Galaxy of girls stars making a statement

June Daugherty remembers when she was treated like royalty. When she could scout a high-school basketball phenom in nearly any gym across the state and receive red-carpet treatment.

"Ooh, the U-dub coach is here!" fans would titter.

But the secret is out. High-school girls in Washington have got game. Just check out the state's record list of 29 Division I signees in the Class of 2007. Note that the gem of that class, Angie Bjorklund from University High School in Spokane, is considered the best guard in the country and as a junior became the first Washington player to commit to Tennessee.

Now when Daugherty recruits, she is in impressive company. Because as good as this class is, the next two or three could be even better.

"When I'm out there watching the '08s and '09s, more than ever I'm sitting there with Tennessee, Stanford, Purdue," Daugherty said. "These kids are getting recruited very high. It's exciting."

Bjorklund is one of six Washington players ranked in the HoopGurlz.com Hot 100 for 2007. HoopGurlz, the only Web site in the country covering girls basketball on a national basis, is locally based and was founded by Glenn Nelson, a former youth coach and sports reporter for The Seattle Times.

"What makes 2007 special in this area is the abundance of elite-level talent," Nelson said.

Bjorklund ranks No. 2 overall in the country behind forward Maya Moore from Collins Hill of Suwanee, Ga., a Connecticut recruit. Alex Montgomery from Lincoln of Tacoma (signed with Georgia Tech), ranks No. 15, followed by No. 32 Christina Nzekwe (Chief Sealth, UCLA), No. 43 Regina Rogers (Chief Sealth, UCLA), No. 64 Courtney Vandersloot (Kentwood, Gonzaga) and No. 66 Sarah Morton (Monroe, Washington).

Only three other states have more than Washington's six in the Hot 100 — California (14), Illinois (11) and Georgia (eight). New York also has six.

How good is Bjorklund?

"She's a very special talent," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt told The Times this week. "I wish I had her now."

The king-sized Chief Sealth duo of Nzekwe (6 feet 3) and Rogers (6-4) make this Washington class special, too.

"I think Washington will be a consistent producer of good guards," Nelson said, "but it won't always have the elite-level big kids. That's what I call the Halley's Comet Syndrome — once in a decade, maybe even once in a lifetime to have two this good in the same year."

And the Seahawks from West Seattle have a third Division I player in guard Nia Jackson, who has signed with Oregon.

Summitt said she has been impressed with the state's growing riches in the sport.

"Obviously with the number of players receiving Division I scholarships, that just speaks to the level of high-school girls basketball there," she said. "It's certainly improved significantly in the last few years. What we've seen following Angie and her [AAU] team play has been very, very impressive."

Mike Warchol, publisher and editor of WashingtonPreps.com, calls this class "insanely talented." He was responsible for nominating Washington players to the McDonald's All-American game and said he started laughing when he was told there are generally 15 to 20 nominations from this state.

Among the Division I recruits, nine are headed to the Pac-10 — Nzekwe, Rogers, Jackson, Morton, MacKenzie Argens (Roosevelt, Washington), Stephanie Wilber (Auburn Riverside, Arizona State), Brittany Eskridge (Jackson of Mill Creek, Oregon State), Katelan Redmon (Lewis and Clark of Spokane, Washington) and Madison Maloney (Skyline of Sammamish, Washington).

Many feel Vandersloot "undersigned" with Gonzaga last summer. Nelson said she is "as good as I've seen around the country" at penetrating and either scoring or dishing to a teammate.

But Vandersloot, averaging 25.9 points for top-ranked and unbeaten Kentwood (24-0), has no second thoughts about her college choice.

"I took an unofficial visit there and I knew right away I could play there and I could be happy there," she said. "So, I didn't really think, 'Oh, I can go bigger than this.' It's where I felt comfortable. ... I'm happy with Gonzaga."

Over the years, Washington has seen its share of big-name girls basketball stars, such as Garfield's Joyce Walker, a 1980 graduate who excelled at Louisiana State, Kate Starbird from Lakes of Lakewood, near Tacoma (Stanford) and Sheila Lambert from Chief Sealth (Baylor). All three played professionally.

The state's resumé has grown in recent years. In 2005, Jacqua Williams (Rainier Beach, Georgia Tech), Malia O'Neal (Garfield, Arizona) and Kirsten Thompson (Monroe, Arizona State) headed a solid Washington group that also included Heidi McNeill (Oak Harbor, Washington), Briann January (Lewis and Clark of Spokane, Arizona State) and Kelsey Burns (Kennedy of Burien, Arizona). Nadia Parker, who transferred from Germany to Bethel of Graham her senior year, boosted the class by signing with USC.

Nelson said he was surprised to discover Washington produced 24 Division I girls in 2006.

"That was a shockingly high number," he said. "I would have said 2006 was a mediocre year for Washington state. We knew this year was going to be a pretty good class. And when you're so top-heavy [with top-100 recruits], people kind of ride the tails of that."

Why the explosion? Daugherty in part credits parents' commitment to get their daughters playing at a high level at an early age. The Seattle area alone features more than a dozen AAU programs, many of which travel to large viewing tournaments. Exposure through HoopGurlz.com, which went national last spring, has been a factor as well.

"Glenn gets that information out there," said Walker, girls coach at Garfield. "Other [Web] sites do it, but he's committed to recognizing players."

Like in men's basketball, women's college coaches are recognizing talent younger and younger each year. Summitt received an oral commitment from a high-school freshman last fall.

"It's not unusual to see a seventh- or eighth-grader and think you need to know her name," Daugherty said.

And college coaches across the country are keeping Washington girls on their radar.

"This area has become a must stop for major Division I programs," Nelson said.

And Daugherty is getting used to sharing seats in the bleachers.