4,000 point mark.  Congrats & GO LEAH!!

 

CHELSEA MASON is A-SUN NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK - AGAIN!!
For the 3rd time this season, former Starz Class of 2012 standout and current D1 Kennesaw State Lady Owl Freshman CHELSEA MASON was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Newcomer of the Week!! In 2 games as a new starter for KSU, Chelsea averaged 14.5 pts and 7.5 rebounds per game, including her first "double-double" as she scored 13 pts and grabbed 11 rebs in a recent game vs Florida Gulf Coast. “It’s a great honor for her,” said KSU Head Coach Nitra Perry of the accomplishment. “For her to get it not once, twice, but three times, just says a lot about the type of player she is. She’s in the gym everyday working hard to improve her game and not only is she an offense threat, but she’s turning into a defensive stopper as well.” Chelsea was a long-time Starz 2012 player, having joined the Starz program when she was 9 years old! CONGRATS to CHELSEA

STARZ Fill up ASWA High School Rankings for 2012-13 in AL!!
In the most recent High School Basketball State Rankings published by the ASWA on January 10, 2013, teams led by more than 30 of our Southern Starz players are highly ranked, including:
6A ... #1 Ranked Sparkman HS (SO Chelsea Robinson, Dee Smith & Alexis Fletcher)
6A ... #2 Ranked Shades Valley HS (SO Alyese Givens)
6A ... #3 Ranked Hoover HS (SR Olivia Adamson & SO Shannan Watkins)
6A ... #5 Ranked Bob Jones HS (JR Nadia Stewart, SO Chloe Long)
6A ... #9 Ranked Mtn Brook HS (JR Collier Ogilvie)
6A ... #7 Ranked Buckhorn HS (JR Janelle Odionu)
6A ... #10 Ranked Huntsville HS (SO NaKeia Burks, Ta'Naisha Hill, & Shaquera Wade)
6A ... #11 Ranked Austin HS (SO Aaliyah Rice; FR Katie Speegle, Tyra Johnson & Alishia Davis)
5A ... #1 Ranked Brewer HS (SO Malerie Drinkard)
5A ... #7 Ranked Sylacauga HS (JR Shakayla Thomas)
5A ... #9 Ranked Carroll (Ozark) HS (JR Oleightra Nance)
4A ... #1 Ranked Oneonta HS (JR Destiney Elliott)
4A ... #5 Ranked Randolph HS (SR Laura VanPeursem)
4A ... #9 Ranked Douglas HS (SR Jacey Scott)
3A ... #3 Ranked Pisgah HS (FR Presley Johnson)
3A ... #5 Ranked Madison Academy (SO Libba Gilliam)
2A ... #1 Ranked Woodland HS (JR Leah Strain & FR Adreona Bowen)
2A ... #7 Ranked Cold Springs HS (SO Caitlyn Hall)
2A ... #5 Ranked Red Bay HS (8th GR Darby Madden)
1A... #5 Ranked R.A. Hubbard HS (SR Alex Gholston)
1A ... #6 Ranked Brantley HS (SO Amanhi Upshaw)

SAMETRIA GIDEON scores her 1,000th POINT for KSU!
Former Starz Class of 2009 and Bob Jones High School standout and current D1 Kennesaw State Lady Owl Senior SAMETRIA GIDEON scored her 1,000th point in a recent game on Nov. 24, 2012 vs Wofford.  “I’m just so excited for her,” said Kennesaw State head coach Nitra Perry. “Nobody deserves it more than she does and I just can’t say enough about what she does for our team and what she brings to this program.”  Sametria becomes the First player to reach the 1,000 pt milestone since KSU moved up to the Division 1 level several years ago.  In addition, Sametria joins former Starz 2009 and Bob Jones HS team-mate Jala Harris of UAB/TN Tech and Starz 2009 team-mate Amber Jones of UAB in reaching the 1,000 pt level during their college careers!  Sametria joined our Starz program when she was in the 7th grade and was a valuable member of our highly successful and nationally-ranked Starz 2009 team!  CONGRATS to SAMETRIA!!

STARZ at 2012 BlueStar College Showcase!
On Satuday & Sunday, Sept. 29 & 30, many of our Class of 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017 Southern Starz players participated in the "Battle in Franklin" and the BlueStar College Showcase held in Franklin, TN at the USBA and A-Game SportsPlex during the NCAA Fall Evaluation weekend.   Our Starz 2014, 2015-Bush, and 2016 teams participated in the Team Event on Saturday & Sunday morning against some of the top travel teams in the Southeast!  Many of the Starz players also participated in the BlueStar Showcase event on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 30. Many college coaches were in attendance for both events.  For more than 25 years BlueStar has been one of the most influential organizations in selecting and advising such publications rankings and listings as found in The Sporting News, USA Today, Gatorade Circle of Champions, and McDonalds All American Team just to name a few. These rankings and evaluations are part of the national BlueStar Report available to college coaches & media across the country.  Starz 2012 graduate and current Tennessee Lady Vol Freshman Jasmine Jones was ranked by BlueStar Basketball as the #18 player in the nation in her Class.   GO STARZ!!

FOES become LASTING FRIENDS as STARZ TEAM MATES!!
Once middle school and high school seasons are complete early each Spring, our Southern Starz program and teams bring together players from across North & Central Alabama, Southern Tennessee, and Mississippi.  When practices commence in March and our players come together in the gym for Starz practices shortly after the high school playoffs end, an interesting phenomenon occurs ... Hoover players team up with players from Bob Jones ... Huntsville players team up with players from Buckhorn & Hazel Green ... players from Johnson with players from Lee ... players from Austin with players from Decatur ... players from Madison Academy with players from West Morgan ... players from Brewer with players from Hartselle ... area foes from Woodland playing with those from Lanett ... and county rivals from Boaz and Albertville join forces!  Such is the case with two of our Starz 7th-Crider team members ... county rivals Baylee Grace Alldredge (Boaz) joined forces with Jordan Norris (Albertville) to help our Starz 7th-Crider Team win their very first AL AAU State Championship and helped lead their Starz team to a Top 20 finish at the 7th Grade AAU Division 1 National Tournament held in Kings Island, OH on July 13-18.  What happens when these former foes come together?  They usually find out that the player they really didn't like very much during school basketball actually is pretty Cool and has the same competitive fire and desire to succeed that they do!!  Check out the "Before" and "After" with Baylee Grace and Jordan!!  GO STARZ!!

STARZ 2012 DUO HAMBY & JONES NAMED PARADE ALL-AMERICANS!!
Southern Starz Class of 2012 graduates Hayden Hamby of 3A-West Morgan High School (and now of Purdue University) and Jasmine Jones of 6A Runner-Up Bob Jones High School (and now of the U of Tennessee Lady Vols) have each received another very prestigious award as they were named to the 2012 Parade All-America Basketball Team!!!   The Parade All-America team has been one of the longest standing and most prestigious awards to high school athletes.  This year's team consists of only 40 of the top players from throughout the United States!  2 of the members of this exclusive group are not only from Alabama ... but North Alabama ... from within 30 miles of each other ... and BOTH are long-time members of our Southern Starz 2012 Team since they were in the 7th Grade!!  Hayden and Jasmine become the FIRST players from the Southern Starz to be named as Parade All-Americans!  Both of these young ladies are currently enrolled in summer school and working out diligently with their new college team mates.  Hayden was named Gatorade Player of the Year and Miss Basketball in Alabama during her Junior year (2010-11) while Jasmine was named Gatorade Player of the Year and Miss Basketball in Alabama during her Senior year 2011-12).  See the entire 2012 Parade All-America Team along with their colleges of choice at:  http://www.parade.com/news/all-america/2012/basketball-team.html?index=5.  CONGRATS to these SUPER STARZ!!! 

STARZ 2013 are CHAMPS Down at The BAYOU!! 
Led by Head Coach Kent Looney, our AL Southern Starz 2013 (11th GR) Team completed an incredible month of July by capturing the CHAMPIONSHIP in the 35-team Bourbon Street Division of Basketball on the Bayou with a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Team Arkansas Elite by the final score of 63-60.  Rising Senior Jacey Scott of Douglas High School sank a 3-point shot from the corner at the final buzzer to provide the game-winner!!  Starz 2013 finished this nationally competitive tourney with a 6-0 record and finished with a record of 17-1 for the month of July 2012!!  Our Starz 2014 Team, led by Head Coach Doug Bush,  finished in 3rd Place in the highly competitive 28-team French Quarter Division after 2 outstanding victories over the very tough Arkansas Mavericks 2014 and AOT 2014 teams in Bracket Play before falling to the eventual Champion Central FL Elite 2014s in the semi-finals.  Our STARZ played in front of 100's of college coaches and scouts down in New Orleans!  See all Results on the Basketball on the Bayou website at:  http://www.roundballacademy.vicid.net/custpage.php?cid=152&teamid=0. 
CONGRATS STARZ!!!

STARZ 11th WIN Division 2 AAU NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!! 
Led by Head Coach Kent Looney, our AL Southern Starz 11th (2013) Team WON the AAU 11th Grade Division 2 National Championship with a dominating 60-32 victory in the Finals over the Louisiana Elite!  Jacey Scott (4A-Douglas High School) started off on Fire as she scored the first 15 points for our Starz as they never looked back in their convincing victory!  In going 7-0 in this tournament, Starz 2013 won all but 1 game by more than 15 points!  Other key contributors included Guards China Leary (6A Runner-Up Bob Jones HS), Kiana Johnson (6A-Northridge of Tuscaloosa HS) and Forwards Olivia Adamson (6A State Champ Hoover HS) and Laura Van Peursem (4A-Randolph School).  Jacey Scott pulled off a rare feat in winning Back-to-Back AAU D2 National Championships as she was a key member of our Starz 2012 National Championship Team 1 year ago!  CONGRATS to STARZ 2013!!

STARZ 10th FINISH 4TH at Division 1 AAU NATIONALS!!! 
Our AL Southern Starz 10th (2014) Team fell short in their run at an AAU National Championship, but they became the FIRST Starz Team to accomplish a Top 4 in the Nation finish TWO TIMES, doing so in back-to-back years in 2012 and 2011!!  Starz 2014 suffered a tough loss in the Final 4 in a rematch vs the NY Gauchos NIKE 2014 Team.  Starz 2014 defeated the Gauchos by 53-43 in Pool Play and led at halftime of the rematch by 35-30.  Foul trouble and Injuries and a worthy opponent proved to be a tough combination as the Starz fell in the end by a score of 76-65.  The NY Gauchos went on to WIN the AAU National Championship!  In the 3rd/4th Place Game, our Starz 2014 got off to a very slow start and came back to take a 1 pt lead with 3 secs to go.  An untimely foul call resulted in 2 made FTs by the other team, and Starz 2014 fell to the Drills for Skills Wildcats from Pittsburgh PA by 61-60 in a heartbreaker to finish in 4th Place in the Nation!  CONGRATS to STARZ 2014!!

Starz 7th GR-Crider finish in Top 20 at AAU Nationals!
Led by Head Coach Tony Crider, our AL AAU State Champion Southerrn Starz 7th Grade-Crider team finished tied for 17th in the Nation at the 68-team AAU D1 Nationals held on July 13-18 in Kings Island, OH (near Cincinnati).  Our Starz 7th-Crider Team finished 2-1 in Pool Play with their only loss to the #2 Seed and eventual #6 finisher Missouri Valley Magic.   Starz 7th-Crider advanced to the Championship Bracket of 34 1st and 2nd Place teams from Pool Play.  In game 1 of Bracket Play, Starz 7th-Crider lost a tough, close game by 42-39 to the Dayton Lady Hoopstars.  Our Starz 7th bounced back to defeat the Cy Fair (TX) NIKE Elite Team by the score of 49-47 in a hard fought contest.  Finally, our Starz 7th Team was eliminated from the tournament with a 2nd loss to the Dayton Lady Hoopstars.  A Top 20 Finish in the Nation in their very First Trip to the AAU National Championships is a GREAT Accomplishment for this team!  CONGRATS STARZ 7TH-CRIDER!!!
Complete Tourney Results can be found at:  http://aaugirlsbasketball.org/Results/NationalChps.aspx.

STARZ 9th-Gilliam finish 9th at AAU D2 Nationals!!
Our AL Southern Starz 9th-Gilliam (2015) Team, led by Head Coach Fred Gilliam, finished in 9th Place of 40 Teams at the AAU D2 National Championships held on July 5-10 in Orlando, FL at ESPN/Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex and other sites in the area.  Our Starz 9th-Gilliam Team began the tournament by going 2-1 and finishing Second in Pool R.  Starz 5th began Bracket Play with a 34-25 victory over the Florida Alllout AllStarz to advance to the Sweet 16.  Starz 9th-Gilliam then suffered a loss to the Louisiana Diamond Elite who went on to Win the Championship!  Starz 9th rebounded in the Consolation Bracket to go 3-0 in their final 3 games to finish 9th in the tournament!  CONGRATS to STARZ 9TH-GILLIAM!!!

STARZ 5th finish 8th at AAU D2 Nationals!!
Our AL Southern Starz 5th Grade (2019) Team, led by Head Coach Deborah Garner, finished in 8th Place at the AAU D2 National Championships held on June 24-29 in Franklin (Nashville), TN!!  Our Starz 5th GR Team began the tournament by going 3-0 and finishing First in Pool C.  Starz 5th began Bracket Play with a 31-29 victory over the Fairfax Stars-Ellison team to advance to the Elite 8.  Starz 5th then suffered a loss to the Ponchatoula (LA) Hurricanes who went on to Win the Championship!  Starz 5th dropped their final 2 games in the Elite 8 to finish 8th in the tournament!  CONGRATS to STARZ 5TH!!!

COACH BUSH on Staff at BAYLOR Elite Camp 2012!
Starz Director & Coach Doug Bush served on the Coaching & Instructional Staff at the Baylor University's Elite Camp which was held in Waco, Texas at Meyer Arena, home of the Lady Bears on June 10-11.  Shakayla Thomas of our nationally-ranked Starz 2014 Team proved to be one of the top players at this Camp which included talented players from Texas and across the nation.  The Camp Staff included the members of the 2012 National Champion Baylor Women's Basketball Coaching Staff (including 2-Time National Champion Head Coach Kim Mulkey), current Baylor players, former players, various High School and AAU Coaches.  Both Shakayla and Coach Bush had an enjoyable experience interacting with Coach Mulkey, Baylor's basketball staff, and Baylor players, including All-American and College Player of the Year Brittney Griner!  CONGRATS! 

Brittney Griner & Shakayla Thomas!	Coach Mulkey & Coach Bush!

STARZ 10TH WINS ESPN HS SHOWCASE in ORLANDO!!!
Our nationally-ranked Southern Starz 2014 team WON the CHAMPIONSHIP in the 8-team invitation-only ESPN HS Girls' Basketball Showcase on June 1-3 at ESPN/Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL.  This is the 2nd SHOWCASE CHAMPIONSHIP won by our Starz 2014 team in the past 12 months on Center Court at Disney's WWOS Complex.  Starz 2014 defeated the Florida Angels by a score of 53-45 in the Championship Game which was televised LIVE and the Game Replay can be found on ESPN3.Com at:    http://espn.go.com/watchespn/player/_/source/espn3/id/503940/size/condensed/.  Starz 2014 won Pool A with a 3-0 record and was a perfect 5-0 in this event.  Our nationally-ranked Starz 2015-Bush team competed in the 9th Grade Division which included 16 of the top elite teams in the nation.  After beginning with a tough OT loss in their first Pool Play game, Starz 2015-Bush bounced back to upset the nationally-ranked Cy Fair NIKE Elite (formerly Texas Biddy) Team to finish #2 in their Pool and advance to the Championship Bracket of 8 teams.  Starz 2015-Bush fell short to the NY Gauchos in Bracket play to finished in a tie for 5th.  Cy Fair NIKE Elite went on the win the Championship over the NY Gauchos with their only loss being by a score of 37-34 to our Starz 2015-Bush team! The USA U17 & U18 Women's National Teams were practicing and played exhibition games against Brazil.  Starz players will got to participate in a Meet & Greet / Pizza Party with members of both USA Teams.  Top National Scouting Services were also be on hand to evaluate players, including ESPN HoopGurlz, All-Star Girls' Report, BlueStar Basketball, and Balln PrepGirls.  You can find the complete Game Results at:  http://www.scorbot.com/Games.aspx?tid=58.   CONGRATS STARZ 2014 & 2015-Bush!!

STARZ 2014 are on Front Page of ESPN-HoopGurlz at:  http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/ along with in-action game photos!!

Click on picture to view larger picture

STARZ 8th Grade team play in honor of guards father, David Bagget!
The AL Southern Starz 8th gradeplayed in  the SouthEast Challenge (June 1-3, 2012). The team played in honor of their guard Madison Baggett's father, David Bagget, who was able to attend the last game he would see his daughter and the STARZ play before his deployment to Afghanistan. After the game, the girls presented David with a pink Championship tee shirt signed by all of the 8th grade Starz and parents. To top it all off, the Starz 8th grade took 1st place.   Way to go STARZ!!!

 

STARZ are AAU STATE CHAMPS in 3 Divisions!!  (7th, 8th & 9th)
Nine (9) of our Southern Starz teams participated in the AL AAU State Tournament the weekend of May 25-27 on the campus of Samford University and at Homewood Middle School in Birmingham, AL!  Our Starz 7th-Crider, 8th, & 9th-Bush, Grade Teams finished as AL AAU State Champs in their respective Age Divisions while our Starz 10th team finished 2nd, our Starz 11th, Starz 7th-Gaston & Starz 5th teams finished 3rd.  All our Starz teams competed at a high level!  Our Starz 8th grade team won a fierce battle by the score of 58-57 against the Mobile Comets in the Finals after having beaten the same team in Pool Play and back in April in Overtime in each game!  Our Starz 9th-Bush team won their second consecutive AL AAU State Championship with a 49-44 victory over the Alabama Shockerz whom they beat for the title last year and back in April in our own AAU SRT Championship Game.  Our Starz 7th-Crider team wore down the Alabama Twisters 7th in the Finals to win by a score of 50-29 to capture their very first AL AAU State Championship!   Our Starz 10th Team advanced to their Championship Game and fell short by a score of 66-55 to the Alabama Tar Heels.  Our Starz 11th, Starz 7th-Gaston and Starz 5th Grade Teams all finished 3rd while our Starz 6th Grade Team finished 4th in their age groups.  CONGRATS to ALL our STARZ TEAMS!

7th Grade State Champs!

8th Grade State Champs!

9th Grade State Champs!

STARZ 4TH GRADE TEAM is GROWING UP FAST!
Our youngest Starz team for 2012 is our newly formed Southern Starz 4th Grade Team (Class of 2020) which is coached by current Starz Senior (Class of 2012) Martin Methodist signee Nina Mills of 4A-Good Hope High School.   Starz 4th is made up of 10 young ladies, including 2 younger sisters of current older Starz players.  They have a current record of 9-4, playing 4th and 5th Grade Teams.  On the weekend of April 25-27, Starz 4th played in the AAU Super Regional Tournament in Franklin, TN and qualified for the AAU National Tournament by reaching the Championship Game, only to fall short in a heart-breaking last second 29-27 loss to the host Tennessee A-Game 4th Grade Team.  Our Starz led the entire game until the final seconds.  This weekend, on May 11-12, our Starz 4th participated in the PINK ZONE event in Birmingham and finished with a record of 2-1, falling short Friday night to the AL Twisters, but coming back to win their 2 games on Saturday in convincing fashion.  Starz 4th will join each of our other Starz teams at the AL AAU State Tournament in Birmingham at Samford University on May 25-27.  CONGRATS & GOOD LUCK to Starz 4TH!

STARZ SIGNEES for CLASS of 2012 set RECORD!
As our Southern Starz Class of 2012 prepares for their high school graduations in 2 weeks, many of these same young ladies will move on to pursue their education in college while continuing to play basketball ... on Scholarship!  To date ... a Starz Record 20 players from our Class of 2012 will accept college basketball scholarships to take their talents to the next level!  Recent college signees include:  Ayanna McCullough of 5A-Russellville High with Stillman College (D2) in Tuscaloosa, AL ... Mary Ellen Williams of Baylor School (Chattanooga TN) with DePauw University (D3) in Greencastle, IN ... Hope Benefield of 2A-Ider High School with Wallace St CC in Hanceville, AL ... DeAsha Campbell of 6A-Bob Jones HS with Florida State CC in Jacksonville, AL ... Amber Elliott of 5A-Russellville, AL with Shelton State CC in Tuscaloosa, AL ... Regotta Craig of 6A-Hoover High with Shelton State CC in Tuscaloosa, AL ... Rayshell Harris of 5A-JO Johnson HS with Southern Alabama CC in Thomasville, AL, Taylor Adams of 2A-Section HS with Gadsden State CC in Gadsden, AL ... and, Collin Nichols of 5A-Madison County HS will play Volleyball at Gadsden State CC.  See the entire listing of Starz Signees for 2012 and prior at:  http://www.southernstarz.org/college.htm.  CONGRATS!!

NIKE SKILLS ACADEMY - STARZ 2015 PLAYER KRISTIAN HUDSON!
Southern Starz Freshman, Kristian Hudson of our Starz 2015-Bush Team and 6A-Clay Chalkville High School participated at the NIKE Skills Academy on the weekend of April 28-29 in Atlanta, GA.  Kristian was one of only 4 players from the State of Alabama to be invited to this exclusive event which included top players from all across the Southeast.  Also present were national scouting services.  Members of the WNBA Atlanta Dream were also on-hand.  Kristian enjoyed the instruction, competition and 2 days of intense basketball!  CONGRATS to Kristian!

 

 

STARZ TEAMS SHOW STRONG at DEEP SOUTH CLASSIC 2012!!
On the NCAA Spring viewing weekend of April 20-22, 3 of our high school age Southern Starz teams traveled to Raleigh-Durham, NC to participate in the prestigious Deep South Classic held at various sites in the area.  Our 3 teams combined for a record of 8-4 while playing UP against very strong competition and while playing in front of hundreds of college coaches!!  Our Starz 9th Grade-Bush Team (14U) finished 5th of the 16 teams in the 14U-National Division with a record of 3-1 ... their only loss was by 4 pts to the eventual 3rd Place finisher (Domino's of New Orleans).  Our Starz 10th Grade Team (15U) won the Consolation Championship in the 16-team 16U-National Division (Bracket A).  After losing a tough opening game by 7 points, our Starz 10th Graders won their final 3 games in convincing fashion to finish with a record of 3-1.  Our Starz 11th Grade (Looney) team finished Runner-Up in the Consolation Bracket of the 16-team 17U-National Division (Bracket B) with a record of 2-2.  11th-Looney lost by 3 pts in the Consolation Championship on Sunday. At each Starz game, numerous college coaches were in attendance watching our players!  CONGRATS to ALL!

STARZ 9th & 10th TEAMS are AAU SUPER REGIONAL CHAMPS!!
In our very own 11th Annual AAU Super Regional Tournament hosted by our Southern Starz in Huntsville, AL on April 13-15 at Huntsville High, Madison Academy, and Bob Jones HS, our Starz 2015-Bush Team won the 9th Grade Division with a hard fought victory in the Championship Game over the Alabama Shockerz by the score of 41-39.  Our Starz trailed by 22-14 at halftime before coming back strong in the 2nd half with a great Defensive performance.  Our Starz 2014 Team cruised through the entire tournament which ended with a 82-47 victory over the North AL Blast in the Championship Game.  Our Starz 7th-Crider Team finished Runner-Up in the 7th Grade Division with a tough 60-57 loss to the nationally-ranked Kentucky Blast 7th Grade Team.  Starz 7th-Crider was 4-0 in Pool Play, including a victory in OT over this same Kentucky Blast team.  Each of these 3 teams qualified for the AAU D1 National Championships to be held this Summer.  CONGRATS to ALL our STARZ!!!

SOUTHERN STARZ SRT
THANKS for your participation in our 11th Annual AAU SRT in Huntsville AL last weekend!!  We had some great competition ... including a 4 OT Thriller in the 8th Grade Division!!  Age Group Champs were as follows:

6th Grade:    Kentucky Blast    Runner-Up:  Madison County Lady Eagles
7th Grade:    Kentucky Blast    Runner-Up:    AL Southern Starz
8th Grade:    Kentucky Blast    Runner-Up:    Mobile Comets
9th Grade:    AL Southern Starz    Runner-Up:    Alabama Shockerz
10th Grade:  AL Southern Starz    Runner-Up:    North AL Blast
11th Grade:  NMB Hoop Dreams-BLUE    Runner-Up:    Kentucky Blast 

ALL Champs & Runner-Ups qualified for AAU Division 1 Nationals!  In addition, the 3rd Place finishers in the 9th Grade Division (TN A-Game) and the 10th Grade Division also qualified for D1 due to the # of teams.  All other teams qualified for the Division 2 AAU Nationals

STARZ DOMINATE 5 of 6 STATE POYs & MISS BASKETBALL!      
At the annual Player of the Year luncheon in Montgomery, AL  on Wednesday, April 11 sponsored by the AHSAA, 9 Starz players were among the 18 finalists in each of the 6 Classifications (1A-6A) who were vying for the Player of the Year award for 2011-12.   Starz Director/Coach Doug Bush was present at the luncheon as Starz players were awarded Player of the Year in 5 of the 6 classifications by the ASWA as follows:  Alex Gholston (JR) of 1A State semi-finalist R.A Hubbard won for the 2nd year in a row ...Taylor Adams (SR) of 2A State Champion Section ... Hayden Hamby (SR) of 3A West Morgan won for the 3rd year in a row ... Shakayla Thomas (SO) of 5A Sylacauga ... and Jasmine Jones of 6A State Runner-Up Bob Jones won for the 2nd year in a row.  U of Tennessee signee JASMINE JONES was then named as MISS BASKETBALL to add to her Gatorade Player of the Year award.  Jasmine becomes the 3rd Starz player in the past 4 years to win Miss Basketball, following her Starz teammate & Purdue signee Hayden Hamby last year and Jala Harris in 2009.  CONGRATS to our STARZ!!

Shakayla Thomas and Leah Strain

Alex Gholston

3 STARZ in SUPER 5 in STATE OF ALABAMA for 2011-12!      
At the annual Player of the Year luncheon in Montgomery, AL  on Wednesday, April 11 sponsored by the AHSAA, 3 Starz players were named to the SUPER 5 All-State Team for 2011-12 as follows:  Tennessee Signee Jasmine Jones (SR) of 6A-Bob Jones, Purdue signee Hayden Hamby (SR) of 3A-West Morgan High School, and Shakayla Thomas (SOPH) of 5A-Sylacauga High School.  This is the 2nd consecutive year for Jasmine & Hayden to be named to the Super 5 team.  CONGRATS to our SUPER STARZ!! 

STARZ 2015's (9TH GR) ARE CHAMPIONS in MURFREESBORO!      
Our Southern Starz 2015-Bush (9th Grade) Team battled back from a tough 1-point loss on Friday night in their opening game on Friday night to WIN the CHAMPIONSHIP of the 9th Grade Division of the annual Showtime Shootout in Murfreesboro, TN held on March 30-April 1.  Our Starz 2015-Bush team won 2 games on Saturday to capture 1st Place in Pool B and then went on to win their semi-final game on Sunday morning over our own Starz 2015-Gilliam team who finished 2nd in Pool A.  Starz 2015-Bush defeated the Tennessee Flight 9th-Navy Team in the finals by a score of 40-36.  Our Starz 11th, 10th, 8th, and 7th (both teams) fared very well in their first big tournaments of the new season.  Starz 11th lost in the Quarter-finals, Starz 10th lost in the semi-finals playing UP in the 11th Grade Division, Starz 8th and 7th-Crider (Pool Champs) both lost in the semi-finals of their respective age divisions.  CONGRATS to OUR STARZ!!!!

STARZ SOPH SHAKAYLA THOMAS TOPS 2,000 POINTS ...      
Starz Sophomore and recently named Class 5A 1st Team All-State player, Shakayla Thomas (Class of 2014) a 5'11" Forward for Sylacauga High School surpassed the 2,000 point total during the latter portion of her recent high school season.  Shakayla has 2 seasons to go in her high school career before she takes her talents on to college.  She is currently ranked as the #8 player in the Class of 2014 by All-Star Girls's Report (see  http://asgr.info/).  She helped lead our Starz 2014 Team to a 4th Place finish at the AAU 9th Grade National Tournament in July 2011 in Orlando, FL followed by a 1st Place Championship in the AAU 9th Grade Super Showcase in Orlando, FL. CONGRATS to Shakayla!!  

SIX (6) STARZ on ALABAMA VS MISSISSIPPI ALL-STAR SQUAD!
SIX (6) of our Southern Starz Class of 2012 (current Seniors) have been selected for the Alabama All-Star Team in the annual Alabama vs Mississippi All-Star Game to be held in Montgomery, AL on Friday, March 16 at 5:00pm at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome on the campus of AL State University.   Starz Seniors Jasmine Jones (Tennessee signee & AL Gatorade Player of the Year) & Tierra Jones (Tulane signee) of 6A State Runner-Up Bob Jones HS,  Hayden Hamby (Purdue signee) of 3A-West Morgan HS, Lydia McGee (Samford signee) of 3A-Madison Academy, Tiarra Pollnitz (Southern Miss signee) of 6A-Shades Valley HS, and Taylor Adams (State 2A MVP) of 2A State Champion Section HS will make up 1/2 of the 12-member state-wide Alabama Team selected for this annual event.  The Alabama ladies hold a slim 11-10 edge in this series.  CONGRATS to our ALL STARZ!!

STARZ ADAMS & MCCARVER at SECTION are 2A STATE CHAMPS! 
Starz Senior Taylor Adams  (Class of 2012) and Starz Sophomore Jordan McCarver (Class of 2014) played key roles in leading #2-ranked Section Lady Lions to the 2A State Championship with a hard fought 54-49 win over Red Bay!  Adams was named State Finals MVP as she led her team with 20 points & 11 rebounds.  McCarver was also named to the All-Tournament Team as was former Starz 2013 player Hannah Presley of Section.   Congrats also to Starz Senior Regotta Craig (Class of 2012) and Starz Junior Olivia Adamson (Class of 2013) of Hoover High School as they captured the 6A State Championship with their 44-26 victory over #1-ranked 6A Bob Jones.  Starz Seniors Jasmine Jones and Tierra Jones of 6A Runner-Up Bob Jones were named to the All-Tournament Team. Starz Senior Lydia McGee of 3A-Madison Academy was named to the All-Tourney Team.  Starz Juniors Alex Hubbard of 1A Runner-Up R.A. Hubbard and Nina Mills of 4A-Good Hope were also named to the All-Tourney Team.  Congrats to Starz Freshman Malerie Drinkard who helped her Brewer Lady Patriots to the Class 5A State Championship!  CONGRATS to our STARZ!!

VEE YOUNG Honored at Women's Basketball Hall of Fame!
Former Southern Starz Class of 2008 and current NAIA All-American at Martin Methodist College (Pulaski, TN) Vee Young has been honored with a dream come true - her jersey has been placed on display in the Ring of Honor at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, TN in recognition of her outstanding play during the 2010-11 season!  Vee averaged 20 points & 9 rebounds per game for her home-town Red Hawks as she was honored with Third-Team NAIA All-American status.  The Ring of Honor is an Exhibit at the Hall of Fame where the nation's top players from every level are honored.  Vee Young began her college career at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, TN for two years and has 1 year remaining at Martin Methodist.  See Vee in action on Saturday, Nov. 5 as her Red Hawks from Martin Methodist come to Huntsville, AL to face the Bulldogs of AL A&M at 4:00pm!  CONGRATS to VEE!!

STARZ PLAYERS SHOWCASE TALENTS at FILA JUNIORS!
On July 27-30, 4 of our Southern Starz Teams displayed their talents and performed at a high level in front of 100's of College Coaches & Scouts in the highly competitive FILA JUNIORS by Michael T. White held at the Basketball Academy in Louisville, KY.   Our Starz 2012-Bush team competed in the 24-team 17U-National Division of this event which included some of the very top Elite club teams & top ranked players from across the country such as AZ Warriors (Champ), Chicago Lady Fire (Runner-Up), Ohio Lady Attack (3rd, AAU Champs, AAU Showcase Champs), Kentucky Premier, Peak Performance (GA), Cal Sparks, Jacksonville (FL) Lady Rams, Tree of Hope (WA), etc.  Our Starz opened with a tough loss to Tree of Hope before rebounding with 3 consecutive wins and closed with a tough loss to the Kentucky Premier to finish at 3-2.  Due to conflicts with volleyball, etc. our Starz 2012-Looney/2013-Looney teams combined to participate in the 17U-Signature Division of this event.  Starz 2012/2013 finished 4-1 in this event and closed with a hard fought 65-60 win over the Derek Smith (KY) All-Starz 17U team to finish in 9th Place in their 24-team Division.  Starz 2014 (9th Grade) was short-handed and participated in the 24-team 16U-National Division.  Starz 2014 won their first 2 games before a very tough 1-point loss to the Dayton Lady Hoopstars 2013 (15U) team.  Starz 2014 finished at 3-2 and in 5th Place in their Division.  Starz 2015 (8th Grade) also participated in the 24-team 16U-National Division, mostly playing UP against much older competition.  Starz 2015 also finished at 3-2, including a big 43-40 victory over the Chicago Lady Fire 2015 team featuring their twin (6-4) towers and highly ranked guard.  Starz 2015 closed with a tough 56-52 loss to the St. Augustine Celtics 2013 team (2 yrs older) to finish 10th in their 24-team Division.  Overall our Starz teams finished with a record of 13-7 in this highly competitive event!!!  This event officially ends the NCAA College Evaluation period of July and our Starz season which began back in March.  CONGRATS to ALL STARZ!!

STARZ are AAU STATE CHAMPS in 3 Divisions!!  (8th, 9th & 10th)
Seven (7) of our Southern Starz teams participated in the AL AAU State Tournament the weekend of May 27-29 on the campus of Samford University in Birmingham, AL!  Our Starz 8th, 9th, & 10th, Grade Teams finished as AL AAU State Champs in their respective Age Divisions while our Starz 11th-Bush team finished 2nd, our Starz 11th-Looney team finished 3rd, and our Starz 6th Grade Team finished 3rd.  All our Starz teams competed at a high level!  Our Starz 8th grade team won a fierce battle by the score of 56-50 with their rival AL Twister 8th Grade Team in the semi-finals before pulling away from the AL Shockerz 8th Grade Team by a score of 43-32 in the Championship Game!  Our Starz 9th grade team avenged an earlier loss in Pool Play by defeating the Alabama Tar Heels by the score of 89-81 in their Championship Game!  Our Starz 10th Grade Team defeated the N. AL Twisters by the score of 63-50 in the semi-finals before pulling out a 72-66 victory over the AL Twisters Elite 10th Grade Team in their Championship Game!  Our Starz 11th-Bush Team advanced to their Championship Game and fell short by a score of 74-66 to their long-time rivals, the AL Twisters Elite.  Our Starz 6th Grade team suffered a very tough and close loss by 26-22 to their cross-town rivals the Lady Panthers in the semifinals before coming back with a convincing 52-29 win over another cross-town rival the MCAS Lady Bucks in the 3rd Place Game.  CONGRATS to ALL our STARZ TEAMS!

2006 Starz 14u finish 2nd at AAU Nationals!!
Our Southern Starz 14u team (girls born during 1991) finished as the #2 team in the nation at the AAU National Championship Tournament held in Lafayette, LA on July 23-31, 2006.  Read more on their team news page!

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Last Updated ---  11/22/2013