FBC Defenders

Coach Stone will return to practice, Friday, 7/30, to address the program. He will be unveiling details about Fall Program as well as the last 3 college exposure events. He will also be unveiling fall fundraisers that he has lined up for the program as well as addressing concerns regarding Ohio vs working RU Football Game Concession Stand that same weekend. So come out and witness the return of Coach Stone!

So proud of my SOLDIERS!, Defenders(STONE) finished the exposure period (battle baltimore 4-0, metro classic 4-0, Rose Summer Showcase 1-1) strong, 9-1. Congratulations! You’ve had a tremendous season! So Proud! Just So Darn Proud Of Every Player In Program. Defenders(Frederick) finished strong as well, improving with each game down the stretch. When most would have given up, these ladies beat the odds and fought through for victory or near victory, or even defeat, and grew with each game. I love you and am proud of you in ways you just can’t image. You inspire me to fight my way back to 100%. I will accept NOTHING less for myself because you have accepted nothing less. True inspiration!

Coach Frederick and Nicole you have done a tremendous job for the program. The way you guys stepped up when I went down is admirable. Best coaching staff in the world, any level, any pay grade! I will put you up against anyone!

Parents, without your unwavering commitment to me and this program there is no way I could have gone through these past weeks. NO WAY! I thank you one and all for holding together and allowing your girls the opportunity to see how good they could really become. For that I thank you all. I would also like to thank you for working so hard at the fund raisers. Because of that I am able to send those players who have been in the program from the beginning to Ohio at NO registration cost to them! Yes the club picked up the tab for registering 16 players @ $90 each. Also the club paid for the summer league games @ W 4th Street and CAS Douglas combined costed $1,650.

Finally there is Q James. The entire program owes you it’s very life for the 2010 season. You alone save our season because you stepped into the Administrator role and seamlessly guided the program through to this point and made it look effortlessly. I know for certain that is took tremendous effort on your part to manage the defenders commitments and your own. God Bless You! Thank You hardly seems adequate. Much LOVE!

John Stone
FBC Defenders AAU Club

The FBC Defenders(STONE) finished up the regular season on a tear (3rd Place) as their final standing are as follows; 4 wins 2 losses, played without their regular season head coach (John Stone) for all W 4th Street games. New head coach (Jasmine Lytle) guided the squad the allof the way and has been flawless in that effort. Big thanks the the adults (John Frederick) on the bench as the team could not possibly have done this without you (Jerod, Mrs. Stone, Andrea). The program is so lucky to have people like you! Reason, Season, Lifetime.

Next up for the Defenders @ W 4th Street are the playoffs where they will be the Lady XMEN in the semi-final game @ 9:15 a.m. Hope to see all Defenders family at the game!!!!

FBC Defenders (Stone) won 2 more games on Sunday at the Metro Classic to go 4-0 for the tournament!  The day started early with an 8AM game against the Hornets from Rockland County, NY.  Shalette scored first, followed by a rebound from Shari, dribble down the court, and pass off to Walker for 2.  Shari got a steal, drove, missed, but Ashanti was trailing and put the rebound back in for a bucket.  Ashanti grabbed a steal, then dished to Walker who went in for 2.  Shalette scored again in the paint to put us up 10-2.  Tia made her presence known in the paint, getting fouled, and made 1 of 2.  Ashanti put up a 3 attempt, Tia rebounded and put it back for a 2.  Shalette followed with a rebound and put back for 2.  Walker jumped  a pass, drove to the basket, and got the foul.  The offense was on a roll, with Ashanti passing to Shalette for a basket, and Walker hitting on a 10-foot jumper.  Ashanti had a layup and foul for a 3-point play.  Janissa stepped into the lane and put up a jumper.  Jenean hit from the corner.  Shari had a pass ahead on a fast break to Janissa, who took a hard foul.  Shari pulled down a rebound, and got a put back for 2.  Jenean got a strong defensive rebound.  We ended the half ahead 36-20.

The Hornets were playing the game with only 5 players, and with the oppressive heat, it had to be especially difficult.  That may have been a factor as the half opened with the Defenders getting seven steals from Walker, Shalette, Shari, and Ashanti, which resulted in 11 points.  We were up 53-21 with 11 minutes to go in the game.  Jenean did a little shake-n-bake into the lane for 2. Erika went strong in the final minutes of the game, getting 8 points.  We won the game with a final score of 73-31.

High Scorer was Shalette with 18, Jenean had a high of 7 rebounds, and Ashanti had 6 assists.  The steals were evenly distributed across the team!

The second game of the day was against JAC Elite from Canada, resulting in our first international win!  The game started off with both sides turning the ball over.  Janissa scored the 1st basket on a steal.  Walker got a loose ball and went the length of the floor for a 2.  This was followed by an assist from Walker to Shalette who put it up for a 2. We had a few misses, and with 8:50 left on the clock, we were down by 1 at 6-7.  Walker got fouled and made of 1 of 2 at the line.  Shalette got a steal and passed off to Jenean who went in for 2. Shalette had a block, and Ashanti grabbed the deflection and ran down the court for 2.  Walker had another assist to Ashanti who fired for a 3.  At the end of the half, we led 16-14.

The second half started with a steal from Ashanti, and an assist from Walker to Janissa for a quick 2.  Janissa passed off to Walker, who had a beautiful drive to score 2.  Walker then fed a pass to Shalette, who drove, missed, got her own rebound and put it back for 2.  Walker got a steal and went coast-to-coast for a 2.  With 11:07 left in the half, the Defenders were still in the lead at 25-20.  Ashanti, with her quickness, went down the court for 2, and then had an assist to Janissa who also scored.  The girls were tired, but working hard as a team, getting rebounds and preventing the other team from making baskets.  With only 4:35 left in the second half, the score stood at 34-22.  Jenean got an offensive rebound and went up strong for a 2. With good pressure from our girls, we frustrated the other team to the point that they started to complain that the calls were one-sided.  We finished the game with a final score of 36-34.

Shalette and Ashanti both had the high of 9 points. Shalette had the high for rebounds with 11.

With this win, FBC Defenders (Stone) went 4-0 at the Metro Classic Showcase at Caldwell College, in Caldwell, NJ. We are now on a winning streak of 8 games in a row, and 12 out of the last 14!

Special thanks go to Mrs. Walker for her excellent work as the reporter for the second game today!

Our 2nd game at the Metro Classic Tournament was against the PA Higher Ground Warriors on Saturday afternoon.  Our first offensive possession began with a series of shots, misses, and rebounds under the basket until Shalette put it through the hoop. The Warriors then scored 3 in a row to make the score 2-6.   Shalette followed that with a drive to the basket, foul, and made 2 of 2 to bring us to 4-6.  A long three by Walker put us ahead by a point at 7-6.  After that, we would hold the lead for the rest of the game.  Ashanti put up a 3-pointer, and Walker passed in to Tia down low for 2.  Tia snagged a rebound and put it back in the basket.  Tia grabbed another rebound and passed to Ashanti who went for 2 and 1, to bring the score to 19-13.  We had strong defensive play as well, with Walker jumping a pass for a steal, and Shalette stuffing one, which deflected to Walker who then went down the court for a basket.  Shari got in to take a rebound, and then passed to Janissa who hit a 3.  The team then had a gorgeous defensive set which left the Warriors offense completely frustrated.  It culminated in a drive to the basket in which Shari took an offensive charge.  The girls really took to heart the “DEFENSE” sign of a certain fan!  Jenean and Erika must have been inspired with their tenacious defense.  Walker went down the lane and put up a floater which rolled in for 2.  Janissa hit a jumper, and then got right to work on defense forcing a travel.  Walker had another walk down the lane for 2.  Shalette pulled a ball out of a Warrior’s hands and went down the court for a basket.  We ended the first half ahead 33-15.

Walker kicked off the second half with a 3. The team continued to move the ball around as Ashante passed in to Shalette for 2, and then Shari passed to Ashanti who hit a 3.  Shalette had another drive, foul, and hit 2 of 2 from the free throw line.  Walker took the ball down the middle and scored.  We continue to do an excellent job of rebounding at both ends.  The game got a little sloppy as time was running down, but we finished with a 52 - 29 final score.

Walker was high scorer with 14.  Shalette had the high rebounds with 10.  Ashanti had 6 assists.

The team has now won six in a row, and ten of the last twelve games playing at premier tournaments.  Go Defenders!  We’re all proud of you.

The game tipped off at 9:45 AM and Ashanti went down the court for a basket.  We had a  good start as Ashanti got fouled on another drive, and made 2 of 2, followed by Shalette being fouled in the paint, and going 2 for 2.  Tia scored under the basket for 2 on an inbound play from Walker and before you know it, we were up 8-1.  Shalette had an assist to Tia under the basket for 2, and Ashanti was fouled on a drive and hit 1 of 2.  We were now ahead 11-3.  It’s a good thing that we built an early lead, since the Silver Bullets then  scored 7 unanswered points to bring it neck at neck at 11-10.  We started the turnaround on defense as Shalette forced a turnover out of bounds.  Next, Janissa hit a 3 on a smart kickout from Tia.  Shalette score another 2 in the paint, then a steal from Ashante, 2 on 1 down the floor, dish off to Walker for 2.  More intense defensive plays including a strong rebound by Jenean and we moved ahead to 21-11.  A steal by Walker, a dash down the court, and 2 to bring us to 23-13 to close out the half.

The second half opened with “the suprise from outside” with a 3-pointer from Shalette in the corner.  Shalette then put up another shot, got her own rebound, put it back up, got the foul and went 2 for 2.  Not to be outdone on defense, Shalette then had 2 blocks in a row, and threw the ball off the opponents legs to save an out of bounds play.  Janissa pulled down a rebound, went up and got fouled and made 2 of 2.  Jenean grabbed an offensive rebound, put it back up and got the foul.  More defensive work from Jenean forced a travel and turnover on the Bullets.   Shari got a steal, dashed down the court, and passed off to Jenean who was fouled, and made of 2 of 2.  We had some good ball movement and then Walker hit for 3.   The game was getting uncomfortably close at 33-26.  Thankfully, we had some good foul shooting down the stretch, and some timely jumpers from Janissa and Walker.  We secured the win with the final score of 51-40.

High Scorer - Shalette with 16.  High Rebounder - Shalette with 12.  High Blocks - Shalette with 3.  Assists - Ashanti with 3.

FBC Defenders (Stone) went undefeated at the Battle of Baltimore tournament, winning two more games on Friday July 23rd.  The 8:30 game took place at Coppin College, where the team faced Baltimore Charms.   The team got off to a good start, aided by strong rebounding at both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.  Shalette had a spin move in the paint, then faked out the opponent by dishing off to Tia.  Walker had a steal and then went all the way to the other end for a basket.  She also stole an inbound pass, went up, and got fouled.  Shalette had a block on the Charm’s big girl to stop their drive.  Ashanti got into the mix with a steal and and drive to the basket for 2.  We were ahead 22-9 and things were looking good, when the Charms had a resurgence at the end of the half.  They scored 7 unanswered points to bring the score to 22-16 at the half.

The second half started with a monster block from Shalette.  Shari had a drive to the basket for 2 and a foul.  She made the foul shot, but it came back due to a line violation.  Ashanti had a four point play when she sank a three and made the accompanying foul shot.  Tia had a steal in the paint, passed off to Walker, who drove for 2.  Our strong defense continued, with Janissa getting a steal, and then hitting a pull up jumper for 2.  Janissa also sank both foul shots on a technical against the Charms.  Tia got a block, then rebounded it, and passed off to Ashanti who went down the court for 2.  We had exteded our lead to 34-19. Jenean had a good hustle play saving an errant pass.  Erika and Shalette combined for a trap and caused a jump ball.  Tia hit a pull-up jumper, off glass, for 2.  The offense continued, along with strong defensive play, and we closed out the game with a 54-35 final score.

Ashanti was high scorer with 14 points, Shalette had a high of 10 rebounds.  Ashanti had 4 assists, and Shalette had 4 blocks.

Our last game of the tournament was against New York Elite at Loyola University at 1:30 P.M. on Friday.  Ashanti went down the court for 2.  This was followed by a Walker to Shalette to Walker play for 2.  The team was moving the ball well with Shalette passing to Tia who went up for 2.  Shalette hit a jumper at the foul line to bring us to 12-6 with 8 minutes to go in the 1st half.    She continued her rebounding prowess throughout the game.  Jenean drove into the basket and  had Janissa ready  to rebound and go back up.  Walker continued to drive strong to the basket, and her tough D also forced a turnover with a travel by Charms.  We had  a strong lead at the half:  28-14.

Ashanti opened the 2nd half with a 3.  Shalette had a steal, drove in the lane, spin move, and 2.  The good teamwork continued with Ashanti passing to Tia for 2 and 1, then Shari passing to Tia in the paint for 2.  Janissa hit a 3 to top it off.  The offense continued to click, and we finished strong at 60-38 to put the fourth win in the books.

Ashanti was high scorer with 20 points, high assists with 5, and 4 steals.  Shalette had 10 rebounds, and Tia had 2 blocks.

FBC Defenders got off to a great start at the Blue Chip Basketball’s “Battle of Baltimore” premier tournament by winning both of their games on July 22nd.  They started out strong against the NY WBA Lady Knicks in a game that was characterized by tough and effective defense and strong rebounding.  The offense took off with an assist from Ashanti to Tia who, with 3 defenders hanging on her, still managed a turnaround jumper for 2.  Shari tried a shot from beyond the arc, missed, but had Shalette there to grab the rebound and go back up for 2.  The Defenders honored their name by forcing 3 turnovers in a row with strong defense.  Tia was a strong force in the post, grabbing rebounds and putting them back in the bucket.  Ashanti had a steal and went coast to coast for 2.  Shalette pulled down a power rebound, kicked backed out to Walker, who had jumper for 2.  Janissa pulled down a rebound and dished to Shalette under the basket for another 2, to bring our lead to 16-4.  The strong post play by Tia and Shalette was balanced by outside shots, as Walker knocked down a 3.  Shari pulled off a steal, and Jenean hit from outside to put us up 21-8.  Walker closed out the half with a 2 under the basket.

The 2nd half started with a 3 attempt from Ashanti, short, but Shalette was there again with the clean-up rebound and put back for 2.  The defensive intensity continued as Shari forced a 5-second call on the floor against the Lady Knicks.  Later Erika and Ashanti ganged up to force another 5-second call. Janissa and Walker both put up 3’s.  The team was really clicking, with Tia kicking a ball back out to Janissa who put it up for another 3 to bring us to 34-13!    Shalette was all over the paint, pulling down rebounds and putting them back up.  The offense continued with a good balance of outside and inside shooting.  We closed out with a final score of 52-18.

High Scorer was Tia with 10 points, Shalette had the high rebounds with 9, Ashanti led with 5 assists.

Our second game of the day was against Coaches Choice EB Bears Harrison in the Reitz Arena at Loyola University.  We got off to an 8-0 run with Walker opening with a 3, followed by a 3 from Ashanti, and then an energizing post-up move from Shalette for 2.   As the fouls continued to rack up in the first half,  the girls maintained their composure while trying to adjust to the uneven calls.   They stayed in the game, led by Shalette, who had a spin move (a fan favorite) in the paint for 2.  The game was tied at 13-13 with 7:55 to go in the first half.  Shalette seemed to be ever present in this game, picking up rebounds for put backs, and stuffing balls out of bounds against Coaches’ Choice.    Walker contributed with a strong drive to the basket to tie the game again at 19-19.  Foul calls continued to be rained down on the Defenders, and the half ended with us down by four at 23-27. 

The second half started off with Walker going the length of the floor and getting fouled.  Shalette again was active in the paint rebounding and putting back shots.  Walker drove again and was fouled. Janissa, Jenean and Tia’s aggressive play continue to draw fouls.  The fans were getting edgy as the game stayed neck and neck throughout the half.   We continued to stay in the game, and  Coaches’ Choice started to rack up fouls and got to 1 and 1 fairly early.  While not stellar in our foul shooting, we made enough of them to push ahead and won the game 58-54.

Shalette takes top honors with high scorer at 18 points, and high rebounder with 14 points, and 4 blocked shots to boot!  Ashanti had 3 assists.

It is a hot & steamy summer saturday morning here in NYC as people begin to gather for what would ultimately become HISTORY for a team (and small program with only 2 teams) that seems to somehow show up 10 out 10 times wherever they go. In today’s me, me, me, take what I can world of aau basketball this would seem EXTREMELY odd but yet very refreshing if true. Well believe me it is absolutely, positively, TRUE. The FBC Defenders all arrive in new york this day ready to play there late morning game like they have so many times in the past. Parents and players gathering as if they are in their backyard preparing for a family function. Exchanging hugs and pleasantries like siblings all ultimately making there was to the matriarch of the program. Is this real? Some might think it’s not but for this program it is because of one primary founding principle. The FBC Defenders are a family through and through. Know that and NEVER doubt it, cause for EVERY family that it touches, they do KNOW it is ABSOLUTELY true.

here at the Cage, a world famous venue sitting in village next door to the Blue Note. The bustle picking up now the Defenders are finally up, gametime. Now at the cage fans all know when the Defenders play it will be an exciting game. Especially since they have this extremely dynamic coach who always seems to come with kid never seen before who just erupts at some point in a game. Win or Lose! It is amazing to watch and so the fence outside starts to pack.  The refs call for captains, little minute check, jump ball and the game is on. As the Positive direction team come out they jump on the Defenders from the start. A little startle the defenders take a quick blow but survive it. Remember now that’s nothing for them. Why? Because that who they are and they know it is NOT over yet game just started. Staring into the eyes of one of the Pd players is a kid that really looks like she should be at the short somewhere hanging. But what THEY don’t know is she is smoldering. Up the floor, down the floor they go. And them all of a suddden that same young lady does a quick body check. AM I FEELING, YES, IS IT TIME, HECK YEAH, you see had been asked that at key times in games before by her coach. BUT TODAY SHE IS NOT WAITING FOR HIM. Today it would be her who decides. At that moment she demanded the ball and BANG! Rain a 3333333333! On her way back she thought, that felt good. O crap you guy are in trouble and you don’t even know. Then all of a sudden she smiled. Now running the point for the Defenders is Ashanti Bess. Serving at point due to the abscence of the talented Shari Jones who normally starts. Now Ashanti has been working with Coach Stone to get her mentally to a place where she can KNOW she is a beast. Today she is there so looking this teammate of hers she sees it and thinks OMG. So next few position she is pass her the ball EVERYTIME she can. Who is she? Only the FBC Defenders Rose Classic famous Janissa “let id rain” Delzo!!!!!!! And for a short while at west fourth the sun was out but Janissa began to just make it RAIN 3s. Before the other team could realize the Defenders were right back in it and the team called time. Yelling at her team not to relax the coach made a critical mistake. She told her team not to let up until up by twenty. Bad move as the Defenders heard that and it was OVER!

Final Score FBC Defenders 59    Positive Direction 41    GAME OVER!

High Scorers Jasmine “ol skool” Phelps with 14 pts, Shalette “The Beastie” with 10pts and of course Janissa “Rain” Delzo 10 pts, Tia “Paryana” Kelly 9 brds 4 blks, and final Ashanti “you don’t know” Bess 7 dimes.

Now I know the coach so thought why not say hello. To my surprise the team was coach by Jamine “big pretty smile” Lytle currently the single most hearlded Defenders player of ALL time and sitting quietly on the bench with her making her coaching debut was MRS BRENDA STONE, the coaches wife. OMG!