2011 Recruit- Betnijah Laney 6'0" SF

[SoonerNorm]

Betnijah Laney
Hometown: Clayton, DE
High School: Smyrna High School
Height 6'0"
Position: SF
Rank: #12
Recruited by: UCONN, Rutgers, Ky, OU, Penn State, Cincy and Virginia.



Evaluation:

Nike Skills, New Jersey - May 2010: Her physical transformation is little short of amazing. A year ago, she was a power player feared by her peers for her runaway-train ways. Laney now has a lean, aggressive and physically fit dimension to her game and is a different player. Rather than go through defenders, she now slinks around them and is most fearsome in transition. Once a glaring weakness, her mid-range pull-up has a lot more life. Almost to underscore her new, fit reality, when the rest of the players were flagging from a weekend of activity, she picked up ballhanders fullcourt during the final scrimmages. Impressive, indeed.

Boo Williams-April 10: Laney has proven she is not one to rest on her success. Appearing leaner and more fit than ever, she's demonstrating more and more that she's looking to embrace the wing position at the next level. She's becoming more comfortable attacking off the dribble from places other than the elbow and she's an option in transition on almost every break. The perimeter shot still needs consistency but is showing improvements as well. Her aggressive and physical play combines with these advancements to make her a challenge for any defense to match up with.

Super Showecase ATL-Oct. 09: After winning a gold medal this summer with the USA Basketball 16U team in Mexico City, it would be easy for forward Betnijah Laney to just relax and bask in the glory. She is already considered to be one of the top players in her class. However, because she is a shade under her roster height of 6 feet, her college position was not clearly defined. This weekend at the Super Showcase, the Delaware native showed remarkable improvement in her perimeter game. Earlier in her career when catching the ball from 12-15 feet, Laney would put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket, which worked because of her strength and physicality. Now she has added a very good pull-up jump shot to her game; she gets nice elevation and releases it high. She is still a force on defense and continues to show that she can rebound against taller players. Laney made it clear with her performance this weekend that she has the work ethic and talent to secure her status as one of the top forwards in the class.

USA U16 Trials-May 09: The sole representative from Delaware, Betnijah Laney came in unsure of where she would fit in best, the wing or forward position. After a couple of sessions you could see she was most effective from 12 feet in attacking the rim. Her physical strength negated the length many of her defenders had as an advantage. She has strong, wide shoulders and when she used them to protect the ball she finished well in the lane. She should be able to play multiple positions depending on matchups for USA.

Nike Regional Skills Acadmey-May 09: If there was one athlete on hand already well-suited for the college game, it was Betnijah Laney of Smyrna High School (Del.) and Philly Triple Threat. The 5-10 wing has a combination of power and control which is seldom found at the high school level. Her penetration comes in transition or the half-court set and is difficult to contain. What makes her all the more effective is the relentless approach she takes with each possession, battling as if each shot were a game winner. She effectively uses her body and attacks right off her defender's shoulders and hips, eliminating any hope of recovery. Her ballhandling is solid and her stroke is effective, but it could use a little more consistency. An intangible worth noting is that when players were asked to step out for a new drill, Laney was always one of the first. With her attitude and effort there's no telling what level she might take her game to.

Boo Williams-April 09: Big wing, solid ball handler in traffic, knows how to draw fouls and makes fouls shots. Effective defender on the perimeter and in the paint.



Scoring 1,000 career points is a milestone achievement for any high school basketball player – an accomplishment usually reached as the culmination of three or four years of outstanding play.

Smyrna High girls’ basketball player Betnijah Laney has earned that distinction, and it only took her two years to do it.

The sophomore entered the Eagles’ final game of the regular season only eight points shy of the 1,000-point mark.

Once the Eagles tipped off against Dover on February 20 in the Smyrna High gymnasium, it didn’t take long for Laney to seal the deal.

After tallying six points, Laney took a jump shot from the top of the key in the early minutes of the second quarter. The ball bounced around the rim a little bit, but then it fell. Laney raised her hands in the air as her teammates and coaches gathered to congratulate her on the achievement.

Smyrna Athletic Director Bill Schultz said Laney is the first Smyrna High basketball player – male or female – to reach 1,000 points as a sophomore.

He also believed she was the first Smyrna High girls’ basketball player to ever hit the 1,000-point mark.

Laney finished Friday’s game with 28 points, hitting nine field goals and going 10-of-14 from the free throw line.

By the end of the game, she had accumulated 1,020 total points just two years into her high school career.

This season, Laney averaged 29 points and helped guide the Eagles to an 11-10 record.
In two separate games, she scored 52 points, a single-game scoring record for five-on-five girls’ basketball in Delaware.

Last year, as a freshman, she averaged 20 points per game and was named third team all-state.

Smyrna head coach Danny Wandless pinpointed Laney’s fundamental skills as one of her best attributes on the court. She uses both hands and keeps her eyes up on the court.

Laney also brings a lot of versatility to her game.

“She can play down low, she can play outside,” Wandless said. “For her age, her abilities are something special.”

Wandless believes Laney will only get better with time.

“She’ll get better because that’s the determination she has,” he said. “You can’t keep her out of the gym.”

After Friday’s game, Laney said she was kind of surprised that she got to 1,000 points in her sophomore year.

“I thought I’d be a junior or senior,” she said.

Laney believes her success has been the result of “a lot of practice and work.”

Basketball is a year-round sport for Laney. When she’s not playing for the high school team, she’s playing for her AAU team in the spring and the summer.

Laney also puts in a lot of extra time practicing her shot and her moves to the basket.

“I stay after practice for 30 minutes to an hour,” she said.

Laney wished to thank her mother, Yolanda, who is also her AAU coach, for working with her on her game.

She was also glad to see all her family and friends in attendance, “and the middle schoolers who came out to see me play."

[SoonerNorm]

Since her mother is also a coach, I would think that "recruiting" Mom would be a smart thing as well. If Mom is sold on the school/program, it might be easier to sell Betnijah on the school/program as well.