Fencor 1989s

6-4 Del. teen is a magnet for college scouts, coaches Keith Prince kprince@thenewsstar.com July 20, 2004 The future of women's basketball arrived in Monroe five days ago and it's in the person of an attractive and polite 14-year-old girl. This young girl, however, stands almost 6-5, shoots 3-pointers with ease, sees the floor like a college veteran, dribbles easily with either hand and is like a coach on the floor for her 14-and-under Pennsylvania AAU team, Fencor. Elena DelleDonne's reputation already precedes her at each new juncture, and college recruiters are lining up daily to see her - and hoping that she sees them. DelleDonne has been an AAU star since the age of 10, leading her team to four straight top five national finishes - including the AAU national championship at the age of 12 and a runner-up slot last year. A resident of Centerville, Del., she also led her Ursuline Academy high school team to the Delaware state championship last year, averaging 20.2 points per game and making all-state. She arrived in Monroe direct from St. Louis where last week she became only the second eighth grader ever invited to the prestigious Nike All-America Camp that features the top 80 teenage players in the country. On Monday, playing approximately half the game, she scored 30 points with a dozen rebounds as Fencor finished pool play undefeated and now heads into the national title hunt this afternoon. Asked about her Nike Camp experience, DelleDonne said, "It was great. It gave me a chance to see what is out there, what the talent level is like around the country. I have heard about a lot of girls and now I have gotten to compete with them." Even though she was playing primarily against 17-year-olds in camp, DelleDonne definitely held her own. Her only assessment was, "I could see how I stack up with the best and I could evaluate the areas where I need to improve. It was a positive experience. "The main thing I need is to become more physical. I am lifting weights with my dad, (and has for the past three years) and am getting stronger," she said. DelleDonne's AAU coach, Veronica Algeo, has been involved with basketball as either a player or coach for the past 20 years. This is her first year coaching "the big girl from Delaware," as DelleDonne is known throughout the country, and Alego gushes with praise. "First, you see the physical skills - dribbling, ball handling, shooting, rebounding," Alego said. "But it is also the intangibles she brings - the leadership, the court awareness, the maturity, and the concern for her teammates. "I have never seen anyone - boy or girl - with the total package that Elena possesses. "And, she is so unselfish. She is very concerned about doing interviews and bringing attention to herself. She has absolutely no ego and her teammates realize that and they take great pleasure in her success," said the coach. Teammate Colleen Magarity verified those sentiments. "The great thing about Elena is that she is so talented, but acts just like everybody else," she said. "In fact, when she knows there is an article out there about her, she won't tell us." Former Louisiana-Monroe coach Linda Harper, who guided the Lady Indians to the Final Four in 1985 and has led several AAU girls teams to high national finishes, got her first glimpse of DelleDonne on Monday morning. "She is definitely the real deal," Harper said. "I can't say that I have ever seen a girl with more skills at this age. I can see why colleges are excited. "If I were still in the business, I would be there watching, too - from the front row, with a banner that showed the name of my college," she said with a laugh. ©The News-Star July 20, 2004