Girls basketball stars decide on future
Central’s Barnes picks UAB, Pharaohs’ Jones Old Dominion
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Two of the top high school girls basketball players in the area made their college choices known over the weekend.
Raleigh-Egypt standout Manaya Jones committed to Old Dominion on Saturday while on a visit to the Norfolk, Virginia, school.
On Friday, Central High guard Miyah Barnes — one of the area’s top long-range shooters — committed to UAB.
Jones chose the Monarchs after also considering Virginia Tech and Western Kentucky.
“I liked the coaches,” said Jones, who was nicknamed “Big Ticket” by Pharaohs’ assistant Jason Nichols. “They’re tough and they know what I need to do to help me get better, help me improve my skill level.”
The 6-3 Jones — who is 100th in the latest ESPN HoopGurlz class of 2016 national rankings — averaged 24 points and 15 rebounds last season for the Pharaohs. Her father is Raleigh-Egypt coach Anthony Jones, who was taken by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 1991 NBA draft after a standout career at Oral Roberts.
Barnes — a two-time all-metro performer — is the second area player in the class of 2016 to commit to the Blazers joining DeSoto Central post player Imani Johnson.
FORMER OWLS SHINE
Carlton Orange, a 2015 graduate of MUS, won the 800-meter championship at the USAT&F Outdoor Junior Nationals on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon.
Orange’s time was 1:47.67, the fifth-fastest U.S. junior 800 ever, and qualifies him to take part in the Pan-Am Junior Games, which take place July 31Aug. 2 in Edmonton.
He’ll be joined by former teammate Harrison Williams, who won his second straight decathlon championship Friday. He finished with 8,001 points, missing the U.S. junior record held by Gunnar Nixon by just 17 points.
Williams — who won nine state championships during his high school career — needed to run 4:30.16 in the final 1,500 meters to break the record. Competing in blazing 96-degree heat, he came in at 4:32.85.
He won five events — placing in the top three in all 10 — while setting a personal best in the long jump.
Earlier this season, Williams finished second in the Pac-12 meet and fourth at the NCAA championships.
BALLARD LEAVING LSU
The LSU Daily Reveille reported Saturday that former Central High star Danielle Ballard would not return to the Tigers women’s basketball team for her senior season.
“We appreciate all that Danielle has done for our program during her time at LSU,” coach Nikki Caldwell said in a statement. “We wish her nothing but the best and success in her future endeavors.”
The 5-8 Ballard averaged 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last year, earning first-team All-SEC honors. But she was also suspended for the first 14 games of the season for a violation of team rules.