Kizer to put her talents on the all-star court

By Dave Utnik

Published: April 4, 2008

Lynetta Kizer takes great pride in her ability to defend the hoop. For Potomac's 6-foot-3 senior center, blocking a shot—or even altering one—is what playing basketball is all about.

Even when she was a 9-year-old going up against girls who were already in high school as a member of the Fort Belvoir Barracudas, Kizer discovered that she could impact games with her size and strength.

"I've always had the mindset that if you play defense then the offense will come," Kizer said.

So even as she developed pivot moves in the lane, learned to shoot 3-pointers and scored 1,845 varsity points, Kizer built her reputation as the nation's top-rated post player by zealously protecting the lane.

Last week at the McDonald's All-American Game, she blocked three shots, pulled down four rebounds and had one steal in 12 minutes. That performance reaffirmed her status as an elite defensive player and provided the best evidence yet that Kizer could become an impact player next season as a freshman at the University of Maryland.

"That was one of my biggest goals," said Kizer, who recently learned that's she's also been chosen to the Parade All-America team.

"I just kept working hard and everything worked out for the best. I'm going to have an opportunity to play a lot of minutes next year, but there's definitely going to be some big shoes to fill."

The Terps are loaded at guard, where Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman have started three seasons together. But the front court is less stable with the imminent departure of 2000-point scorer Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper.

When Maryland's NCAA Tournament run ended against Stanford on Monday, the Kizer era officially began and she is fully aware of the opportunity that awaits in College Park

"It's here now and it's coming quick too," Kizer said. "It's definitely starting to sink in now."

Being selected to play in two of the nation's most prestigious all-star games has hastened Kizer's transition from high school star to college freshman.

Like Brooke Point center Chay Shegog, who has become a close friend over the past three sea-sons, Kizer will officially conclude her varsity career on Saturday when she participates in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association High School All-American Game at the Univer-sity of South Florida's Sun Dome in Tampa.

"Just like in the McDonald's game, I want to see how well I can defend these girls," Kizer said.

Held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four, the WBCA game features many of the same players who earned McDonald's All-American honors.

For Kizer, who received scholarship offers from Connecticut, LSU, Virginia and Tennessee, among others, the trip to Tampa is as much about the future as it is the past.

In addition to winning a gold medal at the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival last sum-mer, the soft-spoken girl known in basketball circles as "Baby Shaq" was the first member of the 2008 recruiting class to make a commitment to Maryland.

As one part of her career ends and another begins, Kizer will get her first glimpse of what it's like to play on college basketball's biggest stage—and she'll approach it with the same tenacity she uses on defense.

"I've never been able to attend a final four," Kizer said. "It will be fun to see what it's like for when we get there next season."