(2023) - G Julianna LaMendola to INDIANA

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

4 hours ago, TTT said:

Seems to be a little more challenging to get stats and specific game info inTX.

But if you'd like detailed player stats and interviews with Miss Sunshine's pre-school football squad no problem.   Football is king in Texas and girls high school basketball is way down on the list.  

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

This young lady is the real deal.  Plano West was clearly inferior competition but Coppell's 82-45 win doesn't diminish just how good she is.  33p; 17r; 1a; 2s; 2b; 2t.    15-22 FG; 1-2 on 3s; 2-3 FT.

Listed as 6'1" more often than not, she was the one who brought the ball up court.  Good ball handling skills with either hand.  Created her own shot and finished in traffic with either hand.  Active on defense.  Really optimistic at what she'll bring to IUWBB. 

[Aaron 4,166]

1 hour ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

This young lady is the real deal.  Plano West was clearly inferior competition but Coppell's 82-45 win doesn't diminish just how good she is.  33p; 17r; 1a; 2s; 2b; 2t.    15-22 FG; 1-2 on 3s; 2-3 FT.

Listed as 6'1" more often than not, she was the one who brought the ball up court.  Good ball handling skills with either hand.  Created her own shot and finished in traffic with either hand.  Active on defense.  Really optimistic at what she'll bring to IUWBB. 

She is ranked no. 52 nationally in ESPN's recruiting rankings. That's the same ranking Mackenzie Holmes had out of high school and makes LaMendola the highest ranked recruit since Holmes. Hopefully a great sign of things to come. 

[Todd41 701]

10 hours ago, Aaron said:

She is ranked no. 52 nationally in ESPN's recruiting rankings. That's the same ranking Mackenzie Holmes had out of high school and makes LaMendola the highest ranked recruit since Holmes. Hopefully a great sign of things to come. 

If she has a similar work ethic as Mack it could be great things in the future.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

Game stats are hard to come by for Jules as girls basketball doesn't get much media coverage and the school doesn't report stats to MaxPreps.  Coppell's record is 19-0 and they are ranked #5 in Texas 6A.  Stats for 5 games reflect 26 ppg scoring.

[Stuhoo 75,890]

Have you guys seen this?

A 41 minute video inside the basketball world of Lamendola. The young lady is focused; positive, chippy, and competitive as hell.. And skilled! @Demo will love, love the footwork. The shoulder drops when she's protecting the ball in the lane, and then the spin cycle begins. She's been watching some Mackenzie Holmes videos, who's been watching some Kevin McHale videos. The jumper is clean and ultra-repeatable.

Winner, winner, winner:

 

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

Opportunity to watch another game of Coppell HS and they're now 20-0 on the season with a 45-43 win over Lewisville(10-8) in a strange game.  Lewisville is a very scrappy team and kept Coppell off-balance most of the game.  LaMendola got visibly frustrated in the first half and finished with just 4p and 2r.  She calmed down at the  half and scored 9p in the 3rd Q and didn't miss a shot.  She added 6 more pts. in the 4th Q to finish with 20 for the game to go along with 6r; 1s; 4t.  Coppell was scoreless over the last 1:30 of the game.  Lewisville made it 45-43 with 26.7 seconds left but didn't foul Coppell until there was .01 sec. left on the clock!!

[TTT 782]

22 hours ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Opportunity to watch another game of Coppell HS and they're now 20-0 on the season with a 45-43 win over Lewisville(10-8) in a strange game.  Lewisville is a very scrappy team and kept Coppell off-balance most of the game.  LaMendola got visibly frustrated in the first half and finished with just 4p and 2r.  She calmed down at the  half and scored 9p in the 3rd Q and didn't miss a shot.  She added 6 more pts. in the 4th Q to finish with 20 for the game to go along with 6r; 1s; 4t.  Coppell was scoreless over the last 1:30 of the game.  Lewisville made it 45-43 with 26.7 seconds left but didn't foul Coppell until there was .01 sec. left on the clock!!

Like that T. Moren wants is trending to recruit Guards with size. (that are competitive with talent).

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

When the Coppell girls basketball team lost to South Grand Prairie in the regional quarterfinals last season, Cowgirls head coach Ryan Murphy described the drive home as somber, but added that his team was proud of all they accomplished in finishing with a single-season school record 37 wins.

Coppell has proven that last season’s success wasn’t a fluke.

Although the Cowgirls, the fifth-ranked team in the latest TABC Class 6A state poll, lost their first game of the season Friday night in 44-34 setback in the first-place game of the Mansfield Spring Creek Barbecue Invitational Tournament against Mansfield Timberview, Coppell went 24-1 during the 2022 portion of this season’s schedule.

Trailing by nine points in the third quarter, Coppell countered with a 6-0 run to make it a one-possession game.

Senior and Indiana signee Jules LaMendola made a two-point field goal to cap off the run to reduce the Cowgirls’ deficit to 28-25.

After Timberview answered with a 6-0 run of its own, Coppell later got to within 34-29 after Londyn Harper made a free throw.

However, the Lady Wolves proceeded to put the game away with an 8-0 run, including four points from Tamaiya Mims.

Friday’s loss, though, was the only setback of the tournament for Coppell. The Cowgirls went 4-1 with victories against Irving MacArthur (57-26) and Frisco Lebanon Trail (65-50), as well as a triumph against defending Arkansas Class 6A state champion North Little Rock (55-50) and also got to avenge that playoff loss to South Grand Prairie (46-38) in the semifinals.

South Grand Prairie, which continued to play without two of the two players in the country in the class of 2024 in post Adhel Tac and guard Taliyah Parker, took leads of 5-2 and 10-8 in the first quarter.

Coppell fought back to take a 23-20 halftime lead after LaMendola made a jump shot with less than 10 seconds remaining.

Coppell’s lead later grew to 36-26 after sophomore Landry Sherrer converted a three-point play with 1:19 remaining in the third quarter.

LaMendola finished with 13 points and had 20 in the Cowgirls’ win over North Little Rock in the quarterfinals. Senior Macey Mercer and junior Ella Spiller each had 14 points in Coppell’s victory over North Little Rock.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

Coppell (25-1) beat Flower Mound the #1 ranked 6A team in the state 66-44.  LaMendola 22p.

[Stuhoo 75,890]

11 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Coppell (25-1) beat Flower Mound the #1 ranked 6A team in the state 66-44.  LaMendola 22p.

Jules LaMendola is going to be a key rotation Hoosier. 

[WayneFleekHoosier 46,918]

2 hours ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Coppell (25-1) beat Flower Mound the #1 ranked 6A team in the state 66-44.  LaMendola 22p.

Dang!

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

Coppell (25-2) beaten by Hebron (20-4) 58-50.

When Coppell senior Jules LaMendola was relegated to the bench after picking up her third personal foul with 5:08 remaining in the second quarter of Friday’s District 6-6A game.  LaMendola returned to the lineup at the start of the third quarter and she did everything in her power to will her team back in the game.  The Indiana signee scored five points in the third quarter before adding 14 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter. LaMendola also assisted on a jump shot by Hassman with 100 seconds remaining in the ballgame to bring Coppell to within 52-46.

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

Had the chance to watch Coppell (26-2) beat Plano East (11-8) 59-34.  Not the best shooting night for Jules  10p; 6r; 6a; 2s; 0b; 2t.  3-13 FG; 0-2 on 3s; 4-5 FT.  Not an enjoyable game to watch as it was pretty ragged.  Plano East is not a good team but they were beefier than the Coppell girls and had no problem throwing their weight around.  Yes, I know that's not a particularly polite way or politically correct way to say it but that's the way it was.  Probably a rare game where Jules was up against an opponent of equal height and outweighed by a number of pounds.  Jules tweaked an ankle in the 1st Q, got knocked down and banged her head in the 3rd and was knocked down in the 4th with a Plano player falling on her back.  That one was scary but she got right up.  She sees the court very well and isn't at all reluctant to pass it off to open teammates.  And her passes are sharp and crisp. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

 

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

56-46 win over Plano.  Jules 18p; 15r; 4a; 1s; 2b; 2t          9-20 FG; 0-1 FT

Coppell trailed 27-24 at the half and played very lackluster ball going scoreless for the first 5:30 of the 2nd Q.  Jules picked up her 2nd foul and spent the last 2:30 on the bench having just 4p and 5r.  In the second half she came out like Regan MacNeil (Google it if you don't know) and scored 14p and grabbed 10r.  Oddly, for as much as she plays around the rim and has the ball in her hands, she only got to line once and that was a garbage foul on Plano with 8 sec. left.  Not sure why she doesn't get more calls.

I've said it before, but she sees the court very well.  2 of her 4 assists resulted in made 3s and she had some nice passes to teammates under the basket who just couldn't finish.  And Jules also needs to get stronger to finish at the rim.  She too missed several shots at the basket including 3 missed putback rebounds.  Having been able to watch a couple of her games, IMO she also needs to improve her lateral quickness to cutoff baseline drives.

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

Coppell (29-2) routed Marcus (6-21) 73-34.  Marcus hung around and was only down 14 at the half but Coppell blitzed them 27-7 in the 3rd and it was game over.  First half was ugly for Jules who couldn't buy a basket shooting 7-19 with the majority of her misses coming within 4' of the basket.  In the 3rd Q, she didn't miss a shot hitting 6-6 FG finishing with 31p; 12r; 2a; 0s; 1b; 0t in 21 minutes of court time.  Coppell has 5 games remaining in its regular season which ends on Feb. 7.  

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

State tournament play has started in Texas and Coppell needed OT to defeat Allen.  Game was tied at 34 after regulation.  Jules made 7 FTs in OT - the only points Coppell scored - and Coppell wins 41-38 to advance to the second round of playoffs.  Hopefully I'll find more info on the game in the morning.

She finished with 25p.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Class of '66 Old Fart
Added Jules point stat

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]

StarLocalMedia.com - 

 When the Allen girls basketball team called a timeout with less than a minute remaining in overtime of Tuesday’s Class 6A bi-district playoff, the Lady Eagles trailed Coppell by just one point.

But prior to Allen calling the break in the action, Cowgirls senior forward Jules LaMendola was fouled and was awarded the one-and-one bonus after being fouled by Lady Eagles senior Raimi McCrary.

LaMendola provided some words of reassurance to Coppell head coach Ryan Murphy.

“When she came to the bench for the timeout, she looked me and said, ‘Don’t worry coach, I’ve got these,’” Murphy said.  [OF note:  Isn't that  from Hoosiers?]

After being held two field goals in the first half, LaMendola came alive in the second half and in overtime, making seven of eight free throws in the extra session to lift Coppell to a 41-38 victory against Allen at Creekview High School. She finished with 25 points, including 15 of 16 from the foul line.

All seven of Coppell's points in overtime came on free throws by LaMendola.

"I practice making free throws every day," LaMendola said. 

LaMendola also made a key defensive play in the game’s final seconds. With Allen trailing by two points, senior point guard Alana Goosby dribbled up the court and passed to junior guard Skye Pepp. Pepp took two dribbles to her left but a double team greeted her. LaMendola and sophomore Londyn Harper trapped her behind the 3-point line. LaMendola jumped in the air, forcing Pepp to gather herself. Harper then took the ball away as the buzzer sounded.

Even when Coppell struggled at times on offense, Murphy lauded his team’s defensive play throughout the game. The Cowgirls held the Lady Eagles to four points in overtime.

“We fill out tank on the defensive end,” Murphy said. "We played some really good defense in overtime."

Although 16 turnovers and some uncharacteristic misses near the basket did in Allen, the Lady Eagles never gave up. Allen was looking for revenge after losing 63-39 to Coppell in bi-district last year.

Coppell appeared that it had iced the game after LaMendola made two free throws with 18.3 left to increase the Cowgirls’ advantage to 39-34, Allen freshman Simone Richmond answered with a four-point play. She made a 3-pointer from the left wing and was fouled. Richmond made the free throw to reduce Allen’s deficit to one point.

“We told them that it was going to come down to not making mistakes, making your free throws at the end,” said Stephanie Shaw, Allen head coach. “I thought Simone three and one was absolutely huge. It gave us another chance. We always talk about staying in the fight until the buzzer goes off, don’t worry about the score. A lot of teams would have folded. We got down by five and made it a one-point game. That’s all that you can ask for.”

A 3-pointer was how Allen extended Tuesday’s playoff rematch into overtime. After LaMendola was called for a traveling violation with 1:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, Lady Eagles senior Alexis Cortez buried a straight-away 3-pointer just 17 seconds later to level the score at 34-34.

Cortez was held to five points, but it was her play on the defensive end that was most noticeable. The Air Force commit was given the defensive assignment of covering LaMendola. LaMendola, who averages 17.5 points per game, was held to two field goals in the first half. A free throw by Pepp with 3.6 left in the first half gave the Lady Eagles an 18-16 halftime lead.

“Alexis is the best defender that I’ve ever coached in my career,” Shaw said. “Her ability to guard somebody off the dribble, somebody that plays on the perimeter, somebody posts up is just phenomenal. She showed that tonight.”

LaMendola saluted Cortez’s defensive efforts, but the Coppell senior never got frustrated. She said that she needed to find other ways to impact the game. LaMendola finished with just five field goals Tuesday, but she found ways to get to the free-throw line. She went 15-of-16 at the charity stripe and came up with timely defensive rebounds.

“She’s a tough player,” LaMendola said of Cortez. “Alexis is going to Air Force for a reason. It was just mental. They’re going to have runs. We’re going to have runs. You’ve just got to stay with it. I knew that we would out-play them. We out-played them and we out-rebounded them. We did what we needed to do to win.”

Coppell also got a big offensive lift from junior Ella Spiller. Spiller made a jump shot off the glass while being fouled with 4:31 left in the third quarter and made the subsequent free throw, and then with 4:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, buried a 3-pointer from the right wing for a 34-31 Cowgirls lead. She finished with 10 points.

“That’s what she does,” Murphy said. “We joke around about Ella doing Ella things. Whether it’s a charge. Whether it’s a loose ball or an offensive rebound or a shot at the buzzer, she finds momentum plays. She’s just a gamer.”

[Class of '66 Old Fart 81,211]