Class of 2014 shines in Bay Area girls basketball

Picking All-Metro teams can be a painstaking process, but this was like choosing a quality education institution from the Ivy League.

Excellence reigned front and center and even in the backcourt from the San Francisco Bay Area's girls basketball class of 2005.

There were four McDonald's All-Americans, including the National Player of the Year in Courtney Paris.

Paris and her twin sister Ashley had just led Piedmont (Calif.) High School to a second straight state title.

Just down the hill from them, were a tremendous outside-inside tandem of Alexis Gray-Lawson and Devanei Hampton, who led Oakland Tech (Oakland) to a Northern California title.

Add in Urban (San Francisco) guard Jene Morris and you're talking about a quintet unmatched around the region in terms of talent and upside. This group, in fact, helped put Bay Area girls basketball on the national map.

The twins would later star at Oklahoma and play professionally in the WNBA and overseas. Gray-Lawson and Hampton catapulted Cal to new heights and also played professionally. Morris starred at San Diego State and was the 11th pick of the 2010 WNBA draft.

It was a Class that will certainly never be duplicated around the Bay Area.

But the class of 2014 might come close.

At least four and possibly a fifth appear on a similar path from the current sophomore class, and all lead their teams in Tuesday's Northern California playoff semifinals.

Two – Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 6-foot wing Kelli Hayes and Carondelet (Concord, Calif.) 5-7 point guard Natalie Romeo – play each other in a 7 p.m. Division II game at Ygnacio Valley-High.

Two others – 6-1 point guard Gabby Green and 6-foot forward Mikayla Cowling - play for No. 2 Division IV seed St. Mary's (Albany, Calif.), which hosts Calavaras (29-3) at 7 p.m.

And the other is Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) 5-11 forward Mariya Moore, whose team plays McKinleyville at Contra Costa College for a 6 p.m. tip-off.

"Time will tell if (the Class of 2014) will match that (2005) group," said MaxPreps.com girls basketball editor and McDonald's All-American voter Clay Kallam. "But they have a chance to be very close. They are all on the national radar."

Green, who just returned from a broken ankle, appears the head of the class. ESPN ranks her the second best guard in the 2014 Class and gives her a 95 out of 100 rating. Moore received a 93 and is the No. 6 forward.

Cowling, who has already committed to Cal, received a 92 and Romeo and Hayes each got 88s.

Another ratings service – nextlevel.com – picked Moore the No. 1 2014 player overall, followed by Green (No. 19) and Cowling (44).

Green just missed making the USA under-16 team last spring. "They picked 12 and she was No. 13," Kallam said. "I think most people think she should have made it.

"What sets her apart is she's 6-1, can handle the ball, defend point guards, score and pass. She does it all."

What makes the others so effective?

* Moore: She averages 16 points, 6.8 assists, 7.0 rebounds per game. She's skilled, strong, relentless but lacks an outside shot. "Whatever she lacks she'll fix," Salesian coach Stephen Pezzola said. "She makes everyone better and is just a natural with the ball. What she seems to enjoy most is dishing off assists to her teammates. That puts a smile on her face."

* Hayes: She averages 14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals. Mitty coach Sue Phillips says Hayes is cross between Mitty grads Danielle Robinson (WNBA) and Kerri Walsh (volleyball gold medalist): Athletic, skilled and driven. Not yet polished. "She wants to be the best," Phillips said. "She's always asking, always studying of ways to make herself better."

* Cowling: Averages 11.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists. She's similar to Hayes in all aspects. The younger sister of Alex Cowling, who averaged better than 20 points per game at St. Patrick and earned a scholarship to Loyola-Marymount, Mikayla is long and athletic. "She's just tapping into her potential," Kallam said.

* Romeo: Averages around 18.0 points, 4.0 assists and 4.0 steals. Ultra quick and nonstop at both ends. Scores bushels in transition and is good 3-point shooter. Size won't attract college recruiters. "She never, ever stops," Carondelet coach Margaret Gartner said. "Even if her shot is off, she contributes so much on defensive end."

E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.