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Amaya Finklea-Guity was sitting in the Syracuse video room this past summer when she realized this wasnt going to be like all her other interactions with college coaches.This was going to be about instruction and improvement, not promises and promotion.Orange coach Quentin Hillsman was showing tape that illustrated his vision of her career at the upstate New York university when, suddenly, he asked Finklea-Guity to stand up.He proceeded to show her some tips on how to avoid foul trouble by not swinging her arms and by doing a better job of moving her feet laterally.It was as if Hillsman had read her mind. On the plane ride from her home in Boston to Syracuse, she had told her mother, Paula Guity, she wanted to stop fouling so much.What Coach Q did definitely made an impression on me, said Finklea-Guity, a 6-foot-4 senior center and the No. 42 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 who last season led Noble & Greenough (Dedham, Massachusetts) to the New England prep school Class A championship.I felt he was ready to work with me and push me to be better. It was a cool moment.It was also a winning moment for Syracuse because thats when Finklea-Guity decided she would be joining the Orange program. Then again, Syracuse has been doing a lot of winning lately. The Orange went 30-8 last season, reaching the NCAA final before falling to Connecticut. Before last season, the Orange had never advanced past the tournaments first weekend.Last month, Syracuse (7-3) nailed down what is being hailed as the best recruiting class in program history. In addition to Finklea-Guity, the Orange signed Nikki Oppenheimer, a 5-9 combo guard at Montini Catholic (Glenview, Illinois) who represented Puerto Rico at the FIBA Americas U18 championships in Chile; Diaby Kariata, a 6-5 center from Voiron, France, who has represented the Ivory Coast in international competitions; Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, a 6-2 forward and three-star recruit from Paris who played for France at the 2016 FIBA U18 European championships in Hungary; and Digna Strautmane, a 6-2 forward from Rigas, Latvia, who is ranked 23rd in the Top 100 and played for her national team at the FIBA U20 European championships in Portugal.I think our program is in a good place, said Hillsman, whose team will graduate five seniors this season, including four starters. When you get to the NCAA title game, you are right there. I think we just needed perimeter shooting, size and versatility, and this class addressed that.Size and speed in onePaula Guity, whose parents were born in Honduras, has raised Amaya on her own. For years, Guity put her daughter in just about every after-school activity imaginable, from swimming, to tap dancing and tennis.I was trying to find her niche, Guity said.Ultimately, Finklea-Guity outgrew dance -- literally. After seeing she was the tallest girl on stage, she asked her mother to try something else.A friend told Guity that the AAU Boston Showstoppers were looking for a center. Even though Finklea-Guity, who was 11 at the time, had never played basketball, the Showstoppers took one look at her height and immediately said yes.There was a tournament the next day, and the Showstoppers coaches were yelling out instructions to their new center, teaching her the game on the fly.The coaches told her, Just put your hands up, Guity said. So Amaya did that and just stood there. She didnt realize she had to run up and down the court until they yelled at her again.Then when the opposing point guard came down, and Amaya blocked her shot, she thought that was the greatest thing.She had found her niche.Finklea-Guity, who has a 3.5 GPA and is interested in studying computer engineering, chose Syracuse over 25 other scholarship offers. Harvard and Brown were among the colleges recruiting her. But Finklea-Guity wanted to play for a national title, and she thought Syracuse gave her that chance.Hillsman sees in Finklea-Guity a prototypical post player who can score over either shoulder. But he also sees a player with uncanny speed.Shes as fast as any high school post player Ive ever seen, Hillsman said. Speed and quickness comes down to your will. You can be fast, but if you dont have the will to run hard every time down, it doesnt matter.Amaya always puts pressure on the other post because of how fast she gets up and down the court.Finding a shooterOppenheimer, who is set to play for Puerto Rico this summer at the U19 world championships in Italy, will certainly help with any shooting issues.She is the daughter of Josh Oppenheimer, who played nine years of pro ball in Europe and is now an assistant coach with the NBAs Houston Rockets. Josh taught his daughter the proper shooting form during her earlier years, and it stuck.Oppenheimer committed to Syracuse in October of 2015, thoroughly enjoying her visit with Hillsman and his staff. But the deal was sealed when she and her mom took a quick detour to the local mall.While trying on sneakers at a Foot Locker, Oppenheimer was asked by the salesperson what made her come to Syracuse. When she explained she was a potential Orange recruit, the salesperson had an immediate reaction.She said, Oh, I love Coach Q, Oppenheimer said. She had been a team manager at Syracuse, and to hear her say so many good things about him just showed he was good to the people around him and that he was a genuine person.That just confirmed what I was already thinking.Oppenheimer, who has a 4.3 GPA and is interested in becoming a sports agent, has drawn praise of her own. Her AAU coach, Dave Yates of Midwest Elite, calls Oppenheimers jumper pure.Its one of the best shots Ive seen in 10 years of coaching girls, Yates said.Because she was the first player in her class to commit to Syracuse, Oppenheimer is called the anchor of the group by Hillsman. But shes more than that.Nikki played point guard on her AAU team and off the ball in high school, so she knows how to adapt, Hillsman said. We all know she is a phenomenal shooter. But shes also deceptively quick, she can get to her spots, and shes very intelligent.Project EuropeAfter Hillsman got commitments from Oppenheimer in 2015 and Finklea-Guity this past July, his next move was to recruit a recruiter.Adeniyi Amadou, a native of Paris, had come to the U.S. as a teenager to play basketball and go to school. By 2009, he had transitioned to coaching, and he landed a job as a Syracuse graduate assistant.From there, he became an assistant coach at Dayton and then at Kentucky before Hillsman called his former GA and said two simple words: Come home.Amadou accepted his mentors offer, bringing with him expertise in working with post players but also vast international recruiting connections. When Amadou was hired on August 16, Syracuse had no commitments from players overseas.Hillsman told Amadou what he needed -- size and skill. Amadou gave his boss a list of 12 players he thought could fit, and Hillsman then had him focus on the three or four he had actually seen and liked, either on tape or in person in trips to European competitions.The only problem was that other schools had already been recruiting the players Syracuse now wanted.We were late, Amadou said. But I knew enough people in Europe, and the relationships were so strong, we were able to make up the ground.The two players from France committed first, Kariata in mid-September and Djaldi-Tabdi a couple weeks later.I had known both of them for a long while, Amadou said. The coaches knew me, and that made things easier. The credibility was there, and the fact that I am French helps as well.Amadou had no such home-country advantage in Latvia, but he worked his contacts and got Strautmane to commit in October.I didnt have to sell them on Syracuse, Amadou said. They knew we had good people.In the end, Amadou said, Syracuse landed three international kids who would be much more highly rated had they played high school ball in the U.S. and had been seen by more scouts.These are girls who practice twice a day and compete against grown women, pro players, Amadou said. We dont get caught up in rankings. But I know weve done well. Kris Draper Red Wings Jersey . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Nicklas Lidstrom Red Wings Jersey . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. http://www.redwingshockeyauthentic.com/kris-draper-jersey/ . 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PORTLAND, Ore. -- Defending champion Brooke Henderson and Swedens Suzann Pettersen shared the lead at 11-under 133 after Fridays second round of the LPGA Cambia Portland Classic.Pettersen shot the days low score with an 8-under 64, while No. 2 Henderson, an 18-year-old Canadian who won her first LPGA Tour event last year in Portland, shot 68 at Columbia Edgewater.Pettersen and Henderson, who have combined to win three of the past five Portland Classics, led by one stroke over Colombias Mariajo Uribe, who shot 67.The No. 18 Pettersen, playing in the morning, had eight birdies on a bogey-free card. Henderson, playing in the afternoon, caught Pettersen when she rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-4, 393-yard 18th.I finally had a fantastic putting day today. Finally. Its nice, Pettersen said. The long game is good. I feel like when I putt well I can put a good score. Today, I felt like I could make anything. Thats a nice feel.Henderson has shared or held Portlands outright lead the past five rounds, dating back to last years second round.I really like this golf course. I like the Northwest. Ive played pretty well on these courses, said Henderson, who won the Womens PGA Championship at Sahalee in Sammamish, Washington, three weeks ago.Pettersen was no surprise on the Portland Classic leaderboard. She has posted top-five finishes in four of her past seven Portland tournaments, winning in 2011 and 2013.I just like it here. Its a lot of hard work that is finally starting to come together, said Pettersen, who has struggled with back problems and is looking for her first win in 13 months.Austin Ernst, Pernilla Lindberg and Angela Stanford were five shots back at 6-under. Ernst, the 2014 Portland champion, shot 66, while Lindberg had 68 and Stanford a 71.Lee Lopez (68), Prima Thammaraks (69) and Carlota Ciganda (71) were 5 under. Among a group of seven at 4 under are Kelly Shon, Cheyenne Wood and Jaye Marie Green. Shon made eight birdies on her way to a 66.Pettersen was bidding to become the tournaments second three-time winner, joining Nancy Lopez, who won in 1985, 1987 and 1992. The Portland Classic is the LPGA Tours longest-running non-major, now in its 45th year.Peettersen collected her birdies in bunches.dddddddddddd Starting on the back nine, she made four consecutive on holes No. 12-15. Pettersen finished strong, making birdies on three of her final four holes, closing with a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-4, 410-yard ninth.Pettersen thought the difference between Thursdays 69 and her second-round 64 might have been playing in the morning.Obviously there are certain courses you play well, but you cant take anything for granted out here, Pettersen said. I sure did find some magic on the greens today. I felt like I played great yesterday. I tried to take advantage of the little softer greens this morning and little purer greens as well.Pettersen took 24 putts, which she said for me, thats record breaking.Henderson, who had five birdies and a bogey, thought she got the most out of her round.I didnt hit the ball as solidly as Im used to. On this course you kind of need to hit fairways and you need to hit greens. For the way I struck the ball, I scored extremely well, Henderson said.Henderson did most of her damage on the par-5s, making birdies on all four. But perhaps the best shot of Hendersons round came at the par-4, 393-yard 18th, where she hit her drive under a tree. With a greenside lake directly between her ball and the hole, Henderson blasted a low-running 6-iron from about 165 yards to within 10 feet, then made the birdie putt.That was definitely the high point of todays round, Henderson said.Henderson, who earned her LPGA card shortly after winning at Portland last year, plays in Pettersens group Saturday, just the second time the two have been paired.Along with Morgan Pressel, she was the one I really looked up to growing up and kind of wanted to be like, Henderson said.Christina Kim shot 66 to finish at 3 under, a group also included Vicky Hurst (71), Chella Choi (71) and Lee-Anne Pace (72).No. 9 Stacy Lewis was 2 under after a 70. American Morgan Pressel shot 71 to finish at 1 under.Among those who didnt make the cut at 1 over were Americans Cristie Kerr, Lizette Salas and Marina Alex. ' ' '