Here is a capsule look at the members of the 2008 St. Louis American “Fab Five” Girls All-Star First Team.
Jasmine Bailey (Normandy): A 5’9” senior guard, Bailey played virtually every position for the Vikings during the past two seasons. Bailey often played point guard and handled the basketball much of the time, but she was also counted on to score, rebound and play excellent defense against the opposition’s top player. She did it all in helping to bring back a winning tradition at Normandy. A true “stat-sheet stuffer” Bailey was near the top of the Suburban East Conference in nearly every possible category. As a senior, Bailey averaged 18.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 5.9 steals for the Vikings, who finished with an 18-10 record and won their second consecutive Class 5 district championship. Bailey followed up on an excellent junior season when she helped lead the Vikings to the Final Four of the Class 5 state tournament in 2007. Bailey is headed to the University of Illinois-Chicago, where she will join former Normandy teamamte Shameia Green.
Anya Covington (Edwardsville): The 6’2” Covington was one of the most dominant low-post players in the metro area for the past two seasons. With Covington in the middle, the Tigers finished with a 30-3 record in 2007 and 31-3 record in 2008. She averaged a team-high 13.6 points and 7.1 rebounds on a well-balanced team that advanced to the Supersectionals of the IHSA Class 4A state tournament. Blessed with great quickness and athleticism to go along with her size, Covington was always a handful to deal with in the low post. As a senior, she improved on her skills facing the basket as she displayed a nice shooting touch from out to 15 feet. Her improvement will help her conversion to the power forward position, where she will play in college. Covington will play college basketball at the University of Wisconsin next season.
Patrice King (St. Joseph’s): A transfer from Illinois state power Marian Catholic in Chicago, “P.K.” proved to be a tremendous addition to the Angels’ program, which was in need of a point guard going into the season. King filled the bill and thensome, as she led the Angels to a third-place finish in the Class 5 state tournament. In 2008, King averaged 17.5 points, 3.5 assists and three steals a game in leading the Angels to a 26-5 record. King raised her game to a higher level during the postseason when she averaged 20 points and 4.5 assists a game during the state-tournament series. King will play college basketball at Ball State University next season.
Meghan Lewis (McCluer South-Berkeley): A four-year starter for the Bulldogs, the 5’8” Lewis put her school’s basketball program on the statewide map by leading them to their first Final Four appearance in the school’s history. In leading McCluer South-Berkeley to a third-place finish in the Class 4 state tournament, Lewis averaged 18.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 3.8 steals while hitting a team-high 56 3-pointers. Lewis also displayed great leadership when her team needed it the most down the stretch. Her 11 fourth-quarter points sparked the Bulldogs late rally in their dramatic overtime victory over St. Dominic in the Class 4 state quarterfinals to clinch the Bulldogs first Final Four berth. Lewis was an exciting open court player who excelled in the Bulldogs’ up-tempo full-court pressure defensive system. Lewis finished her career at the school’s all-time scoring leader with 1,729 points.
Teandrea Smith (East St. Louis): The 2008 St. Louis American Player of the Year, the 6’2” Smith concluded her four-year varsity career with a spectacular senior season. A gifted athlete blessed with size, talent and a great knowledge of the game, Smith was able to dominate the game at both ends of the floor. When she wasn’t scoring, she was rebounding, blocking shots, brining the ball up the floor and setting up teammates for open shots. She did it all with style in leading the Flyers to a championship of the powerful Southwestern Conference. After the graduation of her talented twin sisters Veronica and Victoria, “Tee Tee” took over the leadership of the program during the final two years and put her own personal stamp on the program. As a senior, Smith averaged 20.1 points, 17.1 rebounds, 4.1 steals, 3.5 assists and 5.1 blocks in leading the Flyers to a 22-4 record. A four-year starter at East Side, Smith finished her career with 1,624 points, 1,064 rebounds and 288 blocks. The Flyerettes finished with a 93-17 record during Smith’s career. Smith will play basketball at the University of Illinois next season.
St. Louis American Girls “Fab Five” All-Star Basketball Teams
First Team
Jasmine Bailey 5’9” (Sr.) Normandy
Anya Covington 6’2” (Sr.) Edwardsville
Patrice King 5’8” (Sr.) St. Joseph’s
Meghan Lewis 5’8” (Sr.) McCluer South-Berkeley
Teandrea Smith 6’2” (Sr.) East St. Louis
Second Team
Ebony Davis 5’11” (Jr.) Parkway South
Alisha Goodwin 5’8” (Sr.) Althoff
Channon Haywood 6’0” (Sr.) Hazelwood East
Dekeisha Mathis 5’6” (Sr.) Metro
Devonna Smith 5’11” (Sr.) Kirkwood
Third Team
Raven Berry 6’0” (Jr.) Collinsville
Kristin Burton 6’0” (Sr.) Jennings
Kayla Person 5’9” (Sr.) Incarnate Word
Britteni Williams 6’1” (Sr.) Incarnate Word
Gwen Williams 5’6 (Sr.) Fort Zumwalt West
Fourth Team
Tarah Adams 6’0” (Jr.) McCluer North
Shelah Fields 5’6” (Jr.) Riverview Gardens
Iesha McDaniels 5’9” (Jr.) Maplewood
Chiara Robinson 5’9” (Sr.) McCluer South-Berkeley
Catherine Russell 5’7” (Sr.) Career Academy
Player of the Year: Teandrea Smith (East St. Louis)
Coach of the Year: Shaun Jones (McCluer South-Berkeley)
Senior of the Year: Teandrea Smith (East St. Louis)
Junior of the Year: Ebony Davis (Parkway South)
Sophomore of the Year: Nikki Buford (Beaumont)
Freshman of the Year: Yelena Rosado (Jennings)