[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8225]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING MELISSA JONES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 27, 2007

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Melissa 
Jones of the Legacy High School girls' basketball team. On March 22, 
2007, Melissa was selected as the All-Colorado Player of the Year by 
the Rocky Mountain News staff with input from coaches statewide.
  This was Melissa Jones' senior season playing for the Legacy High 
School Lightning. During prior seasons Melissa demonstrated her superb 
abilities and proved to be a standout player. Preceding her senior 
season, neither major Colorado newspaper ranked the Legacy Lightning in 
the top ten. Yet that ranking quickly changed as Melissa and her 
teammates beat, for the first time, their Front Range League rival 
Horizon High School.
  The Lightning, led by Melissa Jones, won a share of the league title 
and then went on to knock off Regis High School in the Class 5A 
semifinals. Regis was 21-0 and was the tournament's No. 1 overall seed. 
Melissa skillfully led the team to the title game clearly showing that 
the pre-season rankings underestimated her determination. Melissa's 
skills and abilities, along with her outstanding teammates, carried the 
Legacy Lightning into the title game. Melissa and the Lightning's 
success have served as an inspiration and a source of pride for 
athletes of all stripes in Colorado.
  Melissa Jones' statistics for the season included an average of 22.1 
points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.1 steals. During the tournament she averaged 
29 points and recorded four 30-point performances during the final 
eight contests.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Melissa Jones for 
her storybook season and well-deserved selection as the Rocky Mountain 
News' All-Colorado Player of the Year. Her talent, vision and 
leadership are undeniable, and she is a source of pride for women's 
basketball, for Legacy High School and for all of Colorado. I wish her 
continued success in the future.

                          ____________________