True freshmen

[SoonerNorm]

Everyone knows about the potential of Gabbi Ortiz and most of us believe she will be a starter from day one. But I think most of us are not sure what to expect from the others. The others are, LaNesia Williams, McKenna Treece, Gileysa Penzo, and Vionise Pierre-Louis.

I have to believe that Treece and ViVi (if healthy) are in the best position to get meaningful minutes. Reason- they are bigs. No one knows if Kaylon will play like she did last year or if she will play smarter and be able to contribute 25-30 minutes per game. I have a feeling ViVi will be more athletic than Treece which will likely give her an opportunity to get good experience as a freshman with Treece getting mop-up minutes, probably behind ViVi and perhaps Kellogg.

When it comes to LaNesia and Gileysa, I don't expect to see either of them except in mop-up situations because of who they will be competing against (Little, Manning, Kornet, Wyatt, and Carter).

It is hard to imagine that some of the guards will not choose to go elsewhere next year due to a lack of playing time. Not only will Peyton and Maddie be around a couple of more years but, Sherri has commitments from some top rated players coming in 2016 and 2017. While I do feel sorry for those who are caught in that situation, it is a fact that the only way to get better is to recruit over those already on the roster. With Llanusa and Dungee, it seems pretty clear Sherri is doing just that.

 

[BigT14]

I think if tereece can stay healthy she can be really good. Wasn't she MVP of a holiday tournament where there was a lot of national talent. Not to mention her own hs teammate that is headed to uconn

 

[j2d2]

Since rebounding is so important, Jo having demonstrated the value of toughness, I would expect the toughest of the two to get the majority of the playing time left by KayKay. My hope is that KayKay will realize her potential which is considerable.

 

[SoonerNorm]

KayKay is certainly tough enough. The unanswered question is, can she play smart enough.

 

[sybarite]

I think this class may surprise some people. LaNesia is supposedly quicker than T'Ona, and T'Ona was our quickest guard last year. I am curious about what she can do. She seems confident of her ability and athleticism.

From what Sherri has said about Penzo, she sounds a lot like what she says of Manning. She is a point guard, but Sherri recruited her point. She is a wing, or she can play the four. She may even front the center according to one site.

There is a reason that Gileysa was listed as one of the FIBA U-16 All-Stars, and we'll get a chance to see what that is. Remember that she is sixteen---as a freshman?

I've seen Ortiz for three years, and she can play. Enough said.

I'm not exactly sure where Treece and Pierre-Louis fit in just yet. From what little I have seen, they are quite different. In a sense, Treece plays more like Lauren Cox---smart. She doesn't seem to waste motion. She seemed to know where she should be, and she got there. She was effective on short shots facing the basket (a Cox standard). I couldn't tell how good she was as a rebounder. She seemed good as a defender and passer. I didn't see any fifteen foot jump shots---or missed layups.

What I saw of Pierre-Louis was a bit more athletic. She can jump and move. She may have more potential. I was surprised at how smart she seems. This is one smart young woman. I don't know that she has limits.

You kind of have to look at Maddie and Peyton as being newcomers as well. I think Sherri is still very high on both of them, and I think they will be more effective for us than our seniors last year. They also have leadership.

I think that all seven of those mentioned could be in the top eight of our team this year, along with Sharane. Kaylon will have to improve to hold off Treece and Pierre-Louis. Kellogg will have to become more aggressive. I don't think our guards can hold off these five guards. T'Ona, Derica, and Gioya may have to raise their game quite a bit to keep up with the freshmen.

I think we will make the Sweet Sixteen and maybe better. Wonder if we can make it while Penzo is still sixteen?

 

[SoonerTraveler]

While Gabbi and LaNesia obviously have the best high school pedigree, at least one of the freshmen bigs needs to contribute. Both McKenna Treece (stress fracture) and Vionise Pierre-Louis (tore ACL) are coming off late season injuries, which is a concern.

Gabbi Ortiz, G, 5-9 .. Racine, Wisconsin
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArt...B_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=209451871&Q_SEASON=2014

Gileysa Penzo, G, 5-9 .. Guaynabo, Puerto Rico / Montverde Academy, Florida
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArt...B_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=209451869&Q_SEASON=2014

Vionise Pierre-Louis, C, 6-4 .. Lake Worth, Florida
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArt...B_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=209451302&Q_SEASON=2014

McKenna Treece, C, 6-4 .. St. Peters, MO / Incarnate Word Academy
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArt...B_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=209489781&Q_SEASON=2014

LaNesia Williams, G, 5-7 .. Oklahoma City (Northeast Academy)
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArt...B_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=209451304&Q_SEASON=2014

 

[BigT14]

It's also a question of how well they adapt to the college game. It's quicker and harder,and every team thinks they are better than your. Got to make sure they are ready.

 

[gosooner2]

I do not know anything about these players, except that the things being said about them sound like the same things being said about last years freshman. T'ona and Gloya were going to start and be stars and Kellogg and Wyatt were better than anything we had! How'd that turn out for us? I hope they are all great! I will wait and see.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I do not know anything about these players, except that the things being said about them sound like the same things being said about last years freshman. T'ona and Gloya were going to start and be stars and Kellogg and Wyatt were better than anything we had! How'd that turn out for us? I hope they are all great! I will wait and see.

Well said! There has been a huge build up about Maddie and Peyton but no one really knows if either of them will be double digit scorers. I see potential for this team but, the only player I really have confidence in is Sharane. Everyone else is a wait and see.

 

[atlantasooner]

First off
Ortiz is the highest ranked PG signed since DRob.
As proven again and again, when Sherri signs a top 20 type player, that Freshman excels.
Lanesia was the higher rated than former teammate Jackson.
Treece and Pierre Louis are much higher rated than Kellogg. Wyatt was basically unknown.
Treece played much higher competition than most HS seniors.
Penzo is the wild card. The only real data point is the FIBA tourney Syb likes to quote which is very encouraging but the services never really ranked her.

So the ranking services and competition for the kids signatures certainly reinforces the belief that this freshman class may have a great impact on the rotation and results for this year.

my main chemistry concern is all the freshman and peyton and manning jumping the rotation over the sophomore class.

 

[sybarite]

I don't remember anyone getting super-excited about last year's freshmen. I do remember thinking that if Kia James was the standard, Kellogg had outplayed her and was better. Had anyone even seen clips of T'Ona or Gioya? We were pretty much wondering whether Kay Kay could beat out Griffin and how far Maddie would go. We knew that we had Morgan, Sharane, and Vegas, and we were looking for depth and a post to step forward. It was more exciting after an exhibition game in which T'Ona had what Sherri called the best freshman first game performance at point that she had seen, but that proved to be one exhibition game.

Some of us have seen enough of Maddie and simply hope that, as Sherri says, she is back at full strength. We think Maddie is as good as anyone in the Big Twelve if healthy. Sherri is very excited about Peyton and suggests that she will replace Vegas' points. I haven't seen Peyton except in a game for A&M. She was adequate.

We have seen quite a lot of Gabi on film, enough to be pretty high on her. We have seen some of McKenna and Vionese. We really haven't seen LaNesia or Gileysa, but there is more than just the fact that Penzo did make that all-star them. Some in the international press were glowing in their raves about Penzo. Somebody likes her, if not the Florida sports media.

These kids offer something that was missing last year---spirit. If they just make an effort, come to play every night, attempt to get better, I think that most of us will be satisfied. With the game on the line, you have to try. It wasn't all that apparent that we were doing that last year. Some people keep showing up, but they never really learn to dance and they just crowd the dance floor.

 

[SoonerNorm]

From Soonersports

ViVi:

HIGH SCHOOL ACCOLADES
Rated No. 11 Center, ESPN HoopGurlz
Rated No. 83 Overall, ESPN HoopGurlz

ProspectsNation:

Vionise Pierre-Louis
Height: 6'3"
High School: American Heritage (Delray Beach, FL)
City: Lake Worth
State: Florida
Position: P
Position Rank: 9
Nat'l Rank: 63
Rating:
Number Rating:
Class: 2014
Committed School: Oklahoma

**********************************

Penzo:

Twice played on national team at FIBA Americas U16 Championships ... Averaged 7.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists during the 2011 tournament and 7.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 2013 ... Penzo is the first women’s basketball player from Montverde to earn a scholarship from a NCAA Division I program.

http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/189780/gileysa-penzo

I believe she was ranked around 260-270 nationally by one service, if I recall correctly.

ProspectsNation:

Gileysa Penzo
Height: 5'10"
High School: Montverde Academy (FL)
City: Montverde
State: Florida
Position: W
Position Rank:
Nat'l Rank:
Rating:
Number Rating:
Class: 2014
Committed School: Oklahoma


**********************************

LaNesia Williams:

http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/122428

ProspectsNation:

LaNesia Williams
Height: 5'7"
High School: North East Acad. (Oklahoma City, OK)
City: Oklahoma City
State: Oklahoma
Position: PG
Position Rank:
Nat'l Rank:
Rating:
Number Rating:
Class: 2014
Committed School: Oklahoma

****************************************

Gabbi

http://espn.go.com/high-school/girls-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/123294

ProspectsNation

Gabrielle Ortiz
Height: 5'6"
High School: Prairie School (Racine, WI)
City: Racine
State: Wisconsin
Position: PG
Position Rank: 12
Nat'l Rank: 42
Rating:
Number Rating:
Class: 2014
Committed School: Oklahoma

***********************************

Treece

McKenna Treece
Height: 6'3"
High School: Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis, MO)
City: St. Peters
State: Missouri
Position: P
Position Rank:
Nat'l Rank:
Rating:
Number Rating:
Class: 2014
Committed School: Kansas State

From Soonersports: Averaged 10.0 points and 4.9 rebounds in 20 games for the Class 4 state champions … Missed end of senior season due to stress fracture … Incarnate Word accumulated a 108-9 record in Treece’s four seasons, earning three state titles and a third-place finish in 2012 … Named most outstanding player of the 2014 Naples (Florida) Holiday Shootout and to the All-Underclassman Team at 2011 Girl Pohwer Showcase … Helped Incarnate Word to a 31-0 record -- wining every game except one by double digits -- and state title as a junior, averaging 7.6 points and 6.0 rebounds off the bench.