2009-10 Eagle All-State girls basketball team
TOP 15 GIRLS
First team Ht. Yr. Pts.
Tiffany Bias, Andover Central 5-6 Sr. 21.6
Jhasmin Bowen, Wichita Heights 6-1 Jr. 16.2
Janna Graf, SM East 5-11 Sr. 20.7
Natalie Knight, Olathe South 5-6 Jr. 17.0
Ashia Woods, Wichita Collegiate 5-11 Jr. 22.7
Second team
Alexa Bordewick, Washburn Rural 5-6 Sr. 18.9
Karly Buer, Concordia 5-7 Sr. 19.2
Kathryn Flott, Olpe 6-1 Jr. 20.0
DeShawn Harden, St. Thomas Aquinas 5-9 Jr. 13.0
Merissa Quick, Cheney 6-3 Jr. 14.7
Third team
Kelsey Balcom, Olathe South 5-11 Sr. 15.3
Kaylee Hoffman, Thomas More Prep 5-8 Sr. 15.0
Jolee Sharp, Fort Scott 5-9 Sr. 20.4
Nicole Walden, Bishop Carroll 5-8 Sr. 11.7
Julia Zeiner, Marion 5-11 Sr. 16.2
ALL-STATE Girls
TIFFANY BIAS 5-6, sr., Andover Central Stats: Bias, a two-time All-State selection and four-year starter, led the Jaguars to a 25-0 record and the Class 5A title, their second undefeated run in three seasons. Bias, a point guard, averaged 21.6 points, 6.9 assists and 5.2 steals. She used her quickness on defense, often turning steals into points. Her career record is 91-8. College: Oklahoma State Pre-tournament women's NCAA pick: Connecticut Most memorable moment: “I think when Cami Gee got hurt and the first time she came back on the floor. She was out there and ready to play. It showed how much she wanted it and how much drive she had to come back when she was hurt.” Role model: Parents, Francis and Judy Bias. “I think my parents, they push me and support me in everything I do. Everything I’ve been through, pushing myself hard and knowing you have to work hard for everything you get.” Favorite pastime outside of basketball: Shopping. “Just anywhere. I’m just a big shopper for clothes. When I’m not playing basketball, I’m usually at the mall.” Coach Stana Jefferson: “The high level of intensity that she made our practice _ she just practiced so hard was important.æ.æ.æ. With Tiffany, it has to be a total package. She knows she’s a point guard and she knows if she needs to score, she’ll score. If she needs to dish, she’ll dish it. She’s just so smart with the game. She knows what she needs to do every possession of the ball.”
JHASMIN BOWEN 6-1, jr., Wichita Heights Stats: Bowen has a long, lean frame, but she is powerful in the lane and defenders had a difficult time stopping her whether she was going for a rebound or a basket. She averaged 16.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.9 assists and 1.8 blocks. Bowen, who had 17 points and 16 rebounds in the Class 6A semifinal, helped lead Heights to a 23-2 record and second place in Class 6A. Pre-tournament women's NCAA pick: Connecticut Most memorable moment: “When we played Southeast. The second half we came together as a team and just started playing after we got down by six. We’d never been down the whole season. That was like a state game. It showed we could pull through at the end.” Role model: Former Maryland guard Marissa Coleman. “She’s a very good player. She’s big, she’s thick. She plays with intensity and heart and she doesn’t quit. She strives to do stuff that people don’t expect her to do.” Favorite pastime outside of basketball: “Nothing. Really. I play basketball year-round. I have a tournament at the end of this month. That’s all I do. (On a Saturday night), I watch film or go out with my friends. We’ll just go to each other’s house and watch movies or get something to eat.” Coach Kip Pulliam: “She’s a complete player who doesn’t ever think she’s done growing, and keeps getting better and better. As a coach, you love that. She’s so intense.æ.æ.æ. She was a go-to player this year. In the years past, she was learning, learning, learning. Now when we needed something or something had to be done. We called her number, and it got taken care of.”
JANNA GRAF 5-11, sr., SM East Stats: Despite being undersized, she often played inside and was SM East’s primary threat as a shooter, so she drew her opponents’ focus. Yet she still dominated, averaging 20.7 points, 10 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 2.5 assists. She led SM East to the 6A tournament and a 19-4 record. College: Yale Pre-tournament women's NCAA pick: Connecticut Most memorable moment: “Playing (at state) two years in a row. We hadn’t played (at state) for 19 years, so it was a big deal for us.” Role model: Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen. “I’m so impressed with his game. He’s an incredible shooter and incredible offensive and defensive player. I’m originally from Seattle, so I watched him when he was with the Sonics.” Favorite pastime outside of basketball: “I like to hang out with friends, read, watch TV, just relax. I watch ‘Law and Order: SVU,’ ‘Gossip Girl,’ there’s a lot I watch.” Coach Rick Rhoades: “The thing about her, she’s not the strongest kid or the fastest kid, but as far as outworking her — I haven’t seen anybody that can box her out.æ.æ.æ. She has never sat there and watched a ball being shot. She’s working her way for the rebound. She thinks ahead of the game, where they’re passing to, where I need to be.”
NATALIE KNIGHT 5-6, jr., Olathe South Stats: There’s not much that she doesn’t do well. She averaged 17 points, 4.3 assists, 3.6 steals, 5.2 rebounds and has scored 904 career points, despite only playing six games as a freshman. Knight led Olathe South to the Class 6A title and a 24-1 record. She has made an oral commitment to Kansas. Pre-tournament women's NCAA pick: Connecticut Most memorable moment: “Definitely No. 1 is winning state, but just the whole season, really. We spend a lot of time together outside of basketball. We’re all pretty much best friends, so it’s going to be sad to see them leave. You try to remember those special moments.” Role model: Parents, James and Tinita Knight. “Probably my parents, because they’ve been there through everything. I love them.” Favorite pastime outside of basketball: “Pretty much just hang out with friends, go to movies _ scary movies, funny movies, everything. I still haven’t seen ‘Dear John’ yet, and I really want to see that.” Coach Steve Ingram: “She rarely makes a mistake, as in a (bad) shot or a turnover or ever being in the wrong spot or off-balance. She’s just so smooth and she makes the game look so easy.æ.æ.æ. I’m not sure she there’s anything she doesn’t do well. She defends well, especially on-ball defense, which is where she gets the most steals.”
ASHIA WOODS 5-11, jr., Wichita Collegiate Stats: Woods, a two-time All-State selection, is a versatile athlete. She’s an outstanding scorer _ she averaged 22.7 points as she led Collegiate to a 21-2 record. Woods, who has long arms and a knack for getting into the passing lane, is also stellar at defense, averaging 5.8 steals and 7.4 rebounds. Pre-tournament women's NCAA pick: Connecticut Most memorable moment: “When my best friend (teammate Kamri Phox) ran into the wall. She was going for a pass from me that was soaring out of bounds. She was trying to save it. She saved it, kept running and ran into the wall and had to get six or seven stitches in her eyebrow.” Role model: “My summer coaches, Rhonda Moore and Francis Bias. They made me into the player that I am today. I wouldn’t be the player I am without them.” Favorite pastime outside of basketball: “I like to hang out with my friends, talk on the phone, go bowling and I like the movies.” Coach Terrence Phox: “What a lot of people don’t understand is we rarely ran set plays for Ashia. She got most of her scoring from the flow of the game. If you would see us play, you’d see that.æ.æ.æ. She did a much better job of hitting the offensive boards, and that’s the difference. You get five offensive rebounds, and with her shooting percentage, that’s 10 points.”
REX CASNER Coach, Cheney Casner, in his fifth season at Cheney, led the Cardinals to the Class 4A title, the program’s first, and a 26-0 record. Cheney’s win was an upset over defending champ Concordia and the Cardinals won without their best player, Merissa Quick, who suffered a broken foot in the semifinals. Casner, 46, is 88-28 at Cheney and also led the Cardinals to third place in 4A in 2008-09. Junior center Merissa Quick: “He’s definitely a good coach. He really inspires us to do our best and always play our best. He’s never going to expect anything less than our absolute hardest and everything we have. He knows we wanted the state championship and wanted to do the best we can.”
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