Stanford FBC: Recruit News

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Fran Belibi throws down first alley-oop dunk in girls HS basketball history

Logan Newman, usatodayhss.com, January 12, 2019

We’ve seen Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) basketball sensation Fran Belibi throw down an alley-oop dunk in Team USA Basketball practice.

But in a live game? Different story.

This was the first in-game alley-oop dunk in high school girls basketball history, according to the team’s Twitter account.

It came just three days after Belibi nearly flushed one down but couldn’t quite finish.

On Saturday, point guard Avery Vansickle received a pass in transition with nobody in front of her. Instead of laying the ball in, she lofted an underhand pass in the air to Belibi, who was roaring into the lane behind her.

The 6-foot-1 Stanford commit leapt, grabbed the pass with one hand and put down the first alley-oop in girls high school basketball history.

The crowd got loud and, under the basket, the cheerleaders stared in awe. One girl’s mouth fell open as she looked on in disbelief.

Belibi has created racket on social media and in basketball circles with her extraordinary dunking ability.

It’s no longer rare to see her dunk in-game, but completing an alley-oop is a new one.

As a junior, Belibi averaged 15.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 3.2 blocks per game.

She’s maintained strong rebounding and steal averages but picked up her scoring as a senior, averaging 22.8 points.

Belibi has helped Regis Jesuit jump to a 10-0 record entering Saturday. The Raiders are No. 10 in the Super 25.

She’s committed to join Stanford’s terrifying 2019 recruiting class made up of herself and three other five-star athletes, including No. 1 prospect Haley Jones.

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Saturday, January 05, 2019

This is what nation’s top-rated girls player looks like

Flanked by her parents and backed by her Archbishop Mitty teammates, Haley Jones of Santa Cruz, the No. 1 ranked girls basketball recruit in the nation, picks Stanford over University of Connecticut, Notre Dame, University of Oregon, and University os South Carolina in a signing ceremony–aired live on ESPN–at Archbishop Mitty High.

Darren Sabedra, mercurynews.com, January 5, 2019

Everything that makes Haley Jones the nation’s top-rated girls basketball player was in clear view Friday night.

From the opening-possession 3-pointer to passes that led to easy baskets, from the smooth ballhandling to blocked shots and rebounding, the Stanford-bound Archbishop Mitty star went about her business in typical mind-boggling fashion.

“The basketball IQ has always been off the charts,” Mitty coach Sue Phillips said. “But her ability to do everything on the court is what’s pretty amazing.”

Jones scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. She handed out five assists, blocked four shots and stole the ball three times.

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Thursday, January 03, 2019

SJ Mercury News Athlete of the Week: Top Bay Area performers-Haley Jones

Archbishop Mitty’s Haley Jones (30), shown in the CIF NorCal Open Division championship game last season, displayed a variety of strengths in last week’s games.

Phil Jensen, mercurynews.com, January 3, 2019

Haley Jones, Archbishop Mitty

Sport: Basketball

Class: Senior

Position: Guard/forward

Put up jaw-dropping numbers on her way to MVP honors at the Surf & Slam San Diego Hoops Classic. In the Surf Division championship game, Jones nearly had an extremely rare quintuple-double with 28 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, eight steals and eight blocks in a 90-48 win over Woodinville-Wa. The No. 1 recruit in the country who signed with Stanford, Jones scored at least 28 points in every tournament game, including 30 in a 67-51 win over Prarie-Vancouver, Wa. Jones also had at least 12 rebounds in every game, including 15 in a 76-35 first-round victory over Villa Maria Academy-Erie, Pa.

Friday, December 28, 2018

Warriors’ Stephen Curry like an older brother to elite Stanford recruit

Stephen Curry stands on a chair to pretend that he is taller than his close family friend, Cameron Brink.

Connor Letourneau, sfchronicle.com, December 28, 2018

Last February, on the eve of a matchup against the Trail Blazers, Warriors guard Stephen Curry attended a girls high school basketball game in suburban Portland, Ore., to watch his close family friend, Cameron Brink.

His gray hoodie pulled tight over his head, Curry tried to not cause a scene. Impossible. As teenagers flocked toward Curry, high school staffers formed a makeshift shield around him. Before the game ended, he darted out a backdoor, only for students to scream as his car sped away.

“It was crazy,” said Michelle Bain-Brink, mother of Cameron, a Southridge High forward. “It was like The Beatles were leaving.”

Stanford-bound Haley Jones stays in control on basketball court

Tom Fitzgerald, sfchronicle.com, December 25, 2018

Points flow off Haley Jones’ hands as steadily as the dreadlocks cascade down her back, obscuring her No. 30. Nobody really needs to identify her by her number, anyway.

She establishes her presence with (in quick order) a driving shot with her left hand off the glass, a turnaround jumper with her right hand and a three-point basket with a textbook shooting style, a bounce pass that she threads to a teammate for a layup that’s missed. No matter, because Jones is there to put back the rebound.

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Monday, December 24, 2018

Stanford girls basketball lineup will soon fill with Colorado talent

Dan Mohrmann, chsaanow.com, December 21, 2018

Cherry Creek point guard Jana Van Gytenbeek didn't have to think twice when she declared her intentions for college. Once Stanford came calling she delivered a firm yes.

Just a junior, Van Gytenbeek will play out her final two years with the Bruins then head to Palo Alto to continue her athletic career and education.

“Ever since I was little Stanford has been my dream school," she said. "I went to camp there my fifth-grade year and again, it was just my dream school. It was always the goal for me.”

Here's the most exciting part for her. When she gets there, she'll have plenty of company from home. Regis Jesuit's Fran Belibi and Discovery Canyon's Ashten Prechtel are headed there in 2019. When it comes to finding top talent, The Setsuko Ishiyama Director of Women's Basketball Tara VanDerveer has kept her eyes on the Rocky Mountains.

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