NEU » Welshman if he didnt want him for the

Elisia LeLe Grissett frequently rolls up her sleeves and flexes her biceps for high school coach Ovester Grays. Shes got her reasons.For one, Grissetts muscles are tangible proof of the work she has put in to redefine both her body and her game. She has gained 25 pounds the past two-plus years, and her basketball skills have been similarly transformed.Her mother, Yalonda Days, said her daughter had always been puny. Grissett said she was like a little twig.Note the past tense.At 6-foot-2 and 155 pounds, Grissett is now a tower of power. A high-scoring wing at Hillside (Durham, North Carolina), Grissett is the No. 31 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Super 60 for the 2017 class.She recently committed to South Carolina after a junior year in which she averaged 22.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 3.2 steals and 3.0 blocks, leading the Hornets to a 28-2 record and a berth in the Class 4A state semifinals. In an obvious selection, Grissett was named first-team all-state.She makes things happen on the court, teammate Michaela Thompson said of Grissetts versatile game. When she has the ball, everyone has to respect her as a driver, as a shooter and as a passer. Shes the ultimate threat.That was not always the case.Grissett, who recently turned 17 and is the youngest of Days three daughters, did not grow up in a sports family. She taught herself the game, just like she taught herself many other things.At age 3, Grissett learned how to ride a bike. When her mother tried to steady it, Grissett pushed her hand away. Swimming was much the same; before Days realized it, Grissett was 5 feet deep in the pool, and her mother was terrified ... until she realized her daughter had things under control.In eighth grade, the fiercely independent Grissett tried basketball, and it wasnt pretty at first. Often flailing away like she was still in that pool, Grissett would trip over her own feet. Making a layup was completely out of the question.I was horrible, Grissett said. I was straight garbage.She scored two points -- the entire year -- for W.G. Pearson Magnet middle school.Im going to play in the WNBA, she told her mom without irony.But Grissett didnt just talk a big game, she worked. She watched a video game, NBA2K, and developed her basketball moves there.I learned the Euro step, crossover moves, step-backs, Grissett said. I learned a lot of stuff.By then, she was hooked on basketball. She would go to parks to play pickup games against boys. She would wake up before school so she could go to the gym to shoot.And when Grays finally saw her, he was convinced.[Coach] Grays said, This child is going to be great, Days said. He wanted to know if I would consent to having her play with his travel team.I didnt know if we had the money, but I realized basketball kept her grounded. She wasnt a bad kid, but she wouldnt do her best [in school].But then she went from a C student to an A student. It was a win-win for me. I wasnt a sports person, but I knew if she loved it that much and she was willing to do whatever, then it was a win for me. I said, OK, you can play basketball, but you have to pull your grades up. Basketball has transformed her whole life.Even so, Grissett met resistance in high school.Her older teammates told her there was no way she could make varsity as a freshman, and Grissett admits that shook her previously unshakeable confidence. A bit.You know how upperclassmen talk junk, she said. I was really small, and they were bigger than me. I was like, What am I going to do? Grissett found her answer. She scored 35 of her teams 50 points in her first -- and only -- junior varsity game. Grays then called her up to the varsity for a scrimmage.But what no one but Grissett knew at the time was that she had been watching the older girls in practice, studying their moves just as she had done with NBA2K.I showed them up, Grissett said. I proved them wrong.Grays has been coaching Hillside for 22 years -- sending more than 90 players to college basketball -- but he said he hasnt met too many girls who compare to Grissett.Shes a rare talent, he said. Early on, I saw that she had a strong drive to become great. And when she didnt make the varsity initially, she took her drive to a new level.I challenged her to improve defensively and make her teammates better, and she amped up her intensity. There was no discussion. She just did it -- the kid went to work.In Grissetts freshman year, Hillside had three seniors and three juniors, all of whom went on to play Division I basketball. Nevertheless, Grissett forged her way into the starting lineup and averaged 12 points and 6.5 rebounds as Hillside finished 26-3. The Hornets may have gone further than the regional final, but Grissett got strep throat and missed that last game, a three-point loss.As a sophomore, Grissett would often spend her lunch hour in Grays office as he rolled tape of 1980s-era NBA greats such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.That was also the year when Grissett started flexing her biceps, metaphorically showing Grays that she was strong enough to carry his team. Hillside finished 27-3 during her sophomore season and Grissett averaged 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds.Colleges started recruiting Grissett, who settled on a final four of South Carolina, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Maryland.Grissett, who has a 3.9 weighted GPA and wants to major in communications, chose the Gamecocks for a variety of reasons. For starters, she was born in Conway, South Carolina, so it will be a homecoming of sorts. She moved to Durham when she was 7. Second, and most importantly, Grissett discovered she had great chemistry with coach Dawn Staley.While other coaches called her by her given name of Elisia, Staley latched on to her preferred moniker of LeLe. The outgoing Grissett said she loves that she doesnt have to tone down her big personality when she is around Staley.She told me, Coach, those other schools didnt call me LeLe, and they never put their arms around me, Grays said. South Carolina physically and emotionally embraced her.Hydro Flask Sale . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Hydro Flask Canada . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. http://www.hydroflaskombrecanada.com/hydro-flask-straw-lid-canada.html . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Hydro Flask 40 Oz Canada . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Hydro Flask 24 Oz Canada . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period.He knew it wouldnt be a walk in the park, but Socceroos left-back Brad Smith never expected hed have a tougher time cracking Bournemouths first XI than Liverpools.Smith transferred to Bournemouth from the Reds in July, full of hope a smaller club would present more opportunities to play regular Premier League football.Yet three months into the season the 22-year-old still hasnt played a single minute in Englands top tier.While Smith was under no illusions it would be a tall task breaking into a well-established squad, he admitted the lack of game time had already left him pondering his club future.Theyve had the same back four for about five years now so its difficult to try and get in there, he said.But Im still young compared to (No.1 left-back) Charlie Daniels, hes 30.Its a patience game. I signed a good lengthy deal, so I just have to wait for my chance.If I get a few chances Ill see how it goes from there, but I think after the end of the season Ill see whether its a loan (move) or I stay, or see what the other guy (Daniels) does.The situation was of no immediate concern for Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou, who is more than happy with the national-team form of Smith and fellow game-starved teeammates Robbie Kruse and Mat Ryan.ddddddddddddPostecoglou also pointed out that Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe wouldnt have paid a reported $10.5 million for the New South Welshman if he didnt want him for the long term.The amount of money they spent on him is quite significant for a club like Bournemouth, so they dont see him as a one-year player, Postecoglou said.I think its the right club for him because theyll be patient with him, theyll invest in him, and once he does break through hell become an important part of their team.Its a great point for him to start his football career.Smiths Liverpool background has turned him into an unlikely hero in Thailand ahead of Tuesdays World Cup qualifier in Bangkok.Fans appear unfazed that the Penrith-born Anfield academy product made less than 10 Premier League appearances for the club, loitering outside Bangkoks Supachalasai Stadium waiting for the former fringe Reds player to emerge and sign their Smith Reds jerseys.Liverpool is such a big club and because Ive played there its going to follow me around for a while, he said. 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