Womhoops Guru

Mel Greenberg covered college and professional women’s basketball for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where he worked for 40 plus years. Greenberg pioneered national coverage of the game, including the original Top 25 women's college poll. His knowledge has earned him nicknames such as "The Guru" and "The Godfather," as well as induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Guru's Summer League Report: Frontrunners Collide Thursday Night

By Mel Greenberg

After a one-night break earlier in the week the Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s NCAA Summer Basketball League resumes action Thursday night at the Kelly Bolish Gym – home of the AAU Renegades – in Hatboro, Pa., near Willow Grove.

In terms of the top of the league as night number six on the schedule appears the frontrunners will be involved in the 7:00 p.m. games on Court 1 and Court 2.

Kelly Green (3-1), which is a half-game behind first-place Orange (4-1) will meet Royal Blue (3-2), which is tied for fourth a game back on Court 1.

Orange, meanwhile, will meet one of the three fourth-place teams chasing it in Columbia Blue (3-1) on Court 2.

The Kelly Green squad is loaded with NCAA Division I players such as St. Joseph’s junior Kelly Kuester, Villanova juniors Devon Kane and Megan Pearson, Lehigh juniors Marybeth Eagan and Kelly Peterson along with Mountain Hawks incoming freshman Katie O’Reilly, Lafayette seniors Melissa Downey and Sarah McGorry along with Leopards incoming freshmen Emily Homan and Kelly Loughney, Harvard junior Elle Hagedorn, and Division III Scranton incoming freshman Lindsay Fluehr.

Royal Blue has five Division II Holy Family players – an unlimited number of players from non-Division I schools can play on the same summer team – such as junior Erin Mann, incoming junior Ana Cruz from Harcum College, sophomores Mary Ellen McCollum, Maggie Serratelli, and Carolyn Heston, and recent Tigers graduate Meghan Gibson.

A team with Holy Family players reached the summer finals last season.

Orange has a mixed group from various NCAA division schools but among Division I individuals are such notables as Villanova junior Rachel Roberts and sophomore Emily Leer, Lehigh senior Aly Byorick and Mountain Hawks sophomore Marisa Repasch.

Columbia Blue is composed entirely of Division II West Chester players such as Gold Rams seniors Allison Hostetter, Jen Owens, and Shamyra Hammond, junior Meghan Kerrigan, sophomore Alexandra Lennon and incoming freshmen Steph Keyes and Tiffany Johnson.

In the 8:15 game on Court 1 Lime Green (1-4) composed primarily of such Division II Philadelphia University players as senior Taylor Peltzer, juniors Kristen Blye and Christine Wooding, along with sophomores Stephanie Agger and Samantha Morris will meet Cardinal Red (1-3), which has Lehigh senior Alexa Williams along with Mountain Hawks Lindsay Hoskins and incoming freshman Maryjo Horgan, besides player-coach Kisha Thompson, a 1998 graduate of Philadelphia University as the teams battle to stay alive in the race for one of eight playoffs spots in the 11-team league.

On Court 2 at 8:15 p.m. White (0-4) still looking for its first win will meet Teal (2-2), which is highlighted by former Temple players as Ari Moore, Ashley Morris, Stacey Smalls and Khadija Bowens, along with Michelle Maslowski, a 2002 graduate of Drexel who is among the all-time Dragons scorers.

White is dominated on the roster by Division II University of Sciences players such as juniors Carolyn Edwards, Sarah Hickman and Rebecca Ruggear, but also has Villanova senior Laura Sweeney and Wildcats junior Jesse Carey.

In the other game of the night, which is on Court 3 at 8:15 p.m., Gold (3-2) will be seeking to stay near the top of the standings when it meets Purple (2-3), which is seeking to move up among the frontrunners.

Gold has recent Princeton graduate Addie Micir from the two-time defending Ivy champions, Division II Kutztown players senior Brittany Greaves and juniors Ashley Wood and Stephanie Zewe, and Division I Bethune-Cookman senior Jasmine Elum, who has been among the league leaders this summer.

Purple features recent La Salle graduate Ashley Gale and St. Joseph’s sophomore Erin Shields and Hawks junior Shelby Smith.

Black (3-2), in a three-way tie for fourth, has the bye giving such players as Lehigh senior Emily Gratch and Swarthmore recent graduate Kathryn Stockbower, the all-time Division III career leader in double doubles, the night off.

Yes, the Guru will be on the scene. The WNBA is totally idle again Thursday night as it was Wednesday night.

-- Mel

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