oleschoolaggie
Official BDF member
2009 Poster of the Year, 2009 Most Knowledgeable Poster
Posts: 24,207
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Jan 26, 2009 13:25:20 GMT -5
I was told that Amber can dunk but she has not tried it in a game yet. I would love to she her do it even if it's just doing warmups. now that's a dunk i'd have to see with my own eyes! amber is only 5'11" (if that). for her to dunk, she'll need a vertical of at least 36 inches or so. maybe she can dunk a tennis ball, but i don't see her dunking a basketball...
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Post by Bornthrilla on Jan 26, 2009 13:34:45 GMT -5
That sounds like an urban legend.
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Post by SixtiesAggie on Jan 26, 2009 17:06:10 GMT -5
I doubt if she can dunk, but she is a pretty good leaper. It is difficult for women over 6-4 to dunk. Bittanie has the passion, skill and confidence but is not quite as talented as Amber. If Amber came with some fire and selfishness for each game, there would be no comparison. We are blessed with two great players.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Jan 27, 2009 9:32:09 GMT -5
I wonder if Amber has been reading this website.
Last night was her second straight dominant performance.
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Post by SixtiesAggie on Jan 27, 2009 9:47:19 GMT -5
Perhaps they are all reading this site.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Jan 27, 2009 9:49:54 GMT -5
BTW: Thanks for the heads up, numberonebrave. LOL!
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Post by numberonebrave on Jan 28, 2009 13:50:58 GMT -5
numberonebrave. LOL! numberonebrave. LOL! NORTH CAROLINA A&T ESCAPES WITH 74-71 WIN OVER HAMPTON IN OT ...before you get tooooooooooo full of yourself Aggies, remember Hampton and last year...Article below ....
Box Score RALEIGH, N.C.- Brittany Taylor-James scored the go-ahead basket, Jalessa Sams added an insurance free throw and North Carolina A&T State held Hampton scoreless over the last 2:41 of overtime as the Lady Aggies edged the Lady Pirates, 74-71 in a thrilling and emotional MEAC women’s semifinal at the RBC Center. North Carolina A&T (25-6) advances to Saturday’s championship against the winner of the other semifinal between the number two seed, Coppin State and the number three seed, Delaware State. The Lady Aggies, who had their best season in school history, barely made it to the extra period as they trailed 63-61 with 12 seconds remaining in regulation after Rachel Butler’s three pointer. It took a short jumper in the lane by Lamona Smalley with five seconds left to send the game into an extra session. Hampton (18-13) took control early, getting baskets from Artavia Burns, Chinyere Ukoh and Rachel Butler in the first 1:21 to take a 69-63 lead. Following a timeout, North Carolina A&T responded as Nancy Rembert scored a basket to cut the margin to 69-65. Hampton would add what would prove to their last score on a short turnaround by Quanneisha Perry (8 points, 6 rebounds) to make it 71-65 at the 2:41 mark. First Rembert made one of two free throws. Then Amber Bland nailed a three pointer to make it 71-69 with 1:40 on the clock. Smalley tied the score at 71 and after a Hampton turnover, the Lady Aggies cashed in with a jumper by Taylor-James that broke the tie and proved to be the deciding basket with 28 seconds remaining. Sams’ free throw closed out the scoring. “Even though they went up six points, we had never lost our composure,” explained NC A&T head Coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. “We played a tough schedule this season to prepare for situations like this. I told the team this game belonged to us.” The game had many plots and sub plots: Hampton head coach Walter Mebane served as an assistant under Coach Cage-Bibbs before she left to later become head coach of the Lady Aggies; Hampton assistant coach LaShondra Dixon was a standout for Cage-Bibbs and the {Lady Pirates spoiled the Lady Aggies’ unbeaten conference with slate with a thrilling 85-84 win at Hampton late in the season.} “This was a tough team and we knew it,” said Cage-Bibbs. “It’s a mirror image of the Lady Aggie program.” She continued on her relationship with Hampton. “I’ve always loved these kids. I didn’t want to leave, but I really needed to be with my family. I had some great times at Hampton.” Mebane offered his thoughts, “I spent eight years with Coach (Cage-Bibbs) and learned a lot from her. It was a game with no surprises because we knew what they would do, but you still have to play. It makes for an interesting game. They didn’t stop us and we didn’t stop them. It felt like a championship game.” Mebane’s point is well taken. After a rocky start that featured more turnovers and missed shots than made baskets, the game settled into a well played contest. There were 12 lead changes and nine ties with outstanding individual performances from players on both sides. For Hampton, junior forward Chinyere Ukoh had the finest game of her career with 26 points and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes of play. Butler, playing in her last game at Hampton almost single-handedly willed her team to victory, scoring 18 of her 25 points after intermission. “Rachel played like a senior today,” said Mebane. “She kept us strong and together. She hit big shots and kept us in it.”
North Carolina A&T relied on team balance and contributions from several players all season and this game was no different. When Bland, a first team All-MEAC selection, was saddled with her fourth foul, Smalley (12 points, 12 rebounds), Taylor-James (16 points), Ta”Wuana Cook (9 points, 5 rebounds) and Sams (9 points) all came up big.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Jan 28, 2009 14:10:04 GMT -5
Thanks. You just helped Hampton receive a 30 point beatdown next week.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Mar 10, 2009 11:44:23 GMT -5
Mission Accomplished: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ncataggies.com/Womensbasketball/2008-2009%20articles/BTJPOTW.htmTAYLOR-JAMES NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR Bland earns her third straight first-team honorWINSTON-SALEM, March 9, 2009 – North Carolina A&T senior forward Brittanie Taylor-James is an entertaining women’s basketball player to watch. When she shoots free throws, she stands at the foul line, dribbles the ball real low with one hand and then in an instant she pops straight up, extends her right arm with the ball in it before shooting the free throw. After a big shot, she will run just beyond the halfcourt line, turn and get in defensive position and slap the floor with both hands. Of course there is the occasional yell after she makes a hustle play, and she is never opposed to drawing a few ooo’s and ahh’s with a wicked pump fake of a defender followed by a crossover dribble and a perfect fade away jumper as she holds the shooting pose until it goes in. But her entertaining routines are not why she was awarded the 2009 MEAC Player of the Year award Monday night at the Benton Convention Center. She won it because in between the showmanship fans have grown to love, Taylor-James can play the game of basketball. Well. “Brittanie is going to be Brittanie,’’ said N.C. A&T head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. “You grow to appreciate that. “But I’ll tell you one thing, Brittanie is one of the hardest working players I’ve ever coached. She came into the off-season wanting to get better and that’s exactly what she did. She got in the weight room, she dropped some weight and she worked on her game. As coaches we like to tell players hard work pays off. But it doesn’t sync in until they see it happen.” Taylor-James is the third player in the program’s history to win conference player of the year, joining Angela Hill and Malveata Johnson. She didn’t play for the Aggies until the end of the first semester of her sophomore season in 2006. Over her first two seasons, she averaged 13.0 points per game. This season she leads the conference in scoring at 19.5 points per game. She needs just 23 points during the Aggies quarterfinal game on Wednesday to break the school’s single-season scoring record, which is held by Bland who set the mark in 2006-07 with 589 points. “It’s been an exciting season,’’ said Taylor-James, who also earned first-team honors last season. “When I look back on my basketball career here A&T, l will reflect how much of a better basketball player I became because of coach Bibbs and her staff. I would love to make it complete by winning a championship this weekend.” Taylor-James and Amber Bland earned first-team All-MEAC honors on Monday as they helped the Aggies capture their second straight MEAC regular-season crown. The two have also been instrumental in the Aggies going 48-14 overall and 30-2 in the MEAC the last two seasons. Taylor-James scored in double figures 26 times this season, and has reached double figures 66 times in her career. She has scored 20 or more points 13 times this season and she has reached the 30-point plateau in three of her last seven games. Meanwhile, Bland is making her third straight appearance on the All-MEAC team. The only other player in school history with three first-team All-MEAC honors is Johnson. Bland is the school’s No. 2 all-time leading scorer. She needs just one made 3-pointer to become the all-time leader in 3-pointers made, and she will leave the program with the highest 3-point percentage. “The wonderful thing about (Brittanie and Amber) is that they can look back one day and truly say they were not only two of the best players to ever play at North Carolina A&T, but they were also two of the best players to ever play in this conference.”
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Post by aggielove on Mar 10, 2009 12:40:52 GMT -5
Prophecy Fulfilled!!
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Post by Brandmasta on Mar 10, 2009 15:07:03 GMT -5
I wonder what her chances are at the next level....
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Post by sammiz on Mar 10, 2009 15:54:56 GMT -5
Definitely a Blue Death Valley Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by aggielove on Mar 10, 2009 15:55:48 GMT -5
I was thinking the same thing - are any of the ladies on our team worthy of making the transition to the WNBA? Oleschool, you got any thoughts?
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oleschoolaggie
Official BDF member
2009 Poster of the Year, 2009 Most Knowledgeable Poster
Posts: 24,207
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Mar 10, 2009 16:02:53 GMT -5
I wonder what her chances are at the next level.... i think taylor-james has got a better shot of making it than coppin's rashida suber and shalamar oakley had last year. i only say that because taylor-james (6'0") has good "size" for a wnba guard and she can flat out shoot the lights out. both suber and oakley were very talented, more "athletic" than taylor-james, but they both lacked size and neither could shoot the basketball as well as taylor-james. taylor-james will have to improve her ball handling and continue to work on the things that earned her meac poy. i think she has a legitimate shot at making the wnba but it won't be easy (she may not get drafted) and she'll have to put in the hard work. amber may have an outside shot as well. she's more athletic than taylor-james but she can also shoot the basketball. bland is so very "unselfish", which i like a lot but it may hurt her wnba chances because she'll need to be more assertive. both bland and taylor-james have good size for wnba guards. they both stand in the 5'11" to 6'0" range which is several inches taller than suber (5'8") and oakley (5'6")...
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oleschoolaggie
Official BDF member
2009 Poster of the Year, 2009 Most Knowledgeable Poster
Posts: 24,207
|
Post by oleschoolaggie on Mar 10, 2009 16:18:52 GMT -5
man, i would pay to see taylor-james and bland play suber and oakley two on two! it would be very stiff competition, but my money would be on the aggies!!!
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