Oct. 31, 2006

By Megan Youngblood

CSTV.com

	MEGAN YOUNGBLOOD Megan Youngblood is CSTV.com's women's basketball columnist. E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   --- WOMEN'S BASKETBALL 11/3: Exhibition Strategy 10/31: Five Freshmen To Watch 10/27: A Female Athlete's Place to Call Home 10/17: Stringing Along A Title IX Legacy 10/16: A Wiser, More Aggressive Parker 10/13: Humphrey Slips Up 10/13: 64 Things to Know, Part IV 10/12: 64 Things to Know, Part III 10/11: 64 Things to Know, Part II 10/10: 64 Things to Know, Part I 10/6: ACL, The New Achilles' Heel 9/29: A No-Go and Going Home 9/22: Tulane Plays Role In Rebuilt New Orleans Sports 9/8: Enshrinement Garners Respect for Auriemma

Jayne Appel, 6-foot-4 F/C, Stanford

An assortment of top 25 schools had designs on Jayne Appel. Tennessee, Arizona State, UCLA, USC, Notre Dame, Duke, Cal, and UConn were all in the running for one of the premier post prospects in the country. The Pleasant Hill, Calif. native had an especially hard time narrowing down her choice after trying to synchronize decisions with fellow AAU teammate Jacki Gemelos. They had talked about going to the same school and when Gemelos verbally committed to UConn, she tried to rope in Appel as well. Gemelos, a 6-foot guard, made the biggest splash in the summer recruiting season by de-committing from UConn and signing with USC instead. But the USA Today First Team selection Gemelos will have to sit out the season with a torn ACL. Appel, however, will be the one to watch. A true center, she can score with either hand with her back to the basket, and can also hit the midrange jumper. Appel will be a perfect fit for this team, drawing comparisons to one of her new teammates in current Stanford star Brooke Smith. This past summer, Appel also helped the USA Basketball U18 Women's National Team to a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship. In the gold medal game against Canada, Appel posted nine points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in just 22 minutes. With her ability to bury an open three and comfort handling the ball on the break, Appel's great hands will allow her to catch anything Stanford dishes her way.

Tina Charles, 6-foot-3, C, UConn

UConn signee Tina Charles was the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year, averaging more than 26 points and 14 rebounds in her senior year at Christ the King High School in New York - a season that led Christ the King to a state championship. The consensus national high school player of the year and a McDonald's All-American was the most-heralded recruit of her class, a 6-foot-3 forward with the stamina to lead her team to a perfect 30-0 record, over some of the nation's best competition. And the buzz about Charles has spread far and wide. Duke coach Gail Goestenkors listed Charles as one of the players she would least like to face next year. What she adds to UConn this year will be a unique low dominant personality and presence to the program with the size and speed to score. If Charles continues to develop her ballhandling in the open court and quickness on the blocks, she'll be a huge threat all-around. Charles' 2005-06 prep stats also includes two wins over intra-city rival Murry Bergtraum, a team led by soon-to-be Rutgers rival Epiphanny Prince.

Amber Harris, 6-foot-5, F, Xavier

After being tabbed the No. 1 overall prospect by Blue Star Index while also turning down LSU, Purdue, Rutgers and Tennessee, Harris is the most highly touted recruit Xavier has ever landed. The USA Today First Team All-USA selection led North Central High School to consecutive state titles in 2004 and 2005, averaging 16.5 points per game during her senior season. At 6-foot-5, the Indianapolis native can play every position. Move over, Candace Parker, because Harris, who has the ability to touch the top of the white square on the backboard, will also bring her dunking ability to the women's game. Harris has earned a long list of accolades in her prep career, including recognition on the Parade Magazine and Street and Smith's All-America First Teams. She was also named Indiana's "Miss Basketball."

Ephiphanny Prince, 5-foot-9, G, Rutgers

Along Charles' and Christ the King's tyrant route last season was Epiphanny Prince and her Murry Bergtraum team, who suffered their only two losses of the season to Christ the King, including a 79-66 state title loss. While Prince spent much of her high school career in Charles's shadow, she stepped out when she broke Cheryl Miller's high school single-game scoring record, throwing down 113 points in four eight-minute quarters. The record drew plenty of criticism to her coach, for leaving Prince in a game that saw the opposition limited to 32 points. However, Prince's ability to score from anywhere on the floor was established, and her jersey now hangs in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. The 5-foot-9 New York City native has compared herself to Sebastian Telfair and Diana Taurasi, developing a game picked up against boys at the Navy Yard Boys and Girls Club in Brooklyn.

Amanda Thompson, 6-foot, F, Oklahoma

The Parade All-American First Team selection arrives in Norman unique to Oklahoma's system. Head Coach Sherri Coale was missing a slasher from the small forward position, and Thompson will fill that spot. As a four-year high school starter, Thompson led her Whitney Young High School team to a 103-19 record over her career, averaging 21 points and 12 rebounds per game as a senior. With no apparent weaknesses, Thompson can shoot, penetrate, defend and rebound with plenty of size and strength for the perimeter. Like Prince, Thompson learned the fundamentals of the game playing against the guys. However, Thompson made it clear that her switch over to playing with girls forced her to learn she was missing something defensively.