DeNesha Stallworth
DeNesha Stallworth can take a beating inside
The Cal Bears on Sunday got a jump on their front line, and 2009 class, and didn't have to venture far to do it.
DeNesha Stallworth, an athletic, hyperactive forward, committed to coach Joanne Boyle after her team secured an overtime victory over USC, according to Stallworth's father, Chris. Stallworth is from Pinole, Calif., only some 12 miles north of Berkeley.
DeNesha Stallworth
The 6-foot-1 Stallworth is a five-star prospect ranked 18th overall in the 2009 class by HoopGurlz.com.
Stallworth, whose mother and father both played college basketball, chose Cal over Baylor. She had been pursued by an impressive pack of suitors that stretched nation-wide, from the Pac-10 to the Big 12, SEC and Big East. She is averaging 22.7 points, 10.9 points and 2.3 blocks during her junior season at Pinole Valley High School.
"I really respect Joanne Boyle and her entire staff," Chris Stallworth said. "She does a lot of things off of the court and that's what (DeNesha) is missing.
An all-tournament selection at the End of the Trail for her Orinda Magic club team, Stallworth was the youngest participant last spring at USA Basketball's Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs, Colo. There, she overcame a tentative start to display her ability to be a constant factor around the glass despite being matched against larger, and more ballyhooed, inside players. HoopGurlz ranks Stallworth as the No. 2 forward in the country and considers her to have among the biggest upside of any player in the 2009 class.
Stallworth is choosing between the Orinda Magic and Finest Basketball Club (FBC) as her club team for this summer, her father said.
The commitment should prove a nice complement to Boyle's 2008 signing class, which included two top-50 prospects, Shawna-Lei Kuehu of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Casey Morris of Oakland, Calif., and buffeted the Bears' backcourt.
