MaxPreps 2011-12 Girls Basketball All-American teams

It's not difficult to pick out the top few girls basketball players in the country. Athletes like Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson are hard for even the most clueless journalist to miss.

But when it comes to the next level of players – let's say from No. 10 to No. 50 – the task is much more demanding. Do you prefer the 6-foot-1 power forward with great high school numbers over the slender 6-3 wing who still can count her muscles on one hand? Do you pick the star on a team full of talent, or the girl who had to carry the load all by herself?

Just for the record, here's how we tried to do it:

1. High school production: These are high school All-Americans, not projected collegiate stars. What happened on the court during the high school season is a high priority for us.

2. Team success: Since high school stats are notoriously unreliable (Dad tends to give his daughter a lot of rebounds, and not many turnovers), and offensive systems have a major impact on counting stats, we shift to team success as a measure of a successful season. A girl who's one of the Top 20 players in the nation should be able to get her school, no matter how small, to the 20-win plateau, and that same girl, surrounded with other D-1 players, should be in her state's final four.

3. Raw talent: This is the least important of the three criteria, as talent doesn't necessarily result in production or wins. But ask any coach, and she'll be happy to roll the dice with a 5-11 girl who can run on the 400 relay team and touch the rim from a standing start.

And though we obviously want to congratulate all the girls who made the MaxPreps 2011-12 Girls Basketball All-American team, it's also important to note that without all those other girls going to practice every day, and sacrificing so they could play high school basketball, the achievements of the few wouldn't really mean that much.

The four teams and the Honorable Mention players are as follows, on four slides:

First team

Moriah Jefferson, THESA (Fort Worth, Texas), 5-8 senior guard/UConn: Jefferson, a blur at the top of the offense, is skilled, athletic and as quick a guard as has been seen lately. She'll make a difference for Connecticut next season.

Alexis Jones, MacArthur (Irving, Texas), 5-8 senior guard/Duke: Jones is a strong and talented combo guard who can score inside and out. Somehow, she escaped the clutches of the Texas schools, and will play for Duke.

Nirra Fields, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 5-9 senior guard/UCLA: The most creative and versatile perimeter scorer in the country, Fields can get a shot whenever she wants one. Her guardian is Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown, so she knows where to go for advice.

Breanna Stewart, Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero, N.Y.), 6-4 senior forward/UConn: The MaxPreps National Player of the Year can pretty much do everything, and if she stays healthy, it won't be long until she's in the discussion of the best player in the world. She's that good.

Morgan Tuck, Bolingbrook (Ill.), 6-2 senior forward/UConn: Yes, that's three of the top five heading to Huskyland. Tuck has been a national presence since her freshman year for her athleticism, size and skills, but she still might have to battle for minutes next year at Connecticut.


Second team

Shacobia Barbee, Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 5-11 senior wing/Georgia: A monster at the prep level, the 5-11 power forward led Riverdale to a state title in a very competitive Tennessee bracket. Her combination of strength and skill was just too much for high school opponents.

Jewell Loyd, Niles West (Skokie, Ill.), 5-9 senior guard/Notre Dame: Loyd can do it all, and do it all well, which will put her in the mix to get immediate minutes in South Bend. Muffet McGraw may not miss graduated guards Brittany Mallory and Natalie Novosel as much as she thinks.

Kelsey Plum, La Jolla Country Day (Calif.), 5-9 junior guard/Undecided: Plum is a point guard who's as big a threat to score as to dish, and she also steps up in big games. Fundamentally sound and extremely competitive, she'll be a prize in this summer's recruiting wars.

Mercedes Russell, Springfield (Ore.), 6-5 junior center/Undecided: Barring injury, Russell is the next great American post. Tall and strong, she is still mobile and skilled, and dominates at both ends of the floor.

Janee Thompson, Whitney Young (Chicago), 5-7 senior guard/Kentucky: The Dolphins were No. 2 in the nation, and unbeaten. Thompson was the best player on this year's Illinois state champions. The combination of quickness, strength and skill is tough to beat.


Third team

Bashaara Graves, Clarksville (Tenn.), 6-2 senior forward/Tennessee: A strong inside player who doesn't back down from contact, Graves has all the tools to live long and prosper in the world of women's basketball. Expect her to play right away in Knoxville.

Bria Holmes, Hillhouse (New Haven, Conn.), 6-1 senior forward/West Virginia: At 6-1, Holmes' quickness makes her a tough cover on the perimeter, as she can get to the rim and hit a jump shot.

Malina Howard, Twinsburg (Ohio), 6-3 senior post/Maryland: Twinsburg battled its way to the Ohio state title behind the inside presence of Howard, who's most comfortable in the paint. And at a strong 6-3, there wasn't much high school posts could do to slow her down.

Jonquel Jones, Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 6-2 senior forward/Clemson: Jones, a sleek forward, led the way for the deep and talented Crusaders, who finished No. 5 in the nation. She defends, rebounds and scores, and will do the same in the ACC sooner rather than later.

Alexis Prince, Edgewater (Orlando, Fla.), 6-2 senior forward/Baylor: Many elite players manage to find situations in which they're surrounded by other elite players, but Prince had to do much of the heavy lifting for Edgewater – and carried the Eagles to a state championship.

Fourth team

Pachis Roberts, McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 6-1 senior forward/Syracuse: It's hard to shine on a team loaded with talent, but Roberts was the best player for the No. 3 Indians. She's strong at both ends of the floor, and is capable of big scoring nights.

Empress Davenport, Duncanville (Texas), 5-7 senior guard/Texas: Davenport's quickness and aggressiveness to the rim were critical parts of Duncanville's roll to the Texas title, and will fit right in with new coach Karen Aston's plans in Austin.

Diamond DeShields, Norcross (Ga.), 6-2 junior wing/Undecided: Without question, the most athletic player in the Class of 2013, DeShields has a great pedigree as well (her father Delino spent 13 years in the major leagues). She didn't quite live up to expectations this year, but it's a measure of her talent that even less than what's perceived as her best is still very, very good.

Kailee Johnson, Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.), 6-3 junior forward/Undecided: A multitalented wing who has the offensive skills to score from anywhere on the court, Johnson's size makes her a special player.

Chantel Osahor, St. Mary's (Phoenix), 6-0 junior post/Undecided: Osahor emerged as the key player for the No. 1 Knights, as her passing and outside shooting drew opposing posts away from the hoop – and she would overpower smaller players in the paint.

Honorable mention

Jordan Adams, Mater Dei, 6-1 senior guard/USC
Lindsay Allen, St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 5-8 junior guard/Undecided
Antoinette Bannister, Potter's House Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.), 5-10 senior guard/North Carolina
Alexis Brown, North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.), 5-9 junior guard/Undecided
Brianna Butler, Nazareth (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 5-11 senior guard/Syracuse
Jordin Canada, Windward (Los Angeles), 5-7 sophomore guard/undecided
Nia Coffey, Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), 6-0 junior forward/Undecided
Kahleah Cooper, Prep Charter (Philadelphia), 6-1 senior guard/Rutgers
Asia Dozier, Spring Valley (Columbia, S.C.), 5-11 senior guard/South Carolina
Chardonae Fuqua, Hoover (Ala.), 6-0 senior forward/Baylor
Linnae Harper, Whitney Young, 5-6 junior guard/Undecided
Jordan Jones, DeSoto (Texas), 5-6 senior guard/Texas A&M
Tierney Pfirman, South Williamsport (Pa.), 6-2 senior forward/Maryland
Taya Reimer, Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.), 6-2 junior forward/Undecided
Jennie Simms, Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 6-0 senior forward/West Virginia
Imani Stafford, Windward, 6-7 senior center/Texas
Courtney Walker, Edmond Santa Fe (Edmond, Okla.), 5-8 senior guard/Texas A&M
Jatarie White, Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.), 6-4 sophomore post/Undecided
Courtney Williams, North Shore (Houston), 6-1 senior forward/Texas A&M
April Wilson, DuPont Manual (Louisville, Ky.), 5-7 senior guard/Purdue