Ebonee DeVosBasketball

SHAPE

Last week: DeVos, a 5-foot-11 senior, scored 22 points, snared 20 rebounds and handed out eight assists Saturday to help the Lady Spartans to a 48-38 victory over defending European D-II girls basketball champion Mannheim.

"Ebonee moved fluidly around the paint during Saturday’s game despite her complaints about some nagging muscle pains," SHAPE coach Sam Ochinang wrote in an e-mail. "She … got the assists at the right time and scored at will. She directed traffic around the perimeter which helped our budding players. That’s the sign of a great captain and leader."

Although her totals were well above her season averages of 15 points, 13.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists, Ochinang added that DeVos ciontributed more to Saturday’s victory than the score sheet shows.

"She and Tammy Northshield helped pull our team together moments before the game." Ochinang wrote," and mapped out a plan to break the opponents’ press."

Jamal TuckBasketball

Aviano

Last week: Tuck, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard, finally got some playing time and responded with 24 points and four steals in Friday’s 73-47 romp over previously unbeaten American Overseas School of Rome, and 28 points and five assists in Saturday’s 93-64 triumph. The victories, although thoroughly one-sided, made welcome changes for Aviano (6-0), which was forced to tiptoe to courtesy-rule-shortened games against Marymount and at Milan before the holiday break.

The 40-point courtesy rule plays havoc with the minutes of star players.

"In those four games, Jamal only played a little over one quarter," Aviano coach Ken McNeely wrote in an e-mail. "He only played about four quarters in four games."

Last weekend, Tuck grabbed enough playing time to demonstrate his ability to replace the scoring of departed Aviano All-European Andrea Dean.

More rest, however, is in Tuck’s immediate future. The Saints are idle this weekend.

— Selected by Stars and Stripes staff

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