Latest news with #Girls'BasketballPlayeroftheYear
USA Today
29-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Iowa women's basketball contending for UCF transfer portal wing
Iowa women's basketball contending for UCF transfer portal wing Iowa women's basketball is one of a trio of schools that have emerged as reported contenders for UCF transfer guard and forward Emely Rodriguez. Prep Girls Hoops lead scout and women's basketball insider EJ Arocho reported that Iowa joins Indiana and Oklahoma as one of three schools that have emerged as serious contenders to potentially land the UCF transfer. Rodriguez just completed her freshman season at UCF where she averaged 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 40.9% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and 75.3% from the free-throw line. Despite missing five games with injury, Rodriguez notched 16 double-figure scoring games, including a career-high 21 against Iowa State on Feb. 25. The 6-foot wing registered a double-double against Montana State and collected five or more rebounds in 17 contests. Rodriguez was named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team. Originally from La Romana in the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez came to the United States in 2021 to chase her basketball dream. Rodriguez was recognized as the Miami Herald's Miami-Dade County Girls' Basketball Player of the Year for Classes 4A-2A in March of 2023 when she averaged 26.5 points per game and led Horeb Christian with 15.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Then, Rodriguez joined Central Pointe Academy for her senior season and helped lead her team to bring home the SIAA State Championship and the NISAA Championship. Rodriguez received offers from UConn, South Carolina and Florida State before signing with UCF. Iowa has already signed one player via the transfer portal, former Georgia Tech point guard Chazadi "Chit Chat" Wright. A 5-foot-4 guard from Atlanta, Georgia, Wright appeared in all 33 games and started 12 with the Yellow Jackets, averaging 7.2 points, 2.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 37.1% from the field, 32.3% from 3-point range and 88.6% from the free-throw line. Wright was a four-star signee in the 2024 class for Georgia Tech. According to ESPN, Wright was the nation's No. 49 player overall and its No. 12 point guard. The Hawkeyes signed guards Addie Deal and Journey Houston in their 2025 class and return Taylor McCabe, Kylie Feuerbach, Teagan Mallegni and Taylor Stremlow in their backcourt. Here's a look at some of Rodriguez's highlights versus Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament: Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
Miami Herald
10-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
SLAM Miami's Jim'Miyah Branton is the Dade Girls' Basketball 4A-1A Player of the Year
The girls' basketball program at SLAM Miami has been on the rise the past few seasons and earned back-to-back trips to the state final four. Senior guard Jim'Miyah Branton was at the heart of those efforts. Branton, a 5-7 point guard who has signed with Austin Peay State University, once again proved herself to be one of the most versatile players in the county this season while leading the Titans to the Class 3A state semifinals. Branton's efforts earned her the Miami Herald's Class 4A-1A Girls' Basketball Player of the Year honors. This season, Branton averaged 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals per game to lead SLAM to its second consecutive regional championship. 'I had been planning to accomplish things like winning Player of the Year since I was little,' Branton said. 'I have to take that same work aspect into college because that will be a harder level. If I want to be great, I have to take everything with me and be level-headed.' Branton, who will graduate next month with advanced coursework and plans to study sports medicine, said she improved this season in two different ways. She became a better shooter and decision-maker on the court, which led the Titans to crucial wins down the stretch of the season. And she said she learned how to become a better leader, a quality she hopes to carry with her to the next level. During her time at SLAM, Branton was a key part of the Titans' development from a sub-.500 program to a consistent state title contender. While that effort fell short this season following a 65-52 loss to Sarasota Cardinal Mooney in the Class 3A state semifinals, Branton helped establish a foundation for future success at the school. 'I feel like I'm going to be the same player I was in high school,' Branton said. 'I'm going to prove a point and show everyone in the college world what I can do.'
Miami Herald
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
American Heritage's Jasleen Green is the Broward 4A-1A Girls' Basketball Player of the Year
Jasleen Green was already a talented player when it came to her skills at both ends of the floor. But Green, a 5-9 junior combo guard on American Heritage's girls' basketball team, has evolved into a leader for one of the best programs in the country. That combination led to a stellar season for Green and another state championship game appearance for American Heritage, which extended its state record run to nine consecutive seasons making the final round. Green's efforts earned her this year's Miami Herald Broward County Girls' Basketball Player of the Year honors for Classes 4A-1A. Green averaged 18.9 points, 3.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game and has attracted the attention of several Division-I programs heading into her senior season, including UCF, Clemson, FIU and FAU. 'I just feel like I got better as a player and became more of a leader,' Green said. 'My goal is to get better every year and I just polished everything I wanted to do.' Green gradually stepped into that leadership role over the past two seasons after the graduation of former Heritage star and high school All-American Ta'Niya Latson. It's something Green takes pride in. And it's why the emotional distress that followed the physical pain that forced Green to watch from the bench during the most important stretch of the season hurt so much. A severe cramp in her right leg sent Green to the bench for an extended stretch in the closing minutes of a 67-57 state championship game loss to Melbourne Palm Bay and ended up stopping the Patriots from claiming a seventh state title in eight seasons. 'It was a bad cramp and I couldn't walk on it. I had to get out,' Green said while holding back tears after the state loss. It's not the first time Green and American Heritage have dealt with the pain of a loss in the state finals. As a freshman, Green and the Patriots lost by one point in the final to Daytona Beach Mainland. They returned stronger during her sophomore season and claimed their school's sixth state title. Will Green and Heritage do something similar next season? 'Even though we didn't finish how we wanted, I'm proud of all my teammates,' Green said. 'That loss is gonna drive us all to work harder for next year.'
