Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Thanks to brother’s influence, Wagner’s Williams set to play in elite all-star event

David Hinojosa, express.com, March 28, 2017

Emotions swirled when Chancy Campbell saw his little sister’s name listed among the 24 players selected for the McDonald’s All-American Game.

As someone who played a big part in Kiana Williams’ development into one of the country’s top girls basketball players, he couldn’t help it.

“When her name came across the screen, I cried,” Campbell said when the team was announced on ESPNU on Jan. 15. “My wife laughed at me, asking what you are doing? I was just so happy because I know all the hard work she put in. Her calling me and asking to go to the gym at 5 in the morning. The commitment she put into the game paid off.”

Williams, Wagner’s point guard for the last four years, had indeed attained one of her goals.

“Every basketball kid’s dream is to be a McDonald’s All-American,” Williams said. “A lot of greats have played in that game. To have your name considered with that group is an honor.”

Williams, 17, is the fifth girl from the San Antonio area selected to play in the prestigious national showcase. Her former high school teammate, TCU’s Amber Ramirez, played in the game last year.

Williams, who has signed with Stanford, will suit up for the West at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the United Center in Chicago.

It’s the culmination of a process that began when Williams was in third grade and learned how to dribble in the driveway. It continued when Campbell, 30, returned to San Antonio after playing football at Abilene Christian University.

That’s when he and Michael Williams — Kiana’s father and a man who has taken care of Campbell since he was 9 months old — took the reins in molding Williams.

“It’s a real special bond that we have,” said Campbell, who is the offensive coordinator at Sam Houston High School. “She’s been with me ever since I got back from college. I think basketball has enhanced that, always making sure she was in the gym getting better.”

Kiana Williams has always taken her older half-brother’s guidance to heart. As Campbell likes to point out, she is not the family’s first All-American. Campbell, one of the most prolific rushers in Judson’s history, was selected to play in the 2004 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

“Knowing I have an older sibling to look up to, I want to follow in his footsteps and hopefully become a coach,” Kiana said. “He set the bar high, and hopefully, I can meet the expectations he instilled in me. I’m thankful to have him in my life.”

Once Michael Williams realized his daughter wanted to pursue basketball, he made sure she learned the basics first. After Kiana learned to dribble, they would go to the park, where she learned to pass. She didn’t begin shooting until she mastered those two skills.

“He told me I couldn’t shoot until I learned to catch the ball first,” Kiana said. “He instilled mental toughness in me. I look at those days and laugh at them. Great memories.”

Michael Williams also took the baby-steps approach when he served as Campbell’s youth football coach.

“I coached Chancy when he was young,” Michael Williams said. “Basically, he was taught right. I wanted them to learn the basics and fundamentals and the right way to play sports.”

Kiana took to basketball right away.

“You could tell at a young age, she was going to be real good,” Campbell said. “You could see it from day to day, week to week and month to month, how her growth was getting in basketball.”

She began playing organized basketball in a CYO league in third grade. In fourth and fifth grade, Kiana played for a club team Campbell and Michael Williams formed.

She didn’t realize her full potential until the summer after sixth grade when she began playing AAU basketball for former Jay and UT standout player Clarissa Davis’ TeamXpress. It was the first time Kiana played travel basketball, and the notion she could play college basketball was planted. She thrived on a team that had several players five years older than she was.

“It made a great impression on her,” Michael Williams said. “We didn’t know which way it was going to go with Clarissa. It was exciting. She performed well.”

The following year, Kiana joined SA Finest, where she remained until her final AAU season last summer.

Since then, she had transformed into one of the nation’s top players and built an impressive resume.

Williams played four varsity seasons at Wagner. She was a three-time selection for the Express-News’ Super Team and earned Co-Player of the Year honors this season.

Ranked as ESPN’s No. 8 recruit for the 2017 class, Williams signed with Stanford in November. She was also selected as a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association first-team All-American and a Naismith Trophy second-team All-American. She was play in the Jordan Brand Classic too, another national all-star game, on April 14 in Brooklyn, New York.

Campbell knows he helped get her to this point. However, he said it was his sister’s desire to get there that made the difference.

“She’s mature beyond her years,” Campbell said. “She can handle every situation. You can see the growth from year to year. Kiana wasn’t a McDonald’s All-American in eighth grade, ninth grade. It’s been a process. It was her understanding that she had to get better every year and showing that growth every year.”

As much work as she put into it, she said was it was never too much.

“When you do something you love, it can’t be overwhelming,” Williams said. “I love the game of basketball. I want to be around it all my life.”

Williams and Campbell realize their ride together is coming to an end. They think about that each time they workout together.

“He’s just fun to be around,” Kiana said. “I’m going to miss him.”

Campbell said: “I call her my sidekick. Whenever you see me, she’s there. It’s crazy that in a couple of months, she’s not going to be there. It’s like I’m losing my best friend, but I’m not losing her. She’s going on to bigger and better things. … She is growing up, and she has to go out and conquer this world on her own.”

Wagner’s Williams shakes off nerves at McDonald’s All-American Game


Kiana defends during the McDonald's All American game.

David Hinojosa, mysanantonio.com, March 29, 2017

Nerves built up for Wagner senior Kiana Williams as she took the court at Chicago’s United Center on Wednesday to play in the biggest game of her life.
It was understandable considering she was one of 12 players suited up for the West in the 16th edition of the McDonald’s All-American Girls Game, which was televised on ESPN2. But, shortly after the tip, it was all about basketball and Williams found her comfort zone.
“My hands were sweaty and I was tight, not loose like I usually am before a big game,” Williams said. “Once we went up and down the court a few times, it was fine.”
Williams recorded nine points, three rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes for the West, which lost to the East 80-74 in overtime.
Williams made 3 of 10 shots from the field and was 3 of 3 from the free-throw line.
The West led by as many as 13 points in the first half before the East fought back to send the game to overtime. 
The game offered Williams a chance to spend time with future Stanford teammate Maya Dodson, a 6-foot-3 forward from Saint Francis in Alpharetta, Georgia. Dodson, who played for the East, was entered in Monday’s slam dunk contest.
“We talked it up the whole time,” Williams said of Dodson.
Williams will attend Stanford’s national semifinal game against South Carolina on Friday in Dallas, and she said was she was going to text Dodson updates from there.
Williams is the fifth girl from the San Antonio area to play in the prestigious game. Others include her former Wagner teammate Amber Ramirez (2016), Clemens’ Kyra Lambert( 2015), FEAST’s Recee’ Caldwell (2014) and Steele’s Meighan Simmons (2010).
Next up for Williams is the Jordan Brand Classic, another national all-star game, scheduled for April 14 at Barclays Center in New York. She was one of 12 players selected to play for the East. Ramirez played in the game last year.

2017 McDonald's All-American games


newsday.com, March 29, 2017

Maya and Kiana at the 2017 McDonald's All-American high school basketball games on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at United Center in Chicago.


Big East's Maya Dodson, center, drives between Big West's players, during the second half of the McDonald's All-American girls basketball game Wednesday, March 29, 2017, in Chicago.

Big West's teammate and Kiana Williams, right, (23) battle the Big East's player for the ball during the first half of the McDonald's All-American girls high school basketball game Wednesday, March 29, 2017, in Chicago.


Maya Attempts Dunk at McDonalds All American Slam Contest


ajc.com, March 29, 2017

 Maya Dodson, a 6-foot-3 forward at St. Francis from Alpharetta, gets some encouragement as she prepares to participate in the 2017 McDonald's All American games POWERADE Jam Fest on March 27, 2017, in Chicago. Dodson, who is committed to play at Stanford, performed two dunks to qualify for the contest.
 Maya Dodson, from Alpharetta, gets the support of her McDonald’s All-American teammates as the lone girl participating in the slam dunk competition against the boys. Dodson, a senior at St. Francis, has previously dunked in a high school game.
Maya Dodson gets air as he attempts to dunk during the 2017 McDonald's All American games POWERADE Jam Fest on March 27, 2017, in Chicago. She made four attempts to slam the rim.
Alpharetta’s Maya Dodson’s slam dunk attempt falls just short. She failed to nail a dunk and exited in the first round of the 2017 McDonald's All American games POWERADE Jam Fest.














Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Estella is WBCA All-State


dailyunion.com, March 14, 2017

Madison Edgewood’s Estella Moschkau leads the 2017 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-State as the lone unanimous selection in Division 3.
Moschkau repeated as first team All-State selection.

Moschkau was named co-Miss Basketball on Saturday and led the Crusaders (25-3) to their first State title in program history. The Stanford recruit averaged 18.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.6 blocks per game for coach Lora Staveness and the Crusaders. Moschkau helped Madison Edgewood reach the State Tournament for the first time in program history as a junior. She finished her career with 1,606 points.

Monday, March 13, 2017

Madison Edgewood's Estella Moschkau earns Gatorade state player of the year honor

Jon Masson, madison.com, March 13, 2017

Madison Edgewood senior forward Estella Moschkau collected another major honor on Monday.
The 6-foot-2 Moschkau was named the 2016-17 Gatorade Wisconsin Girls Basketball Player of the Year, the Gatorade Company announced in a release Monday.
Moschkau, a Stanford signee, became the first Edgewood player to be selected as Gatorade girls player of the year.
The award recognizes athletic excellence, high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the court.
Moschkau now becomes a finalist for the Gatorade national player of the year award.
On Saturday, Moschkau was named a co-recipient of the Miss Basketball Award for the state, as named by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. Moschkau was presented with the award during halftime of the WIAA Division 4 title game Saturday at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon.
In an interview, Moschkau acknowledged her parents, coaches, teammates, friends and family for helping her on her journey, saying, “I’m so honored and grateful.”
Then Moschkau went out and scored a game-high 20 points and also grabbed seven rebounds in leading the Crusaders to a 51-30 victory over Greendale Martin Luther in the WIAA Division 3 championship game. It was Edgewood’s first WIAA title in two appearances. The Crusaders reached state for the first time last season, losing in the semifinals. 
Moschkau was named to the all-tournament team by state media after completion of this year's tournament Saturday night. 

Moschkau, at the time of her selection for the Gatorade honor, was averaging 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.7 blocks entering the Division 3 title game. She was a first-team all-state selection last season. She is Edgewood’s school career leader in points and blocked shots.
Moschkau worked hard in the offseason on her defense and continued to work on her basketball skills, strength and conditioning during the school year, regularly getting up for 5:30 a.m. workouts.
Edgewood coach Lora Staveness said Moschkau has “an unbelievable work ethic, like all great players do” and has the ability to control the game “without having to put up eye-popping numbers.”
Added Staveness: “At 6-2, Estella is often an offensive and defensive nightmare for teams, as she is able to play all five positions on the floor.”
Wrightstown coach Mike Froehlke, whose team lost to Edgewood in Thursday’s Division 3 semifinals, called Moschkau “a fabulous player.”
“Estella Moschkau is a phenomenal player,” Monona Grove coach Tyler Kuehl said in the Gatorade release. “She affects the game like no other player I’ve seen this year. She has so many skills offensively that if you take one thing away, she can switch gears to something else. She’s also an incredible defender.”
Moschkau has served as a tutor in her school and has volunteered on behalf of a homeless shelter, Meals on Wheels and for youth sports programs. She has a 4.0 GPA.
As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Moschkau will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant as part of the Gatorade Play it Forward program.
Barneveld guard Hannah Whitish, who now plays at Nebraska, was last season’s state Gatorade player of the year.

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Moschkau shares Miss Basketball honor



               Mark Stewart, jsonline.com, March 11, 2017

When it came to selecting the state’s top senior, the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association couldn’t choose just one.

Saturday the organization announced Madison Edgewood’s Estella Moschkau as a co-winner of the Miss Basketball award. This is the first time two players have shared the honor. The players were announced during halftime of the Division 4 state championship game.

The honor was announced in advance of the full release of the WBCA all-state teams Monday.

Moschkau, a 6-2 guard/forward who signed with Stanford, led Madison Edgewood to a 51-30 victory over Martin Luther in the Division 3 championship game Saturday.
She had a game-high 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. She finished the season with averages of 18.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
Moschkau, who also said she improved her conditioning during the off-season, expects to play anything from power forward to shooting guard in college.
“They want me to improve my ball-handling and my shooting, all the fundamentals,” Moschkau said. “Hopefully defense will be key for me. I really like defense, so I’m really hoping to bring that to their program.”

Estella and Madison Edgewood gets WIAA title for first time




Jon Masson, madison.com, March 12, 2017

For senior Estella Moschkau and the Madison Edgewood girls basketball team, redemption finally arrived in their return to the Resch Center.
Edgewood watched a late lead slip away during last season’s state semifinals and used that one-point loss to eventual champion Hayward as year-long motivation.
Edgewood’s crusade this season realized the desired result Saturday in the WIAA Division 3 state championship game.
The third-ranked Crusaders won their 19th consecutive game, rolling to a 51-30 victory over second-ranked Greendale Martin Luther.
It was Edgewood’s first WIAA championship in its second state appearance.
Moschkau, who earlier Saturday was named co-recipient of the Miss Basketball Award scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds. 
“It’s exactly what we wanted,” said Moschkau, a Stanford commit. “It was the revenge we were planning for, I guess you could say. Right after we lost, it was in our minds. Throughout the summer and the course of the season, it was always on our minds — that one loss last year.
“And we always kept that thought and we pushed through every adversity, and we overcame a lot. … It’s all happiness right now. We are so happy now. I can’t describe it right now. It is a you’ve-got-be-there-type feeling.”
The Crusaders (25-3) used a dominating defensive effort and snapped the Spartans’ 25-game winning streak, holding Martin Luther to a season-low point total.
Martin Luther (26-2), making its state debut, shot only 27.5 percent from the floor, including 22.2 percent in the first half when Edgewood earned a 19-11 halftime lead.
The Spartans, who had no players score in double figures, were 1-for-15 from 3-point range and committed 17 turnovers.
Martin Luther coach Corey Scheel said the Crusaders “were just swarming” and demonstrated outstanding hustle and help-side defense.
“I give Edgewood a lot of credit,” Scheel said. “They really ramped up their defensive intensity — it was nothing I’ve really seen out of them throughout the year. They did a really nice job taking away the outside shots. They covered the 3-ball well, which we can shoot. We didn’t shoot it well tonight.”
Edgewood coach Lora Staveness said her team wanted to take away the Spartans’ drives into the lane while also closing out on perimeter shots.
“Halfway through the season we amped up our defensive intensity and focused on that, and that would lead to our offense,” Staveness said.
That defensive emphasis is what won Edgewood the state championship, the 6-foot-2 Moschkau said.
“(Moschkau) is so long and so tall, even if it looked like I was open, I was tentative,” said the Spartans’ leading scorer who was held to seven points. “They played good ‘D.’ We expected them to pack it in more. They kind of did the opposite and they pressured us more in the halfcourt. And unforced errors were the detriment to us.”
The Crusaders also attacked the rim on offense, leading to numerous free-throw opportunities. Edgewood was 16-for-30 from the foul line; Martin Luther was 7-for-12.
A key stretch in reaching that goal came when the Crusaders scored the final eight points of the first half and took an eight-point lead into halftime.
Moschkau scored six of the eight points, including a 3-pointer from the left corner that put Edgewood ahead 19-11 with 2:53 left.
“Too many unforced turnovers in the first half is what really doomed us,” Scheel said.
A 7-2 run opening the second half gave Edgewood a 13-point cushion. The lead ballooned to 22 points late in the game.

Wednesday, March 08, 2017

NAISMITH HS ALL-AMERICANS

            Dodson and Williams lauded for second consecutive afternoon

gostanford.com, March 8, 2017

Stanford incoming freshmen Kiana Williams and Maya Dodson were lauded for the second consecutive afternoon when the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the 2017 Naismith High School Girls' All-America teams on Wednesday. Williams landed on the second team and Dodson on the third team.
 
There are three five-member Naismith All-America teams and 14 additional players that earned honorable mention accolades. Stanford is one of three schools with two players on the top three squads. Yesterday, Williams and Dodson were named to the 10-person WBCA High School Coaches' All-America team.
 
The duo, who signed with Stanford in November, were also were selected to participate in both the McDonald's All American Game on March 29 in Chicago and the Jordan Brand Classic on April 14 in Brooklyn.
 
Williams (San Antonio, Texas/Karen Wagner) and Dodson (Alpharetta, Ga./St. Francis) make up half of the Cardinal's celebrated 2017 recruiting class which, along with Alyssa Jerome (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Harbord Collegiate) and Estella Moschkau  (Mount Horeb, Wisc./Edgewood), is ranked fifth by espnW HoopGurlz.
 
Williams, a 5-foot-7, five-star point guard from San Antonio, Texas, is the No. 8 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 and Stanford's first top-10 recruit since Chiney Ogwumike signed as the top player in the country in Nov. 2009.
 
She averaged 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and 2.5 steals per game as a junior for Karen Wagner High School. She was a first-team all-state selection for the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches as well as the Texas Girls Coaches Association. Williams averaged 22 points and four assists in leading the Thunderbirds to a 25-5 overall record this season.
 
Dodson, a 6-foot-3 wing, is a five-star talent and the No. 11 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100. A back-to-back state title winner in 2015 and 2016 at St. Francis High School in Alpharetta, Ga., Dodson averaged 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks per game as a junior and was named Georgia's Class A player of the year. In 30 games this season put up 14 points and eight rebounds for the 24-4 Knights.
 
This past summer, she won a bronze medal with Team USA at the FIBA U17 World Championship for Women in Zaragoza, Spain, making the 12-person roster out of a pool of 139 trial invitees. Dodson started all seven games and averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds, including scoring 12 and adding seven boards in the team's 65-50 win over China to secure third place.

Tuesday, March 07, 2017

Williams named to WBCA All-American team


Wagner’s Kiana Williams drives the ball past Steele’s player on Dec. 16, 2016

David Hinojosa, mysanantonio.com, March 6, 2017

Wagner’s Kiana Williams was one 10 players named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's All-American team on Monday.
Williams, who is signed with Stanford, averaged 21.6 points, 3.8 assists and 3.1 steals, for the Thunderbirds, who went 25-5 and earned a share of the District 27-6A championship with Judson and Steele.
It’s the second major honor for Williams, who was named as a McDonald’s All American in January. Williams will participate in the McDonald’s All-American Game on March 29 at the United Center in Chicago.
Williams will also participate in another national all-star game, the Jordan Brand Classic, on April 14 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

WBCA HS ALL-AMERICANS-


                     Accolades continue to pour in for Williams, Dodson

gostanford.com, March 7, 2017

Incoming freshmen Maya Dodson and Kiana Williams were named to the 10-person 2017 WBCA High School Coaches' All-America team, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced Monday.
 
Stanford was one of three schools to have two signees selected. Erica McCall and Karlie Samuelson were the last Cardinal to earn high school All-America honors from the WBCA in 2013.
 
The duo, who signed with Stanford in November, were also were selected to participate in both the McDonald's All American Game on March 29 in Chicago and the Jordan Brand Classic on April 14 in Brooklyn.
 
Dodson (Alpharetta, Ga./St. Francis) and Williams (San Antonio, Texas/Karen Wagner) make up half of the Cardinal's celebrated 2017 recruiting class which, along with Alyssa Jerome (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Harbord Collegiate) and Estella Moschkau  (Mount Horeb, Wisc./Edgewood), is ranked fifth by espnW HoopGurlz.
 
Dodson, a 6-foot-3 wing, is a five-star talent and the No. 11 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100. A back-to-back state title winner in 2015 and 2016 at St. Francis High School in Alpharetta, Ga., Dodson averaged 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks per game as a junior and was named Georgia's Class A player of the year. In 30 games this season put up 14 points and eight rebounds for the 24-4 Knights.
 
This past summer, she won a bronze medal with Team USA at the FIBA U17 World Championship for Women in Zaragoza, Spain, making the 12-person roster out of a pool of 139 trial invitees. Dodson started all seven games and averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds, including scoring 12 and adding seven boards in the team's 65-50 win over China to secure third place.
 
Kiana Williams, a 5-foot-7, five-star point guard from San Antonio, Texas, is the No. 8 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 and Stanford's first top-10 recruit since Chiney Ogwumike signed as the top player in the country in Nov. 2009.
 
Williams averaged 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and 2.5 steals per game as a junior for Karen Wagner High School. She was a first-team all-state selection for the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches as well as the Texas Girls Coaches Association. Williams averaged 22 points and four assists in leading the Thunderbirds to a 25-5 overall record this season.