High school basketball: New coach hosting girls basketball showcase

About 70 girls basketball players will get the chance to show college coaches what they can do on the court in a fall showcase at Mountain View High School.

Adam Barrett, a new club coach, is hosting a Utah Swoosh basketball Showcase at Mountain View High School on Saturday October 4. It begins at 9 a.m. with fundamental skills.

"That way players have a ball in their hands 90 percent of the time," said Barrett. "So coaches can see what the kids can do with the ball."

In the afternoon coaches will split the players into teams of seven or eight and they will play scrimmage games until 4 p.m.

Barrett said he'd originally planned to take 60 players at the invitation only camp, but demand was so great, he increased the number to 70 girls. A number of girls are coming to the showcase from out-of-state, including Washington and California.

"We have players from six different states," Barrett said. One big draw is Washington point guard Mercedes Wetmore, a nationally ranked player by ESPN.

"She'll bring in a a lot of coaches by herself," he said.

Also, local players, like Pleasant Grove's Jen Hamson are also drawing interest. USC head coach Mark Trakh contacted Barrett and will be among the dozens of coaches coming to the showcase.

"We're excited about all of the Utah schools who have committed to the showcase camp, but we are also thrilled with the number of out-of-state schools such as USC, Washington State and Portland State that are making the trip to Utah," Barrett said.

POINT GUARD COMMITS: American Fork point guard Cydne Mason committed to Utah Valley University last week.

"I really like the coaching staff, and from the first day I went there, I just really felt comfortable," said the senior point guard. "I just don't think I can go wrong there."

Mason said she is happy her decision was easy and early.

"I wanted to commit early," she said. "I didn't want to worry about all of this stuff during the season."

Mason often played in the shadow of her high-scoring teammates, but coaches said she did what a good point guard should — made everyone around her better.

"Her biggest strength is the completeness of her game," said American Fork High School head coach Corey Clayton. "She's a true point guard. She can go left or right; she's very unselfish. It's obvious with her talent she could score a lot more points. She's just the kind of player willing to do what it takes to help her team win."

Even more impressive than her skills and athleticism is her work ethic.

"She's the last to leave the weight room and the first player to practice," Clayton said. "She's always working on her shot. She works when no one is watching."

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E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com