LOCAL AAU TEAM GOES NATIONAL

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Rhodes Renegades, a 15-and-under girls AAU basketball team that represents Southeast Missouri, has advanced out of pool play in a national tournament in Oklahoma for the first time in team history.

The tournament, according to Renegades coach Craig Millham, is one of the top basketball tournaments for this age group in the country. He said 200 NCAA Division I basketball coaches are scouting the event.

"Most of the players here will be juniors," Millham said. "That's why its so heavily recruited by colleges. This is the elite basketball tournament in the nation. This is the cream of the crop. These are the best teams in the nation."

The Renegades went 3-0 in their four-team pool, beating Southern Mississippi 71-69, Western Pennsylvania 50-40 and Tallahassee, Fla. 52-51. Pool play began Saturday.

The Renegades have advanced to double-elimination bracket play and will play the Georgia Magic today.

The Renegades, formerly known as the Jackson Jazz, are a team comprised of nine players which represent five different schools from Southeast Missouri. There are players from Jackson, Notre Dame, Oran, Doniphan and North County.