Stop! This hits different. So to understand this story you the reader must, must watch this dope Tik Tok vid.
You won’t understand this story until you click the vid.
600 stories I’ve done, I’m evolving to collab, show readers visuals. Hurry, click to feel the energy people!
On one level, these kids created a fun vid to entertain. But the girls are ohhh so talented. Like my girl Puff Morris, she the next Kobe? Brooklyn Shamblin, Christy Reynoso, girls in vid, others not in the vid such as my girl Reni J. That’s what I predict.
Kobe would chase after them, plead for girls just mentioned, plead for them to let him (Kobe) be a part of their journey! Really.
They may be as great as Kob, yes, because I saw Kobe put so much into those girls like he put into Sabrina I, Hailey Van Lith. Facts!
You guys ever heard of possibly the best NBA draft that ever was? EPIC 1996 draft that featured Kobe, Iverson, Ray Allen, Nash, Marbury, A-Walker, 5 other future NBA all stars.
Kidding me E-Woods? That’s a crazy burning class of ballers, you sure you’re not gassing up these girls too much, these girls of the 2024 class like that?
Yup, girls in that class are like NBA draft class of 1984, 2003, they are THE TAKEOVER without a doubt, just sit back and watch them over the next few years and mark my words!
I collab with a person I respect greatly, Des Ale, co-founder of Her Game Sports. She’s who put the vid together. Hear her speak on the Tik Tok vid project, “We came up with this concept of the video to send a message to everyone.
“We want to continue to encourage and uplift people during this time. Her Game is a call for the basketball community to encourage girls to stay positive, active and virtually connected during this time while making the most out of it.
“Gabby [Robinson] helped me coordinate this video with the girls. We asked each girl who participated in the video ‘What do you both miss and also love about basketball?
Our first young lady in our video is Gabby Robinson
Gabby: “For me, losing basketball really brought into focus just how much I am committed to it and how my life is scheduled around it. I miss the competition, the hype, the sweat, the grind, and the exhaustion.
I miss my shoes, my gear, my music and my friends. I think most of all though, I miss the drive and purpose it brought me every day.
“My love of basketball comes from the sheer competitiveness of my family. Although my dad played in college and had a highly successful career, Her Game basically defines our house.
"My mom and sister are NCAA national champions and each have a ring from UCLA and Louisville. I am working every day to ensure I follow in their footsteps and share those bragging rights.”
Our 2nd girl featured is Ryann Bennett.
Ryann: “The main thing I miss about playing basketball is being around my teammates. Another thing is the competition from playing opposing teams.
"I wish we didn’t have to take this long break but it also gives me an opportunity to grow in other areas of my game.
“My love for basketball has come from watching my sister play and my parents believing in me to play. Basketball has not only given me multiple opportunities on and off the court, it’s also given me many amazing friendships in life.
"I will always cherish my gift of being able to play the game of basketball and I have no regrets of choosing to play this sport.”
Our 3rd girl featured is Janessa Cotton.
Janessa: “I miss the feeling of joy it gave me. The feeling of being with my second family, my Cal Sparks family.
"Basketball allowed me to release things and get things from the outside world out of my head.
“My dad has always played basketball so my love for basketball has always kind of been there for me.
"I started playing softball at first, then pursued basketball a year and half ago. My dreams changed from being an Olympian softball player to a WNBA player.”
Our 4th girl featured is Jazzy Mercado.
Jazzy: “My love for the game comes from the competition because I have a competitive spirit. I always like to try to be better than those around me.”
Our 5th girl featured is Niya Price.
Niya: “I miss being on the court everyday and playing against all the great competition. I also miss taking on the leadership role on the court despite all the obstacles thrown at me on the court.
“My love of basketball comes from seeing my older siblings play at a high level. I loved the competitiveness it brought out of me. I also love that this game helps you build character and that I can do something I love on a daily basis.”
Well said, well played ladies. Our world needs your bubbly-ness now more than ever as each day indoors fills into the next. We’re all going through a rough patch but these dope kids and Desi Ale came together to shoot a ray of light to all of us, remind us that kids can still ball, share, smile, and have that hoop dream.
They combined their energies to make a swaggy vid from crazy cool kids that miss the game. One buck.
But please hear me on this, as I don’t mean to depress us all by reminding folks that Kobe, our ultimate champion of the girls game, is gone, his baby girl too. They carried the torch like a Statue of Liberty to grow the women’s game.
No one can take their place in promoting the sheer beauty of, and raising the respect level of women’s hoops, although Sabrina Ionescu is certainly up there as an ambassador to build respect for the women’s game.
I put a fist up to SLAM Mag, they have SlamW shirts, mad dope coverage to get people into women’s hoops the last few years. SLAM editor Adam F is the man!
Who else grows this game worth supporting, truly? Her Game offers shirts, apparel to rep the culture; I’d rather wear a Her Game shirt than SLAM Mag cover or SLAM W shirt. If you know me, that means something.100.
Why support Her Game? You want to see a girl’s eyes light up, roll up in a Her Game shirt, shorts, article of clothing that says I care. I’m not getting a free shirt to say this, I don’t own company stock, I just recognize a real one when it presents itself. I personally choose to shop and support their online store.
Rapper Lil Wayne? He wore a Skylar Diggins #4 jersey to his concert when she was in college to promote her. Think Weezy cares? Drake puts lyrics in his songs to highlight Liz Cambage, think that’s dope?
Her Game promotes the women’s game now just as SLAM started a match to light the culture in 95’, ball is life, overtime, pass tha ball, ESPN W all did before. It’s about sparking a smile.
You invest in a Her Game shirt, people will immediately see you rep the culture, as deeply as I see a person who wears shirt that says #Girl Dad, feel me?
Her Game also did a DOPE prep vid that I will share in two upcoming stories featuring CRAZY, insanely talented 9th-12th graders like Rylei Waugh, Ashley Chea, Sydney Summers, Caia Elisaldez, Queen Ruffin, Michelle Ducheman, Khylee Pepe, Jess from Etiwanda , Vanessa De Jesus, Asia Avinger, and Chloe Briggs.
I have the vid, but you guys have to wait for their story a lil longer! Lol. We’ll write more about Her Game beyond Covid 19 and its clinics, programs. I’ll do stories on my girl Lasandra of Air West.
You’ll see me wearing a Her Game shirt A/W I’m repping, but the bigger question to you is, will you invest in the girls’ game, do you care?
I’ll leave you with this sad last scenario that let me down recently, I have an NBA player acquaintance who I asked, “You like women’s basketball?”
He says, “Hell noooo, women hoop is boring, they suck, I’d rather watch a homeless guy sitting on the street corner than girl hoops, they whack man.”
I walked away, thought no respect will women ever get? I can’t respect this guy anymore. Discrimination? It’s really out there. So choose to support females or not, feel my prediction that the girls of SoCal of 2024 will be utterly talented like the 96’ NBA draft.
Not just the girls in this Tik Tok vid have a chance to be killas in prep, there are other names to follow I’ll offer, and I’ll try to do stories on this list. I’m all in.
You the reader might be saying are these awesome girls in tik tok vid the only superior players in SoCal, in 8th grade that are MAD talented? No way silly rabbit, let me (E-Woods) share names of other super fye 8h grade girls that didn’t happen to be in the vid, yet they have NBA 96’ draft potential!
Other top 8th ballers: Serenity Johnson, Shea Joko, Me’arah O’Neil, Kennedy Smith, Mackenly Randolph, Itzela Arenas, Addison Deal, Clayton sisters.
I’m not conceited, pretentious, so come find me, give me your vid. I’m there for kids, prospects, I have tons of time and passion to help.
If you’re not at an elite skill level I can suggest a trainer and/or give you advice to try and get to a higher level.
In conclusion, feel this quote from Her Game co-founder Des Ale, “These are answers coming from the girls...in their own words.
"We even started wearing our Her Game shirts (available on our website) www.hergamesports.com so that people get the message.
Adversity comes and goes, we all go through it. The best creativity happens when you embrace the struggle, and that’s what these girls did!”
