Diary Of A Female Baller: Emily LaPointe 19' (Staten Island Academy, NY) Entry #3

Emily & Teammates

Hello basketball world, this is Em Lapointe signing 

in with my Diary Of A female baller Entry #3.

Monday February 19th 

I had off from school today. I was off from practice because we have to go six days in a row. This morning I went to the gym and worked out and put some shots up. When I came home, I spent the rest of the day hanging out with my mom. We went to the Menlo Mall in jersey and shopped for a couple of hours. Once we came home we watched some movies!

Tuesday February 20th 

This morning I had practice from 12:00 to 2:00. We have three games this week. Tomorrow we play Archbishop Molloy, Friday Francis Lewis, and Sunday Long Island Lutheran. We spent practice preparing for all three of the games. When I came home, I studied for a little while and than hung out with my childhood friends. It was really nice to see them and spend some down time with my girls. 

Wednesday February 21st 

Today, I went back to school, unfortunately. School was not too crazy today: I took my Latin test and the rest of the day was pretty relaxing. After school, the boys team had practice, so we were not able to get into the gym until 5:00. While waiting to get into the gym, my friends and I ate some food and hung around school. It was a really beautiful day so we sat outside. I went into the gym around 5:00 and started warming up. We won our game! My team played really well together. I finished the game with 14 points. After that I headed over to my friends grandma’s wake  

Thursday February 22nd

After school today the boys varsity had a playoff game so my friends and I stayed to watch them play. The won, however, it was a really intense and aggressive game. The game got a little out of hand, but the boys came out winners! I had practice after the game from 6:30 to 8:00. After practice I went home and celebrated my brothers 18th birthday! My family ate cake and spent the rest of the night hanging out with each other. 

Friday February 23rd 

Today is senior day! We only have one senior on our team, Liz Althoff. My teammate Francesca and I spent most of our preps decorating the gym, hoping that we made the night very special for Liz. The ceremony started around 4:20. The three juniors and my coach, each said a speech for Liz. After the ceremony it was game time! We had beat Francis Lewis. My team played well together and moved the ball really good. I finished the game with 19 points!

Saturday February 24th

This morning I woke up and went to the gym with my dad and put up some shots. After that I had practice from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. We scrimmaged, reviewed some game plan, and put up a lot of shots. After practice I went home showered, took a nap, watched a movie, and than later at night hung out with my friend. We ate some food and than went back to her house to watch some movies. 

Sunday February 25th

This morning I woke up around 11 and than headed over the my school around 12:00. We played Long Island Lutheran today. Unfortunately, we lost to them. They're a really strong team and my team hung in there for a while, but we couldn’t come out with a win. After my game I went to a family friends wake for a while. I came home from the wake and worked on my AP European project all day! 

Player  Profile: Gianni Boone

Name: Gianni Boone

AAU Team: Team Sol

Class: 2022

State: MD

Position: Wing

Profile: Boone is a long athletic wing/ forward who eventually in due time should be a nightmare match-up problem when she develops that 10 foot jump shot. Length... Quickness... Lanky... Athletic... Leaper... 

Player Profile: Ashley Thomas

Name: Ashley Thomas

AAU Team: Maryland Lady Finest

Class: 2022

State: MD

Position: Forward

Profile: This big has the college frame already to play and be big. Mobile... Lateral movement is okay... Strong... Big body... Good hands... Needs a few more post moves...

Player Profile: Yonta Vaughn

Name: Yonta Vaughn 

AAU Team: Team Sol

Class: 2022

Position: Guard

State: MD

Profile: Explosive guard who is starting to add some height looking like she is on a growth spurt. Lead guard with combo guard skills... Explosive steps to basket... Handle... Awesome in transition... Mid-range is consistent... 

Diary Of A Female Baller: Emily LaPointe 19' (Staten Island Academy, NY) Entry #2

Emily & Family

Hello basketball people, this is Emily 

checking In with week number #2 Entry.

Monday February 12th

Today I woke up early in order to study a little bit more. I went to school and took my test and quiz. In school today we played Family Feud. Every month my school does an even based off of something called a “house system.” After school I had practice from 5:30 to 7:00. When I went home I studied for my biology test. After I had studied and showered, my mom and I watched some of our favorite shows. I went to bed around 11:00 so I can get a good nights rest and be prepared for my test tomorrow. 

Tuesday February 13th 

This morning I was a little nervous about my biology test. After I took my test, the rest of the day was stress free. We were supposed to have practice after school but because so many of my teammates were sick or injured, we went to watch Saint Joseph by the Sea play because we are playing them this Saturday. Before I went to the gym, my trainer, my dad, and I went to the gym and I put some shots up. After watching Sea play, I went home and studied for my math test. 

Wednesday February 14th

Today was a big day for the boys varsity team at school. It was the day of their championship game. My teammates and I along with many others from the school, decided to take a fan bus to Friends Seminary to watch them compete. Before we left, one of the basketball players, that is a senior, asked me to prom! It was really exciting and I can not wait to go. Unfortunately the boys lost by six to Dwight. I came home, took a shower, and went straight to bed. 

Thursday February 15th 

School was relaxing because it was the first day of the week that I did not have a test. After school I had practice from 5:00 to 6:30. We focused on our game plan for Saturday’s game against Sea. After practice my family and I went to the College of Staten Island to watch the boys island championship game between Saint Peters High School and Curtis High School. All of my friends are on St. Peters and they won the championship! I went to eat with my mom and dad and than went home and went to sleep. 

Friday February 16th 

I had off from school today because it is Chinese New Year. I had practice from 11:30 to 1:30. Because it is the day before our game we did a lot of shooting and guard forward break down drills. After practice I went home and helped my mom clean the house and get ready for my family to come over. My family was coming over to celebrate my brothers 18th birthday. It was really great to spend time with all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins! 

Saturday February 17th 

IT IS GAME DAY!! This morning around 6:30 I woke up and went shooting with my dad and trainer. I shot till around 8:00. I went home, ate breakfast, and took a nap. When I woke up, I ate lunch and put my music on in order to get into game mode. I went over to the gym around 5:30. We won 79 to 52! My team played really well together. The ball movement and energy was really great! I had a triple double. 

Sunday February 18th 

This morning I had practice from 10:00 to 12:00. We shot around a lot and went over some things to prepare us for our game on Wednesday. After practice I had SAT tutoring from 12:15 to 2:30. When I came home I spent the day with my family. 

Player Profile: Hannah Dereje

Name: Hannah Dereje

AAU Team: Maryland Lady Finest

Class: 2022

Position: Forward

State: MD

Profile: Hannah seems to be on the verge of putting it all together. Showed a few low post moves at Serious Hoops Middle School Jamboree. Size and length not a problem... Good foot work... Clogs lane...

Player Profile: Delaney Yarborough

Name: Delaney Yarborough 

AAU Team: Fairfax Stars Bmore Premier

Class: 2022

Position: Forward

State: MD

Profile: The young forward showed some good signs that help out down the road. Good size and frame... Knows how to establish space... Rebounds... Strong...

 Diary Of A Female Baller: Emily LaPointe 2019 (Staten Island Academy, NY) Entry #1

Emily & Liz Althoff

Hey Basketball world, this Emily LaPointe and this is my first

week of a Diary Of A Female Baller. So follow me for the next 

8 weeks to see what I'm doing.

Monday February 5th 

Today was a very calm day in school. We had a dress down so I was able to wear comfortable clothes to school which is always a good thing on a Monday morning. When I first got to school I used some of my study periods to catch up on some homework. The only test I had today was a pop quiz in math. I had practice after school, where my team went over some new plays, our offense, and defensive help rotations. We had to get prepared for out game against Elmont tomorrow. We did break down drills towards the end of practice so I was able to get a lot of shots up. 

Tuesday February 6th 

Today was a great day! It was game day so I was really excited to play. It was a normal day in school. I did not have any tests today so I was able to focus and get in game mode. When school ended I got straight into the gym and started warming up for my game against Elmont. They got stuck in traffic so instead of starting our game at 4:30, we began at 5:30. My team won and I played well. I had 13 points and 8 assists. 

Wednesday February 7th

It was another stress free day in school today! I did not have any test, quizzes, or projects due today. I used the free time that I had in school to complete a homework early so I was able to get extra points. I did not have practice today so I gave my body a day to relax and spend some time with my family. 

Thursday February 8th

Today I worked on a group project in my Latin class. School was busy because I had a full day of classes. I had practice from 5:15-7. We spent most of the practice preparing for our game on Saturday against Moore Catholic. It is our first time playing an island team so it should be really intense and exciting.

Friday February 9th

Tonight was my cousins surprise birthday party! She turned 16 yesterday so I am hoping that this birthday is really special for her! After school I worked out by myself for a while. I put up some shots and worked on my ball handling. After that I got ready and went to the restaurant! She was so surprised! 

Saturday February 10th

This morning I got up early, around 7 am. I woke up and went shooting with my dad and trainer to get ready for my game tonight at 7pm. After shooting I went home ate some breakfast and took a nap. I got into my game mode and headed to the gym around 6pm. We won the game by 30 points. I finished with 19 points and 10 assists! To celebrate, I went to one of my teammates Liz’s house! 

Sunday February 11th 

We had off from practice today, so I went to the gym with my dad and put some shots up. After that I had my SAT prep course for math and English. My family and I spent the rest of the day watching the island basketball teams play! I went home and studied for my Anatomy test and AP European quiz. 

Player Profile: Paris Locke

Name: Paris Locke

AAU Team: Fairfax Stars Bmore Premier

Class: 2023

Position: Forward

State: MD

Profile: Big Forward with a huge upside, Locke already has the body shape and length to do some special things. Nice frame... Length... Young... Showed some mobility...

Player Profile: Daimoni Dorsey

Name: Daimoni Dorsey

AAU Team: Fairfax Stars Bmore Premier

Class: 2022

Position: Guard

State: MD

Profile: Lead guard with a ton of skills, looks good in transition and uptempo game. Smooth and calm... Runs offensive sets well. Handle... 

Diary Of A Female Baller: Skye Owen 2022 (Staten Island, NJ) Entry #10

Nick (EGB), Skye, Gthing, Joe (Nyg) and Abbey Grace

Hey Basketball World,

This is my 10th Edition to Diary of a Female Baller

Skye’s “The Limit” Owen

Enjoy the Journey !!!                              

Monday 1/22/18

Monday was another good day. I went to school and worked on my project with my partner. At the end of the day we had written an essay and wrote our dialogue for a play. After school since I had a lot of homework I stayed after school. Then I went to workout with my trainer. It was a great workout because I went through some new and old drills. Once the workout was over, I went to the rec center to get a few games in against a few of the high school kids. It gave me an opportunity to play against the high school boys. It also gave me a chance to work on my weaknesses.

Tuesday 1/23/18

 I had violin practice. Since the concert is coming up soon my violin teacher was kind of stressed. She asked me to do solo performance again this year. Rehearsal was very good but also intense. She wants to make sure that we are prepared. After school, I went to workout with my trainer. He put me through some drills and we got a lot of shots up. Once practice was over, I went home read my book and went to sleep.

Wednesday 1/24/18

 I had to take an exam. I think I did very good on it. Once the school day was over, I completed all of my homework. When I was done with that I got another good workout done. After that I went to practice with my school basketball team.

Thursday 1/25/18

Thursday was a good day in school. I finished up a project that I had been working on. I also got my grades back from a few previous test. I did very good on both of them. I also had a meeting with my book club. We discussed the book that we are currently reading. It was very interesting to see other people’s insights into the book. After the book club, I went to the gym to warm up. I had a game later in the evening. We won the game by a good margin. I did my great.

Friday 1/26/2018

Friday is always a good day. I am looking forward to the weekend. School was a normal day. We had a quiz today in school. I was definitely prepared. At lunchtime, I hung out with my friends. We talked about our plans for the weekend. We joked around at the table. After school, I Went to workout with my trainer, It was a very good workout as usual. We did a lot of conditioning drills and got a lot of shots up. Once the workout was over, I went to the gym to get a few games in against the high school boys. I always have fun playing against the boys. After the gym, I went to the movies with my mom and dad. We went to see Maze Runner: The Death Cure. It was great. It may have been the best one yet.

Saturday 1/27/18

I had an early morning workout with my trainer. We did a lot of shooting and did some ball handling drills. After the workout, I went home and went back to sleep. I slept for a few hours. Once I got up, I went to the mall and met up with a few of my friends. We hung around the mall for a few hours. I also had to get ready for senior night at my school. Senior night is when all the 8th graders on the basketball team get honored as well as their parents. The parents are handed a rose at center court. It's our way of showing our appreciation to our parents. During Senior night all three of the 8th grade teams played. The first game was the 8th grade boys B team. We had the second game in which we won by a large margin. The third game was won by our 8th grade boys A team. We won all three games this evening. Once the games were over, We had a big party. The DJ came and played some music. There was also plenty of food for the parents and the players. We stayed in the gym playing games until about 1 am in the morning. We played games not only against each other but also against our parents. It was a lot of fun.

Sunday 1/28/18

 I went to early morning Mass. After the service, I went to grab something to eat. Afterwards,   I went to the Gauchos gym to watch a few games. All of the games were very good. Many of the girls that played also play for the same AAU organization as me. I wanted to go and show my support. One of the high schools that played, is also a potential high school that I may attend in September.

Player Profile: Love Guilette

Name: Love Guilette

AAU Team: Germantown Lady Panthers

Class: 2022

Position: Point Guard

State: MD

Event: Serious Hoops MS Jamboree

Profile: Quality point guard, who has a huge upside, gets to rim at the point of attack. Handle... Quick... Attacks the rim...

Player Profile: Laurie Satchell 

Name: Laurie Satchell

AAU Team: Fairfax Stars Bmore Premier

Class: 2022

Position: Forward

State: MD

Event: Serious Hoops MS Jamboree

Profile: Very versatile forward who can either beat close to basket or a few feet away from it. Finishes... Strong... Rebounds... Physical presence... 

Player Profile: Savannah Brown

Name: Savannah Brown

AAU Team: Fairfax Stars Bmore Premier

Class: 2022

Position: Guard 

State: MD

Event: Serious Hoops MS Jamboree

Profile: Crafty Ball handler that plays with a lot energy, Plays under control... Poise... Plays with in her boundaries... 

Player Profile: Kirah Dandridge

Name: Kirah Dandridge

AAU Team: Lady Team Prime

Class: 2022

Position: Combo-Guard

State: VA

Event: Serious Hoops MS Jamboree

Profile: Dandridge has great size and upper body strength to allow her to attack the basket with a physical demeanor. Long and Athletic... Showed signs of quickness... Attacks... Handle... Good frame... Physical... Takes on contact...

Diary Of A Female Baller: Skye Owen 2022 (Staten Island, New Jersey) Entry #9

Coach Welch, Jordan Nixon, Cassidy Roberts, Kaia Harrison, & Skye 

Skye Owen

Hey Basketball World,

I am back!!!

This is my 9th edition to Diary of a Female Baller

Enjoy the journey!!!!

Monday 1/15/18

I was off of school because it was Martin Luther King Jr. day. A holiday that is celebrated all over the country. It was nice to have a 3 day weekend because sometimes after being in school to long without a break the days start to mush together. I still had homework online even though I didn’t have school. So I finished that up then went to breakfast with my family. After that we went to the mall and walked around the mall to buy a coat for my cousin. When that was over I went to the gym to workout. It was another great workout.

Tuesday 1/16/18

Tuesday it was back to school. It was nice to see my school friends again. Since it was the first day back the day went by very fast. It was the first day of midterms and it was the religion midterm. The midterm went well because I had been studying. When the test was over I studied for tomorrow’s midterm and for all of my homework completed. After school I went to workout with my trainer. It was a good workout with new drills and conditioning things. After i worked out with my trainer, i went to the gym to get a few games in against some of the High School boys. This gives me an opportunity to work on some things I practiced with my trainer. We played a few games of 5 on 5. When I got back home I called my brother we spoke for a little and that was nice. It was great speaking with him and catching up. He is away in college.

Wednesday 1/17/18

On Wednesday the day went by fast again. We had gym in the morning which was fun and then after that we started our next midterm. Midterm week is not too bad because it’s kind of gives you a chance to recap on all you’ve done so far in the school year. It nice to have 2 midterms completed. When school was over I went to work out with my trainer again and had yet another great workout. After that I went to practice with my school team.

Thursday 1/18/18

I had an early morning appointment at one of the schools that I am considering attending. The school is a very good academic school with a good team. I had to meet and interview with 4 of the faculty members. The interview was to complete the process for an academic scholarship. I think the interviews went great. All of the faculty members seem to have been very impressed with me. They asked some very good and challenging questions but of course I was on top of my game. All of the faculty members were very nice and pretty smart. After my interviews were done, I went back to my middle school. On Thursday day, school was back to full affect. Not only did we have another midterm but we also had homework. It was a pretty short day. After school, I hung around to get my homework done and study for my next midterm. Once I was done studying, I went to workout with my trainer. We did more new and old drills. we did some great drills. Of course when I was done with that I did some strength and conditioning work as usual.

Friday 1/19/2018

Friday was a good day. I had a midterm in the morning. I think I did excellent on my midterm. I was well prepared. After school, I went and worked out with my trainer. The workout was great and very intense. He is always challenging to get better and pushing me to go harder during the drills. After my workout, I went home to relax, watch a little TV, and get something to eat. I had an evening game with my middle school team. We won the game.

Saturday 1/20/2018

On Saturday , once I woke up, I had breakfast and got ready to attend a High school game of one of the schools that I may potentially go to. I went because I wanted to see if my style  of play will fit in with what they do. I got an opportunity to speak with the head coach as well as the assistant coach. They currently have a very good team. One of the girls recently was selected to the McDonald’s All-American game. They are also a very good academic school. After the game, I met up with a bunch of my friends to go roller skating at the local rink. We had a great time and roller skate for about 2 hours . Once we were done, we went to a restaurant and had some pizza . We had a great time skating and having dinner. We laughed and joked around a lot.

Sunday 1/21/2018

I had to get up early to go workout with my AAU team( IEXCEL) And coach Walter Welsh. Coach really works us hard and is tough on us at the same time. He is always challenging us to get better. He wants to make sure that we do well during the AAU season in front of the college coaches. At practice, I make sure  to go up against Jordan Nixon (McDonald’s All-American 2018). It’s good going against other good players. After practice, I attended the New York Coast 2 Coast Girls Middle school showcase event. This is my third year attending this event. Its some of the best Middle School ball players from across the country. As usual it was a great event attended by 100 kids. I went hard and did my thing. After the game, I was highlighted and interviewed as one of the games Top performers.

Player Profile: KiKi Rice

Name: KiKi Rice

AAU Team: Germantown Lady Panthers

Class: 2022

Position: Combo Guard

State: MD

Strengths: Explosiveness

Profile: One of top player's in the class of 22', Rice has all the tools necessary to be a good player. Very explosive when attacking the rim... Slashes and cuts to the basket with ease... Length.. Height... Change of direction... Aggressive... Handle... 

Player Profile: Nia Grymes

Name: Nia Grymes

AAU Team: FairfaxStars

Class: 2023

Position: Point Guard

State: DC

Strengths: Ball Handle

Location: Serioushoops Showcase, (MD)

Profile: Small, but very effective when on the court. Creates off the dribble... Fast hands and feet to complement each other... Handle... Attacks...  

DIARY OF A FEMALE BALLER: SKYE OWEN 2022 (STATEN ISLAND, NJ) ENTRY #8

Skye, Jordan Nixon, Kaia Harrison

Hey Basketball World,

I hope you enjoy my latest edition #8 of Diary of a Female Baller .

Enjoying The Journey!!!

Skye’s “The Limit” Owen

Monday 1/8/18

Monday was a good day. My school had the kids in the school take map tests. Which are assessment tests for the kids. Last year my school had the highest test scores on the test. We take the test on chromebooks. We spent most of the day doing that which was okay. Everyone was nervous because we were suppose to be getting letters from the high schools that the tachs test scores got sent to. After school, I went to the gym to workout. It was a great workout. I also played a few games against the high school boys that were in the gym.They try to guard me tough but they cannot stay in front of me. My team won all of the games. It was great.

Tuesday 1/9/18

We had a visitor at my school, so everyone was on their best behavior. I have Violin practice every Tuesday at my school. My instructor is getting a little stressed because there is a concert coming up soon. I am sure it will be fine and we will sound great. Once school was over, I hung around one of the classrooms to complete my homework. I also started reviewing for my midterms, which I have next week. After I finished reviewing, I had a meeting with my book club. I joined the book club in the beginning of the year. We pick a book, read it and then come together as a group and discuss it. There are about 8 of us in the book club.After book club, I went to the gym to catch up with my trainer and do some drill work. It was a great workout as usual. He had me doing a lot of running in order to build my stamina. I also worked on my jump shot. He made sure I got a lot of shots up.

Wednesday 1/10/18

 In math we did a lot of work to prepare for the math midterm. I am very comfortable with the material. We also did some review for the Religion mid-term as well. I stayed after school to complete my homework and also do some more review for my upcoming midterms. After I finished my review, I went to the gym to work out Once the games ended, I had to go to a practice for my school team. I had to arrive early for individual and team pictures. Once we were done taking pictures, it was time for practice to begin.

Thursday 1/11/18

Thursday was a good day. My class spent the entire morning working on reading comprehension. I got to leave school early because I had an orthodontist appointment. When that was over, I went to go workout with my trainer. It was a great workout. I got some ball handling done and working on finishing around the rim through contact. He is always challenging me to get better. When I was finished working out with my trainer, I had to go to a game with my school. We won the game. After the game, I hung out with a few of my teammates. We laughed a lot and talked about what happened in school that day.

Friday 1/12/18

 My school had a class trip to the movies. Most of the grades went on the trip. Each class had their own theater. We watched the movie” wonder” which was kind of sad. In the movie the kids around the main character bully him because of his differences. He  had to undergo many surgeries in order keep him alive. He had gone through so many surgeries that his family had a ritual for every surgery. The movie was pretty long. It also took us awhile to return to the school. By the time we got back to school it was lunchtime, so all my class did was eat lunch and then we had a social studies midterm review which was very helpful. When school was over I went to go work out with my trainer and than went to the rec. center to play against the boys. My team won the championship game.

Saturday 1/13/18

I got up early and went to a restaurant with my family and had a breakfast. After that I went to the gym to workout. When I was done working out I met my brother and cousin at the mall. We spent a good portion of the day at the mall, window shopping. I went back to the house to hang out with my brother. He is going back to school on Tuesday, so I would like to spend as much time with him before he has to go back to school. When the evening came around, We went to my favorite restaurant and had dinner. My brother and cousin are graduating this year. As we ate, we talked about there plans for school. It was great hearing all about their future plans. My brother is graduating from college this but he has another year of basketball eligibility and will graduate with his MBA. My cousin is currently working on her masters at a great school.  

Sunday 1/14/18

On Sunday, I had to get up early to go work out with my AAU coach Walter Welsh. It was a great practice. We went over some things that we did last week as well as a lot of new things. He wants to make sure that we are prepared for the upcoming AAU season. Once practice was over, I had a few of my friends come by house to hang out. We watched TV and played some games.