FBC Defenders

PHILADELPHIA - Alexis Scott scored 18 points, Ruvanna Campbell pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, and the La Salle women’s basketball team gave #15/15 Rutgers everything it had in a 61-48 loss at Tom Gola Arena on Saturday night.

Khadijah Rushdan led all scorers with 20 points and April Sykes chipped in 12. Jada Payne was the other Explorer in double figures with 11.

Neither team got on the board until the 15:16 mark when Khadijah Rushdan hit a jumper to break the scoreless game.

Payne scored La Salle’s first eight points on two treys and a jumper to put the Explorers up 8-7, before the Scarlet Knights went on a run to push their lead to 10 with a 30-20 edge at the half.

The Explorers opened the second half on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to five before a 10-2 Rutgers run put the gap back to 13. A Scott trey with 4:52 remaining cut the deficit back to six at 51-45, but that was the closest the home squad got down the stretch.

Campbell was terrific on the defensive end with her game-high 11 rebounds and game-high four blocks. Brittany Wilson added a game-high five steals in 13 minutes of play. The Explorers limited the Scarlet Knights to 36.5 percent shooting (23-for-63).

The Explorers return to Gola Arena on Tuesday (11/22) when they host Big 5 rival Penn at 7 p.m.

Click “Alexis Scott” to go to box score.

The 2012 college recruiting class of New Jersey will contain at least 2 players from the Defenders program. Within the last 24hrs the program has had Jasmine Walker committing to Monmouth University (NEC Conference) and Taryana Kelly committing to Maryland Eastern Shore (MEAC Conference).  With their families, teammates, and friends looking on, these athletes proudly signed and faxed in their NLIs this week making there journey complete and dream a reality. The two players are teammates at North Brunswick Township High School and are going to be relied on heavily by the team if North Brunswick is to make a run at the Middlesex County title this season.

Please join me in congratulating Jasmine Walker and Taryana Kelly as well as Monmouth University and Maryland Eastern Shore!

Raiders’ Walker, Kelly sign letters of intent

Sunday (11/13/2011 @2pm) on deck and Jaymee Tucker is ready for her first full season as a member of Rutgers Women’s Basketball team! Preseason over, scrimmage game under her belt and a full understanding of how precious this opportunity is for her, Jaymee is ready to contribute to the team in any way she can. Her journey to the Big East and Division 1 play has been a story book adventure! This North Brunswick Township High alum knows exactly how fortunate she is to be in her current position. However she is quick to point out that playing for a HOF head coach  is NO walk in the park. Expectations are high for the scarlet knights this season and recent history has taught that EVERYONE on the roster may be thrust into immediate action and therefore readiness is required not just expected.

Rutgers Women’s Basketball 2011-12 Season Preview

As signing day is upon us we received word today that two FBC Defenders 2012 players will announce their college choice early next week. The club has posted a facebook event saying that Jasmine Walker will announce her decision on Monday, 11/14/ at 3:15pm, and Taryana Kelly will announce her decision on Tuesday, 11/15 at 2:45pm. Please join the program in congratulating them both!!

FBC Defenders AAU Club Staff

Hey guys, Jaymee here! Wow where do I begin? Senior year, I can’t believe how time flies. Well I basically want to talk about the two different sides of my life, basketball and education.

First off let’s talk about education.  It was just yesterday where I thought I had so much time to make big decisions on my life after college. Now the time is finally here. What is my next move? Where do I go? Where do I live? How do I pay off these student loans? What kind of job do I want to pursue? What if I can’t find a job? All these crazy questions need to be answered and I am the only one who can make it happen. Focusing on one thing at a time is so important. Most often you will find that things tend to fall into place when you stay focused, dedicated, and determined.

Now let’s talk a little about basketball. The team is looking really good so far. The determination and focus of the 5 freshman really brings a lot of energy to the court. Before we could start practicing the entire team had to pass a “fitness test”. The word “fitness” is used lightly, lol. It consists of 3 parts, the mile, 55’s, and ladders. We get 15 minute breaks in between each part of the test; however it is not just a test of your fitness, but your mind as well. Becoming mentally tough is a huge part of the game. Skill will get you into college but mental toughness will keep you there.

As of right now I am finishing up the second month of school and it is now the third week of practice, man oh man does it feel like forever already. Waking up at 7 each morning and going through an intense practice. Then off to class I go for a few hours. On Mondays and Thursdays I don’t return home till about 10 pm. And of course I still need to eat and wake up at 7 again the next morning. It makes you begin to wonder if there is actually enough time in the day. Sometimes I think about what 24 hours really means.

There’s always something to do in between classes as well. The amount of papers, lab reports, and exams is insane. Then of coarse reading ahead before class so I can keep up with everything must be scheduled into my day as well. It is so important to manage your time or you will struggle not only in the classroom but on the court as well. If I have an exam that I feel that I hadn’t prepared well for it makes it hard to pay attention for a full practice.  And when your coach is getting on your case it’s definitely no fun. Finding a happy medium is so important. If it means that I can’t take a nap in the middle of the day so I can write a paper than so be it. Because that is just one less thing I need to worry about and a lot more sleep I can catch up on at night.

I am a full time athlete and a full time student. However, I still want to be a full time kid. Joining a varsity team at the collegiate level is tough and requires certain sacrifices but in the end it is so worth it.  It will also force you to decide if basketball is as important as you think. Well back to the grind…Jaymee

Jacinda Dunbar: Reporting live from Quinnipiac - I actually never thought this time would come where I would be finishing the last year of school and basketball. But I’m trying to enjoy each day like it’s my last. I finally get the idea behind that statement when you apply it behind something that you love to do. So far, I’ve just finished week three of pre-season and it’s looking the best it’s ever been since I’ve been here. We have a roster of 15, with 6 of them being freshman so you would think everything would go by slowly but they have managed to keep there stride with the upperclassmen pretty well since summer school. Most of them can hold their own and I think that has made their transition into college a lot easier than other students that start off. But as for me, I’m just trying to keep up and be a leader for the rest of them.
Our week consists of 4 out of 5 days in the weight room and two days of practice. Our “free day” is us playing organized pick up so we still get some conditioning in. Our conditioning occurs twice a week, Mondays and Fridays. On Mondays we run either 11s or 22s. 11s are an up and back in under 11 seconds and 22s are two up and backs in under 22 seconds. Depending on the week, can run 16 or 18 11s, or 10 or 12 22s. After we run, we lift because the idea is lift when you’re fatigued so you learn how to push through it. Trust me, bench pressing 100 lbs or doing a 200 lbs. dead lift is a lot harder tired. After lifting and conditioning and any more physical pain they decide to put us through, we hit the cafe (best part of the day) and depending on class schedules, you either go to class or get an early start on sleep. Fortunately for me I am only taking 4 classes this semester and have only one class after practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays so right now I’m living the life.
Well, just wanted to give you a general background on what’s happening with my life at Quinnipiac. More coming next week!!

Focus Areas:

• Offensive (shooting, Ball handling, passing, game situations)
• Strength (core, upper body, lower body, power & resistance)
• Conditioning (endurance, agility, quickness, footwork)

Enrollment: Player MUST enroll for minimum of 10 sessions to qualify.
Sessions: All player sessions must be scheduled and completed by 11/23/2011
When: Mondays, Wednesday, Thursdays, Fridays
Session Start Times: 6:30pm, 7:30pm, 8:30pm

Where: Mondays & Fridays at St Peter Gym
175 Somerset St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Wednesdays & Thursdays at Franklin High School Gym
500 Elizabeth Ave, Somerset, NJ 08873

Contact: Coach Stone at jes2560@gmail.com for pricing and scheduling details.

The FBC Defenders AAU Program proudly presents one of our own! Anthony Branker is a musician for all seasons. He began his career as a trumpeter, including a stint with the Spirit of Life Ensemble, which honored its African-American and Afro-Caribbean roots during a multi-year tenure as the Monday night band at the legendary Sweet Basil club in New York City. Over time, Branker developed an increasing interest in jazz education, which led him to teaching positions at Hunter College and Princeton University, where he organized and conducted memorable ensembles. Around 1999, medical problems stemming from a brain aneurysm led him to yield his trumpet playing in favor of an enduring interest in composing and conducting. Anthony Branker is also the proud father of Parris Branker, Guard for the FBC Defenders(Frederick) team. Click on his name above and read all about him musical career. “Who Knew?!”

It was a hot and sunny Thursday afternoon, the bustle of 6th avenue raged in the background, as Arizona Pearson emerged from underground at the subway station on the corner of 3rd street and 6th ave in New York City. This is not uncommon for the man who runs the NIKE NYC High School League at W. 4th Street (The Cage). Indeed this looked like just another day, another girls semi-final game, just something to do as it has been done for years. But today’s game would certainly not be just another game. @4:30 p.m. two teams would square off for the coveted chance to advance to Saturday’s championship game. On this day the FBC Defenders were facing a very talented and well coached Baseline team from NYC. The Defenders would go into this contest with only 7 brave soldiers (Jasmine Walker, Shalette Brown, Taryana Kelly, Jasmine Phelps, Erika Hairston, Ariel Donza, and Jasmine Lombard) in uniform but knowing that they were capable of getting a win if they just maintained their composure. As the game began, Baseline jumped out on top 19 to 10 after the 1st qtr. Unprecedented at W 4th Street, both coaches acted like it was halftime and took their teams to the W 4th street end of the court to talk between quarters. Whatever coach Stone said to his team must have stirred something deep in their souls because the second quarter was all about the “Defenders” playing defense and attacking the basket. The score at the half was 30 to 28 and the Defenders knew they were close enough to make a run at the win.

The third quarter started was a nip and tuck kind of quarter and the Defenders finally started making their free throws. Jasmine Walker started to pick up her game and that was exactly what the team needed. Until that point the team had been carried on the offensive end by Brown(9), Phelps(7), and Lombard(6). The play of Erika Hairston, Ariel Donza, and Jasmine Lombard would prove to be key on the defensive end as Baseline suddenly found it difficult to get open looks. But If the team was going to get a win now that the defense was clicking they would need another scorer. After 3 quarters the Defenders found themselves still down 43 to 45. That is when coach Stone asked what proved to be the most important question of the game. He queried “So is this how we are to go out? Is this how you want your last game of this season to end?” The look in every player’s eyes screamed a resounding NO! So coach said to the team if you want to go to the championship, you will have to just go out there and take it! Final score Defenders 63, Baseline 62!

Box Score:
Shalette Brown 21pts, Jasmine Phelps 16, Jasmine Walker 11, Jasmine Lombard 11, and Taryana Kelly 4!