Bolingbrook duo named to national team

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The state of Illinois found out last winter about the top-tier talent level belonging to the Bolingbrook girls basketball tandem of Morgan Tuck and Ariel Massengale.

Now the nation knows, and according to Raiders coach Anthony Smith, watch out world.

The 6-foot-2 Tuck and the 5-7 Massengale have been selected to the 12-member U.S. Under-16 National Team. Tuck is a forward/guard and Massengale plays point guard.

Tuck, who will be a sophomore, and Massengale, a junior-to-be, will represent Team USA in the International Basketball Association Americas Championships this summer.

They were selected for the team following tryouts at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“It’s definitely a long time coming for our kids and I’m glad to see it starting,” Smith said. “I think the world is going to find out soon how good Morgan and Ariel really are.”

Massengale, already a two-year varsity starter, helped lead Bolingbrook to the Class 4A state title last year after the Raiders’ runnerup finish in Class AA the previous year.

A two-time all-conference choice of the Southwest Suburban Blue, Massengale averaged 13.6 points and four rebounds with 140 assists and 73 steals for the 4A state champions. She was named second team all-state by the Champaign News-Gazette and for 3A/4A by the IBCA.

As a sophomore, Massengale led the Raiders in scoring eight times, after doing so in 20 of 32 games as a freshman. She was third team all-state by the IBCA in her varsity debut and repeated as a Herald News first team all-area pick.

“Ariel was left off of a couple of all-state teams this year,” Smith said. “I think she’s out to prove those people wrong. I think the way our season ended gave all of our kids the confidence and that swagger, and the hard work is paying off for her.”

Immediately, Tuck worked her way into the Bolingbrook lineup as a freshman. She began to draw comparisons to former Naperville Central All-American Candace Parker, the face of the WNBA, by averaging 18.7 points and 10.1 rebounds.

Tabbed all-conference by the SouthWest Suburban Blue and first team all-state by the Champaign News-Gazette and for 3A/4A by the IBCA, Tuck also garnered honorable mention all-state recognition from the Associated Press for 3A/4A.

She shot 52 percent from the floor, 71 percent from the free-throw line and blocked 65 shots.

“Hopefully, after this, Morgan will come back with that drive to be even better and better,” Smith said. “That’s the biggest thing I hope she gets out of this. Here’s a kid who had a great first year and had to deal with all the press, all the hoopla. I believe she will use this as a springboard to greater success.”

The lone hiccup of the process has been a knee injury for Tuck, who is not practicing with the team yet. It is uncertain whether the injury has been deemed serious enough to keep her from competing in the Americas Championship.

“We have 12 exceptional ladies,” Team USA coach Barbara Nelson said. “They’re very smart and have a very high basketball IQ, and that will allow us to do some great things.”