sb tournament of champions--girls

We'll be the first to admit that we don't know much about the girls' game. But if there's a tournament anywhere that's close to being considered a National Championship for girls' high school basketball, this is it. Forget March Madness, this is December Dementia.

But this year, it's pretty hard, even for someone as clueless as we are about girls' and women's hoops to ignore the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, which will take place at the UCSB events center from Dec. 17- Dec. 21. The tournament will involve 64 teams, including an uprecedented 13 of the top 16 teams in USA Today's preseason poll, (and 14 of the current Top 25), this is a monster tournament, bigger than any single boys' tournament this year, and it makes the rest pale by comparison. The tournament will include No. 1 Harbor City Narbonne (which recently beat Brea Olinda at home), and No. 12 Ventura Buena, both of which are in the National Championship division of a tournament that keeps growing larger and more competitive each year. This was the tournament that last year vaulted Chino Don Lugo's Diana Taurasi to national prominence when she won four consecutive games with last-second shots. There are four different divisions. Here's a look at the top teams participating (USA Today National Ranking numbers are shown). Much of this information appeared in today's Santa Barbara News-Press, in an article written by Dan Shiells, and it looks like the paper will provide some good coverage of the event, although with this tournament and the Royal Invitational, and the Mission Prep Rim Rattler, and the Carpinteria Cage Classic all going at the same time, the paper will probably be stretched thin. Here's what we know:

Returns three starters and nine Division 1 prospects from a 21-3 team, including USC-bound All-America Ebony Hoffman (18.7 pointsm per game, 15.5 rebounds) and junior Loree Moore (15.7/7.3). Winning streak of 14 games.

Three starters return from 34-2 team which won TOC last year, including last year's TOC MVP, All-America and Purdue-bound Shereka Wright (26.4 points, 8.4 rebounds). Moved from 14th in preseason to No. 4 after win over defending Texas champ Mansfield.

Returns all five starters from a 37-1 team, including All-America forwards T'Nae Thiel (17.3 points, 7 rebounds) and Jolee Ayers (16.4/6.2). Already 10-0 in 1999.

Return four starters from a 31-0 state championship team, including Duke-bound Rometra Craig (21 points/11 rebounds) and Arizona signee Aime Grzyb (15 points, 5 assists). Craig is the daughter of former San Francisco 49er great Roger Craig. Craig is averaging 28 points this year and Gryzb 21.

All-America forward Katie Robinette (19 points/9 rebounds, 4 steals) and Nicole Oliver (11 points, 6.3 steals) lead a team which went 25-3 last year. Broke own state scoring mark with 134 points in win over Thomas Jefferson.

All-America guard Clare Droesch (25.7 points) leads three returning starters from a 23-3 state championship team. CTK has won three national titles
and two TOC championships ('85 and '97).

Three-time All-America Aisha Hollins (signed by USC) and two other starters return from a 26-6 team. Robin Roberson is averaging 15 points and Hollins 20 this year in three games, all wins.

Brad Smith earned USA Today's Coach of the Year award after guiding his team to 25-2 record. Three starters return, including Oregon State-Hollye Holbrook 19 points/11 rebounds) and a strong transfer Kelli Spencer (14/9) has been added.

Returns all five starters and four double-figure scorers from a 20-3 team. All-America forward Katy Flecky (14 points/7 rebounds) is the team leader.

Two UCSB signees, 6-4 Jessica Combs (14 points, 7 rebounds) and point guard Syreeta Coleman (10 points, 6 assists) lead a team which went 32-3 last
year. Coleman is averaging 19 points and Combs 18 this year, but a 53-49 loss to Mountain Pointe of Phoenix dropped them a couple notches.

Four starters return from 22-7 team, including 6-2 senior Stephanie Graff (16 points, 14 rebounds) and 6-4 Heather Jones (8/7).

Nationally unranked but No. 4 in the East Region, Nashua returns three starters from 26-0 state championship team. Leader is Michigan-bound point guard Michaela Leary (14 points).

All five starters are back from a team which went 24-6 last year. Leaders are junior Abi Ramsey (20 points) and forward Jennifer Wilhelm.

Four starters return from 21-4 team, including All-America junior Anesia Smith (16.5 points, 9 rebounds, 65 assists) and forward Kelly Ercole (17 points).

Stanford-bound forward Chelsea Trotter (24 points/9 rebounds) and two other starters return from 33-3 state championship team.

Championship Division	Open Division	Large Schools	Small Schools
Archbishop Mitty Archbishop Prendergast Berkeley Brea Olinda Canyon Chandler Christ the King Copperas Cove Highlands Ranch Mt. Vernon Narbonne Nashua Oregon City South Sioux City Shelbyville Central	Ayala Chaparral (AZ) Don Lugo (CA) Hanford (CA) JW North (CA) Lynwood (CA) Mater Dei (CA) Moreno Valley (CA) Mountain Pointe (AZ) Mountain View (UT) Orem (UT) Rancho Bernardo (CA) Santa Barbara (CA) Troy (CA) Washington Prep (CA)	Bakersfield Chino Clovis West Corona Centennial Edison Esperanza Fountain Valley North Torrance Palmdale Redondo Union Righetti San Marcos Sheldon Stockdale Ventura	Acalanes Bishop Diego Chatsworth Crossroads Dos Pueblos Harvard-Westlake Marin Catholic Morro Bay Nordhoff Presentation Redwood Christian Rincon Valley Sacred Heart Santa Ynez St. Bernard St. Mary's

The News-Press also posted a list of past champions, and it reads like a who's who of basketball for women:

(Top Division)
1979--Long Beach Poly (MVP-Kristen Smith, LB Poly)
1980--Long Beach Poly (MVP-Terri Withers, LB Poly)
1981--Riverside Poly (MVP-Cheryl Miller, Renee Overton, Riv. Poly)
1982--Long Beach Poly (MVP-Tish Williams, LB Poly)
1983--Santa Barbara (MVP-Amanda DeLucia, SB)
1984--Brea Olinda (MVP-Carrie Egan, BO)
1985--Muir (MVP-Geannine Jordan, Muir)
1986--Gahr (MVP-Molly Wampler, Gahr)
1987--Morningside (MVP-Shaundra Greene, Morn.)
1988--Louisville South, KY (MVP-Lisa Leslie, Morn.)
1989--Brea Olinda (MVP-Lisa Leslie, Morn.)
1990--Morningside (MVP-Janet Davis, Morn.)
1991--Peninsula (MVP-Kristen Mulligan, Pen.)
1992--Thousand Oaks (MVP-Marion Jones, TO)
1993--Clovis West (MVP-Alexis Felts, CW)
1994--Woodbridge (MVP-Melanie Pearson, W)
1995--Fountain Valley (MVP-Jennifer Ludwicki, FV)
1996--Brea Olinda (MVP-Jennifer Saari, BO)
1997--Christ the King, NY (MVP-Sue Bird, CTK)
1998--Copperas Cove, TX (MVP-Shereka Wright, CC)

Lastly, our friend Aaron Solis, who does spend much of his time coaching girls and watching them play (when he's not out on the golf course) tells us that if you're going to the games at UCSB this weekend, even though school is out, you'll still have to buy a parking pass, otherwise you'll get a ticket.

UCSB is located just off the Interstate 101/ US 1 Freeway in Goleta. Take the 101 North from Los Angeles, through Santa Barbara, and continue to the UCSB exit, and follow the signs. We can't promise that we'll provide continuous updates, but we'll try to keep track of the scores. If you want more in-depth coverage you might check our Women's Message Forum, or pop over to HoopPlanet, where Terry Miller will be posting updates from the tournament.