Squads Named For North-South Basketball Games

        A total of 60 outstanding junior student-athletes from across the state have been named to the 2013 North-South Boys and Girls Basketball All-Star squads for the 17th annual Alabama All-Star Sports Week competition scheduled in Montgomery July 15-20. Alvin Briggs, Director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADCA) made the announcement Wednesday.
        Sports Week, which also includes in-state all-star games in soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball and football, will also feature the Summer Conference with clinics and professional development sessions for coaches, principals, athletic directors, cheerleader coaches and officials. 

        Also, an All-Sports Equipment Expo and other related activities are scheduled throughout the week. Two of the highlights will be the Sportsmanship Banquet, which honors all schools that have not had an ejection or fine during the 2012-13 school year, and the Championship Coaches Awards Banquet, which honors the 2012-13 Making A Difference Award winners.

        Coaching the North boys all-stars will be Rodney Chatman of Center Point and Heath Burns of Parrish. The administrative coach is Brant Llewellyn of Lauderdale County.
        Coaches for the South boys are Jeffery Pope of Blount and Mark Dukes of Wilcox Central. Nigel Card of Saint James is the administrative coach.
        The North girls’ all-star coaching staff includes Amber Deline of Oneonta and Jason Shields of Hokes Bluff. South coaches include Andrew Kilcrease of Brantley and Michelle Simmons of Carver-Montgomery. Llewellyn and Card will also serve as girls’ administrative coaches.
        Headlining the North boys’ roster is Isaac Haas, a 7-foot-2 center at Hokes Bluff. He is the tallest player named to the squad in the 16-year history of All-Star Sports Week. He is joined by 6-8 LaBarrius Hill of Parrish, Albertville 6-7 shooting guard Riley Norris, and 5-10 point guard Justin Coleman of Wenonah, the 2013 Class 5A state tournament MVP.
          The South squad lists five players 6-6 or taller, including 6-8 center William Lee of Dallas County, one of the most prolific shot blockers in AHSAA history. McGill-Toolen’s T.J. Lang, Cottage Hill Christian’s Matthew Scelsi, and Carver-Montgomery bookend forwards Demetrius Houston and Brandon Murphy all stand 6-6. Luverne forward DeAnthony Rutledge is 6-5.
        The South girls roster features two players from 2013 Class 1A state champion Brantley, Raven Davis and Peyton Hill. The North squad lists three 2013 Final 48 MVPs – Leah Strain of Class 2A state champion Woodland, Destiney Elliott of Class 4A champ Oneonta and Chatara Cox of Class 3A state champion Lauderdale County. Also on the squad is Riley Northway of Brewer, a 6-1 forward who earned MVP honors in 2012 after leading Brewer to the 5A state title.
         The North swept last year’s competition at Alabama State University’s Dunn-Oliver Acadome with the boys winning 65-57 and the girls squeaking out a 68-67 overtime win. The North leads the boys’ series 44-25 dating back to the first contest in 1953 and the girls’ series 14-2. This summer’s games will be played once again at the Acadome July 17.
        The AHSADCA operates under the auspices of the Alabama High School Athletic Association. Membership includes coaches of all AHSAA sports as well as administrators of member schools.

        The rosters: