Indiana Girl's Basketball All State

The IndianaBball.Com 2004-2005 All State team has been announced. The team is chosen from all players across Indiana, regardless of grade. Three teams have been chosen.

(PRWEB) March 7, 2005 -- It is not often that one team will have the best coach, the best player and the best freshman all at the same time.

This year's North Central Panthers are no ordinary team, now having won their second consecutive Class 4A state title.

Sure, Tri-Central just won their third straight title in Class A but not that many people are surprised by it. They didn't lose 8 seniors from last year's championship squad, like North Central did.

Most of the predictions for this year's North Central team weren't very good. We all knew that they had Amber Harris coming back and she had an incredible season for North Central last year. But, who else was going to be back?

Alexis Jennings saw a little action in every game last season. Not much, though. Amy Sutton and Maggie Orzeske played even less.

There was supposed to be a freshman-phenom coming in. But, what can a 5'0 - 5'2" freshman point guard do against the super competitive Indianapolis schedule that North Central faces every year? What about facing the pressure of "the toughest sectional" in the state as the primary ball-handler for a young, inexperienced squad? No little freshman could handle that. But, she did handle it, and then some. Briana Bass played her best games of the season against the state's top-rated teams in the tournament.

Well, now that we can look back on the season, it has become apparent that Amber Harris delivered, better than promised. And that freshman point guard? Wow! Someone forgot to tell her that she was a freshman, to say the least. And the team? State champs in a season that was supposed to be a rebuilding year, at best. Not bad.

Amber Harris is quickly climbing the charts as one of the all-time greats in Indiana basketball history. She stands at 6'5 and plays nothing like her size would indicate. She has tremendous athletic ability, plays intense defense and has a great inside shot. She can also run the court and lead the fast break. And, of course, she can dunk it. She is not only 6'5, but she can jump, too. She has pulled down rebounds when the ball was well over a foot above the basket.

Point guard Briana Bass is amazingly fast, amazingly confident and amazingly talented. Her ball-handling can only be compared to Tiny Archibald. She has a great outside shot and can drive the lane. Her on-court leadership is years ahead of her age.

Coach Alan Vickrey has been coaching for 26 years, and this year may have been his best. It is pretty amazing that he was able to top last year's coaching job. Last year's state champion team needed a lot of work when the season first started and they seemed to improve by leaps and bounds every week of the season. If they are successful next year, nobody will be surprised, like they were this year.

So, an unprecedented season dictates that an unlikely occurrence of having the top three honors go to representatives of the same team. Amber Harris is the Player of the Year for 2005. Briana Bass is the Freshman of the Year for 2005. And, Alan Vickrey is the Coach of the Year for 2005.

Indiana Bball.Com All State 2005

First Team
Ashley Barlow, Pike, JR
Dana Beaven, Corydon Central, SR
Stefanie Gerardot, FW Luers, SR
Amber Harris, North Central, JR
Jodi Howell, Alexandria, SR
Dee Dee Jernigan, EC Central, JR
Cassie Kerns, Valparaiso, SR
Fahkara Malone, Evansville Memorial, JR
Audrey McDonald, Kokomo, JR
Ta'Shia Phillips, Brebeuf, SO
Kim Roberson, Cathedral, SR
Kahla Roudebush, Hamilton SE, SR

Second Team
Stephanie Ford, Franklin Central, SR
Mara Freshour, Brown County, SR
Kiley Jarrett, Bloomington North, SR
Candace Jones, Indianapolis Tech, SR
Susan Lester, Pendleton Heights, JR
Melissa Lechlitner, SB St. Joe's, Jr
Aimee Litka, SB St. Joseph's, SR
Stephanie Lynch, New Albany, SR
Chelsea Miller, Shenandoah, SR
Cassie Pruzin, Crown Point, SR
Amanda Stull, Rushville, JR
Jerri Taylor, SB Washington, SR

Third Team
Jamika Banks, FW Northrop, SR
Trisha Bennett, New Albany, SR
Jeanette Burgin, Clinton Prairie, SR
Meranda Burnett, Tri-Central, JR
Kris Coner, Indian Creek, SR
Shala Jackson, FW South, So
Megan King, Ft. Wayne Canterbury, SO
Tanika Mays, Marion, SR
Brittany Meyer, Col East, SR
Isabel Rhenwrick, Gary West, SR
Julie Seiss, Warsaw, JR
Stacey Wendel, Plymouth, SR

Indiana Bball.Com All State 2005

Amber Harris, The Player of the Year

Briana Bass, Freshman of the Year

Alan Vickrey , Coach of the Year

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