Somewhere along the line, the world seems to have forgotten that the game of basketball was invented here in Massachusetts. We know the game and have seen it morph into the game we see today. A lot of the spotlight goes to showcase dunking, or deep three point shooting and I get it. I'm guilty. I love watching that too. When I'm watching the game, the sound of the crowd amps me up. I love watching emotions. When I use the word "intangibles", that's what I'm keeping an eye out for. How well they play together and how well they know where each other is going to be on the court. I pay attention to how they react when up, and how they react when down. How they react after being coached. Now this team here...The South High Lady Colonel's Journey has changed my brain. Changed my way of thinking. I'm going to shoot straight here. I never watched 1 second of women's basketball before last year. Let alone high school girl's basketball. I just always deemed it slower than the mens pace because of the scoring, but from game 1 of last season, The South High Girl's have completely connected the basketball dots for me via Coach Diago McClain. This is a different brand of basketball.
So Diago McClain and his family have been basketball hierarchy since I've been alive here in Worcester. I mean, he grew up watching his brother Dwayne McClain make it to the NBA via Villanova University where he won a national championship and ultimately recorded a solid overseas career.
Coach McClain's life has been surrounded by the game since he can remember. The foundation of his success started with who he surrounded himself. Successful, smart, hard working coaches/role models like JP Ricciardi and the staff at The Legendary Friendly House. The Friendly House in the 80's/90's was home to alot of us back then. I'm surprised there hasn't been a national story about the roots of that place and how it was a building block for alot of the guys that are currently pillars of the community like Diago McClain and DeMarr Langford. They care about the well being of the kids in their community. The future. And they both found a way to do it using the game they love. The game they are teaching to two very successfu basketball programs in the 508 right now.
So my journey began last year wth the South High Lady Colonels. Grace O'Gara. Tamia Nunes. The very first game I watched and my jaw has been dropped ever since. First of all, Tamia and Grace were the top two players in high school basketball around laat season. Now at that point, I knew Diago's success as a player. I knew he was building a serious program with the Sting, but I had never seen or studied his coaching. I didn't exactly know the deal with girls high school basketball around here other than Notre Dame was good at everything. We were crushing teams and I just figured ok, let's see if this is competition the they talk about. When they rolled them over I knew this was dfferent. This wasn't a Phil Jackson coach scenario where he just happened to have the best two players. They all could shoot and did. Tamia was our center and she was draining three's. They all had talent. That's all great but what really stood out. They all played suffocating defense. Like, I am beside myself with the way stats are recorded here in the city. Last season had to be the record for the most team steals in the history of the game. I stand behind that. By now, it's no secret what wins. Hard Work, Chemistry, Heart, Defense, Awareness. No where in there did I say shooting or anykind of dunking, flashy highlights or anything. They play the game the correct way and they play it hard. This is not a comparison to last year's team. The 2022-23 Lady Colonels now have their own identity. Totally different team with the same fundamental mindset! Here's my midseason review.
PG Jaizzy Santiago - An absolute star. People will wonder why they didn't take notice to her earlier. Does everything on the court exceptionally well. A born leader. Can shoot from deep. Can get to the hoop easily. Phenomenal passer in tough situations. Incredible ball handler. Elite defender. Tough attitude on the court, always in control. Court Vision 10/10
SG Ari Gonzalez - THREE POINT SPECIALIST. Ari is the sole reason I added the splash soundbytes to my videos. Quick, Accurate release from three. Quick hands on defense. Leader on the court. Smart passer.
SG/SF Jaiyla Colon - Another superstar in the making. This is your worst nightmare on defense. One of a kind defender. Elite doesn't even begin to describe. Selfless teammate. Heart 10/10. Passes well. Basically Velcro Defender. Elite teammate. Everywhere on the court. Intangibles 10/10. Every championship team Ive ever in any sport watched had this player.
SG/SF Naima Bleou - Natural scorer. Natural basketball player. Good handle, great rebounder. Gets to the hoop with ease. Textbook jumper. Humble killer. Passes well. Hustle 10/10. Has a 6th gear recovering on defense.
PF/C Bryan Bascones - The Backbone. The Fundamental. Ms Consistent. The scariest thing about this team is the youth. Bryan is a sophmore with a ton of freshman experience. Started her varsity career at Main South in 7th grade. I believe ts all coming together this year for her to compete for player of the year. All she does it pound the boards offensive and defensive. She scores consistently with fundamentally powerfull moves under the hoop. Hustle 10/10. Selfless. Hardworker. Great passer, quick reactor. Always knows where she is on the court. Offensve rebounding is prob the best Ive seen live. Facing opponents bigger and stronger consistently working. Basketball IQ beyond her years. Playing big in big games. 26/20 statline in the Chamionship Tourney game against Dracut High who ws 6th ranked team in Mass Div. 2. A Sophmore pfft. Won and deserved the MVP of the tournament this year.
PG/SG Destiny Alce - Just a ferocious defender. Freshman. Will be a star. Way to fast. Accurate three point shooter. Can get to the hoop fast. Came on strong and came up big recently and is blazing her path quickly. Should have a strong role the rest of the way.
PG/SG Ava McCollum - Strong defender. Can shoot the lights out and did these last few games. Another youngster coming up strong. Passes well, great attitude. Ava and Destiny provide a fresh, scary back court behind Jaiyla and Jaizzy.
SG Gabby Wasawieczs - Natural scorer. Completely fearless. Quick fast defender. Deadly accurate three point shooter.
SG/SF Sam Gomes - Natural scorer. Leader. Great rebounder and passer. Phenomenal ball handler. Jumpshot is textbook. Will be the feature piece of this team when her time comes.
PF/C Maddie Lemoine - Big off the bench. Plays tough D in the middle. Deadly outside shooter when set. Great rebounder and rim protector. Big piece of this team for years to come.
SF/PF Emma Houlihan - Great passer. High basketball IQ. Tough defender. Heart. Phenomenal teammate. Her time will come.
So this is just my assessment at 10-0. This team is setup for another deep playoff run. They can compete with anyone. I tell people this all the time. This team will win a championship. This is absolutely a dynasty. Just from what I've seen from the JV team, and the youth of this team. The pipeline of stars that are about to come out of South High School is overwheming. The local colleges should take notice. Would love to see these kids play around here for a long time to come. Basketball was invented here. And the stigma that we dont have the talent in this city or state for that matter to compete at high level colleges or pros can finally be removed. Between the Langford Boys at BC, Kayvaun Mulready committing to Providence..Grace O'Gara receiving a scholarship offer from Goldy Beacom. We are set to see an explosion of talent from the 508. North High and The South High Lady Colonel's are on a path to state championships I believe. 2 in one year for Worcester? Pay close attention!!! Wooooooooooooooooooo!
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