PeachStateBasketball – Program Review – TN Flight Select – November 3, 2014

Class of 2017 point guard JaQuasha essays writing Hines of Knoxville, Tenn., burst on to the season with TN Flight Select. Read about their season here. Photo cred – Ty Freeman

The Tennessee Flight Select program started in 2007 with the mission of helping get young ladies from the East Tennessee area to the next level. While focusing upon basketball, the program also hopes to help players become better people in the process. Coach Brent Stallings and his sister, Brandi, coach and trains girls in elementary school through high school with the goal of providing all of them an avenue to get exposure to play college basketball.

By: @JLHemingwayPSB

Program Director

Brent Stallings

Program Headquarters

Knoxville, Tenn.

PeachStateBasketball.com Tournaments attended

Preseason Shootout (4 teams)
Tip-Off Classic (GA) (4 teams)
Summer Kickoff (4 teams)
Elite 32 Summer Jam Session II (2 teams)
End of the Road Championships (GA) (2 teams)

Notable Players

Destiny Carlton – 2017
JaQuasha Hines – 2017
Kara Meadows – 2017
Kassi Knight – 2015
Jacobi Lynn – 2017
Keondra McKinney – 2017
Sydney Newsome – 2017
Riley Patterson – 2017
Madison Rice – 2015
Lindsey Roddy – 2015
Blayke Shultz – 2017

Notable Alumni

Madison Blevins – Belmont (So.)
Chandler Christopher – ETSU (Jr.)
Brooke Copeland – Florida (Fr.)
Karlie Frye – Kennesaw State (Jr.)
Alaina Jordan – Coastal Carolina (So.)
Miranda Maples – Eastern Kentucky (Jr.)
Dequesha McClanahan – Winthrop (Graduated)
Molly Melton – Verbal commit to Chattanooga (2015)
Taylor Mills – Belmont (Sr.)
Casey Ryans – Morehead State (Sr.)
Rebecca Reuter – Middle Tennessee State (Fr.)
Alexus Patterson – Southern Illinois (Sr.)
Karsen Sims – Coastal Carolina (So.)

Program History

essay writing website reviews After expanding the program in 2010, coach Stallings and his team of coaches have helped over 70 players play Division 1 basketball. One of the more notable players that has come from the East Tennessee organization is Dequesha McClanahan of Oak Ridge, Tenn. She finished her career as Winthrop’s all-time leading scorer and in assists last season. The three-time Big South Player of the Year recently inked a professional contract to play overseas in for the club team Forssan Alku in Finland.

Class of 2014 forward Brooke Copeland was a standout at EBA Super 64 Camp. Photo Cred – Ty Freeman

More recently Stallings helped in the development of players such as a Brooke Copeland and Rebecca Rueter both of Cleveland, Tenn. Copeland finished her senior season being ranked No. 71 nationally as a 4-star power forward. She will play for the Florida Gators this season. While Reuter, a three-star forward, will contribute for coach Rick Insell this season at Middle Tennessee State.

Program Notes from Brent Stallings

This year’s sophomore group of players are proving to be Stallings’ most talented group in years. As Stallings said, “This could be our most prized group of kids, because they have been together since they were in fifth grade. They have stuck together, which is hard to come by in the world of exposure basketball.”

Not only has this group stuck together, but the essay on advertisement talented group of players are already getting on campus for unofficial visits. The two players that have gained the most amount of attention are the two post players. Keondra McKinney of Knoxville, Tenn., is a 6-foot-1 forward who is currently ranked No. 14 in her class. As Stallings says, “She is a great athlete with skill that could allow her to play on the wing in the future.”

Class of 2017 post Kara Meadows of Clarkrange, Tenn. Photo cred – Ty Freeman

McKinney is joined by 6-3 post Kara Meadows of Clarkrange, Tenn., who is already shaping up to be one of the better post scorers in the state. Stallings also had this to say about the duo of post players, “We have had a lot of success in the past especially with our post players there. They take care of business and play well together.”

As a product of that success, both players spent much of the time within the exposure weeks playing on the EYBL circuit with the Flight Select’s sister organization, the Tennessee Flight. While some coaches may have looked at this as a setback, Stallings took the opposite attitude. He said, “We try to be competitive and win tournaments. But our main focus is getting the girls exposure and putting them in the right spot to be seen by college coaches. If we are missing a few players that means someone else financial accounting homework help online gets an opportunity.”

That strategy is definitely paying off for this group as many players who were under the radar coming into this year are now being actively recruited by schools across the region. Stallings continued, “We had players who came together to fill the gaps and as a result gained attention that they would not had got otherwise. Many of our players are on unofficial visits this weekend.”

Class of 2017 wing Sydney Newsome of Talbott, Tenn. Photo cred – Ty Freeman

One of those players who is getting much attention this fall is point guard JaQuasha Hines of Knoxville, Tenn. The athletic floor general is one of those under the radar prospects that is now getting a lot of attention coming out of July. She is joined in the back court by 5-7 guard Destiny Carlton of Crossville, Tenn., and 5-9 wing Sydney Newsome of Talbott, Tenn. Stallings added, “Carlton and Newsome did a terrific job of filling in the gaps of our team this summer.”

Two other players that Stallings had high praise for was 5-8 guard Jacobi Lynn of Tellico Plains, Tenn., and 5-8 wing Rylie Patterson of Sevierville, Tenn. Stallings says, “Jacobi battled through a number of injuries this summer, but her and Patterson will be two of our better up and coming prospects next year.”

Future

Even with such a talented class of 2017, there is more do my homework service to look forward to with the Flight Select organization. The class of 2018 has an inside-out presence that is ready made to be impactful. Stallings says, “Riley Hicks from Alcoa is a true point guard. She is an extension of the coach on the floor. And Grace Van Rij from Gatlinburg could be one of the most improved kids in the program. She is growing her talent into her 6-3 frame.”

Stalling even has high praise for two eighth graders from the area who are working hard to improve. Alex Eldridge of Crossville, Tenn., is a wing who can shoot it and slash to the basket. She is joined by Courtney Carruthers of Maryville, Tenn., who already projects to one of the better shooters and decision makers in the program.

With a track record of elevating players to the next level and rosters filled with talent, expect the Flight Select teams to be a topic of conversation in upcoming summers.

Jonathan Hemingway is the Assistant Director of Scouting for the JumpOffPlus.com. The service is used by more than 150 colleges and universities nationwide. He also serves on the selection committee for the EBA All-American, Fab Five and Super 64 Camps. He has been involved in the community since 2002 as a coach, camp director and evaluator. He is also the publisher of CoachHemi.com You can reach him via email at [email protected] and follow him on twitter @JLHemingwayPSB